By John Myers, Jr., Staff Reporter
McKenzie
DESPITE THREATS against his life, Mayor Desmond McKenzie has served notice that he will be launching an assault against extortionists in his latest to attempt to revive the downtown Kingston commercial district.
"We have to encourage and support the businesses to resist it (extortion) and to say to them that they are not obligated to pay. It doesn't make sense that some of them support it quietly and are not prepared to complain about it. All of us now have to really tackle this problem and it can be done," Mayor McKenzie told The Gleaner yesterday.
He said if all the businesses operating downtown would resist the attempts of the criminals to extort money, then the problem would stop.
This latest initiative, which is to come on stream before the Christmas season, has come against the background of repeated complaints from business operators to the mayor about the problem of extortion in the commercial district.
"A number of business people in downtown Kingston have spoken to me and have decided that they will not pay, some have not been approached, some have been approached and they are standing firm that they are not prepared to pay," the mayor said.
The mayor's offensive against extortion has come just days after National Security Minister Dr. Peter Phillips announced a new crime initiative dubbed 'Operation Kingfish'. In outlining the focus of the crime plan, the national security minister said the task force, headed by Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Glenmore Hinds, will target the leaders of an estimated 85 active criminal gangs in several inner-city communities across the island as part of efforts to curtail the country's spiralling crime rate. More than 1,160 people have been killed since the start of the year.
Threats were reportedly made against the life of the Mayor and his family. He has since written to the National Security Minister requesting security for himself, his family and the staff of the Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation (KSAC).
Mayor McKenzie said he is to meet with Francis Kennedy, head of the Downtown Business Association as well as the representatives of the informal businesses in downtown Kingston later this week to discuss details of the plan of action to stamp out extortion.
"What I am looking at is for us to see if we can have Kingston back in some semblance of order for Christmas and as early as possible we will be trying to put all of this together," he said.
The mayor has commended the police, whom he said, have been doing an excellent job in maintaining law and order in the area.
"It is just for us now as business people to come together and deal with the situation, it can't continue like this," he said.
