THE PEACE march led by the Peace Management Initiative (PMI) into the violence-prone Jacques Road community of Mountain View in southeast St. Andrew has evoked a cynical reaction from the beleagured residents. Indeed they say they are "tired of the talk", implying that they see no action that can lead to an end of the recurring strife.
Our front page reports of the latest developments point to an unusual divergence of approaches to this kind of communal violence. The initiative involved Bishop Herro Blair, head of the PMI, Minister of Education and MP for the constituency Maxine Henry-Wilson, the JLP's Phillip Henriques and Deputy Police Commissioner Mark Shields, who brought what might have been meant as good tidings.
Mr. Shields disclosed that three persons had been arrested in connection with recent killings in the area; but the residents were tired of mere talk. Their attitude seems to have found an echo as far away as Ocho Rios where the chairman of the Police Officers Association, Assistant Commissioner Leon Rose, spurned the idea of negotiating with criminals. Criminals who kill babies should not enjoy the status of sitting at a table in negotiations, he said.
This contrast with the PMI approach of peaceful persuasion will find sympathy in many quarters, especially elsewhere in the society among people who cannot understand why the violence keeps recurring. The standard explanation about fighting over turf is inadequate; for it is still not known what makes the turf worth fighting for whether drug trafficking or the proceeds of extortion is involved. To claim that political alliances are at stake is a matter that lacks
both paternity and credibility in an election
off-season.
What should be of primary concern is the proliferation of guns where they come from
and where they are hidden after the shooting subsides.
It should not be beyond the capacity of the security forces to go beyond the usual curfews and search relentlessly for the weapons in a house-to-house exercise. If the nearby Wareika Hills pose strategic challenges to policemen chasing criminals on the run then press the soldiers into action since their training must encompass this type of terrain.
The desperation that the law-abiding residents of Mountain View face will not be satisfied by mere talk.
