Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer

Damion 'Jr. Gong' Marley

On Friday night the 'Road to Zion' sloped up to Red Hills Square, St. Andrew, turned right at Hamilton Plaza, then went right again with a sharp dip, ending at a metal gate draped with a tarpaulin to prevent anyone looking inside.

It was this gate that Damian 'Jr. Gong' Marley, after whose hit song the session was named, went through at about 3:20 a.m. on Saturday to join those scattered around the dark lawn with a few large trees, rocking to the music of Rebel T and Deltone, puffs of breath showing just how chilly it was.

And it was through that gate, a party of four policemen came an hour later to put a stop to 'Road to Zion' before Marley could perform.

Turntables and Amplifiers

After a scorching hour from Deltone, in which they played Khaki Suit from Jr. Gong's Welcome to Jamrock album, Rebel T had just taken over when the policemen walked in.

"All a de man dem, woah, woah, woah," he said as he saw the police party approaching the tent under which the turntables and amplifiers were set up.

"Yu deh pon mic dis hours a de mornin'. Why yu neva keep it like how yu did 'ave it? Mek people a call now. A oonu mek it bad fi oonuself," the officer in charge of the party said.

"Now! Now! Now! Done! Done!" he said. "People start call an' Control start call me. It tek a different turn," he said, as a few people gathered around him, appealing 'Mr. Hitch' and 'Sir P'.

"It done. Me done talk brethren!" he said, walking away, the other three policemen standing relaxed but ready.

"Missa Powell, me an' yu cyaan reason?" one young man persisted. "No, de reasoning days ova!" the policeman replied. "Yu suppose to done 2:00 a.m.," he said, advising the person to "look pon de permit." "We low oonu till 4 o'clock an oonu deh pon mic til hours a mornin'," he said and the police party left, many of those present doing so also, although some remained to fume.

"Merry Christmas," someone said and a group of one man and two women started singing Silent Night, laughing. On a small television on a chair in the middle of the lawn footage of the dance filmed earlier that night was all that remained of 'Road To Zion', while up at Hamilton Plaza Marley's In Too Deep pounded from a Suzuki Alto with Vigilante across the windscreen, just across the road from the well lit police station.

The deejay was nowhere in sight.