Cops left in the dark as councillor brokers gang truce
ROSALIE HAMILTON, councillor for the Rae Town division in Kingston Central, has pushed back at concerns that the local police were not invited to a recent meeting she hosted to broker a truce between warring factions in the area. Speaking with The Gleaner on Sunday, Hamilton said there had been ongoing clashes among gangsters in Spoilers, Tel Aviv, and Franklyn
Town, but since last week’s meeting, there has been limited gun violence.
States of emergency were imposed in both Kingston Central and Kingston Western on Sunday in response to flareups of deadly shootings in both areas.
“When mi sit and see how dem a kill dem one another, I said I going to intervene,” Hamilton said.
“I started networking to find out what was happening, and we set up a meeting. We couldn’t invite the police because of the type of guys that were there. If we invited the police, dem woulda lock up some a dem, and the trust with us and dem woulda gone.”
Hamilton said that the gangsters agreed that enough blood had been shed and that it was time for peace to reign in the area.
“Before the meeting, we did the groundwork in meeting with them and telling them that them born and grow together and ‘a stupidness unnu a gwaan wid’, and di man dem decide seh dem nah mek nuh more things happen,” the councillor said.
“Dem seh dem a go accept them losses, nuh care how fresh or stale it is, and just move on,” the councillor said.
Hamilton insisted that she could not invite cops to such a meeting and did not mean to slight the police.
“I did not disrespect the police. I could not invite them to the meeting because trust would be lost. How could I say to them that I am carrying them somewhere and then we turn up with police pon dem? We couldn’t do it. The police made the public lose trust in them, so we cannot make them lose trust in us.”
Hamilton said that after the meeting, the men, in a show of unity, marched through the streets of the various communities, surprising many residents. During the walk, residents who knew some of the men scampered into their yards out of fear but later realised that peace was imminent, Hamilton said.
“Dem left di meeting and start walk pon one another corner, and di residents start run. When dem see di man dem a hug up, dem wah know wah happen.”
Attempts by The Gleaner to get a comment from the Kingston Central police on the matter were unsuccessful.