Jesse Royal, Tommy Lee back state of emergency
Reggae artiste Jesse Royal says that he is supportive of the ongoing state of emergency (SOE) in his home parish, St James, but has cautioned against its excessive use by the security forces.
“Certain things have to put in place because things get out of hand,” Jesse Royal told WESTERN STAR following his performance at Reggae Sumfest on the weekend.
“But we don’t want, at any point in time, the youths them rights [get] abused. But from things get out of hand, it have to deal with it,” added Royal, real name Jesse David Grey, who hails from Maroon Town.
Jesse Royal, who is known for songs such as Butterflies, This Morning, Gimme Likkle, Modern Day Judas, and Generation was supported by controversial dancehall sensation Tommy Lee Sparta, who has had his runins with the, since the SOE was declared in January.
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“Is the best thing for Montego Bay right now. At least nobody nah lose them life,” Tommy Lee said. “The place well lock down early, but we can’t complain cause the violence less, and that is the greatest thing — and the violence can get lesser, too.”
Legislators approved a further extension of the SOE in St James last week, but the Opposition says that it does not intend to continue supporting the current measures and would be seeking an end, particularly to the SOE in St James, soon.
However, Holness insisted that the SOE was producing positive results.
He noted that the SOE was introduced because of St James’ murder toll of 182 per 100,000 citizens. He noted that of the 2,729 people detained since January 18, one hundred and seventy-five had been held on various charges — 25 for murders, 27 for shooting with intent, 13 for robberies, 10 for rape, 25 others for social offences, and 72 for lesser crimes. “The lesson from this is as we sit in this House and we see the numbers going down, I want every member to appreciate that the threat still exists,” Holness said.