Garth Rattray 'Two more killed in Mountain View', 'Residents continue exodus from Mountain View', 'More gunplay in Mountain View', 'Guns blaze in Mountain View'. 'Four slain in Mountain View', 'Ammo find in Mountain View'. 'The tragedy of Mountain View' and 'Tension prevails in Tawes Pen, Mountain View'.
OVER THE years, too many people have been killed in the Mountain View area and in recent weeks, 11 more have been slaughtered. The media may soon run out of headlines for stories about the Mountain View killings and perhaps the country will soon run out of headstones to bury the victims. I could go on and on reeling off headlines after headlines and quoting macabre statistics from as far back as the 1970s when the security forces considered that area a hot spot even way back then.
POLITICALLY MOTIVATED
At that time, the violence was politically motivated. There was no cocaine and no autonomous gangsters or dons, just the usual People's National Party (PNP)/Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) rivalry and their deadly struggle for supremacy. Jacques Road was also thought to be in possession of the "Whaddat", a powerful "gun" reputed to be so big and heavy, that it had to be transported on a wheelbarrow during "combat". The point being that many youths in the area were and still are very heavily armed.
As the affluence and subsequently, the influence of politicians waned, gang leaders and drug dealers eventually filled the power vacuum. Now, no one knows for certain whether this foul conundrum is due to politics, drugs, gang warfare or an unholy combination of two or more ingredients. The fact is that whatever the modality, the root cause of all this violence is the quest for power. The situation may look like anarchy to the naked eye, but rest assured there is systematic evil at work here. The power-seekers employ murder and mayhem, blood and gore, weeping and wailing to indelibly etch their will upon a terrified populace like hieroglyphics depicting a time of untold hardship and suffering of a people. There is a pernicious need to control the power, to control the flow of money, drugs and guns. But to achieve this there must be control of the people. The so-called "power" gained through handouts, killing, maiming and terrorising is ignoble and comes without glory. There is no honour in the brutal murder of others. There is no distinction in carnage. True power is all about service, not servitude. True power is all about community spirit, not making spirits out of community members. No one can construct a power base on the dead bodies of their fellowman. The blood of others cannot fuel the advancement of evil.
LENDING SUPPORT TO MISCREANTS
Crime will always reign supreme within certain communities because there are always those who lend support to miscreants for selfish gains. Some do it out of fear, others do it out of misplaced fealty, others do it out of selfish greed and others do it to enjoy some "power" of their own. It is common for the paramours and relatives of gunmen to indirectly or directly threaten the defenceless with the spectre of their gun-toting killers.
Dr. Peter Phillips, in consultation with the Commissioner of Police and the Chief-of-Staff of the Jamaica Defence Force, announced the setting up of a command post. It will stay in place for as long as it takes while they seek a permanent solution to the problem. This is all well and good but the definitive answer lies in taking away the "power" from the gangsters, drug dealers and politicians. This can only be achieved through intense social reform aimed at the equitable distribution of proper amenities and opportunities to the residents of volatile areas. The Ministry of National Security cannot go it alone. There has to be meaningful input from the Ministries of Health, Education, Youth and Culture, Finance and Planning, Commerce, Science and Technology, Industry and Investment, and last but not least, Environment and Housing. We must take the power away from the despicable reprobates and frustrate the prevailing situation wherein people depend upon unscrupulous individuals for support and protection.
Dr. Garth A. Rattray is a medical doctor with a family practice.
