A MOUNTAIN VIEW OF JAMAICAS POLITICAL VIOLENCE

C O N F I D E N T I A L KINGSTON 001237 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR WHA/CAR, DS/IP/WHA, DS/IP/ITA E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/03/2017 TAGS: ASEC ECON JM PGOV PREL SNAR SOCI XL KPAO SUBJECT: A MOUNTAIN VIEW OF JAMAICAS POLITICAL VIOLENCE Classified By: EDWARD WEHRLI REASON 1.5 (b) and (d) -------------- Summary -------------- ¶1. (U) Following an ebb in years of extreme election violence of the 1980's, many Jamaicans predict that the current ongoing national campaign may see an upturn in violence. Thus far, the political seems to be concentrated in constituencies of South East Saint Andrew, East Saint Andrew, and East Kingston. Spanning but not completely encompassing these three constituencies is a historically volatile area called Mountain View. It is not close to corporate Kingston, and tourists have no reason to visit the area, but Mountain View Avenue, the main road that spans the three constituencies, is a corridor to and from Kingston's Norman Manley International Airport. Much of the violence in Mountain View is not necessarily politically motivated; however, given the pervasive nature of politics in Jamaica, very few things, especially violence, are without some political influence. Election and political violence in Jamaica may involve innocent bystanders who happen to be caught in the crossfire, but there have been no known occurrences of foreigners being targeted in political or election violence. End Summary. -------------- History of Mountain View How did it come to this? -------------- ¶2. (U) Until the late 1970s, Mountain View Avenue was a desirable middle-class area with good views from the hillside. After the 1980s, many houses were abandoned. After the increase of political violence leading up to the 1980s general elections, today Mountain View is a low-income neighborhood whose registered voters are either unemployed or self-employed carpenters/plumbers/painters. Wareika Hill, which has many caves and overlooks the Mountain View area, was once a flourishing cultural center but is now a hideout for gunmen. ¶3. (U) Mountain View consists of pockets of Jamaica Labor Party(JLP) and People's National Party (PNP)-aligned communities in close proximity. It is not uncommon to see streets branded alternatively with orange or green flags (Note: Orange is the representative color of the People's National Party(PNP) and green is representative of the Jamaica Labor Party (JLP). End note). The rival political communities who live on either side of Mountain View Avenue, one of the main routes to Kingston,s international airport, often begin firing at each other without warning thus, putting passing pedestrians and motorists in danger. ¶4. (U) The entire area spans but does not encompass completely, three volatile constituencies: East Saint Andrew, South-East Saint Andrew, and East Kingston. In 2002, the JLP MP St. Aubyn Bartlett won East Saint Andrew, a formerly solid PNP constituency. In the current election, Barlett is challenged by university professor and PNP Senator Trevor Munroe, who reportedly is making strides in the constituency because Bartlett is perceived as an invisible, non-performing representative of his constituents. The PNP may well win this seat back. PNP MP and Minister of Education & Youth Maxine Henry-Wilson represents the second constituency of South East Saint Andrew. Long considered a safe seat for the PNP, they have won it for the past 20 years; however, Maxine Henry-Wilson won by only a narrow margin during the last election and, she is facing a strong challenge from JLP candidate Joan Gordon Webley. Investment, Technology, Energy, and Commerce Minister PNP MP Philip Paulwell represents the third constituency of East Kingston, also considered a safe PNP seat. The JLP candidate is Peter Sangster. -------------- What is the situation today? -------------- ¶5. (U) Since the announcement of elections, there have been several reported incidents of violence in and around Mountain View. On July 18th, shots were fired at a car driven by Joan Gordon Webley;no one was injured. On the evening of July 20, two people were shot and injured in the Jarret Lane and Saunders Avenue area of Mountain View. According to the police, the two injured persons were caught in a crossfire that started at 5pm and continued for several hours. Saunders Avenue and Jarret Lane are PNP-affiliated areas off Mountain View Avenue, while Jacques Road is a traditional JLP affiliated area. ¶6. (SBU) The violence seems to have climaxed with the death of Sanjay Ebanks, who was the office manager for Gordon-Webley, on July 19. Three weeks before the Ebanks murder, Courtney Gooden, a JLP activist was fatally shot. Speaking privately with EMBOFF, Dwight Nelson, Spokesperson for the JLP, claimed Mr. Gooden had been the first JLP activist killed in Woodford Park, and said he knows it was done by PNP activists, because his sister, a PNP supporter, was an eyewitness. Mr. Nelson did not go as far as saying the murder was political, because Mr. Gooden had a number of personal differences with a number of people. In the case of Sanjay Ebanks, Mr. Nelson said speculation seems to be that it was a politically motivated murder. There were eye witnesses, according to Mr. Nelson, able to identify at least two PNP activists, but they have been threatened and since have gone into hiding. ¶7. (U) The violence in Mountain View is emblematic of much of the violent crime that occurs in Jamaica. Yet it is a unique constituency, because there are pockets of 400 or fewer people, off Mountain View Avenue, who are of opposing political party affiliations. The residents of this area all know each other, as they have grown up and gone to school together. Often when disagreements start, they can escalate, become violent, and erupt along political lines. Besides those directly involved, people walking or driving in or around the area when the violence erupts get shot in the crossfire. This is especially common because Mountain View Avenue can be used as a convenient route to get to and from Norman Manley International Airport, the main airport in Kingston. There have been no reported cases of violence directed against tourists or foreigners in this area. ¶8. (SBU) Along with the suspected political violence in the East Saint Andrew constituency, there is also gang violence in adjoining constituencies of East Saint Andrew and East Kingston. While this gang violence does not seem to be politically motivated, it is difficult to distinguish between the two. For example, in East Saint Andrew, there have been violent shootings stemming from gang rivalries in the community. On July 23, three persons were shot, one fatally. The three were victims of the crossfire between the many gangs in the area. The situation is further complicated, because the residents of Mountain View area often defend the gangs against the police, who enter the area to apprehend suspected gang members and criminals. The residents exhibit loyalty to the gangs because of a combination of intimidation and the desire to share their booty. Because of Jamaica,s bloody electoral history, and because the Jamaica Constabulary Force has in the past used its muscle to support political causes and candidates intervention by the police in an apolitical criminal situation nowadays almost automatically, in the minds of many Jamaicans, carries a political overtone. On July 23, as reported by Radio Jamaica, the police were accused by PNP supporters of bias in favor of JLP supporters in the neighboring community. -------------- Official Jamaican Reaction -------------- ¶9. (C) On July 27th Charge James Heg spoke with Minister of National Security and member of the PNP Peter Philips regarding election violence. Philips expressed concern about the negative tone of the campaign as well as the long campaign period (Note: Philips also expressed concern about a decision made by party leader Portia Simpson-Miller (PM) regarding the length of the campaign, a very controversial issue. The concern he espresses is suggestive, because the two bitterly contested the party leadership position when former PM P.J. Patterson resigned just over a year ago. End note.) Philips expressed optimism regarding the Jamaica Constabulary Force(JCF). He thought the JCF were handling the current outbreaks of violence with diligence. He pointed to citizens' groups that are trying to calm the atmosphere and church groups that are calling for a meeting between the Prime Minister and Bruce Golding, leader of the opposition. In closing, Philips expressed concern specifically about the areas of East Saint Andrews, Saint Thomas, and South East Saint Elizabeth. ¶10. (SBU) Regional Security Officer (RSO) has been meeting with Jamaica's National Security Advisor and senior police officials to discuss election violence, especially along Mountain View Avenue. RSO has been advised that extra police patrols have been deployed along this road, and that police checkpoints have been used to target criminal suspects in the area. This has resulted in vehicular traffic being re-routed away from this area when violence and gunfire have occurred. The U.S. Embassy has advised its employees of the dangers of driving on Mountain View Avenue. The Consular Information Sheet for Jamaica also advises American citizens about the gang violence and shootings that occur in this and other areas of Kingston. ¶11. (C) In a meeting between withNarcotics Affairs Officer and Regional Security Officer, Deputy Commissioner of Police Mark Shields, stated that the JCF was concerened not only about pre-election violence, but also about post-election violence, particulary in close, constituencies that might change hands from PNP to JLP, or vice versa. Shields comments were echoed in an August 3 meeting between the Acting DCM, NAS Director, ICE Attache and Ministry of National Security staff; both the Ministry's Permant Secretary, Gilbert Scott, and the Minister's Special Advisor on Intelligence and Security, Vincent (Dave) Anderson, expressed their concerns about pre- and post-election violence. ¶12. (U) In a press conference on July 18, the Police High Command of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) announced plans to prepare for potential election violence. About 12,000 polling station security assistants or one-day policemen have been recruited to assist police. The High Command also has suspended leave for officers effective July ¶31. All vacations after July 31 will be suspended, and those officers on vacation will be recalled to duty. The Deputy Commissioner also identified specific communities that will receive special attention because of their history of election violence. On July 28-29, the Jamaica Defense Force (JDF) had an election exercise in which they blanketed the island's polling stations, counting centers, and nomination centers so that troops would be familiar with their surroundings on election day. JOHNSON