19 / 494
18
the contributors and editors, Professor Anthony Harriott, a member of this
Commission, writes at p.214:
“The Presidential Click is not a typical criminal group, but
rather a high intensity and
high impact
case. It is one of the
most powerful, oldest and most resilient criminal groups in
Jamaica, and even has links to national power circuits via its
alliance to one of the nation’s major political parties. The
Click is further connected with global criminal networks that
enable the exploitation of illegal activities beyond Jamaica’s
borders. While the group has both licit and illicit sources of
income, at its core, their wide range of illegal activities
demonstrates
their
tendency
towards
violent
entrepreneurialism. The Presidential Click has an exceptional
relationship with the host community that it is deeply
embedded in. The nature of this relationship consists of
high levels of cohesion, stable leadership and, for the most
part, uncontested leadership transitions. Most of all, the
Presidential Click is known for its use of violence as a
disciplinary tool in the maintenance and replication of the
Garrison phenomenon, its violent conflicts with other groups
and with law enforcement, and the exploitation of its
reputation for violence to extract protection fees and various
forms of tribute and rent from its victims including other
criminals. Many regard this Jamaican organised crime group
as one that most closely approximates what Anton Blok
(1974) describes as mafia.”
2.13.
DCP Hinds said that Coke’s leadership was unchallenged and he
described Coke’s position in the Tivoli Gardens community in this way:
“He operated a surrogate government. He operated his own
court and persons who breached his code were brought to
him, tried and sentenced.”
2.14.
Former Commissioner of Police, Owen Ellington, described Tivoli
Gardens under Coke’s suzerainty as “a state within the State”. Evidence before
the Commission revealed that utility companies such as those providing
electricity, water and telephones were unable to go into Tivoli Gardens to collect
outstanding monies due to them. In fact, for very many years, residents of Tivoli