25 / 494
24
(g)
Rule-making and rule enforcement by the gang apply to all whether
gang members or the members of the community.
2.24.
All of the features adumbrated by Prof. Harriott, present severe
risks and challenges for law enforcement. Thus, the 2001 Commission of
Enquiry wrote:
“There was abundant credible evidence from which it may
be inferred that the twin issues of garrison communities and
political tribalism cannot be eliminated as a feature of
political and cultural life in Jamaica unless Tivoli Gardens is
brought under the complete control of the JCF.”
HISTORY OF VIOLENCE IN TIVOLI GARDENS
2.25.
The JCF wished to enforce the law in Tivoli but were cognizant of
past experiences. In 1997, Coke’s gang barricaded Tivoli Gardens. The police
tried to clear the barricades and were shot at. This was the time of a bitter feud
between persons from Tivoli and another group from Wilton Gardens (Rema).
One of Coke’s lieutenants was killed.
2.26.
In 2001, there was a bloody confrontation between the security
forces and residents of Tivoli. Twenty-seven persons were killed and a
Commission of Enquiry was established. How these persons met their deaths
has never been established. No one was held legally or administratively
accountable for their deaths. The Commission of Enquiry concluded that –
persons wrongfully met their deaths but individual legal culpability could not be
determined from the available evidence.
2.27.
When one of Coke’s brothers was killed in 2005, there was yet
another violent engagement between residents and gunmen of Tivoli and the
JCF. Police stations were attacked and damaged during a significant gunfight.
Indeed, there have been several lower-intensity, small group, violent
confrontations between gunmen and the security forces and politicised gang