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a strong sense of belonging to it. Nevertheless, there are also differences in
attitudes to community structures, leadership and gang activity.
2.39.
We heard evidence from residents who expressed positive opinions
about Coke and his administration of the affairs of the community, his emphasis
on discipline among children and his generosity towards the needy. It was
noteworthy, however, that these same witnesses appeared wedded to a code of
silence when questioned about Coke himself, gang activities or criminality within
the community. Other residents spoke of avoiding participation in community
activities that brought them into contact with anti-social elements and they
promoted a similar avoidance among their children. It is as though they try not
to know by practising non-participation.
Tivoli Gardens and the Security Forces
2.40.
The relationship between Tivoli Gardens (and so many other urban
communities) and the JCF is marked by a history of distrust. In the case of
Tivoli, this distrust is an intense expression of a national trend. One witness
stated bluntly:
“No garrison community likes the police because they
brutalise us. Nobody in a garrison area likes police.”
2.41.
So, distrust of law enforcement serves as a kind of glue binding the
community and the gang e.g. the Shower Posse. Moreover, distrust of the police
is exploited to reinforce the code of silence which protects the criminal group.
Distrust and the code of silence lead to avoidance of law enforcement even to
the point of creating alternative systems of discipline and punishment. These
alternative systems are brutal impositions on the community and probably
amount to a trade-off of individual rights and the very rule of law in return for
security administered by a powerful criminal group.