Thanks to the efforts of Rev. Al Miller (who might find himself in some trouble with authorities) and outstanding work by the security forces, Christopher “Dudus” Coke has been peacefully taken into custody. Jamaicans all around the world, including most of us in Kingston21 (South Florida) have all breathed a collective huge sigh of relief. The bad publicity that Jamaica has earned over the past month continues to be a huge cost to the country in terms of its reputation for A-class hospitality, Irie Vibes, Cool Runnings. Jamaica –No Problem has been switched to Jamaica –Nuff Problem! The country has suffered much economically and socially, losing much of its goodwill. As has been implied in some other articles, even though the main problem is concentrated in a small area of Jamaica, the entire country, the Jamaican diaspora, and the “global Friends of Jamaica constituency” have felt the severe consequential pain.
Many questions now arise. Will Dudus be extradited to the United States for crimes he is accused of there? Will Dudus face the Jamaica court system for the criminal acts that he has allegedly committed in Jamaica over the years? Will Dudus be imprisoned in Jamaica? Will Dudus survive in the custody of Jamaica authorities, given the strange circumstances under which his father, Jim Brown died? Will the Shower Posse disintegrate? Will Dudus’ outspoken supporters in Tivoli Gardens remain peaceful and quiet? Will the many other gangs in Jamaica be disbanded or rendered non-functional by the security forces? Will crime in Jamaica return to “reasonable levels”?
The above questions are definitely open to debate, and there will be numerous varying points of view. One thing we know for sure is that Jamaica has waited too long to start cleaning up its act with respect to the reduction of crime and violence. We hope that this is a turning point in the history of Jamaica and that those in authority will stay dedicated to stamping out all forms of crime and corruption. All people living in Jamaica deserve to feel safe anywhere in Jamaica conducting business, going to school, eating out, attending church and participating in our numerous, varied cultural entertainment events, whether it be day or night.