Da UK On-line Urban Magazine

Supatrax get an EXCLUSIVE interview with a Shower Posse member, who was born and grown in Tivoli Gardens, West Kingston, Jamaica. He gives an insight into life in Tivoli, the politics, the history and the current situation that has seen the U.S call for the extridiction of the alleged godfather figure Christopher 'Dudus' Coke. This has now lead to a ghetto war between gangsters, police and the Jamaican army. 2 Police are already dead, and one local Tivoli resident has been killed.

Today the sun is blasting, and the warm UK weather takes me back to last summer chillin in Ochio Rios, relaxin on the beach eating jerk chicken and drinkin rum and coke (OK, the weather's not that hot - lol!). But nearly a year later, I'm chillin in Birmingham UK, sipping a Brandy and coke, armed with my Super Soaker (wetting up gal wid white tops on - LOL!) and speaking wid a man we'll call Tyler from Tivoli, Jamaica.

The Prime Minister of Jamaica Bruce Golding has declared a state of emergency in the national capital as violence flares following his order for Christopher 'Dudus' Coke to be sent to the U.S to face charges, accusing him of selling marijuana and crack cocaine in New York and elsewhere and arming his associates with illegally trafficed weapons.

If convicted, he faces mandatory life imprisonment and millions of dollars in penalties.

***STOP PRESS***

As this article is being written up there is updates on the current situation in the Telegraph stating:

Security forces came under heavy fire in the West Kingston area of Tivoli Gardens as police and the army entered, after the island's government declared a state of emergency in the capital.

There were reports of bodies lying in the streets following the latest operation, while The Jamaican Observer reported that at least two soldiers had been shot.

Dwight Nelson, the security minister, said soldiers and police had broken down barricades around Tivoli Gardens and were in the middle of a house-to-house search for Mr Coke.

The write up continues:

Tyler personally knows Dudus after growing up alongside him, going to the same school and working alongside Dudus' father Jim Brown. He said:

"They're trying to make out like he's some big Godfather like figure that orders that people get murdered. That's what they want you to believe, cus it luks good (or bad) in the press.

"Dudus jus keeps order in Tivoli, he's respected for the work he does in the area. He keeps peace and order and provides for people in Tivoli.

"The Goverment don't do anything for Ghetto people in Jamaica. Police can not . . . 'CAN NOT', come into Tivoli. They tried to come in there before an 27 people died, Police were getting sniped from da roof top of surrounding building. THEY CAN NOT COME IN!"

Supatrax asked:

"So wah gwarn? U wan stand up here an mek out like Dudus shouldn't be sent back to the U.S to face charges? He's a killer - him kill off nuff people - we've read somewhere he's killed over 140 people." He replied:

"A ber fu**ry yah a chat! What is he bein charged wid? Huh? They claim he is the head of an internationaly organised crime organisation and he orders the killing of ber people. How the f**k can the U.S want to charge him with being the head of a crew?

"They want extradict him for drug charges. Since when has the U.S run down man for such stupidness? You know how much know killers are der in the world and nothin happen to dem?"

Dudus' father was a the former Don (underground leader) in Tivoli. He was also hunted by U.S officials and was extradited to the U.S to face charges. He was later murdered - or should I say, an accident fire happened and he was burnt to death in his prison cell. Jim Brown was a notorious bad man that ruled over Kingston for numerous years and it was rumored that he had worked for, or beside high ranking Jamaican and U.S officials. If he ever got to court and he talked up what he knew - there would have been a lot of drama and embarresed officals!

Dudus took over the rule and stamped his authorty on the area. By having a Don unofficialy take charge of an area, they are able to keep authority within an area and help support and serve their favoured political party in Jamaica. It is claimed that the Jamaican Posses (gangs) are affiliated with Jamaican political parties, such as the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and the People's National Party(PNP). It is rumored that the heads of these policital parties fund and recruit local Dons to make sure people people vote for thier party. Funding then continues and the local Dons are able to provide locals with jobs, school books, shoes and cover medical issues etc.

The JLP (labourites) posses dominate the West and South of Kingston and other smaller towns and the PNP posses are mainly found in the Eastern and Central side and there are a few that state they are not allied to either Political party. These are often in the Northern slums of downtown Kingston. Below are a list of affiliated gangs, you will hear reagge DJs such as Bounty Killa, Beenie Man, Vybz cartel, Movado, Busy signal and other call up some of the names below:

JLP Posses

• Presidential Click (Tivoli Gardens and Clarendon)
• Shower Massive (Tivoli Garden)
• Milk lane crew
• Rema Sheme Crew
• Renkers Posse (defunct)
• Southside
• One Order Gang (Uptown, Spanish Town)
• Precinct 13
• Banton Po
• Untouchables (defunct)
• Montego Bay Posse
• Bull Bay Crew/ Bull Pen
• Rema 13 (defunct)
• Huggings Gang (Lady Huggings Ave / Grants Pen)
• Colour red gang (August town)
• 
  

PNP Posses

• Spanglers Posse (Matthews Lane)
• Jungle Posse
• Gully Posse (Cassava Piece)
• Mountain View Posse
• Clansman gang (Spanish Town)
• Black Roses Crew (jungle)
• Tel Aviv Posse
• Dog Posse
• The Bloodclot Crew
• Cuban Posse
• Brown Posse
• Jae Bone
• Trench Town Crew
• Maxfield Crew
• British Link Up Crew
• Gaza Strip Gang (Craig Town)
• Nanny-Ville crew
• Joe Ben Bow Gang
• Rock Fort Posse
• Death Row Posse (Mckoy Lane)
• Water House Posse
• Bull Bay Massive
• Entourage Crew (Rema)
• Boston Gang (Waterford)
• Jarrett Lane Gang
• Black Roses (Original Crew from Lincoln Avenue in Jungle)
• Stingers Gang (Maxfield and Jungle)
• Mexican Gang (Mexico Jungle)
• Bi Bow (Jungle)
• Top Jungle Gang
• Sunrise Gang (Maxfield)
• Joel Andem Gang (Papine)

As the interview continued Tyler went on to explain how Dudus, reffered to as 'Short Man' had helped him finacially and physically to get his life on track and resolve situations that would have ended up in someones life being took. Supatrax asked:

"So all the gang ting is similar to over here really? All diffrent crews running round bussin shots, dealing in drugs, mekkin money, but when you check it - Their really reppin 2 main crews, maybe 3." He replied:

"What da f**k, Yo bredrin - Killing isn't a hype ting, like over here (in the UK). People get murdered 'everyday' in Jamaica. You hear blap, blap, blap - and you get to know who's gun has just buss by the sound it makes.

"In Birmingham, Burgers may shoot after Johnnies or vicea versa and for the next few days you see nuff a da man on road showin dat they run tings. Maybe 3-6 months before any serious retaliation, maybe even years. U tink sey u cud buss after someone in Tivoli an yu nu dead by da same evening? Ya mad!?"

The look in his eyes showed me that his talk was real, he was serious. His look was hollow - U knew he had done tings, but his whole reaction was blank. He spoke with authority and was reciting pure fact. He spoke with no emotion - only anger. I thought: "I really DO NOT wanna piss this geeza off. If I did, I'd ask him to please just smash my face off and please do not murder me, sir - PMSL!"

Tyler later went on to explain that the Don in a local area would have the authority to prevent any argument escalating and prevent any murders.

He explained the current situation in Tivoli and give his view on the situation:

"Bruce is 'our' MP and him come out and order that 'Short man' fa get extridte an to kill anyone in the way. He can NOT walk street ov Tivoli agan, he wuda dead!"

Supatrax asked: "But how you gon go against a goverment official that is just doing his job - He don't wanna upset the U.S, you never see what happen to Afganistan?" He replied:

"LOL! Jamaica a Afganistan from loong time! LOL! Bruce has said 'Anyone that doesn't leave Tivoli and stands in the way of Police getting 'short Man' will be killed'. In other words he has threatened us - So if you wan talk about killing us - then come try, we gon defend it!."

Prime Minister Bruce Golding, who represents Dudus Coke's very neighbourhood in parliament, has for months resisted calls by the United States to extradite him for trial. It has even been revealed that Goldings goverment had hired a U.S lawyer to defend Dudus in court.

With the United States beginning to accuse Jamaica's government of a lack of cooperation in stopping drug trafficking, Golding made an apology on national television for his governments actions and last week vowed to arrest Coke.

Supatrax asked: "WTF, it come like Dudus is the Jamaican Bin Larden - He never blew up no Twin Towers thou - LOL!"

"Fa real bredrin - Him inna hiding now, and dem nah find him" he replied.

Tyler went on to explain about how police are limited to how they can work in Tivoli:

"Deh can only come near Tivoli in the day time - 12 hour shifts. See from night fall Police can NOT come near Tivoli." He went on to explain some of his past experiences:

"When police come near Tivoli, they creep wid no lights on, then when they see you they just blast lights on, shove gun at you and then they got ya. As a yute it piss me off cus they keep getting me ov a night time. After bout 3 nights of getting pull, we decided to fix dem! . . . We shot out all the street lamps so it was ber darkness in the area after sun fall. We would then tie fish wire from lampost to lampost. Everyone in the area knew it was ther but when police wan try come inna the area, the wire would just choke them up - LOL! Da fu**ers never come back after that - LMAO!"

The total darkness also made it totally impossible for the police to see people on roof tops or lay-bys who cud shoot at them. Below is a news report from 2008 highlighting how hard it is for police to enter Tivoli Gardens.

Tonight automatic rifle fire continues after dark and sections of Kingston remain barricaded off, with army trucks attempting to clear roadblocks in the Red Hills district. Police stations have been stormed and burnt down and 2 police officers have been shot dead.

The Guardian newspaper reported:

In recent days, residents of Tivoli Gardens and neighbouring Denham Town, where Coke is believed to be holed up, began erecting roadblocks in an apparent attempt to prevent his arrest. The roadblocks began spreading to neighbouring and rival communities along the industrial corridor of Spanish Town Road.

Gunmen from these communities have also been acting in support of Coke in what police say is a co-ordinated attack on law and order. Residents in central Kingston openly mocked the police as they stood behind the barricades. "Only police I trust is a sleeping policeman I've run over in the road," said one. Another said in Jamaican patois: "Bus it pon dem," - a phrase meaning "fire on them", which was used by local people to encourage gunmen to attack the police.

Supatrax asked Tyler a final question: "Everytime you refer to the situation, ya chat bout we, we, we! How ya mean 'WE?' Your in the UK - Yu nuh live dem life again."

He replied: "Once ya Shower, ya shower for life! Dem wan chat bout international organised crime - It nuh go suh - It's just we all help one another an dats how tings work. If mi know seh yu shower, den me gwarn help you - I know you'd do the same for me. Life is hard, so we have to unite, build strong foundations and stay strong. UNITY!"

Tyler's final words were:

"What I love to see now, is a generation of young Black people that are uprising and educating themselves. Standing strong in what they know and working together. I love to see young Black men with their children, hugging them and nuturing them, teaching them about love, supporting them and providing for them. - It is the start of a revolution - I love dat!

"What ever we do (as Black people) we will be fought down. I urge your readers to go and seek knowledge bout themselves, their Black history and not to be afraid of being Black and proud of it."

As the situation in Tivoli continues Supatrax will provide updates and more from the EXCLUSIVE interview.

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