The following is a letter from Horace levy senior member of the so-called Peace Management Initiative, posted in one of Jamaica’s Daily News Paper January 15th,2013.
Horace Levy
Some questions for the police, the commissioner of police, the minister of national security, and the people of Jamaica: Does every police encounter with criminals have to involve a shoot-out? Must every police encounter with criminals require the use of lethal force? Are our criminals really so more vicious than criminals in other countries that they can only be dealt with by lethal force? How come our more vicious criminals manage to shoot so few police? How much longer will Commissioner of Police Owen Ellington go on supporting, even encouraging, the killings carried out by his men? How much longer will Minister of National Security Peter Bunting go on endorsing the behavior of Commissioner of Police Ellington? How much longer will our citizens go on tolerating this kind of wanton killing of fellow citizens? Is the blood of only a few of us boiling? If this can happen in the first two weeks of the year, what will the other 50 be like?
My letter to Horace Levy:
Jamaican Police Officer on the job in tough inner city community.
I believe that you fundamentally care about what you do at the peace management initiative. I think you are shaped by your experiences, I however must inform you that despite whatever successes you may have achieved from your organization’s efforts, what you do is not a replacement for the rule of law.
Criminals must pay for their crimes, it is through tough punitive measures imposed by society that the delicate balance between anarchy and civility is maintained. You have been known to argue that a large percentage of what the Police characterize as Gangs in our country are in fact what you call ” corner crews”.
With all due respect even if we are to accept your corner-crew designation, as fact, I must inform you that said corner crews and Gangs would not be, and aren’t mutually exclusive. You have a job to do, do your job, stay out-of-the-way of law enforcement.
I know that it is common for those who(“eat the proverbial food”” in situations as yours, feel that the way to continue to eat that food is through the demonizing of the police. I must also inform you that you are not doing neither yourself nor Jamaica any good through your actions.
The rule of law is going nowhere, it will be there ;long after you and I are gone, or I shudder at what will obtain. Do your job and lament the innocent lives lost at the hands of the scumbag predatory monsters who prey on the weak.
You have been at this demagoguery long enough. Just do what you can and let the rule of law do what it is supposed to do, and if that means eradicating murderous urban scum, then so be it. What are the police supposed to do?
Are the police supposed to beg criminals not to shoot at them, are they supposed to refuse to fire back at criminals out of fear that they may kill too many criminals?
Do prepare and make public a detailed proposal that you feel should replace the measures which Police Agencies use all over the World when they are confronted with life and death decisions.Those decisions in most cases must be made in a fraction of a second.
Failing the ability to provide such a detailed proposal, I strongly suggest that you confine yourself to whatever it is you are educated or trained in, if anything.
Of note is your total failure/refusal to mention the innocent Jamaicans whom have been slaughtered, not just since the start of this year but between the years 2001 to 2008, 2001 – 2008
Reported Cases of
Murder : 10, 836
Shootings : 11,229
Rape and Carnal
Abuse: 9119
Not one word from you about the innocent people killed, I suggest you and your friend Carolyn Gomez be very careful, criminals do not care who they kill, you are not immune, they will kill you too. Take care of what you understand and leave Law Enforcement to those trained and tasked with it.