I live in Florida. Grandma Joney was calling me from Denham Town, Jamaica. But why me? Was there no local pastor to minister to her grief; no Timothy, no Paul, for her – for Bread Lane’s huddled masses, yearning to breathe free?

It didn’t matter now. All that mattered was that no matter the distance, no matter the logistics, no matter the cost, I needed to be supportive of her family in their bitter loss.

Wasn’t this what I’d prayed for in 2001? “Help me to get to know these people,” I’d asked the Lord after reading about a security operation in Denham Town and Tivoli Gardens that had left close to 30 people dead. 

Well, it’s 2014 now and He’s still answering.

So how did her grandson die? After all, he was only twelve.

From what we hear, a bloody war has erupted between factions of two once oh-so-close communities: Denham Town and Tivoli Gardens. In the ongoing battle for turf, it’s been dog eat dog.

Prior to the arrest of the ‘Don’ for the area, the two communities were at peace. However, since his arrest and extradition to New York to stand trial for racketeering and other charges (over 70 people were killed in that security operation back in 2010), there’s been an ongoing deterioration in the area – more guns, more robberies, more murder.

Sent on an errand to buy food, Joney’s two grandsons were in the wrong place at the wrong time, both (the other was 9) having found themselves in the middle of a shooting that left 13 people wounded and two dead. For the past month there’ve been murders almost every night. At least 12 that we know of have died. I can speak to four.

• While at a dance recently, one man was killed within 100 yards of where I sometimes park my car. In fact, one young man with whom I spoke after the murder (he was at the dance and was standing close to the victim) not only fled in total shock, he’s still traumatized and wants desperately to flee Denham Town altogether.
• Last Sunday a Seventh-day Adventist barber from Lizard Town (a section of Tivoli Gardens) was buried – he the innocent victim of the reprisal killing that occurred within hours.
• Tuesday night, according to a clearly frightened teen-aged friend who called me close to midnight, there was murder on Pink Lane.
• That same Tuesday night, according to another friend, another murder was committed “just up the road.”

When I asked if the police were involved in any of the shootings, I was told “no.” It’s the men killing each other. Then when I asked our worker if, under the circumstances, she could still see us conducting street meetings there, I was told:

“Yes, the people need them now!”

REVENGE

“I want no revenge for the death of my son,” Joney’s daughter Claudette emphatically told me, “I don’t even want to know who did it. You see me, pastor? Me a backslider, but let Father God have His way. There must be a reason why my son dead.”

That’s what she told me over a week ago when she could talk. Since then, however, she’s been counting down the days to the funeral and simply can’t stop crying. She’s on medication for depression and has been sent for counseling, but remains inconsolable.

One morning I actually got a call from a passerby who heard her wailing in disbelief with words that could only come from a mother:

“Wake me up! Wake me up, please! Tell me it’s
a dream – tell me my little boy no dead.”

A few days later she was inside the funeral home with the Member of Parliament for Western Kingston, Desmond McKenzie, when robbers accosted the little group that was standing outside on the road. Little did they know that Mr. McKenzie was inside and two of the intended victims were fully armed marksmen, his bodyguards.

After a brief scuffle, one would-be robber was mercifully shot in the leg. He tried to run but was subsequently turned in by members of the community who say they are totally fed-up with the shootings. Not surprisingly, an already weak and traumatized Claudette, who was inside the funeral home at the time, promptly fainted at the sound of the fresh gunshots.

Heretofore when I’d ministered to the children of these communities, they (as well as some of the adults that came along for the rides) could be seen laughing together in the same vehicle. Now families have to choose.

Residents of Denham Town are unwelcome in Tivoli Gardens and vise versa. Even the children from Denham Town have been told not to cross the road in an attempt to get to their school, Tivoli Gardens High School. 

What does this mean for our ministry? We’ll find out in a few days.

Recurring gifts are deeply appreciated.

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