We’re Adrian and Tara Devlin and we are working for a year with the Jamaica Baptist Union. As we stay in Kingston, BMS has asked us to write a little bit about our experiences of the recent unrest.
Violence spreadingWe stay in the east of Kingston, while most of the trouble was in the west of Kingston in Tivoli Gardens, so we haven’t been badly affected.
Monday 24 May was a public holiday for Labour Day and we had planned a day-trip, but when we saw the trouble spreading outside of Tivoli Gardens we decided to stay at home.
We also did not go to work on that Tuesday as the JBU office was closed due to the violence.
Our friend and security guardSo as you can see, we have been fortunate and not directly affected, though one of our friends has been.
We have become quite friendly with Damian (pictured left), one of the security guards at the United Theological College of West Indies, which is where we live. He has lived in an area called Hannah Town all of his life.
Hannah Town borders Tivoli Gardens and it was the Hannah Town police station that was burnt to the ground – one of the many stations to be attacked.
Damian is no stranger to the burning of buildings as he himself had his house burnt down in 2002 by ‘The Shower Posse’ gang which is allegedly headed by Christopher “Dudus” Coke (pictured below).
Gunfire Once the extradition for Dudus had been issued, Damian warned us that there was going to be trouble as he had seen hundreds of AK47 assault rifles being collected in the area.
Sadly he was correct. Damian was at home when the fighting started and he soon realised it was not safe to stay.
The gunfire started about midday the on Sunday (23 May), but he was unable to leave his house until 4pm the next day because the firing was so intense. He actually called us on Sunday afternoon and we could hear the gunfire in the background.
When he did leave he saw gunmen everywhere and the police station had been looted. Imagine the firepower needed to make policeman run from their station in search of a safer one!
Damian managed to get a taxi to Vineyard Town and passed many bodies lying on the ground. One of Damian’s friends was shot, his stepfather was shot and his friend’s stepfather was killed. The injured were unable to attend hospital immediately because the gunfire was too heavy.
A turning point?Damian had his house searched on two different occasions last week by soldiers trying to find out who set fire to the Hannah Town police station. He said that in their searches the soldiers didn't show much respect for his property and some of his belongings were actually broken.
Damian said that over the years he has seen enough dead bodies and doesn’t want to see any more. He, along with our colleagues, is very distressed about the situation his country finds itself in.
Many hope that this will be a turning point and that the links between politics, criminality and corruption will be broken once and for all.
We are certainly praying that this will be the case. On a personal note we would like to say that our experience of Jamaica has been a hugely positive one. It is a wonderful island with warm and friendly people and we would recommend it to anyone.
Please join with Adrian and Tara in praying for Jamaica and its people. Pray that God’s peace and justice would be restored and that God’s righteousness would rule in the hearts and minds of the people and those that govern them.