Canadian killed on westend friday night.

[Papa Georgie]

Well said, BostonBob.

[Rob]

I am amazed and disheartened that the Negril random murder and others would be compared to the terrorist attack in Orlando. The point is that around the world in high target areas countries are working extraordinarily hard devoting immense resources to keep ahead of an ever blossoming terrorist network that continues to execute different and extremelyi challenging and brutal approaches to killing innocent people. The Negril situation does not compare. The security in Negril is horrible as the rash of murders there indicates. I more than anyone want the people of Negril to flourish and redo the benefits of a robust tourist economy and for folks like myself to reap all the wonderful blessings Negril has to offer. If you want to minimize things and used flawed logic and compare terroist activities to the Negril hoodlum based killings, then I think we do no service to Jamaica or tourists. It is just watering down the matter and perpetuate more of the same. The Negril authorities need to step it up like fighters of terrorism are doing. Maybe anecdotal but I am scared to return to Negril or my judgment tells me to stay away. That bums me out. You say crime is everywhere but I stay away from high crime areas like Negril has sadly become. Keeping it real on Negril.com. God bless all.

BostonBob,

Wow! When I thanked everyone for "keeping it real", I meant keeping the thread factual and not speculating or spreading rumors.

I live here and experience daily what happens in Negril. Can you please let us know your source of information that this was a random murder? None of the news services have called it a random murder. I have friends on the police force and I am not privy to this information. If you know something the police do not, it should be your duty to let them know. And at the same time if you wouldnt mind, please let us all know where you derived this "fact".

It would also be beneficial to everyone to let us become aware of this horrible "rash" of murders in Negril that you speak of in your post. In my post, I was referring to the parish of Westmoreland, Negril being a very, very small village in a parish with numerous cities and towns.

And personally a murder is a murder to me. It doesnt matter whether you label it terrorism, as if that makes it somehow less of a murder. Explain that flawed logic to the family of the deceased.

If you were driving here the last few weeks and especially yesterday, you would have heard complaints from many of the law abiding cyclists and motorists who were stopped, sometimes repeatedly and searched by the police. There have been articles for a while in the news about the ramped up efforts by the police and citizenry alike.

But I suppose it was just a matter of time until the rumor and speculation would hit here as well.

[captaind & Linston]

This was not random.....a robbery gone bad or something else but not random...

Not that it makes any difference

I was in Orlando this week for a conference...Today 50 are dead in a LBGT club.......Home of Disney World?

Cap

[LivinInThe603]

Thank you Rob and Lisa for keeping the updates as accurate as possible. I'll be down next week and will be as vigilant as always, but it's good to know what's going on, to the extent possible.

If I may say,
Bad things do happen everywhere. Sometimes you can avoid it, sometimes you are in the wrong place at the wrong time, and sometimes, acts of violence are intentionally directed at the victim. Until we know more, it doesn't do us any good to make broad statements and sweeping judgements. At the same time, we need a place to express our fear and concerns. I think if we are cautious, we can discuss this topic without speculating the events of the crime. If one feels like they are no longer able to visit a town they had previously enjoyed, such as Negril, I'm certain that they thought long and hard about what is best for them. No judgement should be placed on those who still wish to continue visiting, and those who decide not to.

love and respect

[marco]

sorry but I do not subscribe to the "it could have happened anywhere mentality"...the longer I have visited Negril, the more I have seen the corrupt police program permeate the total environment of Negril.....it will take a much more forceful and global understanding that for the tourism industry to prosper, there must be a more proactive effort to deal with this corruption that we all know exists

[Rob]

Livin,

Excellently stated. As more factual information becomes available, we will make sure it is posted here. As you all know, we live here and this tragedy has hit Negril in a way I have never seen before. People are sad, mad and upset that this occurred on our watch, so to speak. It is not being taken lightly by anyone who lives and works in Negril.

We also understand how this effects those who have strong feelings for Negril. Back home, I am sure many of you have a sense of helplessness at the same time you want to do something to help and that is hard to endure.

We were with a friend from Brussels in Kingston hours after the Brussels bombings took place. There was an indescribable look on their face, seeing places that were now destroyed that they had been hundreds of times. There was a sense of helplessness in their gaze, but they endured and has once again visited Brussels.

We do want this Board to be a place where people can express their feelings, ask questions about their fears and concerns when they need to, but we will not allow this site to become similar to the fear mongering sites already available.

The only way for our visitors to have the best vacation possible is to know the facts. And to do that we must keep it real. To do otherwise would make this site irrelevant to travelers to Negril and Jamaica.

[BostonBob]

Rash of murders: look at the stats in the observer and increase over last year at this time.
Random murder: will concede that may be speculative at this time but we will see. My money is on that. Robbery gone bad or random is a distinction without a difference.
I have expressed my concerns and have not told others what they should do. I am not wrong to be afraid or for feeling it is a good idea to stay away from a place where there has been a significant uptick in the murder rate. Only time will tell but my main point is that more needs to be done.

[Papa Georgie]

It must be me, but the phrase "crime happens everywhere" as a response to a fatal shooting of a tourist
on the West End Road in Negril is a statement that no one could argue. Yea, crime happens everywhere. And your
point is?

My adopted town in Wilmington, NC. It is truly a gun riddled shooting gallery in certain neighborhoods.
I have never seen a letter to the editor to our local paper that said "crime happens everywhere".
Shootings are happening and they are happening here.

Everybody knows that crime happens everywhere...what people struggle with is, what are my risks of being a
victim of crime in Negril?

[marco]

Rob...I really do not see it helpful to attempt to minimize the situation....yes there are murders everywhere, yada yada yada....I believe noone can disagree with the fact that violence is increasing and that corruption is one of the reasons...everyone in Negril needs to unite in forcing the government and businesses to establish a more stable environment

[eddiemingus]

I've been coming here since 1973 built a house here in 1992 across from the red dragon and have been living here full time for almost three years. I started this thread. I'm apalled and sickened by people saying this happens every where. Thank you boston bob and marco you said it best.