With a heavy heart...

[nutz4travel]

While I might not agree with Mattmon's suggestions of violence, I understand his outrage & the passionate plea for the loss of his friend.
I hear his battle cry as a wake-up call to the complacency of this board, the residents & the government, in light of these murders.

I'm amazed by how many have seemed to turn the other way or sweep it under the rug with 'it happens everywhere'.
I live in Detroit & still find what is going on in Negril to be scary. Who or what is next if this isn't nipped in the bud?

& why does it seem more are upset with Mattmon's response than the violent incidents that spurred his commentary in the first place?!

Instead of setting fires or bashing Mattmon, can we use our power for good instead of evil? What can we, as a group, do in a proactive manner to help put some pressure on the powers that be to help curb this violence?

Well said...

[Lola]

As a child in the US Midwest in the 60’s, 70’s I turned away from war movies, didn’t like cowboy movies or any violent movies. I didn’t understand and didn’t want to know that people would ever fight hand-to-hand, or use guns or weapons to kill people, and know they were at high risk of dying through violence rather than sickness or age. Violent acts were not real to me. The society I grew in was orderly, you lodged disagreements with the ‘authorities’, you followed rules, you stood in line and got served in reasonable time. I also ignored history classes in school, it wasn’t real to me (I truly regret that now). I was 12 years old when I saw my first scary/violent movie Soylent Green, I felt sickened at the idea life could be overcrowded, little access to the supplies and resources that were part of my every day, groups of people being exterminated. It wasn’t until I was 17 or 18 and visited Boston, MA that I realized the historical events I’d heard about had really happened to real people, and real people were truly affected and that shaped my life.

I came to Jamaica for vacation in 2001. Until about 4 years ago, I thought like many of you, how do some of these events happen, why is it like this, why does it seem like nothing is done to change it, etc.. Since 2009 I have been living in Negril 6 months of every year (straight through, 1-2-3 months at a time, coming and going; I’ve been there every month of the calendar).

I began learning that in Jamaica people take matters into their own hands. A business deal didn’t go right. A family member was hurt or mistreated. Someone in the neighborhood was a thief and refused to act right and get along with the rest. Initially I was shocked at the concept and railed against believing it was true, that people would fight, hurt, kill each other. Eventually, digesting bits of information at a time I could see that many times a violent act is not a random event, it is a situation being worked out. There is usually (always) more going on than is seen on the surface. Yes, sometimes people get it wrong and someone is harmed who shouldn’t have been. Yes of course families grieve, it was their loved one, that trouble-maker, abuser, whatever the ‘charge’, they were family. And yes there are people doing bad things to good people too. It is often long and difficult to get justice through the systems so people handle it themselves, finished, done (sometimes).

The ‘unthinkable/unbelievable/shocking’ is real life for more people in the world than many of us ‘westerners’ want to think, imagine, believe, and know. True, Jamaica didn’t used to have the gun violence. Change always happens, it is the nature of humans to move around, take control and make changes for a few, at the expense of many.

I don’t know if these things can be explained to a tourist unless they already know similar from other places or their own experiences. I wouldn’t have understood it except through time on the island and asking questions and eventually realizing the 'shock’ is the contrast of the culture I come from. Sometimes the only way to answer your questions is ‘it is what it is’. Without the internet you could be ‘blissfully ignorant’. It is up to the citizens of a country to make changes in their country.

In summary, I think it is likely that those of us who have been able to come to Jamaica for vacation, the lives we come from, is not the experience of the majority in the world. That is why we feel shocked when we learn what so many already know.

[Bnewb]

Incredible observations, Lola!
Understandably, the more attuned you are with the runnings...living, working, breathing life here on a daily basis...not just reading the headline events or having limited knowledge from a small circle of "friends"...will always give you a better perspective/understanding of any community/culture.
Personally, I find this community full of very wise, incredibly strong people...I've been lucky enough to learn from them!

[Accompong]

I, too, enjoyed and concur with your observations Lola.

Knowing people on a day to day, every day basis for months and months spanning many years gets you a certain insight into Jamaica's runnings that visiting for a few days a year can never achieve. Part of what makes Jamaica so enticing and addicting is that exuberance for living one's life and a hint of danger that can suddenly explode and then fade away like nothing happened.

Jamaicans are no stranger to senseless tragedies but there is usually more to the story that rarely gets told.

What happened to Colin is not acceptable and contrary to some beliefs will not go unpunished by either the authorities or some form of vigilante justice. Things just take a little longer in Jamaica.

I will be heading home in October and I remain in love with Jamaica.

Just my opinion.

[captaind]

Lola,

Very well put.

Damned hard to explain to a casual visitor.

Cap

[Papa Georgie]

Wow! Not only can the "casual visitor" not understand the mysterious "runnings" of Jamaica, these things cannot even be EXPLAINED to a tourist. How mysterious for the poor, ignorant "casual tourist". Consdescending perhaps?

[Jaherring]

I feel so *small* and unimportant now.

[Papa Georgie]

Teeny tiny!

[Patricia]

Wow! Not only can the "casual visitor" not understand the mysterious "runnings" of Jamaica, these things cannot even be EXPLAINED to a tourist. How mysterious for the poor, ignorant "casual tourist". Consdescending perhaps?

You think

[Rob]

Wow! Not only can the "casual visitor" not understand the mysterious "runnings" of Jamaica, these things cannot even be EXPLAINED to a tourist. How mysterious for the poor, ignorant "casual tourist". Consdescending perhaps?

Since when did it become insulting to be a casual visitor? Negril had about half a million casual visitors last year - and contrary to being an insult, Negril is appreciative of them all! Tourism is the lifeblood of Negril, and there is nothing poor or ignorant about being one of our valued tourists.

I know Colin had many, hundreds if not thousands, of casual visitor friends. I know this for a fact as he and I talked about it on numerous occasions. He did not consider them poor or ignorant, he considered many of them friends. I have been in his shop many times when a casual visitor showed up and you could see the smile of recognition on his face light up the place.

I do not see anyone here calling or even implying anything condescending to tourists. I do see people reacting differently to grief, and some people getting angry about a perceived lack of reaction. And I see others who live in Jamaica trying to explain why they perceive what they do. I see this as trying to help them through their frustration and grief.

Without living here, it is nearly impossible to explain in writing all the "runnings" of Jamaica - it would take volumes. That doesnt make it "mysterious", it makes it a complicated subject. Chemistry or algebra are not mysterious, but are complicated. They take years of dedicated study to learn. Taking a week or two long crash course a couple times a year would not be enough to be able to understand either. Living here does allow for the "dedicated study" because you are dealing with it on a non stop basis. Everything you do or say is influenced by the "runnings".

I take no offense that you obviously know your own hometown of Wilmington like the back of our hand. I have spent some time in Wilmington visiting years ago, and I was not insulted by being called a casual visitor to Wilmington because that is what I was, I did not live there. Nor am I insulted because you know more about Wilmington than I do. You do know more, that is a simple fact. If I was going to Wilmington in the near future, I would appreciate your advice.

I know Colin did, and those of us in Negril appreciate and look forward to seeing returning and meeting new casual visitors. There is no insult in being a casual tourist.