Demonstration against Policies of the World Bank and IMF, 2005

Over the past three years, I have conducted social research amongst 30 communities involving some 600 Jamaicans, and over that time, I have realized that people are genuinely convinced that public (political) demonstration is the single most successful advocacy strategy that can bring about social change. In a recent workshop involving members of the Maroon Town community in St. James, I was informed by a participant that demonstrating was the tactic employed by their forefathers to fight the system of slavery, and “until now it is only thing that we, the people, can do to get the politicians to respond to and address our social needs”. Other participants alluded to popular news (video) clips of local demonstrators and their apparent success in getting needs addressed on account of demonstrating.

Political demonstrations are popular protest forms in Jamaica because people get to articulate their message of frustration with a particular situation in a quick and efficient manner–all the relevant authorities and leaders at the parochial and national (sometimes regional and international) levels receive the message simultaneously, and they see that the people are not bluffing, “Enough is enough, we will not go on any further like this, you must do something Now!” With this approach, the community is relieved of the burden of community and personal empowerment for community development and sustainability. In other words, there will be no need for fancy letters, elaborate meetings where more promises are made, and further more the hard work and cost associated with capacity development of the people to do something that the Member of Parliament was voted in to carry out is eliminated. If we follow this thinking, Jamaica can easily have a unique community demonstrating everyday for more than a year. There are more than 700 communities in Jamaica, each comprised of smaller districts. In the Maroon Town Development Area, there are 12 districts, each comprised of 300-500 households.

Is political demonstration really the most efficient way for our communities to advocate for social change?

Community education and capacity development on rights, advocacy, and leadership, are presented as options to communities, but leaders noted that the potential for those to make meaningful and sustainable social change will be affected by the following:

1. High rates of political apathy at the community-based organization level
2. Limited security and voting rights  by some members of inner-city communities
3. Migration of the most empowered from the rural and inner-city communities
4. Growing tendency towards individualism
5. Limited political power, clout, and influence of community organizations and leaders to hold elected representatives accountable
6. Limited community development programs and support
7. Lack of respect for constituents and lack of transparency by elected representatives
8. Lack of prioritization of constituents needs by elected representatives.

Elements of Advocacy

With all this said, do you still wonder why communities keep on demonstrating?

The Government of Jamaica put new laws in place to control demonstrations, and not even the Mayor of Kingston, Desmond McKenzie, was speared by the police, when he and a group of representatives from the Jamaica Labour Party dared to demonstrate before Jamaica House. Historically, political demonstrations have played major roles in bringing about social change across the world. In Jamaica, this is also the case, and with it comes the possibility of political conflict between the state (represented by the armed police force, on hand) and the affected group (made of unarmed, but very disgruntled citizens on the other). Such conflicts are particularly noticeable when the political rights of the people (affected group) to assembly and speech are not respected by the state. Despite laws stating that demonstrations are to be planned and brought to the attention of the police via formal letters, community leaders believe that this will only doom their demonstration exercises, as their efforts will be blocked. Regular Jamaicans therefore see the law as an attempt, by the Government, to minimize their political power, which creates social change. In the eyes of community leaders the choices for social change are few:

1. Seek education and capacity development to empower the community to contribute tangibly to social change and creating indigenous solutions
2. Flout the demonstration laws and risk your life, because you believe that by not doing so you will never get the requisite attention, or
3. Be apathetic to community development and doom your life to inadequate living conditions.

Though education and emowerment for community development is a long term investment with long term results–it will provide sustainable social benefits to individuals, as well as the Jamaican society. Certainly, risking life and dooming ourselves to underdevelopment are not natural human tendencies, so although our frustrations and passions might stimulate us to conceptualize a demonstration as a core strategy for social change, let’s resist this urge and build ourselves so that we can create a coordinated advocacy and community development campaign, in which demonstrations are just one of the many strategies for addressing the problems we face.

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APWs were designed to sensitize leaders about advocacy, leadership, networking, group development, and communications, so that they would be better prepared to contribute meaningfully to community development.

My initial workshop with residents was attended by approximately 30 persons and was held at a public venue, a basic school sitting at the foot of Waricka Hill. My follow-up workshop was only attended by 6, half of whom traveled from outside of the community from their temporary places of rescue because of what was then a new round of violence and death in the community.  At the workshops residents expressed haunting fear and frustration with living their lives in containment or continuous chaos on account of violence. By the time of our third workshop, we were hosting the session in the living room of a resident, which was attended by 20 persons.

Basic School in Rockfort sits at the foot of Waricka Hill

I tried to extend the intervention in Rockfort beyond the youth club, which we originally targeted, but subsequent to my offer to the Rockfort Development Council (RDC) we felt they needed to do more work on community mobilization. The Social and Economic Justice (SEJ) Project was presented as an intervention aiming at contributing to the empowerment of residents to claim their rights at different levels, but the Council articulated a need for us to use the Project for community mobilization by adapting it for skits and plays. Though I felt that that the use of human rights content in plays was a good idea, especially for community mobilization, I had to agree when my core Project stakeholders objected to the idea, on the basis of: lack of resources, absence of previous planning, and its deviation from our original intention. This contributed to the discontinuation of my work in the community, especially because we had exceeded the time that we had agreed on to execute the intervention.

In the more than two years that I spent in the community, I really forged some great friendships, especially with some wonderful young men who protected me throughout my service there. We are still in touch and we plan on having a face-to-face discussion to talk about and record their experiences as male youth growing-up and raising families in Rockfort.

Homes and Waricka Hill in Rockfort

Rockfort Community (Water) Tank and the dreaded Waricka Hill

In this video, we heard accusations from the Police that there is a lack of will by the political representatives to control their area. From my conversations with friends, I understand that the problem is truly one of infighting. It’s like implosion. Residents say that all that’s needed to put things in order is for the Member of Parliament (MP) to show up and straighten things out, as all the ‘warriors’ respect him. They also said that his absence from the community has been long and progressive, which they profess is a frightening situation, especially knowing that he is a son of Rockfort. They lament that his nativity should stimulate him to care more than the average MP, but they say that his absence shows that he is no more sympathetic.

Rockfort- in view of Waricka Hill, water tank, and food stall

As a I toured the community, I was shown bullet holes, burnt homes, abandoned buildings and homes, the football field, the spring, and the infamous Waricka Hill, which was dreaded by residents because they say that it serves as a key access point for ‘warriors’ entering and leaving the community. We witnessed abandonment, unemployment, hopelessness, fear, and of course there was some glimmer of hope in the faces of little children playing on one street/lane. There is need for infrastructural development, education and skills training, sports development, and multi-sectoral support and attention.

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The Police in charge of the Area and ACP John McLean, head of the Community Policing Department informed me, in an advocacy meeting with them and community representatives, that they are ready and willing to support community development interventions such as ours–the SEJ Project of Jamaicans for Justice. They and residents who participated in our Project endorsed the need for community development in light of the needs expressed above, but for the time being Rockfort’s residents will have to go from door to door and seek broad-based support for unity and an end to violence, before the social development agencies will feel comfortable enough to want to be there to assist with development and growth.

Section of basic school playground and Waricka Hill, Rockfort

Rockfort- view of homes and empty streets that were once lively