Saturday, April 27, 2019

Jamaica - Land of Sun, Fun, and Jungle Justice



Jamaica has always been promoted as a tourist destination that is welcoming to all visitors who want to get away from their monotonous lives and enjoy a country with a warm climate, beautiful beaches, and participate in other cultural aspects of an island. The attractive side of the island is promoted on million dollar advertisements throughout North America and Europe. But, although the sun and fun notoriety are popular, the dark side of the island, such as the prevalence of jungle justice, is hidden quite well. In April 2019 Shantae Skyers, a beautiful 8 years old child, did not return from school at her customary time. Her decomposed body was found five days later in the bushes of Sterling Castle Heights, St. Andrew. A 20 something year of a man with a mental disability, Miguel Williams, with no previous criminal record became the town's suspect. Instead of waiting for the police to do their investigation, an angry mob took justice into their own hands and viciously attacked, beat, and set Miguel Williams' body on fire. During the brutality, one woman in the community, known to be a "Christian" remarked that the mob should have outed the fire for Williams to feel pain then relight the body! Now, as a result of a police investigation, men have been taken into custody for the rape and murder of Shantae Skyers. So, does that mean that Williams was innocently and senselessly murdered and his family's house burned down without cause? But, this is certainly not the first time that mob justice in Jamaica has taken place. In 2013, Dwayne Jones was beaten, stabbed, shot, and ran over by a car by a Jamaican mob for his homosexual preference. In fact, throughout time, there have been countless incidents of Jamaican mobs taking justice into their own hands with beatings and murders committed without any arrests.  It must stop - let the police and court do their job!

Dwayne Jones Murdered