I had the day all planned. I was going to my bank because it was their anniversary and there would be cake.
I like cake...and other foods.
It would rain and I was prepared for it with my waterboots and umbrella.
Like I said, I had it all planned.
I was walking uptown from downtown as I needed to do some shopping. I saw a group of people congregated and usually, that means a scene. I don't hang around scenes. Living in St James, you come to understand that as beautiful as Jamaica is, there is this inherent violence that translates into a disregard for the mortal coil. Ironic, considering that there are three times as many churches as there are schools.
(Feel free to check that stat. I was surprised at first, but that was over in a millisecond)
There was this man on the ground. His head was covered in blood. I don't know who he was but my immediate thought was what happened? Someone mentioned someone hitting the man. I thought they meant with a car... I felt sorry for the man but continued walking because something felt a bit mobbish about the scene. Plus I heard that the police were called.
He would get help. Good.
I arrived at my destination and heard two women talking. One was the cashier I always chat with, Ms Maroon, and a customer. The customer seemed agitated. I heard only a part of the conversation, where she was talking about the violence. I mentioned that I just saw a gentleman on the ground. My voice sounded concerned and it was met with a hard response.
"That man hit a senior school student in the head."
What I had seen was a mob. And then I flashed to the stone next to the man. Someone retaliated against this man for hitting this senior high student in the head with a metal pipe.
99% of my sympathy dissipated. It became 99.9% when I heard the girl had died.
She was coming from school and this man, who was said to be mentally ill, hit the girl in the head with a pipe.
The woman talking about her own children said something about praying for a shield to protect her children as if God had a force field.
This girl's mother probably prayed for holy protection for her child. Today would be the day that prayer would not be answered.
I am secular. I don't follow any religion. That was a decision my soul took a long time ago and I don't regret it because it is right for me. I have seen good, I have seen bad, I have seen evil, I have been through hell and realized that rock bottom is the best foundation on which to live. I don't believe in a sky god handing out shields.
I believe you reap what you sow, more than you sow, long after you sow it. I believe in being grateful every day.
I believe that a country that thinks it can be developed by 2030 needs to do something about the rising body count, particularly in St James, the parish in which I live.
I believe that if you're going to talk about prosperity, you should ensure your citizens are around to see it. You can't pray this away. It doesn't work like that. You have a real, tangible problem that needs real, tangible solutions.
You can pray all you want, cry for divine intervention, use talismanic icons to anchor your prayers, but you need, and I mean NEED, actionable solutions. You can't have those who are mentally ill, potentially or known to be physically walking the streets killing the youth you keep saying "is the future."
You can't decry and condemn violence and do nothing about making sure laws are followed, citizens are safe, and those who pose the greatest harm are addressed.
I don't know what's to be done, as I'm not a politician. I'm just someone who doesn't have eyes in the back of my head to see if some crazy person is swinging at me.
You can't be pro-life and be such a poor protector of it.
It makes no sense and unless there is some serious and drastic change to help sequester the mentally ill, violent people and get them the help they need, you'll keep having incidents like these and the subsequent "Jungle Justice" that follows.
But what do I know? I'm just a heathen who hasn't repented, right?