April 1 is apparently the deadline for the police, headed by Inspector Murdock, to perform a “raid” and force the young men out of the gully. This is where they live as they are disenfranchised from society and rejected by their families.
A judge recently ruled against an order to have them evicted, as it is a public place, but the police insist that their occupation is a health hazard.
On Saturday night, the final night of high school athletic competition Champs, the police chose this time to warn the guys that they will be forced to leave. (Read another account of this evening here.)
In terms of avoiding the further inflammation of the situation, this could not have been a worse time. I was driving by and witnessed throngs of young men and women walking by, some of them clumped around the gully. I heard several calls of “batty man” (a derogatory term for a homosexual) and a lot of yelling and excitement. The blue lights from the police cars were flashing all over the place. Apparently this visit by the police was to warn the guys that they will be evicted. However, they have absolutely nowhere to go. Shelters are unsafe, their families have generally disowned them and they have difficulty securing employment to support themselves.
A group called Dwayne’s House is trying to raise money to house these young men and the Colour Pink Group is trying to fund some employment training. In the meantime, however, the situation seems to be escalating in the wrong direction. Where do the police and authorities think these young men will go? Why are they not concerned with protecting society’s most vulnerable citizens? (It must be pointed out that some of them engage in antisocial behaviour and criminal activity to support themselves, but they have had little or no opportunity to be “socialized” properly so that they can operate in the normal channels that you and I engage in to support ourselves).
I ran by the gully this morning and the guys were still there. Apparently a couple of them have been taken into custody and the raid will happen sometime today. The international media has also taken note. Channel 4 from the U.K. was filming a scene when I passed by.
Let’s hope that no one is injured today and that the police and/or other authorities have a plan to protect these vulnerable members of society.
Jamaican Journal 
All they are doing is pushing them from one corner to another, creating a problem for someone else, when they should be finding a solution. Very sad indeed.
Well put. They simply have nowhere to go.
Reblogged this on Petchary's Blog and commented:
Just a few days ago, at the University of the West Indies (UWI), we were discussing the role of leadership in protecting vulnerable populations. Jamaica’s homeless – including this particular group of LGBT youth, as well as mentally and physically disabled Jamaicans and children who roam our streets daily – are arguably the most neglected and marginalized of all. This is an account by CUSO volunteer and fellow blogger Kate Chappell of the pending police raid to evict this group of young men, who live in a gully in New Kingston. Perhaps before the UWI event, the debaters should have paid them a visit. It might have been a good dose of reality, and given a little more edge to their presentations. Homelessness is not a “gay issue” in Jamaica. It is a human rights issue.
Kate, this is frightening. I did not know about this. Are they going to just “evict” them so that they will go somewhere else? I don’t know that there is any plan by the police to protect these extremely vulnerable and marginalized young men.
Hi Emma It is very frightening. Their lives are at risk. I don’t know of any plans but Dwayne’s House is doing fundraising.