Teen Who Was Shot In Eye Delivers Anti-Gun Violence Speech....A New York City youth who was shot in his eye last month reacted, not with bitterness, but by giving a speech against gun violence Saturday (VIDEO)

A New York City youth who was shot in his eye last month reacted, not with bitterness, but by giving a speech against gun violence Saturday, the New York Daily News reports.

RELATED STORY: What Are Your Ideas To Stem Chicago Gun Violence?

Addressing the Kings County Hospital’s community advisory board, Gama Droiville (pictured) said that “gun violence affects everyone more than they realize. Other kids like me need programs to help them.”

Droiville was with his aunt in the East Flatbush of Brooklyn on April 14 when a bullet struck him in his right eye. Twenty-one year old Kareem Potomont was arrested and charged in the shooting. He was reportedly aiming at a rival. Officials have charged him with attempted murder, reckless endangerment and assault.

Thirteen-year-old Droilville remains unable to see in his right eye. “Only God knows. For now, we’re just waiting,” his aunt, Marie Droiville, said Saturday about his condition. “He’s going to a specialist this week.” “He’s a lovely kid,” commented NYPD Officer Abraham Hidalgo, who saw Droiville as he first arrived in Kings County Hospital’s emergency room. “It’s a big difference, how he is now from then. Before, he was a disaster. We thought he was going to lose his life. He still has a long road ahead, but is so much better.”

Droiville also received a standing ovation for singing the national anthem with his church choir at Citi Field last Thursday. more

YOHAN BLAKE plans career change, eyes 100 world record....Will look to play cricket in the UK..... English county side Yorkshire has offered him a chance to fulfil a childhood dream

Monday, May 19, 2014    

LONDON, England (CMC) — Yohan Blake said he plans to make a career change when he retires from the track in another six years.

YOHAN BLAKE

The former world 100 metres champion from Jamaica said English county side Yorkshire has offered him a chance to fulfil a childhood dream of playing cricket at a high level.

“Cricket is my first love,” said Blake in an interview with the BBC. “I’ve wanted to play for Yorkshire or in England for a long time.” Blake said he wants to follow in the footsteps of legendary West Indies captain and current manager Richie Richardson and play for the club in the north of England.

The 24-year-old Blake is a decent fast-medium bowler and decent middle to lower order batsman and has turned out regularly for Kingston Cricket Club in Jamaican club championship.

Getting down to business, Blake said he has overcome the hamstring injury that prevented him from defending his world 100m crown at last year’s World Championships in Russia.

He said his eyes are also firmly set on establishing a new mark for the 100 and toppling compatriot Usain Bolt from the top of the pedestal. “This is a good year to return to top form,” he said. “When I came on the scene in 2009, I’ve been leaving personal bests every end of the year, so you might see one this year.

“If I break the world record, it’s my time. Usain’s had his time, and is still having it. Whatever I do this season I just want to give a surprise to the world. My potential is far greater than what I’m running now.”

Compatriot Bolt established the world record of 9.58 seconds five years ago at the World Championships in Berlin — but Blake is unfazed by challenging his Racers Track Club teammate. “I wouldn’t say Usain’s record is untouchable,” said Blake. more

Nation Of Crooks - Pastor Rennard White Blasts JAMAICANS As Morally Weak....."In Jamaica, we are not a people who are very strong morally and ethically...."Dishonesty has gone into all our institutions," he added.

Published: Monday | May 19, 2014 Jermaine Francis, Staff Reporter

A senior member of the clergy has called for the society to fess up to the reality that Jamaicans are not honest people.

Reverend Rennard White

The Reverend Rennard White, vice-president of the Jamaica Evangelical Alliance and president of the Missionary Church Association, said it was no secret that, for a very long time now, dishonesty has permeated all facets of the society.

Delivering the sermon during yesterday's National Workers' Week and Labour Day Thanksgiving Service at the Covenant Moravian Church in Kingston, White said: "This is a country that has made a way of life out of dishonesty."

He said it might be difficult for many to face this harsh fact, but if the country must progress, it must admit to this inconvenient truth.

Not our strong point

"In Jamaica, we are not a people who are very strong morally and ethically ... . This is not our strong point. We are good athletes; we are great in some other stuff, but that's our weak area," he told the congregation.

"Dishonesty has gone into all our institutions," he added.

Kids looker on at ceremony

Relating recent reports of widespread electricity theft across the country, White said this was only one of the many areas in which Jamaicans have demonstrated their dishonest behaviour.

He also lambasted the many businesses and persons that have been evading the tax net over the years. more

DUMB CRIMINAL: Suspect Danielle Shea, 22, of Quincy, Massachusetts, in Police Custody After Bomb Threat at Quinnipiac University Graduation Ceremony

A former Quinnipiac University student, who police said dropped out of school but still collected thousands of dollars in tuition money from her mother, was arrested in her cap and gown after allegedly calling in a pair of bomb threats before a graduation ceremony on Sunday.

Danielle Shea, 22, of Quincy, Massachusetts, 

Hamden police said Danielle Shea, 22, of Quincy, Massachusetts, confessed to them that she called in the two bomb threats to Quinnipiac University to try to cancel the graduation ceremony at the College of Arts and Sciences. 

Shea had paid for a cap and gown for the ceremony, but panicked when her relatives did not see her name on the graduation roster, according to a news release from police.

Police said that Shea called Quinnipiac University Public Safety at 5:38 p.m. and said that there was a “bomb in the library” then called again 17 minutes later saying, “several bombs are on campus. You haven’t cleared out graduation. That’s not a good idea.”

• John Kerry Slams Sterling During Yale Commencement Speech

Hamden police and public safety searched the library and found nothing. After the second threat was called in, Quinnipiac’s administrative staff made the decision to relocate the graduation ceremony to the TD Bank Sports Arena at the school’s York Hill Campus. The ceremony was delayed for about an hour and a half.

Hamden Police and Quinnipiac University Public Safety were able to identify the telephone number from which the call originated. more

IN JAMAICA: 35 arrested in light theft raids..... Four foreigners among the lot as JPS increases crackdown....CEO Kelly Tomblin said the power company lost US$73 million to stolen electricity over the past two years

BY HORACE HINES Observer staff reporter  Monday, May 19, 2014   

MONTEGO BAY, St James — Four foreigners were among 35 persons arrested on the weekend in Western Jamaica as the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) continued its crackdown on electricity theft that it insists is robbing it of millions of dollars annually and posing a threat to its viability.

A fleet of JPS vehicles which transported their crew
on an anti-theft drive in Norwood, St James last
Friday. (PHOTO: PHILLIP LEMONTE)

A usually reliable source told the Jamaica Observer that the four foreigners are from the Dominican Republic. They are reportedly working here and living in a rented house in Lilliput, St James where most of the arrests were made on Friday.

Marvin Campbell, JPS parish manager for St James and Trelawny, could not confirm the four men’s nationality.

But he verified that they were among the 35 persons arrested on day one of the operation, which, in addition to Lilliput, saw JPS and police personnel going into Norwood and Whitehouse.

Campbell said that four built-in meter bypasses and a number of throw-ups were discovered during the first day of the operation. “JPS is once again trying to take back the electricity that is being stolen by consumers,” Campbell said.

On Saturday, as the crackdown spread to the upscale Fairview community of St James, a man was arrested after the JPS and police team found a meter bypass during a search of premises he occupies.

Campbell disclosed that the team also found several illegal connections running from Westgate Hills — another swanky St James neighbourhood — into the nearby Mount Salem community.

The team is to return to the area this week to dismantle the illicit connections. Last week, JPS President and CEO Kelly Tomblin said the power company lost US$73 million to stolen electricity over the past two years. more

Con man posing as my manager in T’dad, Buju warns.....In a joint press release the Buju Banton Defence Support Committee and his attorney Professor Charles Ogletree warned against anyone handing over money to the unnamed individual.

Monday, May 19, 2014   

 INCARCERATED reggae star Buju Banton is warning concert promoters in Trinidad to be wary of an unscrupulous individual who has been attempting to scam them out of cash under the guise that he is an authorised agent for the artiste.

In a joint press release the Buju Banton Defence Support Committee and his attorney Professor Charles Ogletree warned against anyone handing over money to the unnamed individual.

“A certain individual in Trinidad has approached promoters with the false claim that he is the local agent for renowned reggae musician Buju Banton. He has further sought to swindle monies by stating he is authorised to collect funds for a concert being held for Buju Banton in Trinidad during this year. We wish to warn the public that it is totally untrue. Buju Banton has not given such rights to anyone in Trinidad. Nor is a concert being organised at this time,” the release stated.

The artiste’s interests warned of legal action if the alleged scammer is caught.

“Anyone seeking to do this would suffer legal conse-quences. We urge that you immediately inform the authorities of anyone who solicits monies from you for that purpose,” the release stated.

Buju Banton is currently serving a 10-year sentence on drug-related charges.

He was arrested at his South Florida home in December 2009 and charged with conspiracy to distribute five or more kilogrammes of cocaine.

His arrest came on the heels of a sting operation at a Drug Enforcement Agency-controlled warehouse in Tampa, which also resulted in the arrest of James Mack and Ian Thomas, who were attempting to purchase co-caine from undercover agents. more

PALAS Pitter Twins- Law Students at UWI-Mona Campus.....Twins aspire to be great lawyers....Between them they have chalked up one accolade after another: honour roll recipients for all their years at Hampton School; certificate and Macmillan trophy for ranking first in Jamaica for CAPE law unit 1 for 2013; Peace and Love Academic Scholarships (PALAS) 2013; and certificates for being the top performers for CAPE Caribbean Studies and law unit 1 at Hampton School in 2012.

By CECELIA CAMPBELL-LIVINGSTON Career & Education reporter

WHEN proud father Grantly Pitter started giving his twin daughters Trishanner and Trishann quizzes on legal issues when they were young girls, little did he know that they would both one day be pursuing careers in law.

PALAS Pitter Twins- Law Students at UWI-Mona Campus

Whether by design or chance, both girls, born on September 7, 1994, share more than just being born minutes apart — they also share a passion for justice and wanting to be a part of the process that will see it happen.

From primary to high school they have been pushing each other to excel, and with that special bond that they share it's been a great journey with them always getting almost identical grades, and now starting the process towards becoming lawyers.

Both girls were accepted to the Sponsored Law Programme at the University of the West Indies for September. This programme will see them doing one year at Mona and the other two at Cave Hill, Barbados.

"Without law, order would be a mere delusion and pandemonium would engulf the earth. We aspire to become lawyers because we wish to play an astoundingly positive role in the future of the protection and preservation of the rights of Caribbean citizens," the girls wrote in an emailed response to Career & Education questions.

The girls are now over the moon, happy especially for their recently released Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Exam (CAPE) grades which saw Trishanner receiving six ones and two twos while Trishanna copped five ones and three twos.

Two years ago, in their Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate exams, Trishanner copped seven ones and two twos while her twin had all nine subjects at grade one.

"We are hardworking, focused, determined, and goal-oriented. We work towards our goals by putting God first in all that we do," the girls said.

For them their study regimen is simple — reviewing their notes very soon after they're given, as they say this prevents them from being swamped.

"We also read complementary information to widen our knowledge base."

They also credited their parents Grantly and Jennifer Robinson as well as their older sister Carmolla for daily inspiration.

And what would scholars be without their teachers? The girls know this well.

"Our teachers at both primary (Santa Cruz Primary) and high school (Hampton) levels have also motivated us by adding fuel to our burning desire for success," the girls said.

Being twins and sharing the same interests is something remarkable for the girls, as they get to study together and test each other on various topics. more

Former Destiny’s Child member says she was molested at 7-years-old

by Chris Witherspoon | May 17, 2014 at 9:39 AM

LaTavia Roberson virtually vanished from the public spotlight after leaving Destiny’s Child in 2000.

Now, nearly 15 years later, the Grammy-winning singer is having her say, as a new cast member on TV One’s R&B Divas: Atlanta.

LaTavia Roberson: Beyoncé and I were almost a vocal ‘duo’. In an interview with theGrio, LaTavia discussed her upcoming tell-all memoir and revealed that she was molested at 7-years-old.

“I was a kid, I was 7-years-old and it wasn’t my fault,” LaTavia said. “Sometimes we point the finger at ourselves, and I knew that me understanding that that wasn’t the case, and I could possibly help another young girl that has gone through the same thing that I’ve been through… that helped me get through it a lot.” more

IN JAMAICA: Reggae Poster Contest Opens On Int'l Reggae Day...."Over the contest's two years there have been over 2000 entries from 90 countries."...on July 1 there will be yet another combination of sight and sound

Mel Cooke, Gleaner Writer Published: Sunday | May 18, 2014 

In an age where music is as much seen as heard, on July 1 there will be yet another combination of sight and sound in the long history of Jamaican popular music.

Ambassador to the United States, His Excellency Stephen Vasciannie
(right), listens attentively as member of the International Reggae
Poster Contest (IRPC), Kathryn Buford (centre), explains the
 significance of one of the posters on display at the
 Embassy of Jamaica last year. Looking on (at left)
 is founder of the IRPC, Michael Thompson. -Photo by JIS

One side of the union - International Reggae Day (IRD) - has a much longer track record, having been started in 1994 by Andrea Davis ofJamaica Arts Holdings. New kid on the block is the International Reggae Poster Contest (IRPC), started by Jamaican graphic artist Michael Thompson and Greek designer Maria Papaefstathiou in 2011.

In this case, though, age is not a marker of imbalance. And it is not a coincidence that both have 'international' and 'reggae' in their names. So when IRD is celebrated on July 1 this year, it will also mark the opening of entries to the IRPC.

"It is an international contest and we are reaching out to the world in terms of content. It seems natural that we strengthen our impact with Reggae Day and it can also spread the word in Jamaica," Thompson said.

Normally entries to the IRPC would be opened much later in the year. Thompson said over the contest's two years there have been over 2000 entries from 90 countries. In the first year there were about 30 submissions from Jamaica. That fell dramatically to single digit figures last year. Underscoring the low Jamaican submissions, Thompson said there were 100 entries from Iran.

Still, one of the Jamaican entrants, Tahj Francis, earned a fifth-place finish.

Israeli Alon Braier's winning entry in
the first International Reggae Poster
 Competition.-Contributed

Not only does Thompson hope for a rekindled Jamaican interest in 2014, he also has a long-term intention for the IRPC which is conceptualised as a sight to behold. The IRPC organisers intend to establish a museumspace celebrating Jamaican music in Kingston.

"You can get people to go to Jamaica to a reggae museum," Thompson said, noting that the building itself, in terms of its design, would be a part of that pull. more

IN JAMAICA: Unspeakable Horror! SEX TRADE....Child prostitute living on the mean Kingston streets tells shocking tale...Seventeen-year-old Marsha Jamesis no stranger to hardship. Since she was 15, she has been on the streets selling her body to men who see her as fresh meat to be used, abused, spat out and discarded.

Published: Sunday | May 18, 2014

Seventeen-year-old Marsha Jamesis no stranger to hardship. Since she was 15, she has been on the streets selling her body to men who see her as fresh meat to be used, abused, spat out and discarded.

According to Marsha, while she has earned some money from the sex trade she has had some experiences that no child should ever endure.

"I remember I was hungry one day and I went to a dance, and the first thing a young man called me and asked me is what I wanted to drink, and I told him and he bought it. After I had the drink I started to feel bad and to vomit.

"It is like mi nuh know myself again. Mi wake up at a house weh three man rape mi, beat mi and other things. In the morning, the same one who bring mi to the house give mi $300 to pay mi fare go home," said Marsha.

The teenager did not report her abuse to the police because of fear that she would have been placed in a state facility as a child in need of care and protection.

That is just one of the many incidents that Marsha and other child prostitutes have had to face.

regularly abused

She said because of their age, abuse and cruelty have regularly been meted out to them.

"One guy take mi away and lock mi up inna him house fi two days and nuh gi mi no food fi eat," Marsha recounted.

"When him ready, like him bun him weed and drink and him come in and him just want sex, sex, sex. Inna di last part, mi see him buy a bulla and a juice carry come give mi, but by the time him carry that ... gas full mi up and me couldn't eat it.

"One night him let me out and mi find mi way back home."

Marsha, who at age 14 left rural Jamaica and the school system without being able to read and write, was relying on an older sister who resided in Spanish Town to be a maternal figure. more

PALAS EXEC. BODY VOTED UNANIMOUSLY TO EXTEND THE ONLINE APPLICATION PROCESS TO FRIDAY, MAY 30 2014 DUE TO HEAVY DEMAND.

PALAS EXEC. BODY VOTED UNANIMOUSLY TO EXTEND THE ONLINE 
APPLICATION PROCESS TO FRIDAY, MAY 30 2014 DUE TO HEAVY DEMAND.
Please apply online at www.PALAS1.org. PALAS goal is to award 100 scholarships in 2014. 

You may make a donation online at www.PALAS1.org or Send a Check to PALAS, P.O Box 5461, Alpharetta GA 30023 USA

JAMAICA's BRIGHT FUTURE

JAMAICA's BRIGHT FUTURE: These little ones gave bright smiles to the Jamaica Observer photog on his visit to their Jamaica Day celebrations on Friday, May 16, 2014 at Our Lady of the Angels Preparatory School on Molynes Road in the Corporate Area. (PHOTO: GARFIELD ROBINSON)

IN JAMAICA: Bob Marley Primary and Junior High School determined to succeed.....The institution is based in the district of Stepney and was renamed in honour of Reggae King Bob Marley, who attended the school when he resided in nearby Nine Miles as a child.

BY KARYL WALKER Editor - Crime/Court Desk walkerk@jamaicaobserver.com  Sunday, May 18, 2014    

ALTHOUGH faced with numerous challenges, principal of the Bob Marley Primary and Junior High School, Roxanne Williams, is determined to make a positive difference in the lives of the students whom she is mandated to ensure become upstanding members of society.

The institution is based in the district of Stepney and was renamed in honour of Reggae King Bob Marley, who attended the school when he resided in nearby Nine Miles as a child.

The contentious pit latrine.

As a junior high school the institution is populated by students who did not manage to achieve satisfactory scores in the Grade Nine Achievement Test (GSAT) so the 11 teachers have a mammoth task of bringing the slow-learning students up to scratch.

But this has not dampened Williams's spirit and she is hell-bent on making the best of what she has to work with.

"It is a challenging environment. This is what I inherited, but we as administrators will have to come up with ingenious ways and use unconventional teaching methods to impart knowledge to the students," she said.

Chief among her woes are the lack of computers in an age where knowledge of technology is needed to move forward.

"We have only one computer that is in the administration department. These children don't know how to use computers and that is not good. We need to get these children on par with their peers across the island or sadly, they will be left behind in the race of life," she said.

The school has for years been getting assistance from the Bob Marley Foundation, which has built a classroom block and provides a $10,000 monthly stipend to offset the cost of the school's breakfast programme.

A representative of the Foundation told the Jamaica Observer that a move was afoot to acquire some computers for the school. more

IN JAMAICA: Gay advocates want UWI professor, Brendan Bain as head of the Caribbean HIV/AIDS Regional Training (CHART) Initiative fired

BY VERNON DAVIDSON Executive editor — publications davidsonv@jamaicaobserver.com  Sunday, May 18, 2014    

A coalition of gay advocacy and civil rights groups is pressuring the University of the West Indies (UWI) to fire Professor Brendan Bain as head of the Caribbean HIV/AIDS Regional Training (CHART) Initiative, claiming that his expert testimony in a case in Belize represents a conflict of interest and has destroyed their trust in him.

BAIN… the risk of contracting HIV is
 significantly higher among MSMs

The 33 lobby groups, from a number of Caribbean islands, are also demanding that Professor Bain be removed from all positions of representation of the UWI on HIV and AIDS issues. They are, as well, insisting that the university drafts and implements a "policy which protects lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex staff and students from discrimination".

However, the groups and the UWI administration, which appears to wilting under the pressure, are on a collision course with the church as the Jamaica Association of Evangelicals has expressed support for Professor Bain and has asked the UWI to resist the demand to sack him.

The first move against Bain was made in September 2013 when the Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition (CVC) wrote to Ambassador Eric Goosby at the United States President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) expressing concerns about Bain's expert testimony in the constitutional challenge brought by Belizean gay man Caleb Orozco against Section 53 of Belize's criminal code in September 2010.

The code states that "every person who has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any person or animal shall be liable to imprisonment for 10 years".

Orozco, who stated in his affidavit that he is president of United Belize Advocacy Movement (UNIBAM), argued that the code violates his right to the recognition of human dignity, to personal privacy and the privacy of the home guaranteed by the Belize constitution. more

JAMAICA PUBLIC SERVICE (JPS) too 'tief'... Say people who vow to continue illegal practice Residents: Tief from tief God laugh, JPS tricking us

BY HG HELPS AND KARYL WALKER  Sunday, May 18, 2014    

CITIZENS numbered among the over 200,000 whom the Jamaica Public Service Company said often steal electricity, have, among other things, pointed the finger of blame on the electricity provider, going as far as calling the organisation a thieving one.

The Jamaica Observer, in interviews with mainly inner-city folk, was given various reasons regarding why they stole the commodity.

While the cry of not having the financial resources to pay often hefty power bills surfaced frequently in the discourse, the element of taking revenge on the JPSCo also popped up regularly, with some insisting that there is often too much powerplay by the utility company in sending out "inflated and unreasonable" bills.

"We tief from JPS because them too tief as a company, and tief from tief, God laugh," said one resident of a Western St Andrew community repeating an age-old Jamaican saying.

"We get regularised already and JPS tell us that we will get the first month free. But that's a lie, a trap, because after that they start sending $10,000 bill, then it start move up to $15,000 and the next ones after that gone into the $20,000 region.

"We don't have no washing machine, it's just two fan, one TV set, a small office fridge and light we use, so how come the bill reach $20,000 inna three months ... how come?" stated the resident whose family has again gone the illegal route.

Similar sentiments were expressed by another member of the community, who insisted that the JPSCo had often tricked people into regularising their accounts, only to hike electricity rates without justification.

"They just lure you into a trap. We don't want fi tief light, but we cyaa do better, because we did go the proper route before and everything start out well and all of a sudden, everything just start go up.

"JPS find every way fi tek back from you. So even if you want to go legal, they force you not to by padding your bill. They really need competition," said the resident,who, like others, declined to be photographed, and asked that his name be kept private.

The JPSCo has warned that it will be going all-out to chase energy thieves off the grid, but some insist that they will continue to fight the company's efforts.

The Sunday Observer also spoke to people who have never paid for electricity all their lives and have no intention of doing so, no matter how the JPSCo rants and raves.

Delving into financial reasons, one resident of another community said that the cost of 'light' was too high and on his minimum wage it was way above his pay range.

"Me a small man who cut yard for a living. Me can't find the 10 and 15 thousand dollar what me hear some people whose yard me cut a bawl say them have to pay," the man said dryly. more

Tennis Jamaica basic school initiative 2014

Over 180 children from basic schools in the Barbican and Standpipe area of Kingston participated in a prize-giving ceremony held by Tennis Jamaica in recognition of their hard work during the semester.

The tennis programme at Providence Basic School in Standpipe and Gospel Refuge Hall Basic school in Barbican is part of the wider 'Stay and Play' tennis programme for basic schools in the parishes of Kingston, St Andrew and Hanover.

To date, hundreds of children have been exposed to the sport through these initiatives. The programme uses the ITFs Play and Stay methodology which creates a much more user friendly approach making the sport much more attractive to new players. A major feature of the programme is the focus on the overall development of the children in an effort to influence behaviour modification and better prepare them for life.

Another key feature of the programme is the recognition of the efforts of the children with an end of term prize-giving; simple prizes of medals and novelty items are handed out, more as a reward for effort and application on the part of the students than anything else.

•  2

IN JAMAICA: Cops still hot on cold files Dead cases....O'Neil Edwards of VOICEMAIL, Joel Chin of VP Records, Christine Hewitt a promoter, Patrick "Roach" Samuels, Gerald "Bogle Levy, dancer and David 'Ice' Smith have all been murdered, but these crimes remain unsolved....Vybz Kartel's murder case cited as reason for hopes.

 BY RICHARD JOHNSON Observer senior reporter johnsonr@jamaicaobserver.com  Saturday, May 17, 2014    

EVERY so often, the entertainment industry is rocked by the brutal murder of one of its own.

Cold Case Files

Four years ago, this month, O'Neil Edwards -- a third of the dancehall group Voicemail -- was shot at his home in Dunhaney Park, St Andrew. He later succumbed to his injuries while at the Kingston Public Hospital. To date no arrests have been made.

The Edwards incident joins a growing list of tragedies that grab headlines and, after the initial shock and over-the-top funerals, seem to fade into the pile of unsolved murders.

In recent times, entertainment fraternity members including music executive Joel Chin; the in-your-face manager and promoter Christine Hewitt; music producer Patrick 'Roach' Samuels; as well as flamboyant dancers Gerald 'Bogle' Levy and David 'Ice' Smith have all been murdered, but these crimes remain unsolved.

Senior Superintendent of Police Michael Phipps of the Major Investigation Task Force says, despite what seems like a lack of activity, as it relates to these cases, they are definitely not closed.

"We have been asking persons with information as it relates to a number of these cases to come forward. This has been working pretty well, and soon we should be making headway, with a view to wrapping up these cases," he told the Jamaica Observer.

Using the Vybz Kartel murder case as an example, SSP Phipps said that the police force is stepping up efforts to convince the holders of information to come forward. This not only includes cases involving members of the entertainment fraternity.

"Pretty soon we should be able to announce a breakthrough. What we are doing is spending the time to gather quality evidence and make sure what we present are airtight cases which are able to stand up to scrutiny. The Kartel case has shown how important it is to get the right witnesses to make a case sound. So, this is our approach," said

Gerald ‘Bogle’ Levy and Patrick ‘Roach’ Samuels

the lawman.

Levy, was shot at a gas station in Half-Way-Tree on January 20, 2005. In the wake of his murder, dancehall deejay Beenie Man offered a $1-million reward for the capture of the killers.

Hewitt's charred remains were found in her burnt-out Toyota Noah minibus in the Freedom district of St Catherine on June 29, 2006. Hewitt's husband David Gordon and his brother Worthsworth were initially charged with the murder. However, the two were acquitted on October 10, 2013. more