Jamaican posse
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Jamaican posses, often referred to simply as posses, are a loose coalition of Jamaican gangs, based predominantly in Kingston, London, New York City and Toronto, first being involved in drugs and arms trafficking in the early 1980s. It has been claimed[by whom?] that the Jamaican posses are affiliated with Jamaican political parties,[1] such as the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and the People's National Party (PNP).
The JLP posses dominate the west and south of Kingston and other smaller towns and the PNP posses are mainly found in the eastern and central side and there are a few that state they are not allied to either political party. These are often in the northern slums of downtown Kingston. In the United Kingdom, these Jamaican gangsters would be referred to as yardies in reference to people who lived in "government yards" ("Yard" is a Jamaican slang for home and surrounding areas). "Yardie" is an adjective describing any one from Jamaica in the aftermath of Hurricane Charlie, which hit Jamaica in 1951. They are strongly populated in London and are specifically known to have occupied and operate in Brixton, Harlesden, Tottenham, Hackney and Peckham among other areas.
Violence[]
Jamaican Posse members are known for gun battles with the police and drive-by shootings in disputes with rival gangs over drug turf. Posse members are known for ritualized murders of members who "rip off" profits on drugs.
Posse members have little regard for public safety or human life. As part of their code, extreme violence is directed at anyone they feel has disrespected them or is in their way. Once in prison, however, their violence is savage but not regular.[2][page needed] The alleged head of the One Order Gang, Andrew 'Bun Man' Hope, was murdered in Spanish Town on 8 February 2006, which sparked a riot the following day.
See also[]
References[]
- ^ "Another battle in an unwinnable war". The Economist. 27 May 2010. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
- ^ Laurie Gunst (1996). Born Fi' Dead: A Journey Through The Jamaican Posse Underworld. Henry Holt and Company. ISBN 978-0-8050-4698-4.
Further reading[]
- Blake, Duane (2007). Shower Posse: The Most Notorious Jamaican Crime Organisation. Diamond Publishing. ISBN 978-0972437110.
External links[]
- "Statement of James R. Zazzali, Commissioner, New Jersey State Commission of Investigation". Organized Crime: 25 Years After Valachi, Hearings Before the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the Committee on Governmental Affairs, United States Senate, 100th Congress, Second Session. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1988. pp. 717–731.
- "The Mafia in New Jersey - Afro-lineal Organized Crime - Jamaicans". MafiaNJ.com.
- "Gang Suspected in Jamaica Killings". The New York Times. Reuters. 13 August 2010.
- Yardies
- Politics of Jamaica
- Jamaican diaspora
- Organized crime by ethnic or national origin
- Transnational organized crime
- Organized crime groups in Canada
- Gangs in Toronto
- Organized crime groups in Jamaica
- Organized crime groups in the United States
- Gangs in Florida
- Gangs in New York City