A series about the 2010 Kingston unrest, an armed conflict between Jamaica's security forces and the Shower Posse drug cartel.
Kingston, Jamaica. 2010: The United States had requested an extradition of Christopher 'Dudus' Coke, the leader of the drug cartel Shower Posse, and leader of the political garrison Tivoli Gardens. The city of Kingston was locked into a state of emergency as gunmen terrorized the population of Jamaica's capital. A combined effort of military and police entered Tivoli Gardens to detain Coke, and a large battle ensued.
I began this series as the only journalist shooting and producing video for The Gleaner. The day that the local and international media were allowed an escorted view and interaction with Tivoli Gardens, post incursion of the security forces, I produced 'Tivoli Speaks', detailing the perspective of the community that endured the battle.
While the security forces were still taking control of Tivoli Gardens, I spent my time on the roof of the newsroom. I watched downtown Kingston from five stories high, recording video of activity as it peaked.
In the aftermath of the security forces entering Tivoli Gardens, the process of allowing family members to identify the dead had begun. I captured a scene that involves a woman from the community, asking the public defender about her son who had gone missing.
One year after the Kingston unrest, myself and a team of other young journalists from The Gleaner's newsroom organized a series of coverage for the online media. A visit to Tivoli Gardens revealed horrible living conditions, a community riddled in bullet holes, and stories told by anonymous community members.
The video directly below is composed of images that I captured within Tivoli Gardens and the May Pen Cemetary, produced by another member of our team. The videos below were a team effort, in which I composed the final videos.
