Robbers target male hookers ..................

As we continue to look at transactional sex work in Jamaica from a male standpoint tied in with homelessness and displacements in the men who have sex with men populations and also male heterosexual commercial sex workers here we have another issue crossing over into the mainstream.

Yet again we are faced with social issues in the LGBT community making the inadvertent appearance in mainstream media and the tabloids.

Male prostitutes are reportedly being robbed at their hot spots across the Corporate Area, THE STAR has learnt.

A police source who wished to remain anonymous informed our news team that these prostitutes who often times dismiss accusations that they are involved in the trade are said to be fearful, as they have become targets for robbers in recent weeks.

When one St Andrew location was visited recently, not many persons were seen.

One male, who gave his name as Shells, informed THE STAR that he had never heard about a robbery at the particular location. He, however, said that he has friends in other areas who have told him about a number of robberies.

"Dem don't trouble we up here but mi hear bout things happening in other places. Dem nah go jus mess wid we suh cuz dem don't know wha we have pon we," he said.

When asked if he was fearful that the trend might take over his area, he vehemently said no.

"Mi nuh fraid a nobody, dem cyan rob me cuz me have mi tings," he said.

Yesterday, commanding officer for the St Andrew Central Division, Senior Superintendent Derrick Knight, told THE STAR that he had no information regarding any robberies in his division.

When further checks were made at the Constabulary Communication Network, Steve Brown, head of that division, also said there were no reports of male prostitutes being targeted by thieves.

ENDS

This is not anything new as the double murder in June of this year of the two homeless MSM clearly showed the link with extortion and the pimp culture creeping into the male same sexed CSW communities, the accused for that murder who is still incarcerated was alleged to have been pressuring some of the younger MSM for material things and money whenever they were successful at scoring clients during the nights of their attempts in eking out an alternative dollar. It was only on August 2nd around 4am also that a cross dresser found herself in trouble with a client after she was accused of stealing a blackberry phone during an agreed sexual transaction. I happened to have caught the tail end of the incident as the man angry and had his friends assist him in searching for the accused until she was cornered nearing Grenada Crescent and given a proper set of blows. We stood in shock as they were delivered, myself and friends were coming from a party at a popular New Kingston spot and were on our way to grab a taxi home when we came across some of the "men of the night" who alerted us to the sequence of events unfolding further up the business district.

It was only last weekend also after looking at some of the issues in Western Jamaica we saw some challenges facing those community members there on my sister blog GLBTQ Jamaica on blogger. The fallout from the lotto scam crackdown by the authorities is one such problem and the absence of key community influentials as well where the trust factor in reporting homo-negative and homophobic issues to the relevant agencies is also a hindrance in solving community challenges. 

Many persons do not trust the systems to report such abuse and they suffer quietly while some recuperate in time and as for the state agencies such as the police we are all too aware of the non receptive ways they handle such incidents. 

The displacements from lotto scamming fallout is all too real as well as since persons from the LGBT community who are alleged to be involved in the illegal trade cannot get the funds they were once used to they are also finding themselves on hard times, see : SCARED SCAMMERS LEAVE HOMES EMPTY This was something I had predicted from just after the June double murder in Kingston of the two homeless men and the early signs that the end of the lotto scamming in western Jamaica was coming. 

see more HERE:  Some concerns from Western Jamaica on homelessness...


SO much is needed to be done in terms of social interventions for the least amongst us as previous posts on homelessness and displacements in the MSM communities in particular have brought to bear and the lack luster responses from the relevant agencies some of whom parades themselves to the world as the saviours here is found wanting. It's as if we want to have a steady stream of victims so we can always substantiate the ode that Jamaica is the most homophobic place on earth when we ought to be about offering and assisting with real meaningful opportunities for persons to improve their lives along with proper self efficacious and pyscho social help. This is NOT the nineties or late eighties anymore we MUST move forward with alacrity and lifting our brothers and sisters who are below the radar.

Think on these things readers and listeners.

Peace and tolerance.

H

click the "Homeless MSM in Jamaica" tab immediately below for previous entries on the subject