Cruiser robbed by mystery man at gun point

A series of robberies in the Half Way Tree area as far north as the Marketplace, as far east as the Cholera cemetery then south eastwards as Waterloo Road and so on has had many wondering what the devil is happening. The robberies tend to occur during the week, at early dusk or as late as midnight. One time popular cruiser popularly known as ‘One seed’ due to his testicular appendage was the latest victim of the mystery bleached skin robber who has what appears to be a gun; I ran into him nearby as I was having drinks with some brethren by a popular bar on Molynes. Apart from targeting gay men looking for a hookup around town, as he seems to be aware of the spots he also has robbed reportedly women who traverse the aforementioned zones at nights as some persons may walk to Half Way Tree going about their business to possibly conserve on bus fare or just to enjoy a stroll. Purses, phones and cash reportedly have been taken by the suspect with an aggressive strategy but many suspect the gun looking item often disguised in a plastic bag according to ‘One seed’ maybe empty and there is talk of a beat down or entrapment of sorts by some of the guys to get him. The police informally are aware of the matter as well; a recent heist at Brooklyn Supermarket car park that is un-fenced where a woman was the victim was passed on to members at the nearby police precinct.

Friday July 29 was the One seed event just by the dimly lit section of Constant Spring Road between the said Brooklyn Supermarket and Kings Plaza, both old haunts for years but disabled after the adding of the vegetable, organic food store nearby and stepped up police patrols back then. Around 11pm Onie as he is also affectionately known was making his way down to Half Way Tree via Constant Spring Road as he approached the Brooklyn Supermarket area still dimly lit he was approached by the man who was walking in the opposite direction. According to Onie the man’s face was visible and he demanded money and so on, Onie being aggressive himself proceeded to tackle the miscreant but was surprised by the item appearing to be a gun in which time Onie kept his cool. Onie only gave him the small amount of cash he had on him but like any smart cruiser one hides more cash elsewhere on your person just in case.

Onie said he felt the gun was empty so he decided to tackle the man and was successful in throwing him to the ground, inflicting several blows. The man then made his escape complete with a litany of threats and expletives. Several female commercial sex workers also have been complaining of this bleached character that even some of the newer pimps have been taking care to be there for the ladies. Given the recent sharp increase of the numbers as well the man may be tempted to make repeat visits seeing no direct police interventions seem effective thus far. The man is also said to arrive on a bicycle which makes his escape easier. He is said to be bisexual as he has had some sexual encounter with men in the area and is said to be hailed originally from St Thomas but stays in Kingston, more is being gathered on the man.

This series of incidents have the hallmarks of the old problems of homelessness, desperation and miscreant behaviour; the unravelling of the lotto scamming illegal activity especially in western Jamaica with the corresponding spillage of newer faces into the population is cause for concern yet still after all these years. MSM/Transgender persons are not immune to the issues. It was one of the reasons why the Kingston populations increased exponentially as other stigma driven cases also add to the numbers. A murder for example of a sixteen year old fast rising lotto kingpin though not gay on July 3 in St James at a birthday party according to sources has had a ripple effect in the MSM world in that part of the island. The teen has stopped going to school and was integral in recruiting young gay men as the feeling in some circles they are more effective as closing deals with ‘clients’ given the perceived clearer speaking voice, cadence of speech and so on. The murdered teen did not hand over money as was expected that he had collected on time and in the agreed amounts so he paid for it with his life; with his demise all others who were or are associated with his outfits are seen as persona non grata which in turn leads to forced evictions (two reports thus far) by rival outfits.

Investigations are ongoing by the police and foreign agents who are on the island as evidenced in a recent court case in the Half Way Tree parish court where FBI and other persons were present, six persons are being tried under pain of extradition if found guilty, a roadblock has come as defense council has asked or challenged the legality of foreign agents involved in local raids. I fear another wave of incoming as occurred in 2008 – 10 with the subsequent spin offs.

If you’re a cruiser just be careful friends, maybe you have to curtail your routes.

Peace & tolerance

H