Week of June 5, 2010
Unrest in JamaicaHans Deryk/Reuters
Jamaican detainees raise their arms in solidarity before being taken away by local police.
Description
There is a strange alliance between the poor of Jamaica and their local drug lords. Many communities say drug dealers provide security and financial assistance when needed. So when police went to arrest one drug lord recently, hundreds of locals came to his defense — with deadly consequences. At least 70 people were killed, five police stations burned, and it resulted in a warning from the U.S. government for Americans to delay any plans for travel to Jamaica.
Peggy Wehmeyer spoke with Trevor Gordon-Somers, of the organization Mustard Seed, about the violence.