Reinforcements imported to aid in 'Dudus' battle

Reporters told to leave - 'get it right, or else'

MEN SWEATING as if they were working on construction sites muscled their way through sections of west Kingston this morning, reinforcing barricades to keep out the security forces.

From one end of the city, vehicles rolled up to the blockages regularly, unloading passengers.

But these are no ordinary commuters. They are men who, neighbouring residents say, are being imported to strengthen an army of militants who are preparing to defend alleged gang boss Christopher 'Dudus' Coke with their lives.

As the early-morning sunlight hit shrubs and tombs in the nearby May Pen Cemetery, a few women, some with toddlers on their backs, made their way from behind the blockades, leaving Tivoli Gardens for safety.

The west Kingston enclave has been preparing for a battle with the security forces since Justice Minister Dorothy Lightbourne signed an authority for extradition proceedings against Coke, their don.

Men have mounted sandbags to fortify their positions and, in some instances, have filled old refrigerators with sand, a sign they are preparing for a street war. Several large tyres have been transported into the community by truck.

leave dudus, leave tivoli

This morning, an elderly woman who was walking towards one of the blockades protested that she has been forced to endure life in Tivoli Gardens without water and frequent interruptions in power supply.

"Why dem nuh leave di big man alone. After we caah go a fi dem country go weh we want," she said, in a verbal attack on the United States which has requested that Coke be extradited to face gun- and drug-trafficking charges.

As our news team looked on, men adjusting the blockade sent stern warnings that no cameras were welcome.

"Get it right or else a unnu wi a go tun pon next," a man warned as insurgents passed a contingent of journalists on a section of Spanish Town Road.

Another group of men travelling in motor cars instructed that the press "leave".

Just before noon today, the Jamaica Constabulary Force said the barricading of the Tivoli Gardens community was "an act of cowardice on the part of selfish criminal elements, mainly Coke".

"These criminals are not to be confused with the decent, law-abiding citizens of Tivoli Gardens who want to get on with their lives as free citizens in a peaceful community and country," the police added.