A group of members of the Jamaican diaspora living in the United States are organizing a protest against the Jamaican government, for its failure to manage crime, violence, and corruption in the country.
The protest is said to be the first of several in the United States and will take place next Friday in Miami.
Dr. Rupert Francis, chairman of the Jamaica Diaspora Crime Intervention & Prevention Task Force, who is spearheading the protest, confirmed to the Jamaica Gleaner that the group has already secured permission from the City of Miami Police Department to have the protest outside the Jamaican Consulate General’s office in Miami, from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The protest is expected to take the form of a rally, with addresses from speakers including the chairman and Wilfred Rattigan, former Federal Bureau of Investigations special agent and attorney.
Other protests are being planned for Washington D.C., New York, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
Diaspora voices matter, says Francis
According to Francis, the planned protests are against “the increasing state of public corruption; the high level of violent crime; the [Government’s] failure to provide promised service delivery; unfulfilled promises to the diaspora regarding its involvement in the political process; and the legal defense that diaspora members do not have standing to sue the Government.”
Additionally, Francis mentioned that he plans to request donors to assess the allocation of their funds. He made it clear that his organization has no intention of urging donors to withdraw their support from the country, as this assumption, according to him, is misplaced.
The retired captain from the Jamaica Defence Force dismissed arguments from various diaspora groups, including the Global Jamaica Diaspora Council (GJDC), asserting that the protest aims to embarrass the Andrew Holness-led Government and tarnish Brand Jamaica.
Contrary to these claims, Francis emphasized, “What we are doing is to protect it for generations to come, shows our love for our country, and this will improve the brand to know that we as a people have a voice.”
According to him, the protest is “important to show that we as a diaspora, we as a people, both at home and abroad, can come together for the benefit of Jamaica.
“I don’t know why they think it is a bad thing for us to do this; what we are doing is standing up for Jamaica. All our voices should matter,” Francis affirmed.
