Is it possible for ordinary citizens to safely join the fight against crime? Yes, there is something that simple citizens can do, but Jamaicans have always talked and marched too much and done too little. There are many peaceful weapons that are available but it takes persons who are humble, because their picture may not end up in the newspaper, or their letter may not be selected as the letter of the day; because they may not get to be honored with an Order of Jamaica, or given the keys to the city, and because they may not even get paid. But if there is a fire for action that burns within your spirit I am here to throw fuel on it so that it will rage unstoppable or splash the water of exposure so that your true intentions will emerge as a smoke-filled core. If you are ready – read on.

It is no mystery how the illegal guns and ammunition enter Jamaica. Let us list the options which are available:

1. Barrels shipped by means of shipping companies;

2. Air freight cargo;

3. In commercial goods and equipment;

4. Mail parcels and packages;

5. Luggage carried by airline passengers;

6. Illegal boats and ganga airplanes;

7. Clandestine security agencies of foreign governments.

Here is a simple procedure which we citizens can use without the aid of the government , politicians and Cabinet ministers to make the fight personal and confidential. Identify all the companies who ship barrels into the island and write them a letter demanding to be educated on the steps they take to ensure that barrels which they ship are free from guns and ammunition and other illegal contraband. Can you imagine these companies know how drastic the crime situation is on the island and they have no procedure in place to ensure that illegal goods are not packed in the barrels? Ridiculous! In the old days you could just fill up a barrel and the company would come, pick it up and take it away with no measures to validate its contents. That must change now. Join me in a campaign to write, email and telephone these companies. Here are the addresses of some of the barrel companies:

1. Feurtado Shipping in New York

112-37 Guy Brewer Blvd., Jamaica, NY 11433

800-640-1463 or 718-523-5099 email [email protected]

2.Trans-Continental Shippers

118-40 Montauk Street, St. Albans, New York, 11412

718-341-2900

3.Laparkan in New York

608 Nostrand, Brooklyn 11216

718-493-7118; 718-227-7357 or 718-847-6939

4.Deans Overseas Shipping

217-21 Merrick Blvd., Laurelton, NY 11423

718-525-3375 or 800-525-3326

5.Parks International Shipping

3010 Eastchester Rd., Bronx, NY 10469

718-671-2000

6.Dennis Shipping

1124-28 Utica Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11203

718-451-3617-9 or 800-416-4624 email [email protected]

7. D & L Freight Systems

925 Market Street, Paterson NJ 07513

[email protected] 973-720 9600

8. Reliable Overseas Shipping & Trading

239 – 241 Kingston Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11213

718-771-1600

9. Boston Shipping & Travel Enterprise Inc.

506 Decatur Street, Brooklyn, NY 11233

718 443 6400 or 877 362 8022

10. Tony Barrels

427A 10th Avenue, Paterson, NJ 07514

973 925 1300 or 973 332 7738

11. Anderson International Transport

4939 West Orem, Suite 405, Houston, TX 77036

713 433 8424 or 866 721 3757

CUTTING OFF THE GUN RUNNING BOATS

This is a formidable challenge but solutions are available. First, if it has not been done already, all motorized boat owners should be registered with a monitoring agency and placed where the list can be accessed through a password secured procedure, by security officers. A government web site would be ideal. This is one area where overseas aid is justified. Help should be sought from the United Nations to deploy troops to help monitor those parts of the coast line which are susceptible to illegal intrusions from the sea. These troops would have at their disposal, sufficient motorized boats capable of patrolling the entire coastline, and should have local police officers on board so arrests can be made when necessary. This would create an impenetrable curtain for gun smugglers.

The time is coming when the citizenry will realize that we cannot depend on the politicians, Cabinet Ministers and the bureaucrats and even the security services alone to save the country. We must take action ourselves. ARISE JAMAICANS! ARISE IN THE SPIRIT OF PAUL BOGLE AND TAKE BACK YOUR COUNTRY! If you live in Canada or know of other barrel shipping companies send us their addresses so we can demand changes from them too.

John Anthony, [email protected]