2010 Kingston unrest

2010 Kingston unrest
Part of the Jamaican political conflict
in the War on Drugs
Date23 May – 23 June 2010
(1 month)
Location
Kingston, Jamaica
Result
  • 700+ people arrested
  • Christopher Coke arrested
  • 2 police stations burnt down
  • 85+ guns, 14,000+ rounds of ammunition, and an unknown number of hand grenades, dynamite, ballistic helmets, and protective vests recovered
Belligerents

 Jamaica

Foreign support:
 United States:

Shower Posse
Commanders and leaders
Jamaica Patrick Allen
Jamaica Bruce Golding
Jamaica Dwight Nelson
Jamaica Peter Phillips
Jamaica Stewart Saunders
Jamaica Owen Ellington
United States Janet Napolitano		 Christopher Coke
Strength
1000+ soldiers comprising elements of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Battalions
300+ police officers
DHS P-3 Orion		 500+ gunmen (est.)
Casualties and losses
JDF:
1 killed
30 injured
JCF:
3 killed
28 injured		 26 killed[2]
25 wounded
73+ civilians killed (including the estimates for the gunmen and policemen killed)
35+ civilians injured

The 2010 Kingston unrest, dubbed locally the Tivoli Incursion, was an armed conflict between Jamaica's military and police forces in the country's capital Kingston, and the Shower Posse drug cartel. The conflict began on 23 May 2010 as security forces began searching for Christopher "Dudus" Coke, a major drug lord, after the United States requested his extradition,[3] and the leader of the criminal gang that attacked several police stations. The violence, which largely took place over 24–25 May, killed at least 73 civilians and wounded at least 35 others.[4][5][6] Four soldiers and police were also killed and more than 500 arrests were made, as Jamaican police and soldiers fought gunmen in the Tivoli Gardens district of Kingston.[5]

Much of the unrest happened in the constituency of the then Prime Minister of Jamaica, Bruce Golding, who said he was "taken aback" by its scale.[5] He was described by the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) as a "known criminal affiliate" of Coke; Golding retorted that this was "extremely offensive".[7] Although the U.S. government considered Golding one of Coke's associates, it said it supported the Jamaican government's attempt to capture Coke.[8]

When prompted as to his whereabouts three days after the mission was launched, police stated they did not know where Coke was.[9] Coke was eventually captured on 23 June, after initial rumors that he was attempting to surrender to the United States. Kingston police arrested him on the outskirts of the city, apparently while a local reverend, Reverend Al Miller, was helping negotiate Coke's surrender to the United States Embassy.[10]

  1. ^ Grillo, Ioan (21 January 2014). "Jamaica's Organized Crime After the Fall of Dudus Coke".
  2. ^ Lacey, Marc (25 May 2010). "Unrest Grows in Jamaica in 3rd Day of Standoff". The New York Times.
  3. ^ "Seeking Justice and Police Accountability in Jamaica". Making Contact. National Radio Project. 31 May 2011. Archived from the original on 5 July 2011. Retrieved 9 June 2011.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Jamaica police put death toll at 73 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference Kingston residents trapped inside homes as Jamaican death toll rises was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference gleaner-attackonstate was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ "Dozens dead, more than 500 in custody after violence in Jamaica". CNN. 26 May 2010. Archived from the original on 27 May 2010. Retrieved 26 May 2010.
  8. ^ Whittell, Giles (27 May 2010). "Jamaican leader denies link to Shower Posse gangsters". The Times. Retrieved 27 May 2010.[dead link]
  9. ^ "Jamaica unsure on kingpin's whereabouts". The Sydney Morning Herald. 27 May 2010. Archived from the original on 28 May 2010. Retrieved 27 May 2010.
  10. ^ "Alleged Jamaican drug lord captured". Euronews. 23 June 2010. Archived from the original on 28 June 2010. Retrieved 24 June 2010.