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Keep up the good work, JFJ!
You are invited to show your support and solidarity for Justice for All by joining your fellow Jamaicans at the following event.
March and Candle Light Vigil
Monica Williams, Jason Smith’s mother, will be holding a candle light vigil to mark the sixth anniversary of the police killing of her son. The march, led by the Trooper Marching Band and Dance Team, will begin at Ms. Williams’ home and proceed to the scene of her son’s death where participants will light candles in Jason’s honour (candles will be supplied). From there the marchers will return to Ms. Williams’ home where refreshments will be served. We encourage JFJ members to support Ms. Williams. Please contact the JFJ secretariat for more information and to enquire about possible car pooling.
Background
On July 9, 2002, fifteen-year-old Jason Smith was brutally gunned down by police officers. He was an innocent boy riding a bicycle with his friend, simply on the way home from buying banana chips and spring water. Had the two boys known that a police convoy of ten vehicles and about 40 heavily-armed police officers were on a special assignment in the area, they would have likely gone without the banana chips and stayed home. Unfortunately, they didn’t know and that outing became the last thing Jason Smith ever did.
The boys’ actions caught the deadly attention of a handful of police officers who subsequently chased, beat and shot Jason, needlessly ending his life at such a tender young age. The police claim the boys had a gun and there was a shootout but civilian witnesses tell a different story and claim Jason was killed in cold blood. The witnesses say the police chased Jason into a vendor’s stall where they viciously beat him down with their guns, kicked him repeatedly, and shot him in the chest. There is no report of any firearm being recovered by the police or any injury to the police. He was carrying a bag with banana chips and spring water, not a gun.
The post mortem identified a gunshot wound to the chest as the cause of death but it also identified a total of nine other injuries, which suggest that Jason was beaten before he was shot. The Coroner’s Court Inquest into Jason’s death found that the officers involved that day were criminally responsible for his death and should be charged with murder.
Three officers were charged and the matter went to the Supreme Court, which eventually acquitted the officers. Jason Smith was cut down – even before the prime of his life – and the police officers responsible have gone unpunished. It is reprehensible.
Jamaicans for Justice has submitted a petition to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), a body of the Organization of American States (OAS) of which Jamaica is a member. The petition is a complaint against the State of Jamaica, seeking recognition that Jason Smith’s death at the hands of agents of the State was in violation of his human rights. We are waiting for a reply from the IACHR.
Jamaicans for Justice stands in solidarity with Monica Williams as she continues to seek justice for the murder of her son. We salute her for her courage to stand up for truth and justice and for the strength of her love for her children. She is truly a commendable woman and an example for all Jamaicans.
Please, join Monica Williams on July 10 and add your voice to her cry for justice in a nation where true justice seems hard to come by.
March and Candle Light Vigil
in memory of
Jason Smith
Thursday, July 10, 2008
6:30 p.m.
8 King Street
(beside the Spanish Town Fire Brigade)
Spanish Town
The march will be led by the Police Academy Trooper Marching Band and Dance Team
Food and refreshments will be served
8 King Street
(beside the Spanish Town Fire Brigade)
Spanish Town
The march will be led by the Police Academy Trooper Marching Band and Dance Team
Food and refreshments will be served
Monica Williams, Jason Smith’s mother, will be holding a candle light vigil to mark the sixth anniversary of the police killing of her son. The march, led by the Trooper Marching Band and Dance Team, will begin at Ms. Williams’ home and proceed to the scene of her son’s death where participants will light candles in Jason’s honour (candles will be supplied). From there the marchers will return to Ms. Williams’ home where refreshments will be served. We encourage JFJ members to support Ms. Williams. Please contact the JFJ secretariat for more information and to enquire about possible car pooling.
Background
On July 9, 2002, fifteen-year-old Jason Smith was brutally gunned down by police officers. He was an innocent boy riding a bicycle with his friend, simply on the way home from buying banana chips and spring water. Had the two boys known that a police convoy of ten vehicles and about 40 heavily-armed police officers were on a special assignment in the area, they would have likely gone without the banana chips and stayed home. Unfortunately, they didn’t know and that outing became the last thing Jason Smith ever did.
The boys’ actions caught the deadly attention of a handful of police officers who subsequently chased, beat and shot Jason, needlessly ending his life at such a tender young age. The police claim the boys had a gun and there was a shootout but civilian witnesses tell a different story and claim Jason was killed in cold blood. The witnesses say the police chased Jason into a vendor’s stall where they viciously beat him down with their guns, kicked him repeatedly, and shot him in the chest. There is no report of any firearm being recovered by the police or any injury to the police. He was carrying a bag with banana chips and spring water, not a gun.
The post mortem identified a gunshot wound to the chest as the cause of death but it also identified a total of nine other injuries, which suggest that Jason was beaten before he was shot. The Coroner’s Court Inquest into Jason’s death found that the officers involved that day were criminally responsible for his death and should be charged with murder.
Three officers were charged and the matter went to the Supreme Court, which eventually acquitted the officers. Jason Smith was cut down – even before the prime of his life – and the police officers responsible have gone unpunished. It is reprehensible.
Jamaicans for Justice has submitted a petition to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), a body of the Organization of American States (OAS) of which Jamaica is a member. The petition is a complaint against the State of Jamaica, seeking recognition that Jason Smith’s death at the hands of agents of the State was in violation of his human rights. We are waiting for a reply from the IACHR.
Jamaicans for Justice stands in solidarity with Monica Williams as she continues to seek justice for the murder of her son. We salute her for her courage to stand up for truth and justice and for the strength of her love for her children. She is truly a commendable woman and an example for all Jamaicans.
Please, join Monica Williams on July 10 and add your voice to her cry for justice in a nation where true justice seems hard to come by.
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