excerpt from OFF THE EDGE
Lining the street in front of the recreation center at 7pm on Rodney Street, were higglers selling consumables of all descriptions. Busy hands flipped jerked pork, chicken and fish over sizzling coal as the selector flicked his musical wrists to shouts of ‘lick it back’. Jellymen swiped the tops of jelly coconuts and stripped the peel from sugar canes more skilfully than the swords of Zorro. Red Stripes and Dragon Stouts began to flow like Dunns River Falls as the crowd sang the chorus to Leroy Smart’s “Ballistic Affair” - Throw way you gun, throw way you knife. Let us all unite. Everyone is living in fear, just through this ballistic affair.
Hand shakes performed with sincere vigor and warm broad smiles exchanged - it was time for the MP to race to his third appointment for the day. On came the lights in the dance hall to sounds of disapproval from intimate quarters. Two intermingling officers commanded a clear path through the hall. Other officers on the peripheral of the building held M16 rifles chest high as they scan the pockets of crowd and distant shadows on the lawn for unwelcomed movements.
An officer in the hall opened the door to the guest hall and signaled to his counterpart on the other side. Waves from the MP were reciprocated as he hastened towards the exit and his car.
Suddenly, rapid firing thundered in from the middle and far street end of the playground. Screams and shouts erupted as revelers dashed themselves to the ground. M16 fires replied in quick successions. The MP lay on the floor covered by two bodyguards. More M16 firing from officers in the street focused at the spots that lit up with gunfire seconds before.
One officer and a number of civilians lay motionless next to the MP, still blanketed by his bodyguards. Sporadic gunfire came from the dark…from the guns of the retreating gang. Officers pursued the gang, who fled towards Calvary Cemetery. Backup was called for in the midst of the ensuing gunfire.
Ivor was standing next to the main entrance to the recreation building talking with Michael and his friends when the firing started. Everyone panicked and, in a split second, Ivor found himself on the floor, being trampled on. He thought his heart had given up under the crushing weight of fully-grown adults scrambling through the door. The initial firing continued for about three minutes before it gradually moved away from the playground.
Crowds of people hurried from the building towards the gate and started to disperse along the streets, others called out for friends and loved ones. Ivor got onto his feet and squeezed into the building searching for Michael, who was nowhere to be seen. Ivor inspected his body by sweeping his hands across his clothes; everything seemed to be OK with him. He shouted Michael’s name a few times, coughing intermittently from a combination of the choking smell of discharged cartridges and the stampede, but most of those who were left behind were also shouting for loved ones. It was total chaos.
Moving towards the entrance of the building once more Ivor met up with a small group running back into the building. Not wanting to be trapped inside, he forced himself through the crowd and stopped just outside the entrance. A heavy pulsing sound came across the top of the building nailing him to the spot. The helicopter turned facing Ivor. Its extremely blinding light forced him back against the front of the building. A loudspeaker from the helicopter commanded everyone on the ground to lay face down. Patrol car lights flashed on the street, as more police cars converged on the playground. After much activity, the helicopter ceased hovering and sped off in the direction of the cemetery.
A lorry pulled up and emptied its load of blue suited armed officers. There seemed to be more police than civilians now. The crowd was forcefully ordered back into the building. As Ivor turned towards the entrance, he noticed about four bodies on the ground, motionless. A group of soldiers took particular interest in two bodies about halfway between the building and the street. It was at that moment that Ivor saw Michael walking towards the building - he seemed OK. More sirens sounded as an ambulance moved around the other vehicles and pulled into the driveway.