WASHINGTON – Records show that about 47,000 people have been removed or deported from the U.S. after the Homeland Security Department sifted through 3 million sets of fingerprints taken from bookings at local jails.

About one-quarter of those kicked out of the country did not have criminal records, according to government data obtained by immigration advocacy groups that have filed a lawsuit. The groups plan to release the data Tuesday and provided early copies to The Associated Press.

As issue is a fingerprint-sharing program known as Secure Communities that the government says is focused on getting rid of the “worst of the worst” criminal immigrants from the U.S.

Immigration advocates say that the government instead spends too much time on lower-level criminals or non-criminals.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement divides crimes into three categories, with Level 1 being the most serious. Most of those deported committed Level 2 or 3 crimes or were non-criminals, a monthly report of Secure Communities statistics shows.

“ICE has pulled a bait and switch, with local law enforcement spending more time and resources facilitating the deportations of bus boys and gardeners than murderers and rapists and at considerable cost to local community policing strategies, making us all less safe,” said Peter Markowitz, director of the Immigration Justice Clinic at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in New York.

Markowitz’s clinic, the National Day Laborer Organizers Network and the Center for Constitutional Rights had requested and sued for the statistics. Immigration and Customs Enforcement released some of the documents late Monday.

Richard Rocha, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman, said non-criminals still may be people who have failed to show up for deportation hearings, who recently crossed the border illegally or who re-entered the country after deportation. He also said it’s important to remember that more people commit crimes that are considered Level 2 and 3.

Secure Communities is “a beneficial partnership tool for ICE and state and local law enforcement agencies helping to identify, prioritize and remove convicted criminal aliens not only from the communities, but also from the country,” Rocha said.

The Obama administration wants Secure Communities operating nationwide by 2013.

As of Aug. 3, 494 counties and local and state agencies in 27 states were sharing fingerprints from jail bookings through the program.

From October 2008 through June of this year, 46,929 people identified through Secure Communities were removed from the U.S., the documents show. Of those, 12,293 were considered non-criminals.

___

Online:

Immigration and Customs Enforcement: http://www.ice.gov

The singer released a statement today that he was resigning the chairmanship of Yele Haiti effective immediately.

Haitian-born singer Wyclef Jean, right, speaks with flood victims in Gonaives, Haiti in September, 2008. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa, file) 1/1

The Brooklyn, New York-raised entertainer was headed to his native Haiti and was expected to officially file his election papers this afternoon at the provisional electoral council in the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince.

“I am not stepping down in my commitment to Haiti. On the contrary, regardless of what path I take next, one thing is certain: My focus on helping Haiti turn a new corner will only grow stronger,” Jean said in the statement.

Businessman Derek Q Johnson will take up the helm of the organisation.

Jean helped found Yele Haiti five years ago to raise money and build awareness of the myriad problems in his impoverished homeland. It raised US$9 million in the wake of the January 12 earthquake that killed a government-estimated 300,000 people. Of that, it has spent US$1.5 million on food, water, tents, clothes and other products for quake survivors, Jean spokeswoman Cindy Tanenbaum said.

The organisation — named for one of the former Fugee member’s songs — often worked in partnership with the United Nations and other agencies to implement its programmes, lending its name and Jean’s cache to help raise funds.

But Yele came under criticism when post-quake scrutiny revealed alleged improprieties including that it had paid Jean to perform at fundraising events and bought advertising air time from a television station he co-owns.

Jean tearfully defended the organisation in a news conference weeks after the quake. Yele also hired a new accounting firm after the allegations surfaced.

Jean was en route to Haiti and could not immediately be reached. From aboard a private plane he posted on Twitter: “Taking off on my way to Haiti me and my family About to make the biggest decision of our life (sic).”

There have been rumours for some time Jean might enter the 2010 presidential contest, ever since his 2007 appointment as ambassador-at-large for the Caribbean nation by President Rene Preval, who cannot seek re-election.. — PHOTO: AP

PORT-AU-PRINCE (Haiti) – SINGER Wyclef Jean is considering a run for president of Haiti but has not decided whether to seek a five-year term as leader of the quake-ravaged nation, the musician’s family said on Monday.

There have been rumours for some time the Haitian-born entertainer might enter the 2010 presidential contest, ever since his 2007 appointment as ambassador-at-large for the Caribbean nation by President Rene Preval, who cannot seek re-election.

In a statement e-mailed to reporters, the family said, ‘Wyclef’s commitment to his homeland and its youth is boundless, and he will remain its greatest supporter regardless of whether he is part of the government moving forward … If and when a decision is made, media will be alerted immediately.’ The letter was signed ‘The Jean Family.’ A spokeswoman for the musician confirmed the message’s authenticity.

Jean, 37, was born on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince but left the hemisphere’s poorest country as a child and grew up in New York City’s borough of Brooklyn. He told The Associated Press in a recent interview he intended to be involved in the Nov 28 election, but not necessarily as a candidate.

‘Do I have political intentions? At this time no. But what I do have is a movement – it’s called Face a Face, ‘Face to Face’,’ Jean said. ‘The youth population … we are going to encourage them to vote.’ The singer has been active in recent years in raising money through his Yele Haiti Foundation. The organisation was widely criticised for alleged financial irregularities after the Jan 12 quake, when scrutiny revealed it had paid Jean to perform at fundraising events and bought advertising air time from a television station he co-owns.

The organisation hired a new accounting firm after the allegations surfaced. Jean, who said he voted for Preval in 2006, would not have an easy road as a candidate. Haitian elections are contentious and often violent. To enter the race, Jean would have to prove he has resided in Haiti for five consecutive years, own property in the country and have never been a citizen of any country other than Haiti. — AP

The Boxhill poll commissioned by RJR/TVJ found that neither of the country’s two largest political entities currently enjoys majority support of the population.

Leader of the Opposition Portia Simpson Miller 1/2

The PNP got 33 per cent support of those polled, while the JLP trailed with 28 per cent. The National Democratic Movement, which does not have a parliamentary seat, registered one per cent support.

However, 20 per cent of those who took part in the survey indicated that they would not be casting votes for any candidate or party, while 12 per cent had not made up their mind. Five per cent offered no answer.

On the issue of whether there should be a fixed date for general elections, 53 per cent supported such a change, while 18 per cent did not agree.

The pollsters said their research was conducted from July 17 to 21 involving a nationally representative sample.

The JLP controls 32 seats in the 60-seat Parliament. The PNP has 28.

However, Resident Magistrate Carolyn Tie has ordered that the men be charged or released from police lock-up by next Tuesday, August 10.

The magistrate made the ruling today following a Writ of Habeas Corpus application in the St Ann’s Bay Resident Magistrate’s court

Lead investigator Les Green told the court that the detective sergeant who is accused of pulling the trigger has not yet been questioned. He said the sergeant is to be interviewed later today.

The police constable also implicated in the incident was questioned last night.

Green said investigators were also awaiting the result of the post mortem which is to be conducted today.

The ACP is also expected to meet with Director of Public Prosecutions Paula Llewellyn later today to discuss the case against the men.

The policemen were caught on tape beating and shooting Ian ‘Ching Sing’ Lloyd in Buckfield last Thursday.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration slightly lowered the outlook it released in May, but an above-normal season was still expected, said Gerry Bell, lead seasonal hurricane forecaster at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Centre in Washington.

The updated forecast calls for 14 to 20 named tropical storms, down from a range of 14 to 23. The hurricane season started June 1 and ends November 30, but the peak period for hurricanes runs from August through October.

Eight to 12 storms could become hurricanes, and four to six of those hurricanes could become major storms, blowing winds of 111 mph (178 kph) or more, forecasters said.

“August heralds the start of the most active phase of the Atlantic hurricane season and with the meteorological factors in place, now is the time for everyone living in hurricane prone areas to be prepared,” NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco said in a statement.

Historically during active storm seasons, multiple hurricane strikes are much more likely for both the Gulf Coast and the East Coast in the United States

The Caribbean also sees a sharp increase in storm activity during such seasons, which is bad news for Haiti, where approximately 1.6 million people continue to live under tarps and tents nearly seven months after a catastrophic earthquake wrecked its capital.

Three named storms have developed since this hurricane season began. Hurricane Alex made landfall June 30 in northern Mexico. Tropical Storm Bonnie forced crews drilling a relief well in the Gulf of Mexico to evacuate last month but petered out.

Three policemen remain in custody after they were caught on tape beating and shooting Lloyd in Buckfield last Thursday.

The incident happened after Lloyd allegedly stabbed to death his common-law-wife Lovida ‘Cherry’ Wilson, also of Buckfield, earlier that day.

Detectives from the Major Investigation Taskforce are investigating.

Thirty-nine-year-old Colin Man, otherwise called ‘Gummy Bear’ of Christopher Road, Denham Town and Derrick Pathway in Tivoli Gardens; and Paul Ignatius Williams, otherwise called ‘Sexy Paul’, 51-year-old bus operator of Levy Pathway, Tivoli Gardens, have also been charged with conspiracy to murder and illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition.

The two were pointed out in and identification parade.

Man and Williams were named persons of interest after the discovery of the body of district constable Kevin Paul Bartley, 32. Bartley was attached to the Half-Way-Tree Police station.

His body was found by Jamaica Defence Force soldiers who were patrolling an area in Tivoli Gardens known as ‘Rasta City’.

Inception

Salt

Get Him To The Greek

Grown Ups

Despicable Me

Predators

Avatar: The Last Airbender

Eclipse

Knight and Day

Toy Story 3

Jonah Hex

The Karate Kid

Splice

The A-Team

Get Him to the Greek Stream!

Killers Stream!

Letters to Juliet

The Prince Of Persia

MacGruber

Shrek 4

Just Wright

Robin Hood

Furry Vengeance

Iron Man 2 Stream!

Toy Story 3

Karate Kid 4

Iron Man 2 Stream!

Letters to Juliet

The Prince Of Persia

MacGruber

Shrek 4

Just Wright

Robin Hood

Furry Vengeance

Iron Man 2 Stream!

A Nightmare On Elm Street (2010) Stream!

The Losers Stream!

The Back-Up Plan Stream!

Kick-Ass Stream!

Date Night

Clash Of The Titans

Death At A Funeral

The Last Song

Hot Tub Time Machine

How To Train Your Dragon

Repomen

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Shes Out Of My League

Green Zone

Alice In Wonderland

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Planet 51

The Ustream iPhone Viewing Application is now available in the Apple App Store.

The Ustream iPhone Viewing Application was pending approval from Apple and was approved in time for the inauguration. Now any iPhone owner can watch the inauguration from their iPhone. Presently, the Ustream iPhone Viewing Application is WiFi only to ensure the highest quality broadcast on the iPhone, but stay tuned for developments.

“Ustream is excited to join the app store and bring a great application to the iPhone. Now iPhone users can watch and chat with any Ustream show directly from their iPhone. So now, wherever you are, you can be part of the global community around shared live experiences.” John Ham, Founder and CEO of Ustream

“The Ustream iPhone Application is a major advance in bringing the full power of the internet to mobile phones. Now anyone can watch everything from Taylor Swift concerts to your out of town high school football game live on the iPhone.” Brad Hunstable, Founder and President of Ustream

“Ustream has developed a technically amazing application for the iPhone. The iPhone has an amazing viewing experience and is a great platform for showcasing the Ustream experience. It was a pleasure developing an application for the iPhone and the Apple developer support was amazing.” Dr. Gyula Feher, Founder and Head of Technology of Ustream

The application can be downloaded at this iTunes link: http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=301520250&mt=8

After that just search for Linkage Radio……

have Fun

(CNN) — Three convicted murderers who broke out of a Kingman, Arizona, prison got some help from a female accomplice who was on a visitation list for one of them, authorities said Saturday.

The three, described as armed and dangerous, may well be out of state or on their way to Mexico, a corrections official told CNN.

The Arizona Department of Corrections and the Flagstaff police said Saturday that the three disappeared from the medium-security Arizona State Prison-Kingman.

State, federal and local authorities are searching for the men, who were discovered missing after the 9:45 p.m. count Friday at the privately-operated facility. The escapees cut a hole in the fence, authorities said. A helicopter and dogs began a search.

All three were serving time on murder convictions and may no longer be traveling together, authorities said.

Two of the inmates and the accomplice later abducted two truck drivers on Interstate 40 outside of Kingman and hijacked their 18-wheeler, according to the Mohave County Sheriff’s Department in Kingman. They released them and the rig five hours later in Flagstaff, about 135 miles to the east.

“We have to take every eventuality into consideration unless we have a definitive trail,” said Charles Flanagan, deputy director of the Arizona Department of Corrections. “We know they have a vehicle.”

Flanagan told CNN that authorities are making contact with the inmates’ families.

The three escaped inmates are: Tracy Province, a 42-year-old white man who is 6 feet 1 inches tall and weighs 184 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes; Daniel Renwick, a 36-year-old white man who is 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighs 190 pounds with brown hair and hazel eyes; and John McCluskey, a 45-year-old white man who is 6 feet 1 inches tall and weighs 160 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes.

Province is serving a life sentence for murder and armed robbery. Renwick is serving 22 years for second-degree murder and McCluskey is serving 15 years for second-degree murder and other charges.

The suspected accmpolice was identified as 43-year-old Casslyn Mae Welch, who is 5 feet 3 inches tall and weighs 135 pounds with brown hair and green eyes. Flanagan said she was on the visitation list for one of the inmates.

Welch, of Mesa, was seen at the prison driving a 1996 Chrysler Concord four-door sedan prior to the incident, the Mohave Sheriff’s Department said. The blue car has a faded hood and roof with an Arizona registration ABL7584. The suspects may still be using the vehicle, the department said later Saturday.

The department said Province was last seen wearing dark blue jeans, a dark purple polo shirt with a red stripe and white tennis shoes. McCluskey had light blue jeans, a white button-up shirt with horizontal and vertical blue stripes and white tennis shoes.

The city reached a settlement Tuesday that will pay more than $7 million to the family of Sean Bell, who was shot and killed by police in 2006 in a hail of 50 bullets, and to two men with him who were also shot.

The settlement, approved by a federal magistrate judge in Brooklyn, will pay $3.25 million to the estate of Mr. Bell, who was killed outside a Queens strip club on the eve of his planned wedding. Joseph Guzman and Trent Benefield, who were with Mr. Bell and suffered serious injuries in the shooting, will receive $3 million and $900,000 respectively, the New York City Law Department said.

View Full Image

Brian Branch Price for the Wall Street JournalWilliam Bell, the father of Sean Bell, during a street renaming to honor his son in May.

“The Sean Bell shooting highlighted the complexities our dedicated officers must face each day. The City regrets the loss of life in this tragic case, and we share our deepest condolences with the Bell family,” Corporation Counsel Michael A. Cardozo said in a statement. A condition of the settlement precludes the city from admitting any wrongdoing, officials said.

Sanford Rubenstein, a lawyer who represented the Bell family as well as Messrs. Guzman and Benefield in the civil suit, called it “a fair and reasonable settlement.” He said the money will go to Mr. Bell’s two young children and will be administered by his fiancée Nicole Paultre-Bell. The settlement was hammered out over two days of intensive negotiations in federal court in Brooklyn, Mr. Rubenstein said.

Three of the five detectives involved in the Nov. 25, 2006, shooting were tried and acquitted of manslaughter charges in 2008. Federal prosecutors declined to open a civil-rights case against them in February, citing insufficient evidence.

The Detectives Endowment Association didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment and the New York Police Department declined to comment on the settlement.

Mr. Bell was 23 years old when he was shot and killed. The incident led to protests calling for the prosecution of the officers involved and led to institutional changes in the NYPD’s undercover procedures.

The undercover officers involved in the deadly shooting were investigating allegations of prostitution at the Queens strip club and believed Mr. Bell and his friends were armed. No weapon was ever found in the car Mr. Bell was driving or in the possession of Mr. Guzman or Mr. Benefield.

The officers involved in the shooting incident remain with the police department but on modified duty and face departmental charges that could result in their dismissal, officials said.

Congressman Anthony Weiner of New York took to the House floor to denounce the GOP for using parliamentary tactics to try and prevent a fund for the health of 9/11 responders from being established.

Trying to express that procedure tactics to derail a $7billion measure designed to give aid to first responders – firefighters and similar – on the scene at Ground Zero and who subsequently became ill.

Aside from the show: Mr. Weiners outrage could be justified, here are some facts.

40 percent of the World Trade Center workers being monitored by a Mount Sinai Hospital study lack health insurance. source: Insider: EPA Lied About WTC Air, Scientist Says It Covered Up Truth In Saying Ground Zero Air Was Safe – CBS News.

Apparently, out of at least 100,000 eligible, fewer than 14,000 have registered, as reported by the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health. The final registration deadline for September 11-related workers’ compensation was August 14, 2007. source: 3 Months Remain for 9/11-Related Workers’ Compensation Program | Tortdeform.

On July 12, 2007, Governor Eliot Spitzer extended to August 14, 2008 the filing deadline for worker’s compensation claims, for people who worked or volunteered at Ground Zero. Individuals would register with the State Workers’ Compensation Board. source: Anthony DePalma, “Albany: Extension for 9/11 Compensation”, The New York Times, July 13, 2007.

On June 11, 2007, Mayor Bloomberg appointed Jeffrey Hon as World Trade Center health coordinator. Hon had previously worked as the spokesman for the American Red Cross September 11 Recovery Program. People have offered conflicting statements, however, regarding Hon’s role. In an interview with the New York Daily News Hon said that his role was to correct inconsistencies in city agencies and to handle related pension issues. Yet, Mayor Bloomberg said that Hon’s role would not involve handling pension-related issues. source: Jordan Lite and Michael Saul, Daily News, June 12, 2007, p. 4
and Media-Newswire.com – Press Release Distribution – PR Agency.

Alleged EPA deceptions about Ground Zero air quality

Numerous key differences between the draft versions and final versions of EPA statements were found. Another statement that showed concerns about “sensitive populations” was deleted altogether. Language used to describe excessive amounts of asbestos in the area was altered drastically to minimize the dangers it posed. source: Laurie Garrett (August 23, 2003). “EPA Misled Public on 9/11 Pollution”. Newsday.

On September 13, 2006, Congressmen Jerrold Nadler (NY), Anthony Weiner (NY), Bill Pascrell Jr. (NJ) filed a request with US Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez to investigate whether criminal charges may be brought against Whitman for lying about air safety in the Ground Zero area. source: Press Release of Representative Jerrold Nadler.

20 year veteran of the NYPD, Officer Kevin Hawkins, 41, died in May 2007 from kidney cancer, soon after filing for a Ground Zero disability pension. He had worked only two months at the Ground Zero site.

Civil rights attorney Felicia Dunn-Jones, 42, died February 10, 2002, from sarcoidosis. The city’s chief medical examiner belatedly attributed her death to her being engulfed in the dust cloud from the collapse of the Twin Towers, one block from her office

On April 22, 2008, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled that EPA head Whitman could not be held liable for saying to World Trade Center area residents that the air was safe for breathing after the buildings collapse. The appeals court said that Whitman had based her information on contradictory information and statements from the Bush administration. It lead to Whitmans resignation.

The local EPA office sidelined the regional EPA office. Dr. Cate Jenkins, a whistle-blower EPA scientist, said that on September 12, 2001, a regional EPA office offered to dispatch 30 to 40 electron microscopes to the WTC pit to test bulk dust samples for the presence of asbestos fibers. Instead, the local office chose the less effective polarized light microscopy testing method. Dr. Jenkins alleged that the local office refused, saying, “We don’t want you f—ing cowboys here. The best thing they could do is reassign you to Alaska. source: Michael Mason, “The 9/11 Cover-Up”, Discover Magazine, October, 2007, page. 24

While everyone is enjoying the outburst of Anthony Weiner on the house floor, one can understand the frustration, he has been fighting for the victims of ground zero since 2006. No one understands the level of inconsistencies, cover-ups, malice and scope that has happened to people suffering in silence after that gruesome day, The nightmare for them had just begun.

By SEWELL CHAN

LouimaAbner Louima, who was tortured in a Brooklyn police station in 1997, appearing at a news conference in 2001 after he received $8.7 million in settlements with the city and the police union. (Photo: Nicole Bengiveno/The New York Times)

Ten years ago today, a 30-year-old Haitian immigrant named Abner Louima was arrested and sodomized with a broomstick inside a restroom in the 70th Precinct station house in Brooklyn. The case became a national symbol of police brutality and fed perceptions that New York City police officers were harassing or abusing young black men as part a citywide crackdown on crime.

The case also marked the beginning of the unraveling of Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani’s relationship with the black community in New York. That relationship would deteriorate even further, after the police shot two unarmed black men, Amadou Diallo in February 1999 and Patrick Dorismond in 2000.

One officer, Justin A. Volpe, admitted in court in May 1999 that he had rammed a broken broomstick into Mr. Louima’s rectum and then thrust it in his face. He said he had mistakenly believed that Mr. Louima had punched him in the head during a street brawl outside a nightclub in Flatbush, but he acknowledged that he had also intended to humiliate the handcuffed immigrant. He left the force and was later sentenced to 30 years in prison. The commanders of the 70th Precinct were replaced within days of the assault. As the legal case wore on, Charles Schwarz, a former police officer, was sentenced in federal court in 2002 to five years in prison for perjury stemming from the torture case. A jury found that Mr. Schwarz had lied when he testified that he had not taken Mr. Louima to the station house bathroom where the assault took place.

Mr. Louima, who was born in Thomassin, Haiti, in 1966, and immigrated to New York in 1991, suffered a ruptured bladder and colon and spent two months in the hospital. The charges against him were dropped. Mr. Louima’s case animated anxieties about the Giuliani administration. (Mr. Louima at one point claimed that police officers shouted ”It’s Giuliani time!” as they tortured him; he later retracted that account.)

Mr. Louima won $8.7 million in settlements with the city and the police union — the largest police brutality settlement in the city’s history. Afterward, he moved to Florida.

In addition to Mr. Volpe and Mr. Schwarz, two other officers, Thomas Bruder and Thomas Wiese, were implicated in the case. They were convicted of obstruction of justice, but the convictions were overturned in 2002. They were unsuccessful in their attempt to be reinstated in the Police Department.

As this anniversary approached, Mr. Louima, 40, has been back in the news recently, speaking out against police brutality. “I feel we have made some progress in reducing police brutality over the past 10 years, but I also believe there is still a lot to be done,” he wrote in a guest column published in The Daily News on Sunday. “Things may have improved a bit, but not enough. To name just one example, look at Sean Bell, who last year was shot and killed by police while leaving a nightclub in Queens.”

Also on Sunday, The News published a retrospective of the case. In a column today, Errol Louis of The News discusses the legacy of the case. The News has also put together a collection of articles by the columnist Mike McAlary, who wrote extensively about the case in 1997. Mr. McAlary died of colon cancer in 1998.

On July 30, The New York Post published a profile of Mr. Louima, reporting that he lived a comfortable life in Miami Lakes, Fla., with his wife and three children. The family owns several luxury cars. Mr. Louima has established a charity to support causes in Haiti.

Mr. Louima was evidently not happy with the portrayal of his prosperous lifestyle, according to Newsday. A Newsday article published on Sunday focused on Mr. Louima’s activism against police brutality. “Maybe God figured I was the one to make it public,” Mr. Louima told Newsday. “God wanted me to suffer, he had a plan for me.”

The Associated Press published an account of the case today to mark the anniversary. At 7:30 p.m., Mr. Louima is scheduled to join the Rev. Al Sharpton at the National Action Network, Mr. Sharpton’s political organization, at 106 West 145th Street in Harlem, for a discussion of the legacy of the case.

Al Baker contributed reporting.

–

Bulzye

[View with PicLens]

Edwards was critically wounded after he was shot several times as he attempted to enter his home at Belloc Avenue in the middle class community of Duhaney Park early on the morning of Monday May 10.

EDWARDS… was attacked as he entered his Duhaney Park home 1/1

The main suspect in the shooting was found dead in the Chancery Hall community this two days later. Police had attempted to arrest the man earlier that day but he escaped.

Edwards’ cellular phone was found in the dead man’s possession. The body was clad in green short pants, white t-shirt and blue slippers and was found on Lady Hamilton Close with several gunshot wounds.

The pledge came during a press conference at Jamaica House in Kingston where it was confirmed that 26 men have been killed, and 211 people — including two women — detained during the security forces’ operation in Tivoli Gardens that started on Monday to apprehend Coke, who is wanted in the United States on drug- and gun-running charges.

A teenager, who was shot during a gunbattle between armed thugs and the security forces yesterday, is taken from an ambulance at the Kingston Public Hospital. (Photo: Lionel Rookwood) 1/2

The operation, which was also aimed at restoring order to the community that had mounted barricades to prevent the security forces from entering, resulted in gunmen loyal to Coke engaging police and soldiers in fierce clashes.

The majority of the civilians killed are gunmen, Acting Commissioner of Police Glenmore Hinds told the Observer yesterday following the press conference.

A soldier has been killed and seven others injured, National Security Minister Dwight Nelson said.

He said weapons were recovered from the men, some of whom were found dead in ditches and manning barricades leading into Tivoli Gardens.

Approximately 25 civilians have been injured during the operation the press conference was told.

During yesterday’s briefing to update reporters on the joint police/military operation both Nelson, and Information Minister Daryl Vaz said the State will not back down from criminals.

Vaz said that it was now an opportune time to launch an all-out attack on criminals across the island, given the events that unfolded in Tivoli Gardens in West Kingston and other sections of the capital where heavily armed gunmen openly took on members of the security forces, creating mayhem and great unrest.

Said Vaz: “As a result of this operation there have been other criminal activities that have taken place in and around the Corporate Area which transcend political party lines and its strictly criminal elements either joining one another or using it as a distraction — and the fact of the matter is that I can categorically state that the time has come when we have to take the [fight] frontally, without any apologies.

“So therefore, don’t limit it to a matter of an operation in relation to the execution of a warrant. This country is under siege, and the time has come where it is going to be dealt with and this Government is ready to deal with it.”

Since the armed forces commenced the operation in Tivoli on Monday, there have been an upsurge in roadblocks and intense gun battles between criminals and members of the security forces across the capital city, which is more than 100 miles east of the tourist resort city of Montego Bay and on which a limited State of Public Emergency has been imposed.

The Hannah Town Police Station in West Kingston was also torched during the unrest on Sunday and three police officers have been killed while trading bullets with gunmen. On Monday, the Darling Street Police Station, as well as the Coronation Market were set ablaze by gunmen.

Speaking at yesterday’s press conference, Nelson said that the effort to arrest Coke was ongoing.

“The operation continues as we speak. The armed forces are examining each building to ensure that there are no criminals ensconced within and in search of weapons,” said Nelson, who added that a number of weapons, bullet-proof vests and binoculars have been found.

Nelson also said that Political Ombudsman Bishop Herro Blair, Public Defender Earl Witter and the Red Cross have been asked to investigate claims by residents in West Kingston that they are being abused by members of the security forces. (A complaint hotline, 946-1248, has been set up.)

Responding to a question at the briefing, ACP Hinds told the Observer that investigations are currently being conducted into the shooting death and injuring of soldiers during Monday’s operation and that murder and gun-related charges may be slapped on Coke, based on the outcome of the probe.

Meanwhile, an appeal was made by Health Minister Ruddy Spencer for gunmen within communities in the vicinity of the Kingston Public Hospital to cease from attacking hospital workers.

A clearing house on the operation in West Kingston has been established at the Hilton Kingston Hotel to provide information to the media, both local and overseas, Vaz said.