A culture shock

THE EDITOR, Madam:

WHEN AS a founding member of the Jamaican Council for Human Rights. I was elected its first treasurer I was seriously opposed to capital punishment. Hanging seemed barbarous.

As I travelled around off the main roads of the Corporate Area I realised that there was another culture in Jamaica for which my upbringing did not prepare me. I started having doubts about some of my thinking until finally I became convinced that hanging must continue until the cultures merge.

Driving around Torrington Bridge one morning I saw a crowd rushing up a lane. Coming in the opposite direction was a neatly dressed young man as cool as cucumber. I beckoned him over and asked him what was happening. He said casually "Nah a bwoy was a fool round me and I juck him in him neck wid mi knife. Him wusn't dead." Foolishly I told him to get into the car and drove to the Admiral Town Police Station. Excitedly I rushed to where a policeman was writing in a big ledger-like book at the counter.

"Officer a person has been stabbed up the lane and might need help." His stern glare shut me up as he went back to writing in the book for another couple of minutes. Finally, he put away his pen then said "Alright, calm down, tek it easy. I don't have any cars here working that can go anywhere."

"Well phone for an ambulance a man's life may be at stake."

"Listen nah, ah long time dem a kill dem one arnarder up deh. Ah nah nothing. Ah de bwoy who stab de bwoy dat" pointing to the young man who had come in and taken a seat on a beach.

"Yes".

"Alright, leave it to mi."

I felt like Alice in Wonderland, and rushed out to my car suffering from culture shock.`

I am, etc.,

MANLEY E. LUMSDEN, P.O. Box 526, Kingston 8

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