Rumors and Realities in Kingston

I made it back to Kingston today, and everything appeared to be operating almost as normal. I didn't head downtown but halfway tree was busy as usually and the coasters (buses) seemed to be operating their normal routes. There have been a couple of rumors circulating in relation to the whole 'Dudus' operation and while I can't verify or deny any of them, I thought it worth sharing. There was a rumor some days ago that gunmen were driving around the country recruiting young males to fight against the police. I'm not sure if the speculation was that they were offering money to fight or using intimidation. Another rumor was that an unknown philanthropist donated a 40ft refrigerator to store bodies because the morgues are beyond capacity. A final rumor circulated that there was a shortage of petrol in certain parts of the country but again it is unclear.

One thing is certain though, there was a definite lack of bread and fresh vegetables at the supermarkets in Portland and Kingston. The bread aisles were empty in many of the stores and virtually empty in some of the bigger supermarkets. Im not sure if it because of a disruption in production or transportation, or if people naturally stocked up on bread anticipating the situation downtown would disrupt the food supply.

The radio also reported that Dudus and his lawyers have been in contact with British officials, trying to seek asylum. Many have speculated that his father, who mysteriously died in a prison fire while awaiting extradition to the US, was murdered for political reasons. Because of his believed political affiliations many people speculate the same could happen to Dudus. While the violence has virtually stopped, in the course of this operation over 500 people have been arrested and there are estimates of more than 100 deaths.