Marlon James - A Brief History of Seven Killings

The first day we circle each other like lion and tiger who get stuck in one jungle. Me sit in a cell in the east and find man loyal and ready, since at all times a good number of man from the ghetto reside in jail. Shotta Sherrif rest in the west with man loyal to him. Both of we get news of the other whereabouts and roundabouts and nobody fall asleep without at least two eye watching. Didn’t take long for man to hatch a plan. A man on my side act on him own and try to cut down one of Shotta man. Shotta Sherrif send message he going cease one of my man in retaliation. Me send message that me never attack him so why him going attack me? He send message that one of my man pull out a dinner knife and cut a mark like a telephone in another man face when them go out for exercise. Me send message to Shotta Sherrif saying he should name the man.

Treetop. That who it be in the message that come back. The next time we go out in the open me walk up to Treetop meself and say, My youth, a long time me a check you still fi move up in the ranks, make me see you knife.

— Papa, then no must, him say.

— Me going need you to prove to me what you can do by cutting a PNP pussyhole, me say while me holding him knife and testing how it sharp.

— Papa, him say — me more previous than that. Tuesday me done mark a youth. You want me deal with Shotta Sherrif case?

— What a way you eager, eh? No my youth, you no need to do that, but learn this, me say and ram the knife right through him neck and up him throat. Then me ram him again three time in the side of the neck while my men make a wall. Then we all break away leaving the little pussyhole spraying blood on the ground and jerking like headless chicken.

Shotta Sherrif send message later, saying is true time we fi talk. When puss and dog kill one another the only one who win is Babylon. Me take this reasoning and me reason ’pon it more. Babylon is a country, Babylon is a shitstem, Babylon is oppressor and Babylon infiltrate with police. Babylon get tired of waiting so he put head puss and head dog in lockup for them to kill each other quick, but a different vibration come down ’pon the lockup. A positive vibration.

Me and Shotta Sherrif play domino all the time after that while Babylon hovering outside, and the only eye him got is the police. I hear him reasoning, he hear my reasoning and the two of we make a new reasoning. Me release from jail first, and in January them release Shotta Sherrif. First thing him do is find me. That night, January 9, 1978, people with me and people with him put down gun, light candle and start sing we ain’t gonna study war no more. That night Jacob Miller come through with a new tune, a boomshot from the natty, a hit song named the “Peace Treaty Special,” which shoot up to number one. Positive vibration. But learn this all nice and decent people, you walk into every situation with an injection needle or a gun. Some things you heal, and some things you shoot.

For lo and behold all nice and decent people: the last movements of Babylon. January 5, four day before we light candle and sing. Me feeling good because it too early in the year to feel the heaviness of it come down on you. But the new year reach the Wang Gang with no gun. Fool like fuck, the Wang Gang. A Peter Nasser idea he couldn’t control once outside of Copenhagen City. Yeah they still was about, and still taking no instruction from the likes of me or even Josey. But by end of 1977 Wang Gang didn’t have no gun, since even Peter Nasser realize you shouldn’t arm man you can’t control. Somebody tell them if they promise to use them to mow down some PNP youths in two of the Eight Lanes and weaken the center, then Wang Gang can keep a shipment of guns that was to magically appear at this old bay in St. Catherine.

This somebody was just going to leave a car trunk full of guns and all them have to do is pick them up, start some ruckus in a PNP territory and they can keep the guns. As usual Wang Gang don’t take seek no counsel. They start to think big, since this somebody who inform them have personal connection in the Defence Force. They even get promised of some real work at the wharf, mostly security, where they could put them guns to use. Nobody ride for free in Jamdown, but the gang agree and in the early morning two army ambulance come down to Wang Gang Lands and pick up fourteen boy.

Two ambulance take them east of West Kingston, over past Port He nderson, across the bridge, past the four beaches of Portmore and up into the hilly cliff. When them reach Green Bay, the driver tell them to come out of the ambulance and wait right there. Another truck was go ing come with the guns — none of them remember the army did say a car was coming not a truck. Them boys see and wait. A soldier come up and start talk to the boy in charge. He and the soldier go into the bush when the other boys hear a single shot, like the start of a race. And then, hataclaps.

Jamaica Defence Force man come down ’pon them from afar and open fire. Soldier rush down ’pon the boys and start fire machine gun while one big one hiding in the bush push through and start ratatatatatatatat like this was war. Boy who manage to run, run into other soldier, boy head blow off and drop, man dash straight into thorn bush that rip off him skin until he reach the sea. Five shot to death, more wounded and one or two dive into the sea and get save by fisherman. The rest scatter. The soldier come on TV and say them boys trespass ’pon them firing range in the middle of a shooting practice in the evening. Coming ’pon the TV and talking over the radio, the minister say, “No saints were killed in Green Bay.” Three days before the concert, we launch a protest about how people in the ghetto still shit and eat in the same place when down swoop Babylon police force and kill three people including a woman. The same minister again,

“If one policeman is killed this year, the people who did it will be hunted down like dogs.”

Many more will have to suffer. Many more will have to die. My first week in lockup Babylon beat me ’round the clock. They wasn’t searching for no news, they wasn’t trying to turn me into no informer. They was just all taking they turn to show me who is the bigger boss. The police never come one at a time, not after the first one come after me and me give him a kick that send him balls right up into him brain. Afterwards they come two by two, three by three, one time even four. Is like them was in contest, who make me bawl out first win. The first three, me mark them name, Watson, Grant, and Nevis, almost sneak in late at night. But as me hear the clang of the gate they set ’pon me with baton. This is for what you do to Roderick, one say. And him widow. Then it must burn you that if you kill me somebody going deal with you, me say and spit out my back tooth. Probably black from cavity anyway. After that new police come nearly every night for a week, always with one of the first three as tour guide.

The last night the four come, two hold down my face in the floor which smell of me own piss. They fold over a towel and put bath soap in it. Then they take turn beating me in me back singing one potato, two potato, three potato, four. Me getting tired of this shit so me tell Grant and Nevis to back off before me really get mad. They shocked me know them name but that make them set ’pon me worse. Two day later both men ask for a few days’ leave. Grant wife might never use her left eye again and Nevis’ son arm and leg break. Nevis come to me cell saying he personally going kill me. I tell him I feel real bad ’bout him son but now he have to take special care him little thirteen-year-old daughter hymen don’t get burst from the wrong man infiltrating it. Is always funny when a black man go white. When they finally let me out into the general area with me own men waiting for me, everybody around me hush and in gloom. At first me did think they hear about Nevis’ son and think that was going too far, or they was just showing me proper respect. But then me grab a newspaper from one of them and there on the front page was the Singer.