When JFJ [Jamaicans For Justice] began, extra-judicial killings by police were commonplace. Yet, not a single police officer had ever – not in the entire history of Jamaica – been ever held accountable for one of these murders. It was a matter that desperately needed addressing. The death of Mario Deane on Jamaica’s Independence Day, while in police custody for having a spliff [a small amount of marijuana] in his possession, is a stark reminder of why we simply cannot afford to silence or sideline people like Carolyn Gomes.

 Writer Kei Miller praises Jamaican human rights activist Carolyn Gomes.