Dear Family,
“Love is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever truth wins out” (1 Cor. 13:6 TLB)
There are two public issues that I want to use to illustrate an important ministry of the church, which is advocacy, that is, speaking up for and acting on behalf of others for their rights and welfare. These are the Mario Deane’s case and Kelsey Ferrigan murder.
We woke up about a week ago to the news that three members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force – District Constable Marion Grant, Corporal Elaine Stewart, and Constable Juliana Clevon – were charged with manslaughter in the death of Mario Deane, a resi-dent of St James. Deane was brutally beaten and suffered major injuries to his brain on August 3, 2014, while in the care of these officers. He subsequently died three days after in the Cornwall Regional Hospital. Deane was arrested for having a Ganja spliff in his possession.
About a week before, we received news of the body of a nine-year-old girl found head down in a barrel at her home in Job Lane, Spanish Town. It was alleged that she was sexually assaulted and strangled to death.
It is quite possible that when we hear of these cases, we could conclude by expressing initial disgust and disappointment, but the matter stops there.
But I want you to come on a journey with me.
What Happened and Why?
Both persons died violently; Deane at the hands of law officers who seemed not to have cared while he was being beaten by inmates of unsound mind, turning a deaf ear to his pleas. It would seem, from the evidence given in the case, that he had made unfavourable comments about the police officer. Could his death have been motivated by spite and anger?
In the case of Kelsey, a grade 3 student of St. John’s Primary in Spanish Town, who heard her cries? Who saw the fear and confusion and pain in her eyes as this man held her, raped her, and squeezed the life out of her body. She may have asked before she died, “What did I do to deserve this?”
What of the Socio-economic Realities?
What of the social reality of the participants in these stories? I guess you might say, that’s not relevant, but, in fact, it is, as all the persons involved are from or likely from the lower social classes of the society. The social label is poverty. Is this likely to have happened to a middle-class 9-year-old? She certainly wouldn’t be living in Job Lane in Spanish Town. Easy location and access to a predator who is possibly a product of the same community. The killer’s mother, according to the media (Daily Gleaner), when she heard of his death, is quoted as saying, “Mi nah back no pickney that do wrongs … Any-thing come after that is your business.” It is “whey she com from”, I believe, which made this hard back cruel man think that he could do this and get away with it.
Poverty is a key reality that, when coupled with poor parenting, limited education and opportunities, and poor values, can create these behaviours.
Am I suggesting that poverty featured in Deane’s death as well? Yes, I am. In this country, a man with a spliff, with money and influence, would not be arrested and put in jail with other prisoners to beat him up. It is also true that policemen with class, con-science, proper training, and respect for themselves and others would not treat a fellow human being like that. But could it be that, like Kelsey’s killer, they were of the view that they would get away with this? Of the three police officers, not one was able to say, “enough!”
Poverty manifested in another way, whether material or poverty of sheer human values.
This takes me to another question.
Is This Right? Is This Just?
There can be no justification for treating another human being as less than human. “We are our brother’s keeper”. None of this was evident in these cases, that we must love one another as we love ourselves. It was not right for the police officers to treat Mario in this way. They got caught, but we cannot say that this behaviour is not perpetrated in our society. Murders in Jamaica have dropped, but there is a sharp rise in police killings. INDECOM reports a 152% increase in police killings over last year (Guardian, May 2025). We still have an issue to address.
Ellis has been killed, but his kind and those who behaved like him have not been silenced. Ellis did not turn himself over to the police when he was identified as a person of interest, but when confronted by the police, he resisted or attacked them and was shot, according to their report.
Spiritual Issues
What Does Jesus Require of Us?
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing” (Edmund Burke)
Every person is created in the image of God and should be allowed to fulfill their divine potential. As believers, this is not just an outside story. It becomes our story if we do not play our part in helping to lead others to know Jesus as saviour and Lord. We must continue to look for the opportunities around us – in church and the wider community – to influence positively the lives of those with whom we interact, so that they do not be-come an Ellis, Stewart, Clevon, or Grant, because if they do, our children are not safe. Neither are we.
And just in case we begin to point fingers, what about you? Is your anger in check? John stated that whoever hates his brother is a murderer (1 John 3:15). You might say you don’t hate, but are you doing enough to show that you love and care? Could the man on the Jericho Road count on you? Can Jesus count on the church to make a difference, or is it easier to ignore the deafening cries or walk the other way?
The Holy Spirit is our advocate, and He dwells in us, rooting for us, helping us, and enabling us to be advocates for others. We can’t change Jamaica, but we can make a difference in the life of one person. Who will it be?
Amen.