More MSM Homelessness Issues while agencies shift responsibilities

This blog is replete with the repeated issues to do with homelessness, forced evictions and displacements ever since the dubious closure of the Safe House Pilot Project in 2009 the only ever attempt to respond to the aforementioned issues, many readers have asked how do I do it to keep up with the numerous attacks, in-fighting issues, the virtual abandonment of the homeless, the impervious nature of JFLAG et al, the mainstream press coverage and all other kinds of flawed LGBT crisis reporting by deceptive persons who have a totally different personal agenda at the expense of this particular group under the vulnerable populations category. The madness that again obtains in Kingston is another matter, they are too numerous to report via individual posts but an encapsulation is in the making, the Emancipation Park clashes with security guards are back on the radar plus the downtown incidents as well, it is disgusting the way the men have been abandoned by the representative agencies.

A homeless MSM in downtown recently as we sat by the waterfront

The attempts to easily and quickly pass the buck to government to address this problem clouding it in general homelessness when we know fully well that Governments are not going to directly get involved with this sub-group under the MSM (men who have sex with men umbrella) continues, only a few weeks ago we saw another report of many being released on MSM plights as it were yet no serious interventions to address this most visible of consequences of homo-negativity and homophobia, in a post on sister blog GLBTQJA I addressed that continued professional hypocrisy where "experts" recline in the comfort of HIV prevention and use such issues for intellectual masturbation yet refuse to get their hands dirty. Let us also not forget the eviction of JFLAG from their previous office even while avoiding the men and claiming they cannot find a space to do the work required when we all know that is not true and now they are literally in hiding from the men in fear of an invasion which speaks bad in my view at least when I and others were there we didn't have to hide from our cohort but we kept the location secret so as to avoid a crowd at the office, now remote security systems and teams are on call at the touch of a button.

And with all the new agencies getting involved they just want incident reports only it turns out and nothing else, no serious reparative, rehabilitative or direct response to the glaring welfare issues so they can scream homophobia to the world. Dirty homeless gay men have no place mixing with more affluent types as it were.

see: And MSM continue to be ready material for data collection ..... what about the interventions for the recurring issues

Now comes a reported firebombing incident in Montego Bay:

Adrian Frater, News Editor, Western Bureau Gleaner:

Four homosexual men, who captured a house in the Porto Bello, St James, close to two years ago and had been residing there ever since, were put to flight early Tuesday night by an angry mob, who attacked the house and subsequently fire-bombed it.

According to an eye-witness account, shortly after 7 p.m., one of the men went outside the house, where he was confronted by a mob comprising some 14 men. They immediately attacked him and in the ensuing commotion, the men had to flee for their lives. The house was subsequently firebombed.
"I got a call from one of the men shortly after the incident," said Everald Morgan, an officer at the St James Public Health Department. "I know the police were alerted and that they went to the scene."

The house was the last place where 17-year-old Dwayne 'Gully Queen' Jones, who was killed by a mob in St James earlier this year, lived. The men who were attacked on Tuesday night were said to be his friends.

Concerned about the safety of the men, who escaped unarmed but are now without a safe place to live, Morgan said he made a request of the Mt Salem police to take them in for safe-keeping but the request was denied.

"The police said they could not take them in because they would not be safe there," Morgan said.
A police source at the Mt Salem Police Station confirmed the firebombing and the request to take the men into custody for their own safety. The source said the matter was under investigation.

While many Jamaicans are generally unsympathetic to members of the gay community, international gay rights group have regularly come to their defence. They protested the killing of Jones at a party, where he gad gone pretending to be a female.
When JFLAG was contacted, spokesperson Jaevian Nelson said the organisation was unaware of the incident.

ENDS

Then came another carefully crafted press release by the J to deflect direct responsibility:

J-FLAG condemns the reported firebombing of a house occupied by homeless gay men in Porto Bello, St James on October 8, 2013. The incident highlights the extent of the problems faced by members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community, especially those whose circumstances have made them extremely vulnerable to discrimination and violence.

At least two homeless gay teenagers have been brutally killed this year and their murders remain unsolved. In January, just days after being put out of his home by his parents, one teenager was set ablaze as he slept in a gully in St. Andrew. In July, 16 year-old Dwayne Jones was set upon by a mob that beat, chopped and shot him in St James. Their deaths painfully highlight incidents of cruelty meted out to LGBT Jamaicans, especially those who are young and marginalized by their socio-economic status.

J-FLAG is therefore urging the government to urgently respond to the needs of LGBT Jamaicans, especially those who are most vulnerable.

While the true figure of the number of persons who are homeless is unknown, we note there are at least 1097 known to the Poor Relief Department as at March 2012. Sadly, nearly half of them are not supported by any programmes that cater to the provision of basic necessities, education, personal development or other services.

J-FLAG wishes to remind Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller of her leadership in October 2004 when she launched a taskforce to develop and implement policies and programmes to respond to homelessness. Currently, not all parishes have programmes that care for the homeless despite a commitment by the Government in Vision 2030 -the National Development Plan- to “provide effective social protection.” In addition, as reported to J-FLAG, it has been the experience of some LGBT persons in these parishes that stigma and discrimination preclude access existing services.

The Government has made a commitment in the National Development Plan to “ensure that those citizens who are unable to provide and care for themselves will be supported through the resources of the State and its partners.”

J-FLAG urges the Prime Minister, Hon. Portia Simpson Miller to immediately take steps to provide homeless care facilities in each parish, enhance access to social safety net services and provide rehabilitative programmes for people who are homeless or otherwise displaced. We are willing to work with the government to ensure that service providers are trained to care for diverse populations.

The government cannot continue to ignore the plight of persons who are being expelled from their homes and communities because of their real or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity and expression. These are vulnerable young Jamaicans in desperate need of help and any moral aversion to their sexual or gender identities is irrelevant to the need to uplift their humanity by regarding them with dignity.

ENDS

also see: Tense stand-off between homeless MSM and Security team in New Kingston on sister blog on GLBTQJA in September 2013

While Dwayne Jones' murder is awful the way it has been reported one would believe that he had no part in his own demise when it turns out the true causation is clearly inexperience on his part, disclosing without clear guidance, over-exuberance in a volatile space and lack of clear understanding of managing gender expression while fulfilling his female cisgender imperative, this was the same house that Dwayne resided yet JFLAG did not find it necessary to warn the others remaining to leave the house, now this? The video above which was inadvertently captured by CVM TV prior to his death and showed the actual house now involved in this new matter yet no attempts were made to cause the men to remove so as to avoid more follow up trouble? Seeing this was a highly publicized matter shouldn't prudence dictate prevention methods be put in place here?

So the hypocrisy and dithering continues so as to insulate themselves from taking direct responsibility yet for years so many homeless and displaced gay and bisexual men and youth fall through the cracks under the very noses of those who can effect real change and assistance in these lives interrupted but who really cares or are prepared to get their hands dirty to get the work done when HIV prevention/MSM advocacy is far more attractive for experts?

Subtle bigotry, elitism, classism. what is going on here as more of those the least amongst us suffer only to become material for sensationalism aided and abetted by overseas LGBT publications who profit from this mess then there is a cry for tolerance?

Peace and tolerance

H