Green Bay Massacre - Aftermath

Aftermath

The official report released by the Military was that the men were shot dead after they were surprised by soldiers doing target practice on the JDF firing range. This report did not stick as the people of Southside demonstrated to protest against the killings. An official enquiry and Coroners' Inquest was later held in the Spanish Town Coroner's Court where a jury found that the sniper team felt threatened by the men when they opened fire so no one was held criminally responsible for these deaths. The Jamaica Labour Party refused the verdict but did nothing to bring the perpetrators to justice when they were elected on 30 October 1980. The Michael Manley led PNP has always disavowed knowledge of the covert action that took the lives of the men and said it was purely a military operation that was later justified. The incident is considered one of the worst acts of brutality in Jamaican History and is still condemned by members of the Jamaican populace to this day. Several changes have now been made in the operational and administrative functions of the JDF to prevent similar incidents. As a direct result of this act of state brutality, over 1,400 persons were murdered in Jamaica between 1978-1980 when the Michael Manley led PNP was defeated by the opposition JLP led by Edward George Phillip SEAGA who ruled until 1989 when he lost the General elections. Southside is still a volitaile area with frequent outbreaks of political violence and turf war since the occurrence of this incident and Jamaica is still suffering from tribalism up to this day.