Tonight I did some things I should have done a long time ago but didn't get around to doing. I sent a email to Cable and Wireless asking them to stop using Bounty Killer as one of their spokespersons and to issue a statement condemning both Bounty's actions at the Aquasol theme park in Montego Bay and his subsequent refusal to apologize. I also sent emails to the other members of the Coalition of Corporate Sponsors (Red Stripe, Cable & Wireless, Supreme Ventures, Digicel, Courts, the Jamaica Tourist Board and J. Wray & Nephew Ltd) and to Solid Agency (Bounty Killer's management company) asking that they insist that Mr. Pryce issue an immediate apology to the people of Jamaica for his poor judgment.
The are a couple of reasons for my requests and the first one is pretty obvious - Bounty Killer not only offended an entire city by paying homage to a criminal gang on stage, but has further infuriated many by refusing to apologize, deciding instead to issue a poorly worded and even more poorly delivered statement which was published today in the Evening Star (isn't it funny how this issue has received very little attention from the main media houses?).
The second reason is that Cable and Wireless was/is a member of the Coalition of Corporate sponsors who got up on their high horses in 2005 and declared that they would no longer sponsor, among other things, "acts or events whose live performances endorse or incite violence" after Beenie Man used profanity and violent lyrics during a Carnival performance in April of 2005. There was a big hullabaloo - the coalition stopped sponsoring events and then, like most other issues in Jamaica, the ban was forgotten or rescinded and everyone was back in business. One would think that if they made such a big stink about a couple of so-called "bad" words and two gun tune that the Coalition would be up in arms at Bounty's recent gaffe. After all, this wasn't a violent tune aimed a industry rival, this was the endorsing of an extremely violent, ruthless criminal enterprise. What was the coalition's response?
Not. A. Peep. According to the Star, Cable and Wireless had no comment on the matter when contacted almost three weeks after the incident. No other coalition member has, as far as I know, issued a statement condemning the "bigging up" of the Stone Crusher gang.
It looks like the lives of the mostly poor black people the Stone Crushers have killed, robbed and maimed are not even worth the time it would take to prepare a statement, much less the expense of having to hold a press conference.
It's time for the hypocrisy to stop. Please email or call these companies demanding that they speak out and hold Bounty Killer and anyone else who endorses gangs that kill Jamaicans accountable to the standards they set so vociferously when it was good PR. Email Bounty Killer and demand an apology and condemnation of the Stone Crushers on behalf of all those who have lived (and died) in fear of the gang.
If any of you have email addresses for any execs at the companies, please pass them along.
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