When I was reading Chapter 1, I was first interested in the use of Jack’s Hill as a microcosm of the greater issues of violence and a way to lead into the discussion of the larger history of Jamacia and causes of violence.
Since Jack’s Hill started as exceptionally as an exceptionally non-violent community before a gang war in the mid-1990s to early 2000s. This first presents as sudden, which allows for the discussion of the reasons for systemic violence. Since the site of Jack’s Hill allowed for the study of a larger problem, I connected it to Chapter 2 of the Murchensons reading. The periods of relatively low crime and the gang war in Jack’s Hill is a much more specific research topic than violence in modern Jamacia and the history while still connecting to the larger picture. The preexisting period of different classes and political party affiliations coexisting well as an exception to the general trend and why it changed both also make Jack’s Hill good for investigation.
Jack’s Hill is also effective in demonstrating that the issue is structural rather than cultural, a point made in the introduction, as there was no culture change yet there was a rise of gang violence, which along with the other systemic issues in Jamaica derive from colonialism- putting the responsibility on external pressures and supporting reparations.