No-Go Zones - World’s Toughest Places | Jamaica | Free Documentary

here in the mountain view district of kingston jamaica things aren't the same as in most city districts because the people in charge here don't work for the police they fight them for example south clan the more that i have to get clearance you can't just stray around yourself whoa whoa whoa alive if you get you a network of extortionists contract killers and kidnappers where murder is just part of doing business even when working the streets or even innocent bystanders pay a price somebody shot at her mukian believes that she did just there right beside me and then all of a sudden the police try to combat the power of the gangs but in mountain view the police have no power because here no one talks you understand anybody go against that gunshot uh jamaica on the surface it's a tropical island paradise in the caribbean millions of tourists each year come here for sun sea and sand to relax and enjoy the laid-back lifestyle even in the capital kingston life appears to have an easy feel but appearances can be deceiving in spite of the tranquility jamaica has one of the highest murder rates in the world while the wealthy live far away up on the hill fenced in and protected [Music] the reason ghettos and the worst of all of them mountain view anyone who sets foot here risks their life deadly gun battles and gang wars are just part of the daily routine [Music] no outsiders stop here no one dares to drive down a side street and to step into one of the narrow alleyways is to enter a deadly no-go zone because this is where jamaica's poor are forced to call home and where the gangs rule the most infamous of all the gangs south clan mountain view is on kingston's rough east side considered a highly volatile area over and over again the government has imposed a state of emergency in the district the reason gun battles assassinations random killings south clan gang headquarters where gang leaders have regular meetings with the boss almost no one knows the true identity of the higher ranking gang members and that's not due to police threats but because they're on the hit list of other gangs drugs alcohol weapons everything always close at hand the criminals make their money with contract killing extortion and kidnapping now they're waiting for new orders from their leader he calls himself evil and is 30 years old evil grew up here his history includes several years spent in prison for robbery drug dealing and aggravated assault he's considered the toughest of them all you just asked me what am i willing to do so if it take for me to do anything wrong because when i ask you for it i'm not playing so don't think it's a game thing so don't hesitate that means you don't have no respect for this you don't have to know respect for what i do so therefore let me show you how serious i am evil relies primarily on two men diga at 40 the oldest in the gang he trusts him without reservation i don't know how smart it is he did that that's why nobody can to overchoke a smile for the community and complete nation 28 years old a hothead moody and the best shot in the group he loves his pistol and killing for hire it protect my life you know see it keep it clean see i'm not calling me keep myself clean there according to experts there are around 250 000 firearms in private possession in jamaica almost all of them come from the usa and with one in nine jamaicans owning a firearm the homicide rate is the highest in the world that's because the majority wind up in the hands of gangs like southclad [Music] their favorite weapons are the glock 9 millimeter beretta m9 and the m15 semi-automatic all lightweight and deadly this can never too much this is a must when you say do we have a lot of guns you got to be specific you know i say it in a certain way you can't just say do you have a lot of guns that's just you're not showing no loving to it you gotta say you have a lot of defense or power this is power in the late morning evil is waiting for the daily reports of his group leaders thing you know if i'm afraid enough look here around put this thing in our no friend whoever lose them lives over this number that pretty can you don't know the thing at all so like i said oh our world at the moment for beautiful every night though evil decides to check the situation himself and starts a heavily armed tour through the tangle of alleys and backyards around 500 people live in the southland community evil and his men say they protect the people here from the bad guys [Music] we have to be aware of everything we have to be aware of innocent like the kids playing or walking but we have to be aware of police i have to be aware of intruders our enemies understand the rules are simple anyone who doesn't belong to the south clan is suspicious and risks their life entering this no-go zone no new folks cannot just walk come down from you touch a certain part somebody gonna know you're not from yourself so therefore one phone call so before you even come down and see your face i already know what you look like before you come to me i have people everywhere you don't know everybody's eyes everywhere every con on the tree them advice for wheat the most dangerous corner the border to the neighboring gang's territory evil is always careful when he comes here there's a looming threat of a deadly exchange of gunfire in this exact spot because the mountain view slum is a refuge for the poorest of the poor many seek solace and alcohol and marijuana miserable living conditions unemployment and hopelessness live on every corner for single mothers trying to make a living for their families there is usually only one way out prostitution selena is one of them 34 years old a mother no formal education or training no chance every day she sells her body on the street it's very hard okay if you don't walk sometime you won't get anything on the road and sometimes upon some fun they just all for themselves they have no buildings you know woman selena is still in shock just last night one of her co-workers died and she knows that with different luck it could have been her last night we must sit around there and maybe not cliff the other smoke and then my ear boom boom boom when i take a sock poor shot fire then then um a girl gets shot just like me i don't know what she do or what she just did last night wrong place wrong time in this no-go zone i'm a friend i know a very well she named candy and he feels so bad she have two kids two days on her birthday and she she did as a sugar bring him out and all of that she's so happy last night no she's not gone selena is afraid the same thing could happen to her but she has no choice and will walk the streets again tonight with me last night so [Music] [Music] selena will go out later in the day and hope for paying customers in spite of the danger while the brutal daily routine takes its course in mountain view a special police unit prepares to shut down the gangs four men noted for their dedication to the badge they are led by corporal francis macleod [Music] we are going to a particular community where we have more than one gangs operating and as such we have to do from time to time cordon and searches of these guys we have to try to retrieve firearms illegal firearms and any other type of weapons that might that are prohibited in this way mcleod hopes to keep the gangs under control we have quite a few gangs that that are at war with each other so we have to occupy the space and show our best this monthly if that is that mcleod and his men aren't just looking for illegal weapons they're also looking for a specific gang member on charges of murder the special unit can't rely on any tips from ghetto residents nobody talks here because in mountain view if you talk you get shot we do have family and um we are concerned about our lives at all times and so we pray before but you know we have to do it for the safety of the law abiding citizens out there and so we are committed to the task on the last mission francis's car was riddled with bullets his only chance to survive the battle at all turn around go back and survive another day men like evil the leader of south clan couldn't care less about the lives of policemen the focal point of the gang war the border between his territory and area 63. southland's territory ends of the chicken coops the enemy lives on the other side of the fence it's a place of mortal danger over and over again there are unpredictable attacks exchanges of gunfire and even deadly ambushes gang boss evil and his south clan have been at war with area 63 for decades that's the enemy's zone this is the bottom line but guess what the bar is where we say is the batter and i stand so even if this is the bottom line anywhere we feel comfortable and go post that's the bottom every weapon at the ready everyone ready to kill evil and his men demonstrate to the enemy that they will defend their no-go zone to the last man spilling blood if they have to digger said there's a window hoping so we have to check that our goals come by us everybody can't trust nobody a war that has raged since evil was a child none of the gang members knows when it all really started it's natural they've been doing it for years because like i said to you when you have a group of people living a certain way people don't like to see you live comfortable and good jamaica's gang wars have dominated the capital since the 70s and it has been alleged that both major political parties have been financing the gangs in exchange for votes in the poor districts by using pressure and violence it's a system that doesn't stop cleaning victims year after year here with the south clan in mountain view christmas gang member digger believes these shots were a first warning until the end of time the time was like after 39 months you know because they are going all our vibes and just i don't know a christmas season and after that would just yeah peer gone shut up after that no i don't know who gets shot and any amount of things go on so i don't know say oh dear the other thing just get twisted is it so the whole giant thing where it all planned out for the world deer a never-ending gang war that few stand up against except for one man his home right next to the deadly border and he's been hearing gunshots almost every day for 40 years practically everyone around him has died but he still loves his home and tries to bring hope to the people of the no-go zone [Music] sylvester ball 79 years old everyone here just calls him ba well i try try to keep myself low try to keep myself low i can't [Music] back in his own way with words and reason which is precisely why people respect him more than anything he tries to show the young generation that there is also a way beyond violence and it is the young generation in particular that believes in him he tries to teach us to live in unity with each other because just across the road yoda call it is our enemies turf you know and this one is well respected both here and there so in just practical is the one that keep everyone here you know we don't miss a party we never live in a mountain view if it wasn't for me it's a bar a mountain europe would be a place in the meantime pa has become one of the oldest survivors of the no go zone almost all of his childhood friends have been killed in the gang war he came close to death himself the bullet holes in his walls remind him of that every day come across the road come through the window there sit over there and you can reach up where the balance goes well they're never really shooting after anybody they'll just shoot out so they shoot everywhere you understand they're never really shooting after me what is your shoot or that side shooting and that's i shooting them shoot afghanistan but they built my building get it well at that time all i have to take take cover take over until the police come it's a war that corporal mcleod's unit wants to bring an end to they advance deeper and deeper into the ghetto and put their lives at risk really send the man up there [Music] their objective is to confiscate weapons and disarm the wanted murderer everything seems quiet but the mood is tense here in the ghetto word spreads fast about any [Music] intruders [Music] stand up hello how we determine where to stop and when is when we see faces that we are not familiar with suspicious looking men would stop to search them and to enquire as to where they are from all righty the special unit lets the suspect go and continues looking for the killer the police know they can only enter many of the narrow alleys on foot and each one could quickly become a deadly trap which is why they first check the larger streets and exit the car only if they have a good reason [Music] no weapons but the unit is convinced that the suspects belong to a gang they are there's no question about that those guys are always armed but they would not their their weapons would be close by reachable that's why jamaica has one of the highest murder rates in the world almost 1 300 victims per year per capita almost 10 times higher than in the usa in the capital kingston alone there are around 450 fatalities every year behind all this is jamaica's long history as an important stopping point for smuggling cocaine from south america to the usa until 2000 when the military tracked down the notorious drug lord duda's coke what followed was a three-day war between the drug militia and the police the police won but from that time on war has raged between the gangs it goes on to this day jamaica is still the largest producer and exporter of marijuana in the caribbean the military and police work together to confront the situation while prisons remain hopelessly overcrowded and major sections of kingston are controlled by gangs especially mountain view and the territory belonging to south clan a gang full of robbers and contract killers their motto work only in other districts never in mountain view their boss evil finds the jobs with the help of informants certain time you have people where tip off make with no wagon certain time people hire you a certain time you're just going along your way you saw something last week and you paid an attention the next week and you said whoa every week this take place and now you'll deal with it today they're dealing with robbing a money courier evil got the tip from an insider his men for the job are digger and tec-9 the get full filled up because the contracts are fulfilled evil knows his most loyal gang members can pull it off without hesitation come what may me personally i know how human beings is you have few of them want to put up resistance not because they want is out of shack so that's what they think you have to be judged of good character at times when you go for things and so instead of shooting they may just walk knock them all side of them face make them know it's serious if you don't want to shoot them you understand some of them want to push up their chest i got something for that you want to act tough yeah but besides that money is a must they're ready to go and make their gang sign trigger squeeze pulling the trigger finger when shooting to show that killing is no problem if it helps them pull off the job it's supposed to take place somewhere in kingston they won't say exactly where just that it's a business deal outside of mountain view their own hood is taboo for robberies but out there in the big city everything is up for grabs [Music] meanwhile macleod's police troop checks out other suspicious men but one thing is clear to everyone the news that the police are on their way has made the rounds by now we don't know that our mind once again success eludes them no weapons no trace of the wanted murderer the special unit changes its strategy get off the street on the canal and go into the alleys somewhere out there digger and tec-9 are on the move maybe pulling off the robbery right now when they are backed in a corner by the police that is when they would fire the police to to escape evil waits for his two men in the south clan headquarters he isn't worried about the police let me think about the police personally police is the police they're just men like we them they just abuse authority i deal with authority the right way suck their mother the four policemen parked their car and walk into the district's narrow alleys it's hard to see around every corner and they're right in the middle of gang territory there are many places to hide um it can be intimidating because as you realize there's not much space there to man over and you cannot see behind these fences behind the obstacles but we have to be we have to do it so we just go with courage and hope that everything will be all right their main problem no escape routes mcleod wants to work out an alternative before the attack and sends in his youngest and most experienced man [Music] then it starts the cloud has two children but when things get dangerous he always goes first one residence appears to be suspicious at first no trace of the wanted murderer no weapons then suddenly screaming a resident calls for the cops he seems confused oh again nothing it's not clear why the man behaved so conspicuously after two and a half hours the police leave the district unharmed but with empty hands no weapons no arrest we weren't able to pick up anybody today we saw a man who looked like someone we wanted when we checked when we checked him out properly we realized that it was not him yeah so we really came up empty-handed but our presence were effective we had effective presence and that says a lot tec-9 and digger did not come across them they're still on the move somewhere out there in kingston nightfalls on the jamaican capital the most dangerous time of all no one goes out alone now except for those who must the kingston red light district this is where the business of sex takes place selena has just arrived the 34 year old prostitute is nervous a friend of hers was shot here yesterday something like that can happen anytime but selena has no choice and needs the money i just want to have a lovely time and get some cash and go home so um have a good meal a morning and help out some situation just just i just want to be careful on the road and be myself and be nice with my client them because they can say i'm nice not to hurt me but just to be nice selena's relatives don't know about her work a single mother she just moved here recently she has tattoos on her arms predator paw prints because she wants to be as brave as a tiger her beat is one of three streets in kingston where women wait at night for customers at their own risk there is no protection here selena never knows if a customer will be dangerous sometimes i feel so scared my officer just be my cellphone just breathe under school they can't say if somebody have to just be yourself and work with them you can't move them but selena earns 10 to 15 euros per customer on good nights she has five customers and goes home unharmed prostitution is socially ostracized in jamaica it's all illegal but still tolerated by authorities according to aid organizations approximately 19 000 women and men earn money by selling their bodies many of them in the tourist areas including men who offer themselves to women from north america and europe those who walk the streets in kingston are at the most dangerous end of the business only the really desperate ones work here like selena her first customer she gets into the car with him two hours later selena is back time for a short break take a breather she still hasn't made much money yeah i'm okay i just have one work and i'm so fine it's all right this one is a nice one sometimes the girl name have boyfriends sometimes some of them boyfriend protect them you know my friend just be on my own coming up nobody should protect me never just be rough naked on the street suddenly behind selena two men with guns get out of a car and approach men in another car the tension is palpable then a sound coming from a radio plainclothes police [Music] sometimes i've read like take all of the girls them and lock them up and so and then they let you all back but um it's not a regular basis like if they come around here and man wrap girls on short fire them will come and do read on the police checks may be a reaction to the murder of one of the prostitutes the day before but for selena it's a scary situation what if the men in the car start to get confrontational and draw guns [Music] i'm gonna get scared at the policeman but if we see a man with it we will get scared like yesterday when a man shot her friend selena wanted to earn at least 20 euros today that's two customers but the sight of the men has upset her reminding her of yesterday she decides to go home with just 15 euros in her pocket but still safe and alive the next day a new day in mountain view a district with its own laws and its own rules human life is worth less here than in other places [Music] at the south end of the most notorious section of the city is a police station a small post of the jamaica constabulary force [Music] it is the only station in this part of the city three policemen are on duty here today in the waiting area wanted posters announced successes in the war against the gangs they say dead or captured it's hard to imagine that the police in this station have anything to do with that this is a inner city community right and of like rival gangs so you have the gx4 community there you are directly up there you have oliver road around the corner so we're right in the middle of garrisons what he and his colleague georgie mean is that here the police have no allies and nobody talks when you're going out there seeking information everyone is tackled about basically everything so i mean it's one of those areas to police that you never know what to expect when you go out there and that is why they normally don't go in jamaica's police are understaffed underpaid and their resources are limited many officers are considered corrupt here in mountain view the residents usually settle things among themselves mostly they only report domestic disturbances and traffic accidents things the gangs don't control [Music] because out there others are in charge gun battles in mountain view only worth a headline when there is murder 63 year old pauline lives here deep in area 63 not far from the border with south clan [Music] she has lived here all her life violence gun battles gang warfare all an everyday occurrence for her well sometimes we hear the gunshots you know sometimes we cure us i don't know two millimeters or something we might hear it over the other side and by the wrong girl look you know but when it's up in the community now we have to lock down who is the victim and who the perpetrator is not always clear but pauline has made the greatest sacrifice a mother can make in the gang wars her son clarence was shot dead by men from the neighboring community i have hate because even sometimes i'm praying to let go even sometimes my children i'm saying to myself i can't forgive but i tell them saying i can't forgive but i can't forget and each time sometimes they see the same person come around after what they have done wrong here and you see them come around and they still want to control pauline's son was professionally executed at the age of 28 when he was on his way to see his daughter he never had a chance with six shots to the body he bled to death on the street before it happened he pressed the record function on his phone so even when the police took the phone they were saying to me you don't know any other advice of them was begging for help don't kill me help me and the policy i know them but because of fear i could not open up according to pauline her son's death was an act of retaliation by a gang from the neighboring community a few houses down the no-go zone of the southland where leader evil waits for his men tec-9 and digger return they were partying during the night the theft of the money bag worked if not perfectly the money carrier caught them so we can't trust him in one day not link because i know we think going on evil gives the men their share they looted the equivalent of about 800 euros they were hoping for more but they are also prepared to kill for less [Music] time i know i said we give it a photo you know [Music] in if you foreign about that you're gonna leave a road so you don't think about none of that i don't have no feelings towards that you understand when it's on the next foot people don't have feelings for you so me that don't even come in my mind i've got one job to do and that's it get the money come back so i don't have no feelings of remorse or not evil and his two most important men have known each other since they were kids they grew up together unconditional loyalty to the gang and the community is a must evil's number one rule if you talk to the police or commit some other betrayal you die loyalty is not the only thing it's everything no matter how much real things you did when you betray somebody all of that go out the window so they're going to treat me like they never know me so whether if it's a dull machete that's gonna take my head off and that's what they said they want me to do they want my head i gotta give them my head and if you don't know it is like i said so i don't even have to tell you what i would do to them the poor man's cemetery of kingston outside mountain view the victims of the gang wars are buried here pauline came here today to remember her dead son clarence clarence's sister and daughter are also [Music] there [Music] yes talking to the dead joking with them all perfectly normal in jamaica they wash the dust from the stone and tell clarence about his daughter and son [Music] remember when him did he left us in a sad moment i would still remember the when i'm dated fresh now brian so we're still as a my first brother i'm a big brother my alias same god probably they had a better are too no worse but with those sad we have a sad continent the first he was a leader he was a defender it is difficult especially for pauline [Music] the killer was never caught all they doing about those shots something that they're doing you know it kind of pulled even though i'm here no i just seem lean like i have seen lying down on the ground and even sometimes i said to myself give my children someone a female cry from their muscles to what i hear from the phone you know i'm just begging big big big asking and what me doing or want me pauline says only one thing is important to her that her grandson clarence's son does not join a gang and stays out of things in the district it's a hopeful wish because gangs are everywhere in mountain view and the police fight desperately to keep this place from descending into a future worse than death we have to be brave to apprehend them and we have to let them know that we are never afraid to confront them here women like selena will continue to sell their bodies so that their children might have a better life i wish every one of them just come out to something great don't follow no one and get themselves in a problem that's we often run up and down and stuff like that we wish all of them the best we want to be a soldier or a doctor or a nurse just god does make up others try to live between the fronts hoping for understanding a message that evil and south clans certainly don't follow we have plans on expanding our territory and it's happening every second is why we're speaking right now because when we get the whole place the whole ground that means enough love and if everybody keep that in mind it will be your unity and respect you understand anybody go against that gunshot mountain view kingston one of the most dangerous no-go zones in the world those who manage to grow up here barely stand a chance

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Id: TFrldKFqjYI

Length: 47min 17sec (2837 seconds)

Published: Sun Nov 21 2021