Michel de certeau Michel de Certeau was a

Michel de certeau `Michel de Certeau was a french scholar whos work mainly focused on philosophy and social sciences. His most famous and credited work is “the practice of everyday life”. It is considered as being enormously influential in pushing cultural studies away from producer/product to the consumer. 1925 -1986

The practice of everyday life • The practice of everyday life was first published in 1984 Michel de Certeau considers the uses to which social representation and modes of social behavior are put by individuals and groups, describing the tactics available to the common man for reclaiming his own autonomy from the all-pervasive forces of commerce, politics, and culture. He likens everyday life to a guerilla war, for example the weak who are generally without power do not take the powerfull head on. And when they do it tends to lead to major world conflicts.

• He talks a lot about strategies and tactics. And how governments can use strategies to gain support on things they know the public would not necessarily agree with. However with todays social media’s and networks it is a lot easier for people to protest and voice their opinions and show the public raw footage that the ‘powerful’ may not want to be in the public domain.

• A good example of this is the violence and protests that happened in jamaica in the summer of 2010. Although it was all centred around one man, hundreds of innocent civilians in Jamaica lost there lives and London and America were affected too.

DUDUS • • The violence all started because one Jamaican man Christopher “Dudus” Coke, was wanted by the Americans for numerous weapons and drug trafficking charges. Dudus is the leader of the notorious shower posse, which is a Jamaican lead gang operating in the Caribbean, America, England Canada. The gang originate form Tivoli gardens, one of the poorest garrisons in Kingston, Jamaica's capital. And Dudus is seen as a robin hood or godfather as he gives people of the community money for their children to go to school and get food. So despite him being a drug lord and murderer he is well respected in Jamaica and even politicians have coined him as the most powerful and influential man in Jamaica.

• In August 2009, the US authorities charged him with organising deals of marijuana and crack cocaine, and funnelling the profits along with weapons back to Jamaica and requested he be extradited to America to face the charges. The extradition request greatly strained relations between the US and Jamaica, which initially fought the move, arguing that it was based on flawed evidence as they had used unwarranted wire tapping. However many believed the real reason for the Jamaican government refuses the extradition request was because the government were heavily tied up with the gang, and it was even reported that the prime minister, Bruce Golding, and his party were actually giving money to help aid the gangs actions as long as come elections they ensured the Jamaican labour party would get elected. And therefore the government feared the true extent of there involvement would get publicised if Dudus was to be put on trial…

• The prime minister Bruce Golding strategically hired a US law firm to try and find a way for the charges against Dudus to be dropped, paying for it out of the tax payers money. When this was reported in the news by the opposing government party he flatly denied rumours. However the public and oposing partys were not satisifed and kept asking for more answers on the matter and why dudus’ss extradition had not just been signed and were calling for the prime ministers resignation. Facebook groups and videos on youtube voicing peoples distain at the situation were uploaded and even mentioned on radio stations and prime time news broadcasts. In May Bruce Golding eventually backed down and went against everything he had been saying for 9 months and signed the extradition order and a warrant for Dudus’s arrest. This was anounced on a live news broadcast on May 17 th, the capital instantly went into lock down with schools, shops and resturants closing early anticipating trouble and people were told to only leave there homes when necessary. Dudus’s gang members used tactics to try and stop police entering Tivoli gardens, road blocks were constructed with booby traps such as petrol bombs and electric wire to try and stop police entering, but nothing really happened except a few march’s by his dedicated supporters and followers, the police seemed to take no action on trying to arrest Coke.

However The unrest started on 23 May 2010, when gangsters assaulted four police stations in south-western Kingston and managed to loot and partially burn out one of the stations. Cartel gunmen swarmed through Kingston, battling police and soldiers, and trapping civilians in their homes. These were supporters of Dudus who later admitted that it was a way to distract the police so that Dudus could be smuggled out of Tivoli gardens and try to escape the country. This carried on through out the night and into the hours of the next day, which was a public holiday Labour day. All events were cancelled and the news reported that at least 30 people had lost there lives throughout the gun battle of that night, most of them innocent civilians.

• On the night of 24/25 May 2010, the Jamaican government declared a state of emergency in the capital Kingston and in the parish of St Andrew to last for at least one month. This was a strategy by the government so they could arrest and hold anyone they wanted throughout this time period, it was there idea to get as many as dudus’s gunmen and known associates off the streets as possible. It was later claimed that police had actually hacked into dudus’s facebook page and emails to discover loactions and identities of some of the most wanted on there list. The violence escalated throughout the day and eventually the assults prompted the biggest mobilsation of the security forces in jamaican history. Hundreds of soldiers were deployed to help the capitals police force sweep trhough tivoli gardens and surrounding areas in search for mr coke.

• • However Tivoli was heavily fortified by gangsters in preparation for the inevitable onslaught by the security forces. Molotov cocktail "factories" as well as storage dumps for ammunition were created in various sections of the community to provide quick supply to the gunmen besieging Tivoli. Electrified barbed wires were used to block the main entrance to the community along with old burnt out cars and sharp metal scraps and cement. These barriers were further fortified by the use of IEDs made from cooking gas cylinders armed with electronically detonated fuses. Manholes were uncovered and filled with spikes and the roads were lined with hidden IEDs made from somatol explosives. Recon operations by JDF helicopters showed well organised roadblocks made of sandbags manned by 3 -4 men armed with AK-47 and Molotov cocktails. Snipers were also stationed on the roof to take out as much of the law men as possible before they can start disassembling the barriers. According to Colonel Rocky Meade the level of defensive work was becoming of a very well organised militia. Ground report suggested that it took the soldiers 2 hours to advance a distance of 200 metres at the start of the operation, a distance that usually takes 5 minutes.

• Despite the shower posse’s strategy and tactics, of diverting the jamaican media from Dudus to themselves, police and soldiers swarmed through Tivoli destroying everything in there paths trying to find Dudus. Tv news crews were banned from entering Tivoli as it was deemed unsafe but many resdients of tivoli believed its because the government were using dirty strategys and unnecessary force and weapons to try and find the man they were after. Despite news teams not being allowed in many residents called radio stations to tell of bombs being dropped into there community and police just firing guns at any one. Many people also uploaded photo’s to face book and there own footage of the destruction onto you tube. However the police then started confiscating mobile phones on the governments instructions to try and stop this happening. And the internet was even shut off for a few hours, when it returned most of the videos showing police and soldiers killing innocent civillians including children could no longer be found. Telephone companies also went down for the same period of time and although government refused responsibility the finger was still very much pointed at them.

Soldiers confistcating mobile . phones Half burnt out baracade built by shower posse gunmen Above, dead residents shot by police and gunmen just left in the street. Myself and a student I was teaching out there at the time that was shot and killed in the battle. Soldiers attacking in tivoli http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=pg. Vygb. WY 03 I& feature=BF&playnext=1&list=QL&index=16

• After just over a month of being on the run Dudus was finally apprehended and extradited to the USA. Where he is still currently awaiting trail. Jamaica is finally getting back to normal, but it is expected that over 800 people were injured in the violence and atleast 100 more killed, that took place, although the jamaican governments reported death toll figure was released as nearly a fith of that number. There is still an ongoing investigation into the defence ministry's actions and many are still calling for the resignation of Bruce Golding as people claim there strategy was in humane. This would probably not be happening if it wasn’t for the publics roles using the social media. It allowed them to show footage of what really happened in Kingston and allow not only the rest of Jamaica but also around the world were some of there photo’s and videos were used on news broadcasts of other countries where the violence was reported.