Jamaicans continued to migrate to the UK during the 1970s and 1980s , albeit in smaller numbers , the majority of these people were from poor households and went to extreme lengths to get to the UK . There is an uneven distribution of household wealth throughout Jamaica and during the economic crisis of the 1990s lower class Jamaicans continued to migrate in significant numbers . A lot of these later arrivals came from Jamaica 's capital and largest city , Kingston where the divide between rich and poor is much more evident than other places on the island . Most first generation immigrants moved to the UK in order to seek and improved standard of living , escape violence or to find employment . Jamaicans followed the pattern of other irregular immigrant groups where they tended to work in low paid , dirty and often dangerous jobs in order to maintain their independence . Throughout the late 20th century and to this day in fact , the Jamaican community in the UK has been brought into the spotlight due to the involvement of Jamaicans in race-related riots . The first notable event to occur was the 1958 Notting Hill race riots when an argument between local white youths and a Jamaican man , alongside increasing tensions between both communities lead to several nights of disturbances , rioting and attacks . Evidence of institutional racism by London 's Metropolitan Police became evident in the high number of Black Britons ' stopped and searched ' ( under the sus law ) alongside the unprovoked shooting of a Jamaican woman in her Lambeth home after police believed she was hiding her criminal son , this event led to the 1985 Brixton riot . To name one of the more recent riots , the 2005 Birmingham race riots occurred as a result of the alleged rape of a 14-year-old Jamaican girl by a group of up to 20 South Asian men including the Pakistani store owner it is reported she initially stole from , unlike earlier race riots this event is evidence that high tensions and violence are happening in the UK not only between Black British and White British people , however all ethnic and national groups . The Murder of Stephen Lawrence occurred in 1993 , the London teenager of Jamaican parentage was stabbed to death in a racially motivated attack . The murder was handled in such a bad way by the Metropolitan Police that an inquiry into this established that the force had been institutionally racist , the investigation has been called ' one of the most important moments in the modern history of criminal justice in Britain ' and contributed heavily to the creation and passing of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 . Many Jamaicans live in the UK having no legal status , having come at a period of less strict immigration policies . Some Jamaican social groups have claimed asylum under the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees , this only continued until 2003 when Jamaica was placed on the Non-Suspensive Appeal list when restrictions on UK visas came into place , making it more difficult for Jamaicans to travel to the UK
Murder of Stephen Lawrence
Murder of Stephen Lawrence
British Jamaican