Jamaica gained independence in 1962 , and by 1963 political parties were paying off members of the Rude boy subculture to engage in turf warfare with political rivals . Once the JLP would come to power they would demolish a PNP sympathizing slum and construct Tivoli Gardens in its place , starting in 1965 . The project would be monitored by Edward Seaga and Tivoli Gardents would be a JLP garrison , and the PNP would react by forming its own garrisons solidifying the tradition of violent garrison communities in Jamaica . By the 1966 election gunfights became common , bombings occurred , and police would be routinely shot at . This resulted in more than 500 people injured , 20 people dead , and 500 arrested during police raids . Sporadic political violence would evolve into outright urban warfare after a series of violent outbursts . The Henry rebellion , the Coral Gardens incident , the anti-Chinese riots of 1965 , the state of emergency of 1966-67 , and finally the Rodney riots . These events were the beginnings of an ethnic nationalist element to Jamaican politics and a further normalization of political violence in general in Jamaican society Political violence had become commonplace in Jamaica . Political parties began paying off crime bosses for local gang support . Assassination threats and attempts also starting becoming more frequent . By 1974 the PNP openly avowed there support for the principles of democratic socialism . PNP candidate Michael Manley began public praises of Fidel Castro . The JLP emerged as a right wing counter to this new emerging leftism . The Central Intelligence Agency began supplying weapons to JLP vigilantes
Coral Gardens incident
Coral Gardens incident
Jamaican political conflict