THE JAMAICAN SHOWER POSSE

The Jamaican Shower Posse

The Jamaican Shower Posse

Vivian Blake, leader of a notorious Brooklyn gang was pronounced dead Sunday (March 21) at a West Indian Hospital after suffering from a heart attack. Blake who was the leader of the Shower Posse Gang, which was founded in Brooklyn and responsible for over 1,400 slayings in the United States during the 1980's, died one day after being admitted to the University Hospital of the West Indies for treatment after cardiac arrest. Blake, who is widely known after BET profiled him in the American Gangster series, had previously been well known by authorities who accused Blake of shipping over 1,000 tons of cocaine into the United States and using the proceeds to purchase artilleries of weapons. American Gangster: The Jamaican Shower Posse [40 Minutes video] "You have been blessed with the grace of the Panther".

Jamaican Posses, often referred to simply as Posses, are a loose coalition of gangs, based predominantly in the New York City area and Toronto, Ontario, first being involved in drugs and gun-running in the early 1980s. It is widely claimed that the Jamaican Posses are affiliated with Jamaican political parties, such as the Jamaica Labour Party and the People's National Party.

The JLP posses dominate the west and south of Kingston and other smaller towns and the PNP posses are mainly found in the eastern and central side and there are a few that state they are not allied to either Political party. These are often in the Northern slums of downtown Kingston.

In the United Kingdom, these Jamaican gangsters would be referred to as Yardies in reference to people who lived in "government yards" in the aftermath of Hurricane Charlie which hit Jamaica in 1951. They are strongly populated in London and are specifically known to have occupied and operate in their infamous grounds of Brixton, Harlesden, Hackney.

Jamaican Posse members are known for gun battles with the police and drive-by shootings in disputes with rival gangs over drug turf. Posse members are known for ritualized killings of members who "rip off" profits on drugs. The killing ritual usually involves the shooting of the individual five times; four to the chest and one to the head. Other ritual violent acts have included the use of laundry irons, chainsaws, hammer and nails, and butcher's knives.

Posse members have little regard for public safety or human life. As part of their code, ...