Abstract :
In many inner city communities in Jamaica, there is the perception that the dons (ad hoc community leaders) are able to provide security, financial assistance and a social safety network, which w as once the role of the state. The failure of successive governments to provide those important services, in particular security means that there is a high degree of mistrust of the state in rightfully carrying out its roles. The dons have filled the void created by the state, and people have come to rely on them precisely because of the repeated failures of successive governments. The mistrust has become so pervasive, that such a low level of trust for government leads to a rise in unorthodox political participation. This study examines the role that mistrust in government plays in unconventional political participation, and it revealed that Jamaicans who mistrust government are 2.4 times more likely to become involved in unorthodox activities compared to those who do trust government. Those activities now include protests, demonstrations, barricading a community, firing at the security forces, blogging, and using the social commentaries on talk radio. While firing at the security forces extends beyond unconventional political participation - and this aspect is not covered in the present manuscript - it is clearly an unorthodox method employed by some groups within a society.
