From the Diaspora…POLICE

BARBARITY AND A COMPLACENT

GUYANESE PUBLIC ACCEPTING IT

By Ralph Seeram

“When they came out (of yard), the Indian police put me to lie down, take the gun, take out all the bullets, put in back one, spin it, aim the gun at my mouth and tell me “Boy, you sure you don’t know who rob that girl?’ “He pull the trigger, the gun go ‘crix’ one time. Then he shoot again and the gun go off. I taste one set of gunpowder in my mouth; my ears all start ringing, ringing… then they pick me up and put me in a van and they drive me to the hospital and they go away and left me at the hospital.” That’s the level of police brutality in Guyana. Could it get any more depraved than this? At what point would the Guyanese public say to the police – enough is enough. These excesses by the police will go on, because the Guyanese public allows them to do it. Most of you might have heard of a teenager shot in the mouth after being held for questioning by the police. The teenager, Alex Griffin, gave that account of the extreme brutality he suffered at the hands of the police. Here was a police officer playing Russian roulette with the life of a teenager. That is how arrogant and depraved the Guyana Police Force has become. This is one more case of police brutality that is reported and will fade away, like the Colwyn Harding case, like the teen who got his genitals burnt some years ago. Remember the women and children who got whipped by a police in the interior some time ago? Remember the countless number of police assaults on the public that have gone and forgotten. You want to know why? Read this response by Chief of Criminal Investigations, Senior Superintendent Leslie James. He said the Cadet Officer was no longer under close arrest and was reporting to the Guyana Police Force but “not on active duty.  He is just within reach in case he has to be taken to court.” Doesn’t this remind you of a policeman who was facing a potential murder charge? The police can’t find him and he was “under close arrest”; within reach. This police officer should have already been before the court facing attempted murder charges. The police charge people and oppose their bail for lesser offences, but when it comes to one of their own, “they are within reach”. Have you ever wondered why these crimes are committed by the police? Because they can get away with them.  Do you think the policeman who pushed the gun in the teenager’s mouth and played Russian roulette would have done so if he believed the other police present would report it to his superiors? Was he afraid of his superiors’ actions? The police protect their own, and this goes right up to the higher echelons of the force. Those in charge by their SILENCE, by turning a “BLIND EYE” to these atrocious acts encourage that type of behavior. The police should return the new Automated Fingerprint Information System (AFIS) to the US. That’s too sophisticated, and calls for some thinking. Brawn is better; you get better results the old fashion way by placing a gun barrel in a teenager’s mouth, burning their genitals or sticking a baton up their rear end. The problem with police brutality lies not with the police force alone, it lies with the Private Sector organizations, Chambers of Commerce, it lies with the Trade Unions, it lies with those NGOs that keep quiet; it lies with the churches and other religious organizations. It lies also with the press, who treats it as just another news item. Everybody has the mentality. They say, “It’s not me so it is not my business.” When you become the victim then it’s only you left to face it alone because you kept quiet when it was the other guy. So today by their silence and inaction to police BRUTALITY I condemn the President and the entire PPP Cabinet. I condemn the business community. I condemn the Trade Union Movement. I condemn the religious organizations. I condemn those NGOs that remain silent I condemn the media that allow these brutalities to fade away instead of keeping a running dossier and lastly I condemn the Guyanese public for being complacent in tolerating police brutality; sitting on your rear end is not going to stop it. Why the Guyanese public? Some months ago the people on the Corentyne protested what they perceived as collusion between police officers stationed at the Number 51 Police Station and criminals. The people came out in their numbers. The result was that the police changed the personnel at that location, PROTEST my friends PROTEST. If 5000 people converge on Eve Leary or Brickdam, don’t you think you will get the police attention? If 5000 peaceful protesters turn up at Office of the President or the Home Affairs Ministry and register their disgust, don’t you think you will get their attention? You may not agree with his politics, but let’s be honest, the only person in Guyana that shows some “guts” in these situations is Mark Benschop. The guy would be there alone most of the time with his banner, protesting injustices and police brutality. There are reports already that those involved in the shooting of this kid are trying to buy their way out of this, as they did when they burnt the other child’s penis. I would hope the family remains firm that this policeman goes to jail. They can still receive compensation in the process. Let him go to jail where he can also experience something being placed in the other entrance, his rear end. For those who think I am prejudging the situation, there is no question that the teenager was shot. There is no question that he was shot in the mouth; there is no question that a gun was placed in his mouth; there is no question that he was in police custody at the time of shooting. You try shooting a policeman in his mouth and see if the police and the current Director of Public Prosecutions will allow you to be “within reach”. There seems to be two kinds of justice, one for the police, the rich and powerful, and the other for the poor and downtrodden. Being poor can be a bitch. Ralph Seeram can be reach at email: ralph365@hotmail.com