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I am a child of West Coast Berbice (WCB). Members of my family were victims of the 1960s hate crimes in WCB. Here are my stories- On the 23rd August 1964, my uncle Albert Thompson; and cousins Vivian McKenzie, Donald Wade and William Woodruff were ambushed in the night in their home in the Abary Creek. Their house was set afire, they were shot, and burnt. These men were farmers cultivating the lands they owned. In July 1964, my cousin Richard Carmichael was brutally murdered on Burma road. His penis was cut off and placed in his mouth. Justice was never served for these men. I do not wish these brutal and painful experiences on anyone and am often mindful of the need to find better solutions to resolve our differences. Violence must never be the way.
In August, when Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, instigated government supporters to destroy our property in Kingelly WCB, I thought back to the 1960s. I knew he was waving a red flag, which could have led to racial confrontation, based on a lie that Cudjoe McPherson’s lands belong to the State and the government will hand them over to the land grabbers. In our political reality you can be within your rights and still be considered wrong or denied justice. It was the determination to exercise restraint, even in the face of provocation and threats of violence, Cudjoe’s heirs did not fall into Nandlall’s trap.
In March, I watched recordings of the violence inflicted on innocent school children on Bath Settlement WCB road. Those children were on their way home in their school bus when they were attacked by PPP/C supporters who felt aggrieved with the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM). Prior to this incident there was an unwritten rule in our society that children were off-limits. That tenet was broken.
On 6th September, the nation learnt of the brutal slayings of two teenagers, Joel and Isaiah Henry, when their badly mutilated bodies were found in the backdams of Cotton Tree WCB. No amount of spin that their deaths had to do with stealing coconuts or gang related could deny that the marks of violence on their bodies are those of hate crimes.
A few days later another teenager, Haresh Singh, was discovered murder within the same district. Persons have argued the Henrys’ crime had to do with their race; and Singh’s was retaliation, or he may have been a material witness. Those who know the areas the boys’ bodies were found know they are predominantly Indian populated. This notwithstanding, a thorough investigation must be done to provide answers and ensure justice for all three. Where this is not done speculations will run amok and animosity unchecked.
This is borne out in the murder of Prettipaul Hargobin on 9th September in Bath Settlement. The perception was drawn that his killing was racially motivated. It was not until persons saw a news report in this newspaper, they learnt there was a counter protest in Bath Settlement to the Henrys’ protest and the accused are Indians. The tendency to think and believe this way does not bode well for the nation’s body politics and race relations. We must fight against perception to automatically be labelled innocent or guilty for it goes against the grain of human rights and common law practices.
Observers or participants of struggle know power concedes nothing without a fight. We know justice is never served if oppressors are not forced to see the errant of their actions. It would be an error to assume removing the protest presence from the streets will silence the pains and cries of the aggrieved. These have only receded from public view, likely to erupt at any time. The stability of this nation requires answering the call for legal justice and moving with alacrity to ensure same. We must create better ways for addressing the concerns of the other.
In the public domain is the claim by leading figures in the government that rape happened during the protests. It is beside the point whether the protest referred to is the PPP/C counterprotest in Bath Settlement or the Henrys/African/Opposition protest. Allegation of rape must not be treated with lightly. Those who claim to know about the incident must be held to account to aid the investigative process.
Rape is a serious offence. If persons were sexually violated, they must be encouraged to report their case to the police and investigation follows. Women’s rights organisations must not allow a crime of this nature to go unaddressed or be used to seek mileage to further divide this nation along race and political lines. Those government officials who said rape occurred have a duty to this society. A duty they must take seriously lest they be dismissed for engaging in political mischief.
They must be invited or visited by Crime Chief Wendall Blanhum to provide information or the source of their information. The Criminal Investigation Department must get to the bottom of this allegation. For the good of this nation crime must never be left unreported, unresolved, or trifled with.
