Dear Editor,
As we mark yet another year since the tragic events of July 18, 2012, in Linden, it is both a solemn remembrance and a painful reminder of the price our people have paid in the fight for justice, dignity, and economic fairness.
That day, peaceful protestors gathered in defense of their right to affordable electricity something so basic, yet made unaffordable to an already marginalized community. Instead of being heard, they were met with bullets. Three men Ron Somerset, Shemroy Bouyea, and Allan Lewis paid with their lives. Dozens more were injured. The scars of that day still linger in Linden, not just in physical wounds, but in the trauma and mistrust that remain.
As a political activist, I cannot and will not let this moment be forgotten. We must keep asking: Where is the justice? Who has been held accountable? What measures have been put in place to ensure this never happens again? Year after year, promises are made, commissions are formed, reports are written and yet, meaningful change remains elusive.
Linden’s story is not unique in the landscape of our national history. It is part of a disturbing pattern in which the voices of the poor and disenfranchised are silenced not with dialogue but with force. It reflects a failure of leadership and a system that prioritizes power over people.
But we, the people, are not silent. We remember. We demand. And we organize. Let this anniversary reignite our collective call for justice, reform, and respect for human life. Let us ensure that the memory of those who fell is not used as a political prop but as a call to action for better governance, equal treatment, and true democratic accountability.
May the souls of those we lost rest in peace. And may we, the living, never rest until justice is served.
In solidarity.
Yours truly,
Lorenzo Joseph
UWP Activist
