Eze Rockcliffe released on bail

Jan 04, 2009 News

Following his arrest on Friday night, the leader of the Yoruba Singers band, Eze Rockcliffe, said that he was released on $5000 station bail, and was told to report back to the Brickdam Police Station yesterday.
Rockcliffe said that when he returned to the police station at 9:00 hours yesterday, the police ranks took his statement and told him that he should return tomorrow at the same time.
According to reports reaching this newspaper, the Yoruba Singers band was performing at the Clerical and Commercial Workers Union (CCWU), at Quamina and Waterloo Streets, when police ranks came into the building and announced that the music needed to be turned off.
Rockcliffe alleges that he said that this was not possible, as they always play at that location, and had been doing so for a number of years.
He said that the rank who passed the instruction left, and another rank came in. Rockcliffe said that, after a discussion, he agreed to turn the volume down. When this second rank left, the first rank apparently returned and said that the music needed to be turned off, since persons in the area were complaining of the noise.
Rockcliffe said that he agreed to turn off the speakers outside the venue, but the rank refused this offer and said that Rockcliffe would have to “go to Brickdam.”
Rockcliffe said that the police ranks ‘chucked’ his wife, and handled him roughly as he was ‘thrown into the police vehicle.’ He was held at the Brickdam Police Station for approximately three hours, before he was released on station bail, with instructions to report back to the police station at 9:00 hours yesterday.
The leader of the band said that he was not entirely sure why the police arrested him. The police arrived at CCWU approximately 21:00hours on Friday night. Rockcliffe added that, to his knowledge, music is permitted until midnight, before it becomes a public nuisance.
Terming the events of that evening a ‘travesty of justice,’ Rockcliffe said that there was no reasoning with the police ranks.
He also noted that the state of the Brickdam lockups was appalling. “I was not in the lockups,” said Rockcliffe, “it was some sort of dungeon. It was the worst human condition I have ever experienced.”
The leader of the Yoruba Singers said that it was unfortunate, since he had been in the business of music for 38 years and had never experienced a situation like that before.
“In August, I was working with Carifesta, and now, in January, they want to arrest me,” said Rockcliffe.
The Yoruba Singers is perhaps Guyana’s oldest surviving band.

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