Brickdam lock-ups must be upgraded now

May 29, 2009 Letters

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Dear Editor,
I would not normally be involved in writing to the letter pages, because as a person in public life I believe that people must have their say, and it is a fact that public personalities are the objects of scrutiny and perpetual derision and ridicule.
The degeneration of law and order over time has put the law enforcers on the back foot, and as they have regained some measure of control, society has been breathing a little easier and feeling a bit freer in going about its business. However, having observed this, the scenario which currently obtains is no justification for maintaining a facility such as the Brickdam lock-ups – ‘lair’ for alleged law-breakers.
This is my avowed position not because of the incident I am about to describe, but because for the umpteenth time the goodly Minister of Home Affairs has demonstrated a ‘pit-bullish’ stance with his utterances on controversial issues.
Make no mistake, I admire the pit-bullish stance on many of the issues he has had to address, but this one has flown in the face of human decency and is counter productive to social cohesion. While I am critical of the Brickdam lock-ups and rogue elements in the police force, I am fully supportive of maintaining a tight rein on law and order. While I am critical of torturing and roughing up people (some people’s version), I will support the services doing proactive detective work in maintaining law and order. While I am critical of so many shootings and killings of alleged criminals in circumstances of overwhelming force and sometimes when they are well cornered, I do support the forces’ firm stance on those the society knows as very dangerous persons and if the situation warrants it. To some this is contradictory, but it isn’t, as current security scenarios are not made for angels. Raging fires cannot be fought with a deluge of flammable substances.
The point is that the Minister has support for good, sustained and proactive law enforcement work. The Brickdam ‘lair’ described above as the place you go if you default, is most contentious with consequences and confrontation resulting.
My brother was coming from the Timehri area with two of his friends whom he had picked up to help him clear a piece of land for an agricultural pursuit. So he was armed with the tools of the trade, which included a saw, a brush-cutter, cutlasses, et al; tools, they were subsequently given to understand, which were for criminal activities. They decided to stop at a place in downtown Georgetown to take a cool drink before heading home. They were stopped in Georgetown on Main Street by a police outfit and searched. The tools (arms) were found and they were taken to Eve Leary, initially for interrogation and then processed. My brother, probably the ‘softest’ in the crew blacked out, because he was given the RUA card to be photographed with. Now RUA is Robbery under Arms (some agri tools) and no doubt, he had never been in such a situation, and so fainted. By then the word had got around and his wife rushed to Georgetown and found two lawyers to defend the men. Mr. Chris Ram also turned up, because one of the men works for him and he too was dismayed that his employee was involved in RUA.
The long and short of the matter was that the men were transferred to the Brickdam lock-ups, after my brother had been taken to hospital, having blacked out at Eve Leary and his lawyer had protested vehemently. The Brickdam scenario as described by the men was putrid, nauseous and inhumane. No institution of the state should be maintained with that stigma. We all must reject this scenario at all costs. Whatever upgrading must be done must be done now. It is long overdue. I do not expect three square meals and chummy conditions, but it must be kept at the barest minimum for human decency.
To finish the case, I have to point out that the men were released late the next day and a press conference was held. There the lawyers stated clearly that they personally were handled most unprofessionally, not to mention the men. There has been no investigation, but the fact is that I have seen other persons coming forward with similar allegations including the Johns of Agricola. There are some similarities. I told my brother that they suffered because they had the two “B’ disease. They were Black and from Buxton. My brother also has a Bachelor’s degree from UG.
The scenario also smacks of a pernicious posture of stereotyping which does not enamour the forces to the general masses, with whom a crucial relationship is needed in their crime-fighting work.  Taking the Minister’s utterances at face value, one can see a level of state hegemony being bred, with those not conforming having to face the consequences. This is troubling and so the Minister must come good with the repairs to the Brickdam facility.
A few days ago I was speaking to my brother and he said to me that he was very angry about his wrongful incarceration when he came out of the lock-ups. I was seething with rage and whatever else goes with that.
Boss man, those statements are incendiary and not needed at this time. Just my stupid advice.
No need for turning lambs into monsters.
Orrin Gordon

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