Granny, 82, dies after police raid

Jan 20, 2011 News

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An Albouystown family is convinced that the actions of the police on Tuesday night caused the death of 82-year-old Gloria St. John.
The elderly woman collapsed shortly after heavily armed police ranks barged into her Curtis Street, Albouystown apartment during an operation there.
She was rushed to the hospital where she succumbed within minutes of her arrival there.

Relatives believe that the police actions, coupled with the arrest of St John’s daughter and her two grandchildren, triggered a heart attack.
Her daughter and granddaughter were subsequently released without charge after spending the night at the East La Penitence Police Station.
Recalling the incident, Deslyn St. John told this newspaper that the police were carrying out an operation in Albouystown and they arrested her son.
She said that she went to the police and enquired why her son was being taken into custody.
According to her this led to an exchange of words and a police rank began slapping her in her face.
Her daughter intervened and she too was allegedly assaulted by police ranks.
Even Deslyn St. John’s reputed husband, Derrick Gaskin, was manhandled by the police when he tried to save his wife and daughter.
Gaskin told this newspaper that he was sitting at home with his wife and children when he heard that the police were “kicking up” his son on the road.
He said that his wife first went outside to investigate.
“When I go outside now, I see this big commotion so I say ‘wha goin on hey?’ Dis man just push me wife aside and chuck me and tell she ‘go in de vehicle’.”
Gaskin said he enquired why his wife was being arrested but the rank just pointed the gun at him in a threatening manner.
According to Gaskin, his daughter, realizing that things would have got ugly, pulled him aside and offered to accompany her mother to the station.
Gaskin’s sister, Linda Chance, who is also a resident of Albouystown, corroborated his story, adding that the police were in the area the whole of Tuesday, “harassing the young men.”
While all of this was taking place, 82-year-old Gloria St. John who was in her apartment heard the commotion outside and apparently became agitated.
Her condition worsened when a police rank carrying a “big gun” barged into her apartment and pointed his weapon at her.
Gaskin, like all the other family members is blaming the police for her death.
“This is what we have to go through with these police in this place. These police just keep harassing we children in this ghetto,” he said.
The police did not say why they arrested his son in the first place but the young man was released at the scene of the incident even before his mother and sister were taken away.
Meanwhile, his wife related that while she and her daughter were at the police station they were prevented from speaking to anyone and were subsequently booked for “obstructing the course of justice”.
“A policeman (name given), tell we that he gone mek we respect he and he even boast bout he name. Even when we tell he that my mother was dead he said he did not care,” Deslyn St. John related to Kaieteur News.
After spending the night in the lock-ups, the woman and her daughter were relieved to be home again.
She described the East La Penitence lock-ups as a hell hole.
“Oh my God! Stink! Terrible! Right where you’re sleeping, no mattress, the urine, the women pads, oh my God! If you see it. Terrible! Terrible! Terrible!” said Deslyn St. John, who disclosed that Tuesday night was the first time for her in police custody.
“Due to the story mek me mother dead,” she said trying to hold back tears.
“When these people (police) come into this area they run into people house and they don’t care If they gat children, grandfather or grandmother. They went into the house with this big gun and confront this old lady and now dey gone with her daughter. That caused her death. That is my opinion,” added Linda Chance.
“My mother don’t like hear about police. From the time she hear police and she see a man stand up in front she with a gun, is obvious she heart gon give out. She’s eighty three years. By the time they rush she to de hospital, the woman died,” St. John stated.
She told this newspaper that she had spoken to her mother five minutes before she was arrested.
“I never went in things like this before so it was a shock to her,” the dead woman’s daughter cried.
St. John was just happy to be out and both she and her husband indicated that they would not be pursuing the matter further.
They are convinced that they will not get justice.
“We see cases like this before and nothing happened and it’s because of the system,” said St. John.
Her reputed husband said that he did not get any satisfaction when he went yesterday morning to take breakfast for his wife.
“What justice you could get with the way these people harassing you?” said Gaskin, a contractor.
He explained that only a few months ago he went to the police office of professional responsibility to complain about the beating his son allegedly received at the hands of the police and nothing came out of the matter.
“They beat him up, buss up he eye and then lose he and nothing come out. Not in this country how it going now,” Gaskin stated.
This newspaper contacted the police for a response to the allegations but up to late last night none was received.

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