Govt. should build a home for Roxanne Winfield

Mar 04, 2012 Letters

Dear Editor,
Ten years ago, a brave, young prison officer named Roxanne Winfield, made the ultimate sacrifice for her country in the line of duty.
She was shot at point blank range in the head for refusing to hand over the keys to the prison gate, that would have allowed five dangerous prisoners their freedom. And although she did not die, none of us would want to live in the incapacitated state she has been condemned to accept.
The story of Roxanne Winfield was well articulated in an article on February 22, 2012: “TEN years ago today, Mrs. Roxanne Winfield, a former Guyana Prison Service (GFS) guard, was on gate duty at the Camp Street Prison when five notorious prisoners — Troy Dick, Shawn Brown, Andrew Douglas, Mark Fraser and Dale Moore – staged what later came to be called the 2002 Mash Day Jailbreak.
She bravely resisted their order for her to open the gate to allow them illegal freedom, even after they had stabbed dead her colleague Troy Williams, 21; and for her defiance, she was shot and injured whilst the notorious five managed to escape.
Ever since that tragedy, life has not been easy for her. Winfield is blind in the left eye, and has a hole in the left side of her temple, where she was shot that fateful day. She was placed on a life support machine for several weeks, and underwent very delicate surgeries performed by local doctors as well as Neurologist Dr Richard Spann.
Dr. Spann determined that the bullet entered Mrs. Winfield’s right cheek, exiting through the left ear, causing damage to the brain necessitating a removal of a portion of her brain. She lost her husband, Mark Winfield, in December 2006, following a brief illness.”
The tragic story of this brave and dedicated Prison Officer recently came to my attention through a facebook request, soliciting the donation of a motorized scooter/wheelchair to her. Because I was concerned that Roxanne’s condition may not allow her to operate this equipment safely if at all, I had a friend to visit Roxanne Winfield at her sister’s home, where she lives at 46 Section ‘A’, Melanie Damishana, East Coast Demerara. As suspected, she will not be able to physically mount, dismount, nor operate a motorized scooter/wheelchair on her own. But what the 43 year old desperately needs now, is a comfortable place to live.
Roxanne lives with her sister and three others in a 750 sq.ft. (25ft. x 30ft.) house. This, by any standard, is extremely small. The toilet and shower are both in the yard, and it must be quite an ordeal getting her there every day.
The house has no foundation, and the 4×4 pillars that are holding it up seems dangerously close to collapsing. She needs a new home with a spacious, self-contained bedroom that would bring some level of comfort to her. Roxanne Winfield was given a plot of land in Diamond by the Government of Guyana. But without the financial resources or steady income from a job, neither Roxanne nor the sister she depends on, is in a position to build anything on it.
As such, I am appealing to Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee, whose portfolio includes the Guyana Prison Service, to recognize the heroic bravery of this woman in the line of duty, and the tremendous sufferings she has endured and continues to struggle with day by day.
I appeal to you Sir, to build her a home on the land your government has given her. Extend your government’s appreciation for her exemplary courage under fire, that others in uniform may willingly emulate. This is not asking too much considering she almost died trying to keep us safe from dangerous criminals.
My brother, one of New York’s most talented architects, has volunteered to provide complete architectural drawings for this house, designed specifically to facilitate her mobility within the home. I will undertake to secure donations of furniture and appliances from family and friends within the private sector, if this request is granted.
Guyanese are reputed for being a generous and hospitable people, although sometimes politics and ideology get in the way. Minister Rohee, I beg of you to show compassion and mercy for the plight of this heroic officer who served you well. Give her the comfort of a home to alleviate her sufferings, and allow her to live out her life with the knowledge that her government has not failed her.
Harry Gill

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Govt. should build a home for Roxanne Winfield

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