Will this racial tit for tat ever cease?

May 21, 2019 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,

Sometimes you lose faith in this beloved country of ours. Over the course of the weekend, we all heard that Police had killed three bandits somewhere near the Black Bush Polder area. I was elated as like many other Guyanese, as I was becoming uncomfortable with what appeared to be a spike in violent crime, robberies and home invasions.
So once I reached to work on Monday, I logged onto my Facebook page to update myself on the finer details of the shootout. To say that I was shocked and depressed by the level of racist comments regarding the incident is an understatement of sorts.
Many Guyanese appeared to have viewed the deaths of the three bandits through racial lens and prisms, despite the fact that Berbicians had been pleading with Police to do something about bandits operating in the area. Despite the fact that they were heavily armed, and in spite of the fact that the situation had become so bad that those at Eve Leary had sent the SWAT team to help regular police in the region.
A few enquired why the men could not have been arrested – despite the fact that they were shooting at officers, and hiding in the backlands of Black Bush Polder.
Not surprisingly, some of the racial or politically-inclined comments came from well-known politicians.
Editor, these statements are coming apparently from people who are not enduring the trauma, the fear and the mental torture associated with crime in Berbice. They are only interested in making a point through racist and political lens.
The result of these posts is that those with opposing views found it necessary to reply, with predictable unpleasantness. Will this racial tit for tat ever cease?
With this attitude of seeing any and everything through racial lenses, I humbly submit that we are doomed as a nation if this state of mind continues. It is simply absurd that some from one section of society could view the deaths of three bandits with more than 200 rounds, in racial or political terms.
Peter Joseph

Discover more from Kaieteur News

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Latest News