January 15, 2001
JAMAICANS UNITED AGAINST POLICE BRUTALITY Dear Friends, Jamaica's Minister of National Security and Justice, K. D. Knight has signed the death warrant for gunmen who recently killed a police security guard at the troubled Kingston Public Hospital. The Gleaner of January 14 paraphrased the minister's statement in the following way: "NATIONAL SECURITY Minister K.D. Knight said yesterday that there was only one rightful place for gunmen who challenge the police, as in last week's attack on the Kingston Public Hospital (KPH), and that is in the morgue and then afterwards in some family burial plot." Knight is directly quoted as saying "I know I am going to be criticised for this, but gunmen who challenged the police in this manner, their place belong in the morgue and after that Dovecot or some family plot." Note that Mr. Knight did not call for apprehension of the killer or killers in a legal fashion. Instead, as the political head of the police force, and senior member of government, he is clearly calling upon the policemen whom he leads to put these men in the morgue. Even though he acknowledges that he might be "criticised," this is of no consequence to the good minister. The minister's very calculated statement epitomizes what we have been saying all along: that brutal police methods and the policy of police executions is a state policy. It comes directly from the government in charge of the state machinery. Because there are cases where gun men do engage or kill policemen, it is a perfect foil for the police to literally kill all those whom they mark for death for one reason or another and claim that they were killed in "shootout." When they make these claims, the overwhelming majority of which are patently false, the minister is not interested in the circumstances, nor is the Director of Public Prosecutions particularly concerned about the false reports the police file with him; nor is the media interested in investigating the dubious nature of these police claims; and, certainly, the church is also deaf, dumb and blind. The result: the police kill with IMPUNITY. As we mark the Martin Luther King Day, we should remember the moral basis upon which King was able to mobilize millions of his people to challenge American racism: America claims to be a democratic and a free country – so why should the descendants of slaves continue to tolerate postponement of their right to enjoy their democratic rights guaranteed by the constitution. Brutal police methods of the Jamaican State is targeted at the underclasses and innercity communities. If the Jamaican State refuses to respect the constitutional right of due process to this class of people, is unable to protect them from terror of its own forces, then natural law, the right to self-preservation and self-defense, gives them the right to protect themselves from state terror. The preamble to the US constitution recognizes this right. Mating Luther King may have chosen the nonviolent route to achieve his goals, but we should never confuse this with the real goal, which was first class citizenship for African Americans and oppressed peoples within the US. K.D. Knight is clearly intoxicated with the power he wields, but a little study of history might help to sober him up to the reality that intoxication of power has also been the surest destroyer of the mightiest of tyrants. Lloyd D'Aguilar
OPEN LETTER TO PIERRE SANE, SECRETARY GENERAL, AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL Dear Pierre, While in Jamaica on a visit late last year it was reported in the media that the Jamaican government had approached you about making representations to the British government about the ban on gun shipments to Jamaica. You were reported to have given the government the assurance that you would pass on their concern. This report was troubling to some of us in the human rights movement because we were not sure if Amnesty was also into the business of being an emissary of governments, especially of those such as the Jamaican government, whose hands are bloodied with the murder of thousands of people by the Jamaican police. Now that the British government has decided to withdraw its ban on gun shipments to the Jamaican police we would welcome a clearing of the air as to what role if any did Amnesty International play in the lifting of this ban. Sincerely, Lloyd D'Agular
OCTOBER 14 LETTER FROM PIERRE SANE Friends, I am delighted you are helping to internationalise the flight against police abuse and brutality in Jamaica, During my recent visit to Kingston, I was profoundly moved when meeting the mothers of those killed by the police. I greatly admired the strength of these women, as they fight for justice for their sons, while dealing with the emotional strain of losing a child. Amnesty International, and I'm sure everyone here today, stands by these woman as the flight to find the truth about what happened to their sons. Amnesty International has repeatedly called upon the Jamaican authorities to fully investigate every police killing. I was assured this takes place by the very highest authorities in the country. Yet, when we visited the scene of a police killing within two hours of it taking place, there were no police officers guarding the scene nor where there any forensic teams investigating this death. The only people present were the friends and family of the man killed. Members of Jamaican society traumatised by the police coming into their community and killing one of their fellow citizens. This sorrowful state of affairs must be rectified by the Jamaican government immediately. We must all campaign for a police force that fully respects the rights of all in Jamaica, and we must not cease until the day that is achieved. I thank you for your commitment to this aim, Pierre Sane Secretary General, Amnesty International
LETTERS FROM OUR FRIENDS While I'm not surprised, it is disappointing to see that the British government lifted the weapons ban. Now, I really can't see why they even bothered to impose it in the first place. However, I would be interested to learn exactly what kind of human rights training the police force is getting to justify this. I think here we call it "diversity training". What a crock!! Glad you're helping to get the word out about Powell! Kim Jameson
Having just read your e-mail, re: the British Govt. and lifting the Bans on the guns for the Jamaican Police, following by Colin Powell is no hero, I had to e-mail to thank you for this information and also for the opportunity to express my disappointment and disgust with the British Government. My first response when I heard the news a couple of days ago was that all it boiled down to just a matter of business. 'I have the hardware to sell, and you have the money to buy.' And as you say, it was all a pretense on the part of the British that they were concerned about the number of police killings. After all, it's only a couple of "Niggers" knocking off each other. As for the human rights issue, we all like to play the appearance of being the good guys. And that's what the British are doing. I am one who has a lot of confidence in the British system, having lived there for 32 years, quite comfortably, but on this occasion, they have really disappointed me. I can only hope that there will be some system in place to ensure that this new human rights exposure and training in our police force will really make a difference (hope, hope, hope)! As for the Colin Powell Hero business, I am one person who has always seen through him for what he really is and I know he's no Hero. Keep us informed and we can always wish and hope that somewhere down the road, there's got to be something better. Joy Crooks
THANKS! WELL, IT LOOKS LIKE A FEW MORE JAMAICANS ARE GOING TO BE SLAUGHTERED BY THE POLICE; THIS TIME WITH A TWIST! A MORE HUMANE POLICE FORCE WILL BE DOING THE KILLING! PLEASE! DON'T MENTION POWELL TO ME! EVER READ THAT BRILLIANT BOOK BY HARRIETT BEECHER STOWE ? NOW I UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY MEANT BY "WHITE ON RICE" :-) TOO! Bryan Feol Click here to return to Jamaicans United Against Police Brutality homepage. |