Buxton stone-throwers attack vehicle on embankment road
Stabroek News
June 16, 2002
A city resident had the scare of his life on Friday evening when his vehicle was stoned as he proceeded along the Embankment Road in the vicinity of Buxton while on his way back from a funeral at Rosignol, West Bank Berbice.
Euclid Nurse, who was returning to Georgetown after the funeral service for his cousin Michael Nurse, had his Canter vehicle stoned by a group of persons gathered along the East Coast Demerara (ECD) road between 6:45 and 7:15 pm. Michael Nurse was killed in a minibus accident on the Coverden, East Bank Demerara public road on June 4.
Contacted by Stabroek News yesterday, the Police Public Relations Department and the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) were unable to comment on the incident.
Relating his ordeal yesterday, Nurse said a contributory factor was the lack of coordination between ranks of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and the GDF who were in neighbouring villages at the time of the incident.
According to Nurse, he along with two other persons were returning from the funeral when upon reaching the Non Pariel they came upon a police roadblock. He said the police directed him to proceed along the embankment roadway. When he questioned this he was told that the main road on which he was proceeding was closed and that vehicles had to use the embankment road.
Despite reservations and after having pleaded unsuccessfully to be allowed to proceed along the main road, Nurse said, he reluctantly continued his journey on the embankment road.
It was while he was cautiously proceeding through Buxton, he said, that he ran into the pockets of persons, who suddenly and without warning began throwing large stones at his vehicle.
One rock, in particular, which hit the top right hand corner of his windscreen, he said, really made him fear dreadfully for his life, but thankfully it did not pierce the windows which were wound up as the truck’s cab is air conditioned.
It was after he had successfully navigated the gauntlet that he came upon three vehicles with armed soldiers at the eastern end of the village leading to Annandale to whom he reported his experience.
A shocked Nurse said army personnel asked him what he was doing on the embankment road, leading him to believe that something was terribly wrong with the joint operation.
When he told them that the police had instructed him to use the road, they then told him that the main road was open and that they were awaiting back-up.
During this time a helicopter was doing the rounds in the night skies as if undertaking some operation, Nurse said.
He later reported the incident at the Beterverwagting Police Station where he noticed another driver complaining that his bus door had been pulled off in the vicinity. He said he then proceeded to Eve Leary to seek audience with Commissioner of Police (ag) Floyd McDonald, but was unsuccessful. However, he was able to relate the incident to a senior police officer and got airtime on a city television channel to make public his story.
According to Nurse, the persons on the railway embankment, who were gathered in groups of ten to 15 looked organised as if ready with stones in hand to assault vehicles. He was thankful that he was able to remain calm in the heat of the moment as any panic would have likely cost his life and the lives of others.
He suggested that the embankment road should be closed until tensions in the ECD community ease since it was likely to endanger people’s lives. According to Nurse, the embankment road is off limits to him as he was sure that he would not use again as long as he is alive. (Oscar P. Clarke)