Children from several schools marched in the city yesterday protesting Saturday’s killing by police of a UG student and the opposition PNCR called for an independent inquiry of the matter while a university faculty suspended classes for five days to mourn the death.
Disregarding a no permission order by the police force, students and teachers of St Joseph High School took to the streets yesterday to protest the police killing of former student, Yohance Douglas.
The students and teachers were joined by others from the University of Guyana (UG) and a number of other secondary schools in the city and they all called for one thing, justice. The students and teachers are, like many other Guyanese, enraged by what they describe as the cold-blooded murder of the young UG student. Another UG student, Ronson Grey, is still in a critical condition at the public hospital with a shattered jaw.
Yesterday’s march followed Monday’s demonstration organised by the University of Guyana Students Society (UGSS) which saw hundreds of students coming out.
In other developments the PNCR has joined other organisations in condemning the killing and yesterday warned the government that it would not “stand idly by if there are any attempts by the administration to undermine the exercise of the people’s constitutional rights to protest this gross outrage.”
Yesterday teachers and students of Douglas’s former school turned up with the intention of taking to the streets and marching to Eve Leary.
However, the head teacher, Ingrid Fung, received a call from the Police Commander of `A’ Decision, Larry George, informing her that the school had no permission to march.
According to Fung she had contacted the Assistant Chief Education Officer, George Gilgeous requesting permission to protest and he granted this to her under the condition that she receive permission from the police.
Fung said she had received verbal permission from George, however, yesterday he told her that she would have to get written permission and she had to request this by way of letter forty-eight hours before the march was scheduled.
The students had gathered in the school’s auditorium and said they were determined to march whether they got permission or not.
And even as they conferred with Gilgeous, over a hundred students from the schools joined by some students from St Roses and East Ruimveldt took to the street and commenced the march.
They were unable to assemble in front of Eve Leary since the police had erected barricades and as a result they marched through Duke Street and moved into Brickdam where they were also unable to assemble in front of the Ministry of Home Affairs because of police barricades. The students marched up Brickdam and passed the Office of the President before ending their protest.
The police have promised a full-scale investigation into the incident which saw the police shooting at the five youths all of whom were in a car, PHH, 8115, at the corner of Sheriff and Bonasika Streets. But this has not been enough to appease the many outraged students and members of society who are calling for the perpetrators to be brought before the court.
The police investigation is expected to be completed by Saturday after which statements taken during the investigation and the report itself are expected to be forwarded to the Chairman of the Police Complaints Authority, Cecil Kennard. Kennard yesterday told Stabroek News that he had not yet received any formal complaint from the relatives of the youths but he was expecting the report after which he would make recommendations and send it to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and the commissioner.
A Government Information Agency (GINA) release yesterday quoted Minister of Home Affairs Ronald Gajraj as saying,
“A team comprising senior officers of the police force; Senior Superintendent Cedric Caesar, Superintendent Vibert Smith and Deputy Superintendent Seelall Persaud has been put together for the purpose of conducting an expeditious enquiry into this matter.”
The minister said the one-week deadline for the conclusion of the investigation would be met. He expressed best wishes for a swift and complete recovery for Grey. He said he had spoken to Minister of Health Dr Leslie Ramsammy to have a complete evaluation of Grey’s condition and to ensure that proper medical care was provided.
He added that, “given the level of criminality the Police have adopted several different approaches, which include covert techniques, using unmarked vehicles and persons in plain clothes in its operations. But using these covert techniques, is no reason for officers to violate their professional ethics of behaviour.” “I express my personal regret over the death of Yohance Douglas and the injury to the others. As a father I share the pain and grief of parents who have lost their children under such tragic circumstances. Yohance has definitely been a young person who has shown great potential of becoming a person who could have contributed much to the development of this country.”
At a press conference yesterday, PNCR leader, Robert Corbin said his party would not accept the “palliative offering up of a few policemen in this instance.” He said there was need for a “comprehensive approach” to ensure that other young people were not exposed to further “acts of police brutality and wanton killings and other forms of human rights violation.”
Like the UGSS the party is demanding that the names of the police be made public and that they be charged with murder.
Commissioner of Police (ag), Floyd McDonald has already stated that the men would have to be charged before their names are made public and any charging would have to be after the investigation was concluded.
The PNCR is further demanding an independent inquiry with the involvement of international human rights bodies to investigate extra-judicial killings in Guyana. They also want the “long overdue commissioner of inquiry into operations at the police force...”
Corbin said the victims of Saturday’s shooting represent the best of young Guyanese manhood since they were serious university students and athletes with healthy and wholesome attitudes to life.
Corbin said that the young men were attacked “Mafioso” style without the policemen identifying themselves. He said that youths could not have recognised the men as police since “their funky dread hairstyles, Fubu shirts and three quarters pants are the very opposite of professionalism.”
Corbin said that they have received reports that the injured were treated roughly by the policemen who brutalised and harassed them for more than twenty minutes. He feels that Douglas might have still been alive had he been taken to the hospital immediately after the shooting and not dragged to the police vehicle some minutes after the incident.
Douglas and Grey were in a car with three other youths, O’Neil King, who was shot in the hand, Randolph Goodluck and Quacy Heywood when they were shot at by the police.
Yesterday Grey’s mother, Caroline Thomas, said her son was in the High Dependency Unit (HDU) of the hospital. She said because his jaw and tongue were damaged, his mouth was stitched up.
She said when her son was moved out of the HDU they would be making plans to have him flown to the USA for reconstructive surgery.
Meanwhile, the UGSS at a press conference yesterday said that they would be continuing their protest actions today. UGSS president, Robert Bourne said that they would march around campus before journeying to the city until they reach the point where the shooting occurred and would meet another group there.
The UGSS has the full support of the Muslim, Hindu and Christian societies on campus, all of which had representatives at the press conference.
And the Faculty of Social Sciences of UG has declared a “period of mourning effective from March 4 to March 8 inclusive, for the slain University of Guyana student, Yohance Douglas.” A release from the faculty said that at an emergency meeting the faculty took a unanimous decision to support the UGSS in its activities to suspend all classes within the faculty until Saturday.
“The faculty condemns these pernicious attacks and this wanton disregard for the law and procedure by members of the Guyana Police Force which has resulted in the ..... killing of the university’s student.”
And at the point where Douglas was killed, where a vigil is being held, four flags, two black and two red, have been planted.