Glengoffe family to get help from JCF

[Dr.Dudd]

Glengoffe family to get help from JCF
published: Saturday | January 20, 2007

The Jamaica Constabulary Force has offered to provide assistance to the relatives of 71-year-old Edward Morgan, who was one of two men killed by the police under questionable circumstances Tuesday night, in the rural district of Glengoffe, St. Catherine.

"We have committed ourselves to offer whatever help we can at this time to the family of Mr. Morgan, who was an innocent bystander," Police Commissioner Lucius Thomas told The Gleaner yesterday.

Head of Area Five, Assistant Commissioner Reggie Grant, said two superintendents have been charged with the responsibility of leading the discussion with the residents and, in particular, Mr. Morgan's relatives.

Other family in question

While not ruling out the possibility of offering financial assistance to the relatives of the other victim, Samm Austin, Commissioner Thomas said he was still unsure about of what had transpired between Mr. Austin and the police party. Also known as 'Lightning', Mr. Austin reportedly hailed from the neighbouring parish of St. Mary.

According to the initial police report, members of a police party were conversing with a motorist on a roadway in Big Square, Glengoffe, when Mr. Austin, who was said to have been mentally challenged, allegedly attacked one of the lawmen with a machete. The policeman took evasive action, but was again attacked and he opened fire, hitting Austin. During the incident, Mr. Morgan, who was standing nearby, was shot. Both men died on the spot.

The shooting sparked a mass protest by residents who claimed that both men were killed in cold blood by the police. The policemen involved in the shooting have since been removed from front-line duties.

[Gen]

Re: Glengoffe family to get help from JCF

"help"? wah kinda help ? kissteet

[Dr.Dudd]

Re: Glengoffe family to get help from JCF

I said it years ag as I am saying it now.
Jamaica has never had a police force, in it's history.
What it hsa is the local version of an occupation force. This fits the colonial period. Though not to the benefit of the colonists.
So the country got political independence,and they continue with the same phylosophy as far as policing goes. The police during the colonmial period,did not serve the local masses,neither does it now.
This is the reason why police officers that are products of the same masses are socialized during training to ttreat the cgeneral citizenry as 'enemy combatants'.
they can imprison the frontlineperpretrators,but the phylosophy lives in the mecahnics of policing,and will manifest itself in more murders,and maiming,of the citizens they are suppose to serve.
This whole idea of creating,improving and upgrading of some department to 'weed out' corrupt officers is only a bandaid. It will not solve the problem,because the training,and direction of the force teaches and promotes it.The first time i herd the term 'ole niaga' was from a freien from school after he graduated from the force as a young officer. His transformation into a machine of "US vs THEM' after such a brief training was shocking. His whole phylosophy changed,then,and i find it common to an overwhelming majority of members of the force i have had dealings with.
They all seem to be taught to treat black people,the blacker the worst. Although they are predeminantly black.
There must be a very high percentage of mental illness with such level of mental conflict involved in diffrentiating between black family and other black people.

[Tuff Gong]

Re: Glengoffe family to get help from JCF


So the Commissioner has already taken positions.
This should been seen as tampering with the investigations.
It is not for the Commissioner of Police to offer what he considers. What is needed is a full, fair investigation.

These families need good legal advice.

[Q3210]

Re: Glengoffe family to get help from JCF

After all of that the different levels of the socio-political play-field once again manifests itself,

"The policemen involved in the shooting have since been removed from front-line duties."

How lovely! Had it been a lil red neck in the ghetto who wasted those 2 men away, where do you think he would be today assuming that he would not have been shot dead on sight.

Doc Dudd, the police force as you so accurately summarized them to be are put there and trained and ordered to perform as they do by none other than the political heads in power.

This is n ot a police problem, it is a political probelm. It wont change until the people of Jamaica unite and voice their disapproval spontaneously. Then and only then will the politicians, the PM do anything about injustice amongst ourselves.

[Tuff Gong]

Re: Glengoffe family to get help from JCF

Residents say cop terrorised community

Still fuming over what they claim was the cold-blooded murder of two members their community by policemen, residents of Glengoffe in St. Catherine are saying one of the accused policemen had been terrorising the community since his arrival at the station just over a week ago.

“From him come him say a only dead body him a carry in,” one man said. The policeman was transferred from another station in St. Catherine but residents said since his arrival in the quiet, rural community he has made it known that things will not be the same.

The residents said the policeman has been frequenting the streets ordering persons off the road at nights and demanding that shopkeepers close their businesses before midnight. He also took illegal taxi operators to task but has been accused of soliciting bribes from them. One resident, who claimed to have seen the policeman take a bribe, said she would have caught the action and report it to authorities but she did not have a camera phone.

The Sunday Herald understands that this is the second time the policeman’s behaviour has been brought into question and he had been the subject of an investigation by the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF). Officer in charge of the Bureau of Special Investigation, Assistant Commissioner of Police Granville Gause, said his office has heard this report but they are investigating.

“We are checking out that. We understand this policeman was possibly or might have been involved in a similar situation. We are checking our database for any files. We are yet to confirm this but we have not yet completed our investigations,” ACP Gause said.

The policeman, along with a colleague from the Glengoffe Police Station, are accused of murdering 43 year-old Patrick Austin and 71 year-old shopkeeper Edward Morgan.

It is reported that about 9 pm on Tuesday night the two policemen were driving through community when they stopped at Big Road Square. Alleged eyewitnesses said one of the policemen approached Austin, who was standing in the square, and reprimanded him for smoking a ‘ganja spliff’. They said Austin questioned the policeman’s reprimand pointing out that he was a Rastafarian and that it was unfair for the lawman to harass him.

An argument reportedly developed between the two and Austin shouted ‘fire for Babylon’ several times after which shots were heard and Austin collapsed. Morgan, who was a few metres away from Austin and whom residents said questioned the lawman’s behaviour, was also shot in the head. Both men died.

A report from the Constabulary Communications Network (CNN) said Austin attacked the policeman with a machete. The policeman took evasive action but was attacked again whereupon he fired shots hitting Austin.

But residents have refuted this. They said although Austin, who is a woodcutter had a machete he never attacked the lawman.

“Is a man who you always see with him machete. Him always have a machete and sometimes a fork but you never hear anybody say him try to do them anything. Him don’t trouble people. The most that will happen is that as a Rastaman more time you will hear him bawl out ‘fire and lightning,’” said one resident from the neighbouring community of Brainerd in St. Mary where Austin spent a considerable amount of his time though he is from Gobay in another part of the parish.

The community was saddened as news of the horrific tragedy reached homes and residents expressed shock and disbelief at the incident.

“Me say a me carry the man over there (Glengoffe) about 7:30,” said Donavon a taxi operator from Brainerd. “When about 10 o’ clock me hear say them kill the man and me couldn’t sleep. Me couldn’t believe,” he said.

Residents commented on Austin’s good character, saying he was never a troublemaker and therefore must have been killed wrongfully. Junior, another resident of the community, said Austin who is also known as ‘Sam’ got along well with everyone and was never violent toward persons. “Him don’t talk. Is a very quiet brother and him don’t have no whole heap a friends,” he said. “Sam don’t deserve to dead like that. Trust me him don’t deserve it,” said another resident.

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