Tragically we have been forced to bare witness to the ‘Gangsteristic’ behavior of Caribbean and international Policing institutions namely, the Royal Grenadian Police Force (RGPF.) Oscar Bartholomew a Grenadian-born Canadian permanent resident from Toronto was fatally beaten to death by several police officers when he mistakenly ‘bear-hugged’ an off-duty female police officer who he believed to be a old friend of his, while visiting the island state. The hug was considered an assault on a police officer. He died of injuries to the head on December 28th, the day after the incident.
We identify Police Officers as those individuals who’s duty is to serve and protect. They are mandated by the government who are employed by the people. For me it really is not hard to criticize the job of police officers because I was one for a number of years. It was one of the most rewarding and fulfilling jobs that I have ever had. Yet there is a paradox that exist. As in most jobs, and through the design of institutional employment there is an element of ‘sheep’ like behavior, where one simply avoids pushing against the waves and follow the herd into the forest no matter how dangerous that forest is.
What happened to Oscar Bartholomew is reported as an isolated incident by the head of the RGPF however this does not negate the gangsteristic activity of most policing institutions who continually and callously use the element of intimidation and power when interacting with many members of the public especially those who fall within a particular ethnic category. They are many police officers that take pride and employ compassion within their duties. The training prepares them for many of the circumstances that are encountered. However, it does not prepare one for the politics of unwarranted aggression and intimidation that is used to tenderize persons who are suspected of a crime, and your objection to those acts.
I’ve tried to replay the scenario surrounding Oscar’s death many times over to see if it would be possible to understand how it came to be that an innocent gesture could be elevated to the death of another human being. But I quickly realize I was giving the benefit of the doubt to a layered institution which has the most schizophrenic personality. On the one hand, constables are given rules and regulations to adhere to. On the other hand there is an unwritten code of coaxing information from those who are suspected of a crime or in this particular case seen as a threat to a colleague. Yet we all know that even at first glance if Oscar was considered a threat when the female constable was screaming for help. Within minutes he was no longer a threat when he was subdued (after all he was in a police station when the incident occurred.)
Dependent on Oscar’s personality and his reaction to being taken into custody the acts against him may have escalated to continued aggression against him. Subdue, handcuff, questions and verification of his story should have been the procedure. However, when adrenalin is pumping through the veins of officers a mob-like /gangsteristic mentality takes hold and questions are typically the last thing on their minds. The claim that this incident is isolated should be refuted. The death may be isolated but violently assaulting suspects even those who are admitting culpability in a crime is not. Usually, those suspects who are on the fringe of society are victims of these acts, addicts, prostitutes, criminals who are known for minor crimes of theft and as was mentioned before those who fall into a particular ethnic category and social class (this I have witnessed.)
The police institutions within the Caribbean and around the world need to employ better tactics when dealing with persons suspected of crimes. This behavior of appointing one’s self as judge, jury and executioner is in direct violations of the human rights of individuals and corrupts a system’s which major function is to both serve and protect.
A post-mortem found that Mr. Bartholomew had died of multiple skull fractures and brain hemorrhaging, blunt forced trauma to this upper, lower limbs and chest. Five officers of the RGPF have been arrested and charged with manslaughter following his death last Monday. Bartholomew was on vacation in Grenada with his Canadian born wife visiting family for the holidays and is survived by his three children. The Bartholomew family will be pursuing a civil suit for the benefit of his wife and children.
IN all this, we should not forget or trivialize the excellent work officers who risk their lives every day to ensure the safety and peace of many societies in the Caribbean and around the world. Police should respect their office as they too should be respected.
About Author: Khamal Murray is a major in Bioethics & Heath Studies at the University of Toronto and a blogger/writer with http://thejuxtapositionape.blog.com and a special contributor with Alternavox Magazine
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