…Family Demands Justice

Oswald Mena

Mena would rush once again to the police station to find his brother on the ground between two vehicles parked on the compound of the Dangriga police station. Pascal, visibly injured, could not walk and was later picked up by officers and thrown inside a cell. Two days later, on Sunday, he was taken to the Southern Regional hospital for treatment, but he was released into police custody. Last Wednesday, Pascal appeared before the Dangriga magistrate’s court and arraigned for robbery, even as he was in a wheelchair. But his condition took a turn for the worse and on Thursday morning, he was transferred from the Southern Regional Hospital to the K.H.M.H., where he remains comatose tonight. The family is now asking for justice.

Oswald Mena, Brother of Alleged Victim of Police Brutality

“The whole weekend and this was a long weekend, they rejected food from the family; water, whatever. My bredda never get anything to eat for the whole weekend; police just throw away the food. I feel that police should be there to defend the people, not beat up the people. And as it is right now, ker it to internal affairs for them to carry out the investigation and I woulda hope we get justice because it’s foolishness. Police covering up….the big people di cover up for the police. I mean if yo wrong, yo wrong. He mentioned to an individual because as it is right now, he is in a coma. They did a cat-scan and found that he had some bleeding in his head and have some other bruises to his body. But once he was responding and he mentioned to a family member at the hospital that they took him down the Commerce Bight Road—and he called names. While we don’t have it recorded, he made mention that they beat him. And ih wrong because all this resulted from a robbery. But ih shouldn’t ah mi gone that far. This happened the Friday night and it was until the Sunday that they took him to the hospital. When they took him to the hospital, the doctor just gave them a quick report; they said he was good and they took him back to the station. I think it was Tuesday, they took him back, he wasn’t responded. Wednesday they took him to court and it was in a wheelchair. My little brother was like a dummy in court. Going to court, the police were just careless because they are trying to bring a case against this young man and in his condition couldn’t even say anything. they didn’t even have a copy of an x-ray, because they did an x-ray at the Southern Regional Hospital; they didn’t even have a copy. So I don’t know. I just hope my bredda recover from his injuries. I di pray for him. and I noh wah give up. I noh wah give up. I feel like I wah contended till I get justice.”