by Adrian Gibson

First published in The Tribune on Friday, December 1, 2006 under the byline, Young Man’s View.

It is disturbing when law enforcement officers are accused of brutally and publicly beating an Inguan man last Sunday.

According to The Tribune, Dexter Wilson, a 27-year-old Morton Salt marine worker, was savagely beaten by Defense Force officers in Inagua over the weekend.

Reports are that an altercation occurred at around 3.30am at the bar of the Supers nightclub (Matthew Town) after Mr Wilson had began chatting with a female officer.

Purportedly, a male officer objected to the conversation, instigating a row and allegedly slapping Mr Wilson in the face. Locals claimed that subsequent to this initial confrontation, about 15 officers mobbed Wilson, barbarically beating him.

Locals also claimed that, although Mr Wilson broke free and fled, officers chased him, beating him to a semi-conscious state while repeatedly dropping a rock on his head.

Two witnesses of the episode, Diverne Ingraham and Gerard Moultrie, whose presence possibly saved Mr Wilson’s life, said the officers approached them, proceeded to fire gun shots into the air and then threatened to kill Mr Wilson and any witnesses to the vicious beat down.

Furthermore, witnesses of the incident have claimed that when Mr Wilson was rushed to the local clinic an officer suggested to the doctor that he should “let him die”. Following the receipt of medical care on the island, Mr Wilson was reportedly sedated and airlifted to Nassau for emergency treatment and tests.

When a group of law enforcement officers allegedly engage in a bar room brawl, with none of them seemingly having the wherewithal to exhibit leadership and avert such a conflict, it must be apparent that our society has taken a violent, distressing turn for the worse.

If the accusations that Defense Force officers behaved like lawless street fighters in Inagua are truthful, new Commodore Clifford Scavella must hurriedly be rid of the bad apples seeking to further derail the scandal ridden RBDF (that he has pledged to clean up).

The Inagua fiasco is one of several moot incidents involving Defense Force officers this year.

In February, American reporter Mario Vallego, a visiting journalist, was allegedly attacked by an overly aggressive Defense Force officer at the Carmichael Road Detention center. Since the alleged assault, very little has been heard of the investigative outcome and whether or not any disciplinary measures were taken.

It is troubling to observe how many Bahamians, even those in law enforcement, are becoming violent egomaniacs, who persist in displaying a blatant disregard for the lives of others.

Who will protect us when our protectors begin to conduct themselves like a violent street gang? Why is this apparent streak of brutality now afflicting almost all of our law enforcement agencies?

Kenneth Russell, MP for High Rock, suggested some time ago that crooks and cowboys are constantly being recruited and hired by our law enforcement agencies.

According to Mr Russell, several of the young officers being recruited have been charged or convicted of a crime and therefore possess a less than wholesome police record. If this is so, there is no wonder why rogue elements within these organizations persistently behave criminally, perceiving themselves to above the law because they wear a uniform.

Are proper vetting procedures being followed when recruiting officers? Are recruits given psychological evaluations to ensure that they are mentally stable before placing them on the streets?

Based upon the allegations of brutality, the findings of the Police Tribunal and the countless accusations leveled at police and defense force officers for rape and/or violent behavior, it is obvious that there is more than a handful of hooligans masquerading as law enforcement officers.

It has been widely suspected that certain law enforcement officers were/are gang members who continue to maintain their association and yet are allowed to join law enforcement agencies such as the police, which they use as a platform for “legitimate” retaliation by using the power of the law.

When off-duty Defense Force officers can carry loaded revolvers and recklessly fire them, it reflects the American-influenced, hoodlum mentality now afflicting many of today’s youths.

Today, many Bahamian youngsters prefer the ‘empowerment’ of a gun above educational advancement. This wayward frame of mind highlights the sad reality of the current social outlook of many Bahamian youngsters and is consequently is the reason why the rate of violent crime has soared!

If a female officer was inclined to converse with anyone, so be it! Why should a male officer become jealous or protective if his colleague welcomed conversation with the opposite sex, particularly as officers are not supposed to date within their ranks?

Now that Defense Force officers have joined the ever growing list of role models-turned-fighters, what should parents tell their children? After the Cabinet room fight between MPs Keod Smith and Kenyatta Gibson, and now the Inagua mugging, what should administrators tell students when they question why they are being disciplined?

What example does this set for the “trigger happy” youngsters in the inner city?

Now that an investigation has been launched into the Inagua pounding, if these officers are proven guilty, Commodore Scavella must waste no time in ridding taxpayers of any barbarian who may have perceived himself to be above the law and thereby perpetrated such a heinous act—any such person belongs in prison stripes, not law enforcement uniforms!

LAND REGISTRATION

About three weeks ago, my grandmother bequeathed to me two acres of property in Long Island. The property was clearly given as a ‘deed of gift’.

However, in attempting to register the property, I discovered that government had instituted an imprudent policy calling for people given property as gifts to pay a stamp tax.

I was also told that the percentage a property holder was expected to pay must be a fraction of the appraised value of the property.

If property was given as a deed of gift, is it fair that I, or other Bahamians, pay for an appraisal, then turnaround and find the funds to pay stamp tax on a gift? Is it right for government to set policy where Bahamians must pay anywhere from two to eight percent of the property value of a gift?

After speaking to a former senior administrator in the registrar’s office, I have come to share this individual’s opinion that “placing stamp tax on property that was legitimately given is just another way for the government to keep their feet on the necks of poor Bahamians”. Indeed it is!

If anyone can offer further insight on this troubling policy, please email your comments.