Grief

Long loud cries flow from oppression. Silent cries create wrinkles on the faces of a people divided. The grief is not only for brown and black bodies bleeding on Guyana’s soil killed by brown and black bodies emboldened, protected by the state, benighted, and dreaming of decorating their faces with teardrop tattoos. The grief is not just for flesh rotting or ashes blowing in the wind or feeding fishes in Guyana’s waters while the accused breathe, are soothed and are free from charges.

The grief is also for the increasing pressures the Guyanese people are facing. When has this country not known grief? Here where conflict is orchestrated fueled by race and political affiliation. Here where systemic oppression continues to disempower the masses and the flames are repressed by things like unannounced cash grants being placed in the hands of the selected. While money is being placed in the hands of some Guyanese, guns are being placed in the hands of others and sometimes they abuse their power and kill.

Quindon Bacchus was killed on June 10th by a policeman. It was initially reported that he was killed during a shootout with police. However later there were allegations that it was a personal matter that led to policeman Kristoff De Nobrega abusing his power and killing Bacchus.

Residents of Golden Grove and Haslington protested peacefully for almost three weeks, knowing that the grief will linger for a time unknown. They stood in protests informed by a history that shows that policemen sometimes get away with murder in Guyana. Their grief is immeasurable. While they investigate, the people wait, counting one, two, three, four, five, six bullets in the back and chest of their lifeless one. While they investigate the one who pulled the trigger six times flirts with freedom in the eyes of the people.

Poor journalism

The news often does not relieve our symptoms in this fractured society. If anything, we are often aggravated, and stressed by the constant reports of bad news that often overshadow the hope. Nevertheless, those reporting Guyana’s stories should be responsible. A people cannot completely trust the media that pushes propaganda or publishes false reports. Whether it is reporting crimes that occurred in other countries like they occurred in Guyana or pointing fingers at the wrong law firm for representing the policeman who pulled the trigger one, two, three, four, five, six times or erroneously announcing that this policeman was free, there are those in Guyana who should not be called journalists. Their investigative skills are inadequate, their moral compass has disintegrated, and unfortunately poor journalism from some daily news sources can lead to civil unrest.

Violence

After almost three weeks of peaceful protests, fake news of Kristoff De Nobrega’s release from that daily news source further incensed the people and led to the blocking of the roads and fires. The protesters decided to march from Golden Grove to Georgetown with people joining from other villages along the way. Miscreants or those who have come to be known as ‘dunce thugs’ in Guyana also joined them and a peaceful movement for justice was hijacked by criminals. Chaos ensued. From peace to violence, the symptoms of oppression erupted. People in Annandale were reportedly robbed. People of Mon Repos were also injured and robbed as looters made off with what they did not pay for and at least one vehicle was burned. Some people reported to have lost millions and compensation was promptly promised by the government. But was any compensation promised to the people of Golden Grove who also suffered losses?

Symptoms of a fractured society include the angered and the criminally intentioned misdirecting their anger and using the opportunity to target the innocent. Miscreants threaten the stability of a country and sabotage movements calling for peace and justice.

The police shot at the people in Golden Grove while the people who were peacefully protesting for three weeks said they are not about violence and do not condone nor did they participate in the looting and violence that took place in Mon Repos. It is unacceptable to fire bullets at groups of people in this country indiscriminately, placing the lives of ordinary citizens at risk with children caught in the crossfire watching their crying mothers and asking if they will die.

Every time these symptoms manifest in violent protests or bloodshed, the underlying issues are left unaddressed.

Racism

We are not a well people. Despite songs and tours of the concept “One Guyana,” cohesion for many is illusory and incidents like that on Tuesday expose the darkness in us. We saw a man described as a psychiatric patient threaten to kill the president. He has since been arrested. A grandmother spoke about the increasing pressures, racial discrimination, made threats and warned about civil unrest. We realize that young or old the same chains that held our people captive 56 years ago are the same ones that rust on us today. A young man on TikTok threatened to kill an entire ethnic group. I have not seen any news that he has been arrested though people are being charged for cybercrimes. He apologized. Others have apologized in the past after speaking their minds, but apologies will not fix this fractured nation and leaders contemplating sitting in a burial ground to host a press conference to demonstrate to the people that we will all die will not fix this fractured nation either.

He who was murdered and buried seemed to have been forgotten during the chaos. The protestors were told to go home and allow the investigation to run its course.

Protests annoy some in this nation and make them uncomfortable in their privilege. They have not buried their sons shot by the police and they do not empathize but have the audacity to tell the people how they should grieve.

We saw the symptoms where some pretend that it is only one group in Guyana that are villains and other groups are saints. Those who create this narrative comfort themselves with such lies. The stereotypes attached to entire groups of people are highlighted. There is no one group of villains in Guyana. There is no one group of saints. Whether it is Golden Grove, Mon Repos or Bath Settlement, violent protests, the targeting of innocent people, looting, burning, and threats are unacceptable and are to be condemned.

Until racism at interpersonal, structural, and institutional levels is addressed our symptoms will persist; until the oppression, injustices and inequality ends, Guyana’s children will continue to stand like weeds and tares. The mental chains may be too strong, unbreakable for some even and so we must wonder when this fractured society will be fixed, if ever.