Orville W. Taylor

In the 1980s my cars were an MG Midget and an Austin Mini 1000. Against my friends who owned Anglias, Cortinas, Escorts and Capris, they usually prevailed. This was because 'fords' were easily beaten no matter how prestigious they were.

Most of these vehicles were 1970s models though the MG was early '60s. A 1962 MG, made the same year as the Jamaican Constitution, was a guarantee of freedom of movement, freedom of expression and freedom from the drudgery of poverty. It prevented one from having to sit on the gully wall because the little houses were too small to invite friends over. Indeed, sitting on the wall ensured that when the police came in their open 'jump in jump out' jeeps or Ford Pintos, a 100-metres sprint would begin in earnest.

The real difference was that unlike at the Stadium, no one waited for the gun to be fired because sadistic policemen liked to take inner-city teenagers and young men, beat them like West Indian cricketers, stuff them in the trunks of the vehicles or trample them like floor mats.

A 1976 piece of legislation, The Suppression of Crimes Act, created a set of policemen and women, who grew up without having to follow the fundamentals of lawful policing. Under the offensive statute, the basics of policing, characteristic of civilised society, were all suspended. Thus, it was possible to detain individuals without reasonable cause. In order to enter premises, police did not require search warrant the laws regarding the use of (deadly) force were unchanged. Nonetheless, beatings were not uncommon and oftentimes, the police were assisted by the military while submitting detainees to humiliating treatment.

Homophobic youths

On one occasion, a police/military patrol in the Kingston 11 area made a pair of homophobic youths kiss in full pubic view. As the scourge of violence took roots, Jamaica descended into a battlefield for violent Labourites and socialis.' Few of them understood the least about what their party stood for and most could barely spell. Indeed, the majority of 1970s political thugs were semi-literate as was evidenced by the poorly scribed graffiti. Many signs marked "9NP a Bass" and "JL9 I up" still survive.

The police force was better because one had to complete school - but not necessarily high school. As it was in the 1860s, when the constabulary was first formalised, many of the recruits were simply the big strong 'oily-back' men, who could box down a cow with bare hands. Less emphasis was placed on their literary or numerical skills as their three Rs were roughness, rudeness and rum. Up to the 1960s, there was an unofficial colour bar where only white personnel could be officers. The highest position for a 'negro' or 'brung man' was sergeant major, which is now inspector.

What is to be noted is that the constabulary was not initially designed to be an entity to police all classes. It was ostensibly created by the colonials to keep the black natives in check. It was not even intended to monitor the activities of the browns or culturally browns. Thus, after Paul Bogle was arrested in 1865 and George William Gordon followed suit, there was little suggestion from the historical records that he was manhandled. Bogle, on the other hand, was roughed up.

Governor Edward Eyre was punished by being recalled to England and banished to oblivion because he mistakenly hanged a brungman, under the misguided impression that blacks and browns in Jamaica were the same thing.

In 1938, National 'Hero' Alexander Bustamante joined the labour strike long after ultra-black St. William Grant was seen as the leader. He bared his chest at the police and dared them to shoot or hit him. Neither occurred but the beating of the black man was taken for 'Granted.'

Colonial administration

It took a colonial administration in the middle of a war to touch Bustamante, and even then, he was decently detained for just under two years. This contrasts sharply with the treatment of Chief Pearnel Charles, who wrote down his ordeal in 'black and white' in his book Detained. In the 1970s and 1980s, police maulings of civilians were not mythical. They were fact. Up to today, the pages of history are not completely written regarding the 'shoot-out' involving black area dons Buckey Marshall and Claudius Massop. So skilful were the police sharpshooters that they managed to shoot these dangerous men in their armpits without touching their arms or sleeves. Furthermore, the bullets were so hot that even from a distance they burned the skin as if the guns were fired from an inch away.

Then, there were the Green Bay killings involving the strange 'attack' by criminals, led by national footballer Norman 'Guttu' Thompson on soldiers at the military range at Green Bay. Of course, none survived their folly.

The point to all this history is that we created a police force that up to recently was doing exactly what it was designed to do. Opposition politician Andrew Holness speaks of police death squads with good reason. However, lest we forget, the government in the 1960s had a policy of shoot first and ask afterwards against Rastafari, who were deemed to be the criminal archetypes.

Nonetheless, the constabulary always had decent members, some of whom were secondary educated with several GCE subjects and did not subscribe to the thuggery characteristic of the periods. By the end of the 1980s, degreed personnel increased in numbers. At present, there is a different orientation. With the establishment of the Professional Standards Branch it is a different ball game.

Something awful occurred last week. Whether it is a small escort or a bigger ford let's await due process.

Dr. Orville Taylor is senior lecturer in the Department of Sociology, Psychology and Social Work at the University of The West Indies, Mona.