While heading into the traffic-congested New Kingston area, I was travelling with a comedic member of the taxi corps. A couple of motorbike cops swooped by and the topic of Dr. Jephthah Ford's beating came up.

"Is a serious ting enuh man. Dem beat up the bredda bad, bad," he shook his head. Joe readily admits that since he wasn't there, he doesn't know exactly what took place but he feels the police were a little harsh in their treatment.

"From wha mi hear is defend him was defending him sister. If that is di case den aright. But if a him start di fight, mi can't help him." Obviously this had been a topic that had been on Joe's mind for some time, so he gave his theory.

Dr. Jephthah Ford as he left the Kingston Public Hospital following the alleged beating recently. - Norman Grindley/Deputy Chief Photographer

"Mi tink di bredda (Ford) box him and because him a man (the cop) him nah go jus' tek box so. So him box him back! But even if a soh it go, then dem go too far,'' he said. "But the ting enuh, is that dem say him (Ford) know one a di man fi 30 years. And him beat him so! Suppose him neva know him?" he marvelled as I couldn't suppress the grin forming on my face.

By now, Joe was in full flight. "Whe day di man go court and drop dung again. Dem beat him bad man!" I asked about the Island Special Constabulary Force (ISCF), or "blue seam" cops and how he felt about them.

"Dem! me fraid a dem like puss, man!" he said. That statement rocked me with laughter. Usually such sentiments were for the special crime units or maybe even the soldiers, but never the blue seam. He continued.

"Dem neva used to inna nutten enuh. But now dem get likkle position, it gone to dem head and dem start show dem true colours," he reasoned. Since Joe spoke of no incidents where he had met the wrath of any police personnel, we trust he'll stay on the right side of the law.