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Disabled newspaper salesman claims police beat him

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Newspaper salesman Berthram Thurston claims he was beaten by police officers yesterday morning. See full story below.

Published On:Saturday, August 15, 2009

By ALISON LOWE

Tribune Staff Reporter

alowe@tribunemedia.net

A disabled downtown newspaper salesman who alleges he was beaten by three police officers — led by one he claims he previously reported for threats of death — said he is “disappointed” with the police force.

Berthram Thurston, 44, who sells newspapers near Rawson Square had to seek medical attention yesterday morning after he claimed the officers attacked him in the street at around 6am as he was unloading his newspapers onto his stall.

He has now lodged a formal complaint with the Police Complaints and Corruption Unit.

“I was sitting on the hatch at the back of the car unloading it, passing papers to my wife. This officer comes over, stops his car, and starts walking around. I say ‘What is he doing again?’ because he’s already threatened us, told me he was going to kill me (on a previous day). He walked past me and he was gone.

“Then when I went to pass the next set of papers to my wife, he came round and grabbed me by my legs and yucked me out of the car onto the concrete.

“I tried to reach for my crutches to get up, and he moved the crutches away and said I was ‘resisting arrest.’

“The next thing I knew he was kicking me in my legs. I tried to get up to hold onto the back, and he called on these two officers, and man, they put me in the corner and they beat the crap out of me,” the 44 year old alleged.

Now he is afraid that the attack — part of which he claims to have captured on a video on his phone, which he has shown to The Tribune — has set back his health after more than a year of recovery from spinal injuries suffered when a jitney crashed into his car.

Yesterday Sergeant Dwight Smith of the Tourism Police Station said he had not heard of the attack or prior complaints, but acknowledged being informed that morning that Mr Thurston had been asked by officers to move his vehicle.

He said that police have “always had an issue” with Mr Thurston as he often parks his vehicle on Rawson Square to unload his newspapers, in violation of downtown parking rules.

“He must understand that it doesn’t matter whether or not he feels he has an issue the matter is that he must abide by all the rules and regulations.”

However, Sgt Smith said that although he was told of a verbal altercation between police and Mr Thurston after officers had asked him to move his car, it was alleged to have ended peacefully, with them leaving the scene to obtain a warrant for the vendor’s arrest over his refusal to move the vehicle.

“They told me they acted in good faith. I am going to go down there now and look into this,” said Sgt Smith. After this expression of concern, the officer went on to add that if Mr Thurston has made a false allegation against officers he would “bring charges against him.”

Thurston maintains that the morning incident was far from peaceful.

Alleging he was left in serious pain by the beating, the 44 year old said he had only recently had a whole body brace he had been forced to wear for 14 months as part of his treatment removed.

“My back’s hurting like hell. This hasn’t been this bad in over a year. Now I have to go and spend money I don’t have to see a doctor,” said Mr Thurston.

“This is ridiculous, I don’t bother nobody. I go to work and I go home. My friends are my computer and my dogs, I don’t go nowhere. So I don’t know this man, except for him coming and making threats,” he added.

The officer who initiated the attack was one whom Thurston claims he reported to a senior officer at the Tourism Police Station a day earlier. The vendor alleges the officer pulled up to his stall and issued death threats as he pointed a gun at him several days ago.

After reporting the incident, Mr Thurston said a senior officer told him “he would deal with it.”

But Sgt Smith said he was unaware of any previous complaints about any of the officers at the Tourism Police Station. “Maybe he spoke to someone else,” he suggested.

In the video of the incident, several men wearing black police caps with the recognisable red ribbon and gold crest on the front are seen looming over Mr Thurston, their arms flailing, to the sound of painful groans.

“I’m disappointed in the police because (the officer who initiated the alleged attack has) been reported over and over again. The officer in charge should’ve dealt with this long ago,” said the vendor.

Reader Comments - 11 Total

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Posted By: Voltaire On: 8/20/2009

Title: RESPECT

Laura Norder - I agree with everything you said about the Bahamas. It is not civilized. That is precisely my point: the idea that police officers should take the law into their own hands and ignore due process to beat people is part of the problem and only increases the lawlessness. OUTSIDE the Bahamas, in really civilized places (there are precious few of them), people are innocent until proven guilty, people have respect for the process and police officers do not take the law into their own hands. As for having respect for police officers, I learned AFTER school, when I grew up, not to have automatic respect for anyone. Any individual can be corrupt or incompetent; their job does not dictate what kind of person they are. In fact, to the social ills you listed, we in the Bahamas can also add: police abuse and torture, the framing of innocents by law enforcement officers, drug running by officers, bribe taking by officers, etc etc. Now tell me, how could I trust that these people are beating the right suspects, for the right reasons. I would much rather have proof that Mr Thurston was giving attitude, rather than automatically putting my faith in the idea that the officers must have been responding appropriately.

Posted By: Laura Norder On: 8/20/2009

Title:

Voltaire ... the Bahamas civilised? The murder count is rising, no respect for women, racial intolerance on BOTH sides, extreme poverty. You may thik it's a civilised way to live ... just don't invite into your house. Show respect to everyone (including the police). Were you not taught that at school?

Posted By: Voltaire On: 8/20/2009

Title: Really?

Laura Norder - really? Please explain... how does it "look like" this man gave the officers some attitude? Do you have proof? Please share with us whatever evidence you have seen that led you to this conclusion. Or are you just spouting intolerance? In any case, under what law is giving attitude punishable by a beating? Some news for you: in the civilized world, it is police abuse, and not civilian "attitude", that is punishable under the law. Please try and catch up with the rest of us.

Posted By: Laura Norder On: 8/18/2009

Title:

It looks to me like Thurston gave the officers some attitude. And he got the kind of justice that should be meted out to people who have no respect for the law.

Posted By: Say It Aint So! On: 8/16/2009

Title: Worried

It is a shame what we have come to. Gone are the days of a peaceful and christain nation, one, gone, gone.

Posted By: Vanessa On: 8/16/2009

Title: Police Beating

I know this gentlemen..Mr. Thurston...He is as he says...... quiet..I often observe his family assisting him with the business. I sometimes chat with both of them when I purchase the paper. Now this is pure foolishness. Should he park his vehicle very far and struggle with the papers to get them to the stall. There is none there at 6a.. other than them and a few people scattered here and there ... It does not take much time for him to unload and then palce the car around the corner. The Police need discontinue meddling with people..and get on with the business of solving and preventing crime. He should post that video on the Internet..and cause them much shame.... This is not a Poice state...or is it...

Posted By: Scribe On: 8/15/2009

Title: the blame game

Simon - I think you've got it wrong. The present government doesn't blame everything on the economy. They blam everything on the PLP. And for the five years before, the PLP administration blamed everything on the FNM administration that governed before. Until we can rid ourselves of this stupid tribal mentality, we don't stand a chance of progressing.

Posted By: Paco Nunez, Tribune news editor On: 8/15/2009

Title: Paco Nunez, Tribune news editor

Amir Thompson, I am surprised by your suggestion that The Tribune has played a part in shielding the "corrupt and criminal action" of police officers. In actual fact, this newspaper devotes far more coverage to allegations of police violence, corruption and criminality than any other media organisation in this country, and constantly agitates for officers involved in such behaviour to be brought to justice. The story you are commenting on is a case in point. However, if you are aware of evidence to the contrary, I am sure our readers would like you to share it with them.

Posted By: Amir Thompson On: 8/15/2009

Title: Show the Video

The police force is one big gang under the current Commissioner. They are criminals and thugs and along with their political masters, the editor of this paper has been guilty of shielding their corrupt and criminal actions. Upload the video and remove all doubt. Shame them into confessing.

Posted By: Simon On: 8/15/2009

Title: Outrageous

I think that the level of Ignorance in the Bahamas is at an all time high. The present Government blames everything on the economy. The police force needs to be overhauled and officers re-trained. I do understand their aggression at times because they want to send a message to the criminals but not all Bahamians deserve to be treated like crap. Commish needs to set a standard and abide by it and so does this 'mouth Government'.

Posted By: Angelique On: 8/15/2009

Title: Who can protect us?

If we are not even safe from the police, who can protect us? What kind of people do we have on our police force that they would do something like this? I see this man every day and know him as a pleasant and hardworking man. A lot of people know him, and if the commissioner wants to be taken seriously, he better get some justice for this man.

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