A still from one of the videos.
Video
Police beating 2
Video
Police beating 1
By FARRAH JOHNSON
fjohnson@tribunemedia.net
A SERIES of videos showing members of the Royal Bahamas Police Force beating civilians at the 2020 New Year’s Junkanoo parade has sparked a heated public debate.
In one 15-second video, officers in navy blue uniforms can be seen clubbing a group of young men with nightsticks as they lean against a wall with their hands raised above their heads.
In another video, officers are captured swinging their batons into a small crowd gathered in front of the Bank of The Bahamas’ Shirley Street branch.
In the short clip, a man is pulled over a barricade and escorted away from the crowd by two policemen as he holds his bleeding head.
Since making their rounds on social media, the videos have produced mixed reactions with some members of the public accusing officers of police brutality and others seeing the beatings as much needed discipline.
One Bahamian mother, Sherry Knowles, told The Tribune the police officers should not be condemned for doing their job.
“We don’t know what the boys them do,” she said. “It’s always two sides to a story and the police just licked them and let them go. They didn’t lick them in their heads, the police just licked them across the waist so I think that’s discipline.”
Mrs Knowles said she believed the officers were just trying to establish law and order at the parade. She also said the video gave her the impression that the young men did something to prompt the punishment.
“We don’t know what the boys do and they whipped them and let them go instead of carrying them to the station,” she said. “They might’ve just did something petty, but the officers showed them if you do wrong you get whipped. That’s Junkanoo people have children and their family out there.”
Mrs Knowles insisted that if her child was in a similar position, the first thing she would do is find out what they did to warrant that type of punishment.
“You don’t know what those boys do that’s why they get a whipping. I’m not saying one person is right and the other is wrong, all I’m saying is that there are two sides to a story.”
Another concerned citizen who requested anonymity said he felt “conflicted” after seeing the videos.
“I see the side of police brutality which is plaguing our country just like it is plaguing our neighbours to the north,” he told this newspaper. “And I believe that there should have been steps taken before the public lashing of those young men.”
He insisted that while he does not know what prompted the beatings, he believed the amount of force used by the officers in the videos was uncalled for.
“I’m pretty sure when trying to sort out a situation you don’t go from zero to one thousand in two seconds,” he said. “You do your proper police work and you try and stop a threat as calmly as possible.”
“It can also be a systemic issue where officers aren’t trained properly to administer different levels of force when they are policing…So this may have illuminated a bigger picture as it relates to police training of force administration.”
“You don’t just whip out your cane or baton and just start wapping people. And where you strike them on the body is very crucial too. The video was very graphic in terms of where that baton struck those young men. Some were on the lower back, some were on their legs, some were on the hip and that’s not justifiable. When you are policing you have to have justifiable reasons for force.”
Michelin Murray said she also believed the blows administered by officers in the video were too harsh.
“I just feel like it was a brutality beating the people children like that, but in my opinion some of these Bahamian boys need beating because they look like they are trying to get themselves into too much trouble.”
Still, Mrs Murray did admit that she is waiting for police to reveal the “real motives” behind the public beating before coming to a conclusion.
“The videos only showed the beatings and not what happened beforehand to cause the waps. That’s what we need to see to determine if that beating was well deserving,” she explained.
She added that it is important to hear the full story, because she has heard of occasions where officers have used too much force when dealing with civilians.
“Some of those police officers do have anger issues and any little thing these boys do they take their frustration out on them,” she admitted. “But I still feel like some of these boys are well deserving of getting beating because of the foolishness they getting their self mix up in.”
On Thursday, Commissioner of Police Anthony Ferguson said an official investigation has been launched into the incident.
While he confirmed that the videos are being reviewed by the RBPF’s Complaints and Corruption Unit, he said he could not make any more comments on the issue.
Investigations are continuing.
Comments
TalRussell 4 years, 3 months ago
The colony's comrade PopulacesOrdinary's, just might be eager asks strong question of the Royal Constabulary's on-duty case assignment officer? What be's the exact case number assigned yet another of the Royal Constabulary's internal continuing investigations? You can't make this up, you just, can't.
geostorm 4 years, 3 months ago
When those boys go out and creative harvoc on society and members of the public are affected, I hope the Bahamian public feel the same way about police brutality.
These young men are destroying our society with crime. I say "cut their skin" until they learn some sense!
ThisIsOurs 4 years, 3 months ago
We should always feel the same way about police brutality. At the same time, we always want police to apprehend persons breaking the law and hold them until some judge who isn't caught up in their emotions and looking to beat the living daylights out of anyone in their reach, decides their punishmemt
RealTalk 4 years, 3 months ago
The year 2020 and the police is still beating black people like its slavery! You can't make this stuff up. If someone is refusing to be arrested, there are many other alternatives to subdue them especially when you have 5 police officers and 1 suspect. But to repeatedly hit him with a baton and punch him is not the way to go!
P.M. Minnis says he wants to fight corruption. Well, I am urging P.M. Minnis to personally step and look at this situation. Some police has picked up the dirty ways and is not here to protect and serve. They are here to extort and bully!
You have no right to physically beat someone's child if they aren't a physical threat to you. When a CRIME IS COMMITTED, you are suppose to DETAIN, ARREST, and CHARGE THE INDIVIDUAL. NOT BEAT, BLOODY, DETAIN, ARREST and CHARGE!
bahamianson 4 years, 3 months ago
When black police officers beat black men, it is police brutality. When white police officers beat black men , it is racism. Is there a common impetus, or are white police officers just racist?
ThisIsOurs 4 years, 3 months ago
"Bahamian mother, Sherry Knowles, told The Tribune the police officers should not be condemned for doing their job. "We don’t know what the boys them do"
That's just it, there's nothing they could have done to warrant the beating. Literally nothing. Murder, rape, nothing. Thats why family members dont conduct trials. Punishment is supposed to be given in absence of heightened emotions, that's in households and in public. It prevents abuse. Police apprehend and the courts decide punishment. If that boy who apparently simply didn't move fast enough and got hit in the head for his troubles had died from some brain trauma, what would Mrs Knowles be saying? Maybe he deserved to die because he.....? I am almost positive that no policeman is trained to beat people in the head or back with a Billy club.
The commissioner and the Minister need to condemn this in no uncertain terms and not this we're still studying the video or just punishing the ones who got caught. Marvin Pratt is still missing and most likely dead. Last seen being taken into police custody.
Well_mudda_take_sic 4 years, 3 months ago
Unfortunately the tone is being set from the top by the very arrogant and nasty Tweedle-Dumb Minnis. He will soon be authorizing the purchase and use of Red China supplied riot control vehicles, riot-gear and tear-gas against the Bahamian people. Mark my words....the man is evil to the core.
Chucky 4 years, 3 months ago
Police will cry when they start getting beat down. Sooner or later the police will be caught and get a beat down like they never gonna forget.
Karma is real!
Clamshell 4 years, 3 months ago
Here’s the obvious problem: If the police arrest a person for allegedly illegal behavior, they have to go through all the work of taking the person to jail, writing reports, showing up for court hearings, testifying, etc., etc.
Rather than go to all that trouble, they’ve decided it’s easier just to beat people with truncheons and not bother with all the messy, time-consuming work required by a civil society to enforce its laws in a just manner.
So, if folks think this is acceptable, why bother with courts and lawyers and judges and all that folderol? Why even pretend there is a stable, codified, consistent system of justice?
Sickened 4 years, 3 months ago
The problem is our legal system is broken from top to bottom. People arrested for $30 of weed on Christmas day - silly! Murderers let out on bail for a couple thousand dollars - ludicrous!
Sickened 4 years, 3 months ago
The problem is our legal system is broken from top to bottom. People arrested for $30 of weed on Christmas day - silly! Murderers let out on bail for a couple thousand dollars - ludicrous!
The police know that most of the people they will arrest will be let out before they even finish writing the damn report.
TalRussell 4 years, 3 months ago
Imagine the escalation that could've happen out enjoy some Junkanooing comrades - had the members colony's Royal constabulary been issued loaded with killer bullets guns, and not skull crushing wooden sticks as weapons. You can't make this up, you just, can't that even when Englishman's constabulary imported back colonial day - honestly, Englishman's demonstrated more discipline whenever they came into enforcement contact black people. Seems even today's wooden sticks have become much more weaponized, being they're likes a foot longer and 3 more lbs added their weight.
mckenziecpa 4 years, 3 months ago
Well I am more against the way and what they used to beat the young men, if switch a belt was used, and target the butt it may have been a little more acceptable. I do not condone the beating but at the same time, the way they did it is harsh and dangerous.
I remember as a student at D.W. Davis, I was drinking water at the fountain and the bell rung my principal lick my ass so hard lol I was sore for days and also I never again disrespect that bell again.
John 4 years, 3 months ago
All of the boys that were beaten, like runaway slaves, came forward and said they were NOT involved in any crime Or disorderly behavior at Junkanoo but they were beaten by police anyway. In fact one explained to the officers that beat him that he had just had hip surgery and should not be beaten. The officer struck him to the ground anyway with his fist then beat him across his hip with his night stick. And the beatings recorded on video were not the only ones. After the boys were beaten,they were told to run and as they did, they ran into another group of officers Who beat them again. One of the videos shows one of the boys being struck down to the ground and another cracked across his skull by police until blood spurts. Anyone who agrees with police acting like vicious, wild hogs, doesn’t have the interest of this country at heart. If they behave like this in public image what they do behind close doors. In fact one of the police officers allegedly told the boys after beating them ‘ Run, and if I see you again, I will take you for a ride and make you disappear!’ Is that what happened to Marvin Smith, who allegedly went missing while in police custody? Some of the bloggers here could care less because a white woman can kill her husband, get charged and convicted, sent to jail, then can walk out of jail and leave the country. The Justice in this country is worse than it was in South Africa befor Nelson Mandela became president and ended apartheid. Both Marvin Dames and the COP needs to be investigated.
Well_mudda_take_sic 4 years, 3 months ago
In any civilized country the police commissioner would have been made to immediately resign and the law enforcement officers directly involved in these criminal acts would have been immediately suspended from duty pending a timely investigation, most likely resulting in their dismissal.
The video clearly shows no apparent threat to the lives of the police officers involved in this outrageous incident. The brutality here speaks volumes about what is likely going on every day in our criminal justice system.
Marvin Dames is a big proponent of CCTV so we must ask ourselves why hasn't he argued for CCTV to be placed in all areas of our police stations where apprehended individuals are handled and/or kept by law enforcement authorities. The same goes for our prison. Meanwhile not a peep from Minnis.
hrysippus 4 years, 3 months ago
The actions of these uniformed police officers disgust me. A police state does not arise overnight, it creeps up incrementally as the state security forces abrogate more and more power to them selves at the expense of the judicial system. This is a prime example of that. The widely reported extra judicial killings in Jamaica by "rogue" police officers is a next step that the citizens of this country must be aware of and resist strongly. The nose of the camel in under the flap of the tent already.
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