The Tribune

By LEANDRA ROLLE 

Tribune Chief Reporter 

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

AN attorney has condemned the treatment of a disabled man seen in a viral video being dragged across Shirley Street by plainclothes officers, calling the act a violation of basic human rights.

The incident occurred shortly after 43-year-old Jarvin Green, who uses a wheelchair, was ordered released from custody by Supreme Court Justice Dale Fitzpatrick. The judge ruled the Jamaican man’s continued detention was unlawful after a February 10 deportation order had expired. The ruling followed a habeas corpus application filed by Green’s legal team.

Martin A Lundy II, who represents Green, told The Tribune: “Mr Green’s detention is not in issue here. Fundamental rights and freedoms are owed to everyone in this country, even Lucifer himself.”

“Some things speak for themselves. Unfortunately, the fact that Mr Green walked into custody at the Department of Corrections in 2006 and was wheeled out of custody in 2012 is one of those things. The images and videos of Mr Green, a very slight, wheelchair-bound man, being dragged across Shirley Street by two men, are also among those things that speak for themselves.”

Mr Green had reportedly been held at the Carmichael Road Detention Centre since completing an eight-year sentence for causing dangerous harm. In 2018, prosecutors alleged he struck a man with a van after an argument involving the victim’s niece. Mr Green maintained the seven-year sentence was unjust and criticised the justice system as “wicked”.

Though released in February and scheduled for deportation, Mr Green remained in detention past the 90-day legal limit. The viral video and an accompanying audio clip, reportedly from a female eyewitness, surfaced just hours after the court ordered his release on July 23.

Mr Lundy acknowledged that immigration officials have legal authority to re-detain individuals under certain conditions, but said nothing justified the physical treatment his client received.

He also raised longstanding concerns about Mr Green’s prior incarceration. Mr Green, he said, entered prison in 2006 walking and left permanently disabled. “What happened to Mr Green while he was in custody of the Department of Corrections?” he asked.

“Mr Green says he was beaten by prison officers during his imprisonment. The Department of Corrections, however, does not appear to have a record of it,” he said. “If there is one, it certainly has not been released to either Mr Green or his counsel. Mr Green is presently wheelchair bound.”

When contacted by The Tribune, acting Immigration Director William Pratt declined to comment on the matter.