EIGHTEEN-year-old Ann-Marie Allen is terrified of walking the streets by herself.

According to her mother, Millicent Forbes, she has been that way since April 14, 2000 when her 13 year-old sister, Janice Allen, was shot and killed by police in the Trench Town section of Kingston.

Since then, Ann-Marie is often accompanied by a relative when she ventures out, usually to classes in Cross Roads.

“Ann-Marie can never get over it,” Forbes told the Observer yesterday. “I have taken her to Webster Memorial to get counselling and they have counselled her at her school but it does not seem to be helping. She is still extremely truamatised.”

Forbes was one of the protesters at yesterday’s demonstration led by the human rights group, Families Against State Terrorism (FAST), to highlight the cases of families who had lost their loved ones to violence committed by members of the security forces.

The demonstration was held at the corner of Oxford and Old Hope roads in Kingston, across from the National Security Ministry. The main theme was the marking of the third anniversary of Allen’s death.

The Observer was told that Ann-Marie, who was 16 years old at the time of the shooting, had gone to the store with her younger sister when the gunfire started. At the time, the police reported that Janice was shot in the crossfire during a gun-battle between themselves and gunmen.

In addition to harsh criticism for the fatal shooting, the police have also been criticised for their failure to take the young girl to the hospital.

“One of them tell mi seh dem not going to do it because she going to blood up the vehicle and is him alone going to have to wash it,” a tearful Ann-Marie told the Observer in a previous interview.

A motorist later volunteered to help; but Janice died in her sister’s arms while on the way to the hospital.

“Janice’s younger sister, Kimberly, is seven years old and every time she sees a police car, she start cry and run inside,” said Forbes, who has five remaining children. “She is afraid that something similar will happen to her.”

According to FAST, the police officer responsible for the shooting, Constable Rohan Allen, was found criminally responsible after a ruling from the director of public prosecutions (DPP). The case is scheduled for trial in the Supreme Court on the 28th of this month.

Although she has been threatened and offered money to drop the case, Forbes said she will see it through to the end.

“I would like to see justice; persons like him should be hung,” said the irate mother.

At yesterday’s demonstration, there were about 15 families with heart-rending stories of a relative being shot by the security forces under questionable circumstances.

“The demonstration is intended to highlight the gap between talk and action that causes bereaved families like Janice Allen’s to lose faith in the justice system,” FAST’s chairperson, Yvonne McCalla-Sobers told the Observer. “These families are demanding that political power is exercised to build credible justice and security systems for all.”

She added: “We want to highlight issues raised by Janice Allen’s killing that show how the system works. In too many cases the progress is slow. There is inadequate investigation, intimidation of families seeking justice, a lack of prompt action, and some cases seem to be stuck at the Bureau of Special Investigations or the DPP’s office.”

According to McCalla-Sobers, the group wants those with political power to take more action to solve security and justice problems.