Dear Editor,

This is an open letter to Public Defender Earl Witter.

The Association for the Resettlement of Returning Residents (ARRR) is concerned about police brutality against the citizens of Jamaica – we have noticed a vast increase in these incidents.

I refer in particular to the St Thomas Police Division which has been carrying out these violations taking young men from off their jobs, the streets and out of their homes, putting them in the sun on the hot concrete and stones to lie face down with their hands at the back of their heads, bound, kicked and gun-butted. After half an hour or so, they are

handcuffed, scraped up and thrown in the back of a truck like animals, reminding me of the slave trade – one of the greatest atrocities against mankind which has raised its ugly head again in today’s modern world presided over by our black police personnel, acting as agents of the state.

I seek your immediate intervention in this matter, Mr Witter, for I believe that these violations are widespread across the length and breadth of Jamaica. Please visit all lock-ups across the island with a medical team to see the conditions of inmates with a view to remedying this undesirable situation.

Percival LaTouche

President, ARRR

arrr.jamaica@gmail.com