Botham Jean’s mother addresses vigil for teen victim of local police shooting!

Rainfall on Wednesday afternoon could not deter family members and friends of the late Arnold Joseph from hosting a vigil in his honour. A fifth form student at the Entrepot Secondary School, the 17-year-old was fatally shot during an attempt to stop a vehicle in which he was travelling with two other individuals. Held in Castries, the vigil began with a march from the intersection of Chaussee and La Pansee roads, to George V Park. As loved ones marched on—some in tears—they sang Kathy Troccoli’s Go Light Your World. There were also “Justice for Arnold” chants along the route.

“The reason I did the vigil is because I wanted to clear the air about who my son was,” said Joanna Joseph at the park. “For those that have been saying he was a bad boy, his name is Arnold Jonah Joseph. He went to the Entrepot school. He’s from Marigot and we lived in Sans Soucis. He was a loving child. He loved his sister; he protected his sister with everything that he had. He loved his school; everybody at his school was his brother, his sister, his mother and so forth.”

Ms. Joseph said she did not want to talk about how police had handled the incident that took away her son, but will have much to say in due course. “When I’m ready for justice,” she said, “nobody can stop me.”  Columban Sextius, father of deceased, thanked the gathering for their support. He said it was about time people stood up to the wrongdoings of the police who have been getting away with it, and are being covered by their colleagues. He added: “We’re not going to just come out with a big noise and let it fade away. I promise that I’m going to stand behind it and we’re going to march until we get what we think is right.” Sextius said he hopes  the next march will focus on getting information from the police, and for action to be taken against the officer involved.

Acting Vice Principal of the Entrepot Secondary Ms. Andrea Jolie-Louisy spoke highly of Arnold’s tenure at the school. She said teachers and students came to let his family know that Arnold was loved at the school. “In the five years at Entrepot,” said Louisy, “there’s not one teacher who could say that Arnold was rude or disrespectful. He was always willing to help. Up until the day he was taken from us, he was at the school assisting teachers and just helping around. That’s in the midst of writing his CXC subjects.”

She recalled Arnold’s participation in the school’s theatre arts group and his prolific acting. When the group did pieces at the school, she said, not only did he perform his part brilliantly, but if anybody didn’t show up or wasn’t able to make it, he would step in and take over their role. Louisy said Arnold was not only a brilliant actor but also a talented DJ. On the evening he was killed, she said, Arnold was headed home.

Mother of Botham Jean, Allison Jean, called on Saint Lucians to rally around Arnold’s family to ensure the police properly account for what transpired. She advised the family to come out and say who their son was so that the police do not “change the narrative on you”. She said very little was known about Arnold and every day that passes “people conjure in their minds that he was doing whatever the police say he was doing”. The teenager’s funeral service is today at the Church of the Holy Family in Jacmel.