Justice in the Land of Missing the Point!

[dropcap]I [/dropcap]pray that if I should die as a result of violence, whether at the hands of a trigger-happy police officer or a drive-by doped-up shooter, that Saint Lucia will fight and demand justice in my name as we’ve done and are doing for Botham Jean: with vigils, marches, protests and pressure on the authorities. Saint Lucians at home and in the diasporas seemingly are united in their efforts to prove that though ours may be a tiny country, still we can force the United States to do what it may be disinclined to do. In this instance, deliver justice in the Botham Jean manslaughter case, never mind that country’s record when it comes to the treatment of blacks and police officers; especially white police officers. Botham and his family, his friends and relatives—all of Saint Lucia—deserve to see justice done.

So do the families, friends and relatives of every citizen killed in Saint Lucia, native or visitor. But judging by the level of public outrage when first the news came out that 13-year-old Rohan Lousion had been shot to death, and during the time leading up to his burial last week, it would seem not all lives matter. At any rate, equally. Or that it matters only when Saint Lucian lives have been taken by a foreign officer of the law in a foreign country.

More people turned out for Botham Jean’s funeral ceremony than for many other such sad events, judging by all I’ve myself experienced and what others have assured me. Not even the final turn-outs for Nobel laureates Sir Arthur Lewis and Derek Walcott come close. But then there were no radio and TV promos by event planners entreating people to come out in a show of “solidarity”. No calls for school children to line up along the route from Hewanorra Airport to La Clery.

But please don’t get me wrong. Botham Jean’s untimely death certainly deserved all the local attention it has so far received. He was one of us and it was good to see, for a change, a Saint Lucia united, if only in grief inspired by Botham Jean. I was not able to establish how many of the estimated 3,000 watching his funeral service online actually knew the deceased. No matter, it’s the thought that counts.  But what does that say about the demonstrated ‘don’t give a damn‘ attitude to so many home-based Saint Lucians who over the years were brutally raped, beaten, stabbed and dumped, bludgeoned to death by animals yet to be arrested? They were black, too. Some were actually shot or beaten to death in their own homes, just as Botham Jean was.

Only a few months ago an elderly couple was beaten to a bloody pulp at their Desruisseaux residence. The man died on the spot, his skull crushed by the force of the fatal blows by individuals not yet detained. Shortly before, the body of a Laborie woman was discovered in a shallow grave not far from where she lived. Case still unresolved. Jezelle Georges, who was raped and killed at her parents’ house in Bonneterre, at high noon, with workmen doing roadworks yards away. No one arrested.

This week her sister, Geraine Georges, told the STAR:  “My family is in full support of justice for Botham who was murdered in his own apartment, just as Jezelle was. This recent incident has forced us to relive the horror of Jezelle’s last day, almost 20 years ago. What is disturbing to me is that the national criers for justice are so selective. There are so many murder and rape cases pending; the lives of so many young people cut short without resolution; without answers for the children and other relatives left behind. We’ve had so many victims of domestic violence, with few, if any cries for justice.”

I could go on and on about local black lives that apparently never mattered. While all the hoopla was going on in the media, how much did we hear about the still unresolved cases of the raped and killed: Trisha Dennis, Valerie Lorde, Chereece Benoit, Rohan Louison . . . they, too had parents who loved them, regardless of their status, achievements or public image. They, too, had friends and relatives who continue to miss them.

Then there are those who, according to Prime Minister Kenny Anthony reading from a 2013 televised speech, were victims of suspect police shootings. The prime minister stated for all the world to hear that some of those killings were made to look like what they were not, with guns planted at crime scenes. Not a single police officer has been arrested in the related matter. Did the lives snuffed out not matter? Why have we not “united as a people” in the cause of justice?

Only this week another petition came out to remind the world of the yet unresolved four-year-old murder of English yachtsman Roger Pratt. Also of Ollie Gobat. Actually, our country has earned itself the dubious reputation for being especially unfriendly and dangerous to Brits. By all means, let us continue crying out for justice for Botham Jean. Chances are it will have little impact on justice as practised in the United States, in Texas especially. It’s not as if we can withdraw certain privileges should the U.S. authorities ignore our pleas. The harsh but undeniable truth is that we have no way of pressuring the U.S. to move in a direction synonymous with Dr. Martin Luther King’s “Dream”.

On the other hand, we can do for ourselves, for local justice, what we cannot force the American authorities to do. We can begin by answering some questions about the scores of cold cases (forgotten cases?) crying out for resolution. We might start with some meaningful words in relation to IMPACS. How about inundating our radio stations with calls for justice in relation to that elderly woman in Micoud who was awakened from sleep and raped in her own home, in her own bed?

It is worth mentioning that throughout this whole regrettable Botham nightmare, his mother has retained an image of quiet dignity, keeping her indescribable pain almost to herself. Not once was her voice heard in the appeals that sometimes sounded less horror-driven than fete-related. When Allison Jean finally broke her silence this week, it was to appeal to all not to turn her son’s death into a spectacle, political or otherwise, and to respect the family’s privacy. She spoke her touching words while also thanking the many who had shown support in her family’s worst hour. As horrible an episode in the lives of the Jean family as undoubtedly it is, the death of Botham Jean can be an unforgettable reminder that justice, like charity, should begin at home. Rest In Peace, Botham Jean!