Thinking about the concept of justice, which is a fundamental tenet of philosophical traditions and injustice, may attract a different response. However, the perception of injustice can provoke social unrest.
This is currently the issue at hand in Guyana, where, in the quest for justice for 23-year-old Quinden Bacchus who was shot during an encounter with Police on June 10, the perception of justice has turned into injustice for vendors at the Mon Repos Market.
To put this call for justice into context: on June 10, ranks went to Bacchus’s home, where he was seen with a firearm which he reportedly intended to sell to one of the ranks. According to reports, the plainclothes rank, who was armed, made arrangements to purchase the firearm from Bacchus, who left and returned with the firearm. In the process of handing over the firearm to the rank, an alarm was raised. As a result, Bacchus ran and discharged a round in the rank’s direction, and the rank drew his service pistol and returned fire. The Police claim that Bacchus jumped into a yard, and the rank gave chase. It is alleged that Bacchus discharged several rounds towards the rank as he closed in on him, and the rank returned fire, hitting the now-deceased man about his body. The firearm was later identified as a .380 pistol with a magazine that still had one round.
Following the shooting, Bacchus was taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where he subsequently died.
As it stands now, the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) is investigating the matter, and has promised to release its findings next week.
Bacchus’s family members are understandably hurting, and their pain and anger were triggered by a false online news report that the Policeman under investigation for the 23-year-old man’s death was released from custody. Of course this information was false, but without confirming what they had seen on social media, the family came to their own conclusion. This publication has, time and again, called for persons to be cognisant of the five Cs – caution, care, common sense, courtesy and consideration – when using social media, as many of the things posted can arise to haunt thrones. Today’s assault on the East Coast of Demerara is a good example of this haunt of thrones.
We agree with the Guyana Press Association when it cautioned on Tuesday against “the use of social media platforms claiming to function as independent news organisations.”
The GPA said the obligation to verify news and information is “sadly absent in the outputs of some groups and individuals presenting themselves as media operatives,” and that it does not recognise the particular social media outfit that promoted the episode on the ECD to be “a bona fide news organisation within the strict meaning of the term and with regard to basic journalistic obligations.”
The issue of wanting justice for Bacchus turned into law-abiding and hard-working citizens at Mon Repos Market being targeted by criminals; and, more sadly, when the assault was launched on them, there was no protection from the Police Force.
How could justice for this young man, or protest in solidarity with his family, resort to violence: setting fire, looting, robbing people and disrupting traffic?
We support President Dr Irfaan Ali when he told one protestor – a close relative of the dead man – “Justice for your family cannot be injustice for other people too.” He was at the time referring to the robbery and assault on vendors of Mon Repos.
What unfolded on the ECD today by selfish looters has tainted the call for justice for young Quinden Bacchus, as his name will now forever be associated with the injustice that was meted out to the vendors of Mon Repos Market.
