The latest brouhaha surrounding people making outbursts at public figures, particularly the prime minister, should be met with laughter, skepticism, and ridicule.
Laughter because Jamaican people have never been shy about expressing themselves with a few choice pieces of dirty or bloody fabric, so what’s new?
Skepticism because people vow that the police are doing whatever they do to embarrass the prime minister. As such, there is this grand conspiracy to embarrass Brogad), really my people?
Is the Prime Minister embarrassed by all the good work that the police do? Think about what you are thinking and saying because of your politics.
Ridicule, because a few stupid police officers who do not know their role or what their powers are, decided to interact with members of the public outside the bounds of their authority, does that tar and feather the entire force?
The right to freedom of speech is not granted by any government; it is a right bestowed upon all of us by our creator. Notwithstanding, that right comes with some stipulations. That is where human laws come in to offer guardrails.
For example, shouting bomb on a crowded airplane or in a crowded theater or other public spaces can lead to a stampede, resulting in injuries and death. That is the reason that in some countries, there are laws against such behavior.
So let us examine the latest iteration that generated this new outrage at the prime minister. To begin with, I hardly believe the poor prime minister had any idea that some silly police officers were about to stupidly remove Shaquille Higgins from his home in Moneague Saint Ann, arrest and coerce an apology out of him aimed at appeasing the prime minister or worse to embarrass him.
Full disclosure, I have not heard the content of the video in which mister Higgins allegedly berated the PM using some unseemly language.
‘If’ mister Higgins uttered threats at the prime minister, the police had every right to intervene to warn mister Higgins not to carry out those threats, as well as to investigate whether he had the means to deliver on whatever threats he may have made.
On the other hand, it would be interesting to hear the side of the officers who went to his home, took him into custody and had him do a mean culpa to the prime minister.
At the same time, the officers should explain what laws they used to apprehend and force an apology out of mister Higgins.
There is no doubt that we Jamaicans are often rude, uncouth, coarse, and unduly disrespectful. Still, unless those disrespectful and uncouth actions play out in public, in which case the police have a role in enforcing the disorderly conduct statutes, officers have no role.
If they are uttered on social media sites, it is up to those platforms to [police] those violations by censoring those kinds of speech. Unless, of course, there are direct threats in them aimed at someone.
As much as I despise the unduly coarse language, I believe more in the right to free speech. We do not need police to be entering people’s homes to arrest them because they say things about politicians that are not nice.
Jamaica emerged from a dark period where people’s doors would be broken down by political thugs who would murder them for saying things against the other party.
Thankfully those days are behind us.….….….….….… somewhat.
We do not need the police to take over and continue those practices.
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Mike Beckles is a former Police Detective, businessman, freelance writer, black achiever honoree, and creator of the blog mikebeckles.com.