The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights is actively engaged in monitoring instances of alleged abuse by Jamaica’s security forces. In fact, their local affiliate (JFJ) Jamaicans for Justice, reports directly to the Commission in Washington DC. The Inter America Commission on Human Rights is not the only Agency with an active interest in allegations of Human Rights in Jamaica.
The London-based Amnesty International has large footprints on the Island, as they do in other impoverished countries. The countries which attract the attention of these two major watch-dog groups, are generally poorer nations which have high crime-rates and scarce resources.
American Democracy is a work in progress even though that country has basically existed for over four hundred years. Jamaica, on the other hand, has only existed as an independent nation for 50 years. Smaller countries are far more vulnerable to crime and terrorism, as such they will more likely have instances of official misconduct and mistakes. The reason for these possibilities is generally associated with a lack of funding oversight and structural support.
Large developed nations like Canada, the US, and Britain have the resources and ability to decrease if not end instances of abuse by their law-enforcement operatives. Yet they have not been able to do so. The state of California is the world’s 6th largest economy.The state is home to over 4.000 law enforcement Agencies.http://www.post.ca.gov/le-agencies.aspx, population 39.5 million, that’s about one agency to every 9875.000 Californian.
With all the resources available to these agencies across America, there are massive amounts, and ever-increasing evidence of police abuse of citizens including killings. These abuses generally mean young men of color being victimized.
Yet in these instances of abuse, I have never heard a word of condemnation from neither the Inter American Commission on Human Rights nor Amnesty International. Over the years cops in state after state in America, have engaged in the most egregious abuse of citizens imaginable. Yet there is never a single comment from these groups. In many cases, the abuse is so egregious that it is literally impossible to process that cops could be involved in those acts.
♦Justin Volpe, NYPD cop, and his criminal cronies sodomized Abner Louima with a plunger in a police station rest-room.
♦ Amadou Diallo killed like a dog, NYPD renegade cops fired 41 bullets at him,(one man), killing him, he was unarmed.
Unarmed Groom Killed By NYPD Bullets — CBS News
♦Sean Bell killed in Queens after leaving a party at a night-club, it was his bachelor’s party arranged for him by his friends. Bell was murdered and two of his friends received multiple gunshot wounds. Bell and his friends were all unarmed. He was to be married the same day. They fired 50 bullets at Bell.http://abcnews.go.com/topics/news/sean-bell-shooting.htm
♦Cop ‘Stops And Frisks’ African American Teen, Literally Destroying His Genitals..Http://earhustle411.com/cop-stops-frisks-African-American-teen-literally-destroying-genitals/ With all the law enforcement Agencies the best training and laws to protect them, American cops killed almost 600 citizens in 2012.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_killings_by_law_enforcement_officers_in_the_United_States_2012
I have never heard any Human Rights Agency question even one of these killings. It does not matter how gruesome, it matters not the national outcry. Yet they find themselves deeply engaged in law enforcement encounters in developing countries like Jamaica. The notion that the system is capable of sorting through the evidence to arrive at the correct facts is bogus. Tell that to the thousands of black and Latino families who have seen police kill their loved ones and walk free. In most cases not even with a departmental charge, much less a conviction.
If we are to do justice to human rights, it cannot be selective. We must ask why are the Human Rights Agencies silent on First world killings of people of color, yet are falling over themselves to investigate allegations of abuse in the developing world? Unless we hear and see a change in these Agencies regarding Human Rights Abuse in America, Canada, Britain, and other developed countries, we will be forced to dismiss them. In fact, it is difficult to take them seriously as credible agents of change in light of their record. We must question their agenda.
UPDATE
After George Floyd’s murder by a Minneapolis cop, the entire world awoke to the continued summary lynching of black men by American police.
Despite the worldwide outcry neither the Inter American Commission on Human Rights nor Amnesty International was heard from, neither were they seen in the streets with (BLM) Black Lives Matter and other activists.
There are no instances in the developed world, or anywhere with any degree of democracy where an agency is allowed to investigate, arrest, and prosecute its own cases.
Promises made to Terrence Williams by the clearly incompetent and out of touch Delroy Chuck should be given zero considerations.
There is ample evidence of what INDECOM is capable of, given an out of control demagogic leader with his own agenda.
The INDECOM Act has already caused the police to lay off going after the Island’s hundreds of murderous gangs.
As a consequence, Jamaica is a much more dangerous place since INDECOM came into existence almost a decade ago.
As I have said before if the issue about police misconduct is a lack of timely prosecution the government has an obligation to expand the office of the Director of Public Prosecution and allow properly investigated cases by INDECOM or whomever, to be brought in a timely manner.
Jamaica does not need an Agency dedicated to persecuting police officers for doing their jobs.
A word of warning is enough for Andrew Holness and Peter Phillips, if you thing crime is crazy now, tinker with that law and give INDECOM more powers than you stupidly already gave them.
Mike Beckles is a former police Detective corporal, businessman, freelance writer,
he is a black achiever honoree, and publisher of the blog chatt-a-box.com.
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