- IAN ALLEN/Staff Photographer
A frustrated Iris Angus, great-grandmother of Kemar Walters who went missing on December 23, appeals to Calvin Benjamin, senior superintendent of police, for help in finding her grandson. Kemar went missing after he was allegedly picked up by the police along with Oliver Duncan from a plaza along Washington Boulevard.
Rasbert Turner, Gleaner Writer
SPANISH TOWN:
SCORES OF angry residents of Kitson Town, St. Catherine, took to the streets yesterday, protesting what they say is a clear case of police involvement in the mysterious disappearance of two men on December 23 last year.
One of the men, Kemar Walters, a 20-year-old mechanic hails from Kitson Town, while the other, Oliver Duncan, 35, is of an Olympic Way, Kingston address. Yesterday's demonstration brought traffic to a standstill.
TAKEN AWAY BY POLICE
The residents are contending that Walters was in the company of Duncan when both were taken from a plaza along Washington Boulevard, St. Andrew, by men who claimed to be members of the police's Organised Crime Investi-gation Division.
When The Gleaner visited the area yesterday, the road was blocked for over two miles. Several children were unable to go to school, and some residents told The Gleaner they were unable to go to work as a result of the demonstration. The residents used old car parts, stone, trees and other debris to block the main road.
HEAVY POLICE PRESENCE
A detachment of heavily armed police, under the command of Deputy Superintendent Marlon Nesbeth, worked feverishly to appease the crowd and begged the residents to clear the blockages. They only complied after they were promised that they would be addressed by Senior Superintendent Calvin Benjamin who is conducting the investigation. Mr. Benjamin was quick to arrive on the scene where he met with grieving family members.
He told the family that he will do all in his power to bring the perpetrators to justice but cautioned that there was a process to be followed.
Mr. Benjamin told the relatives that three motor cars had been seized as part of the investigation and that four persons have been taken off front line duties. The senior officer also addressed the protesters.
Claudette Angus, the mother of Walters, explained that for over two weeks since her son went missing, she has not been able to eat or sleep properly. She told The Gleaner that she is currently on sleeping pills and that her blood pressure has gone up. She described her son as a very disciplined, humble and kind individual.
"I was mother and father for him and he was such a good son. At 20, I never heard anything negative of Kemar and to lose him and not sure of what happen is a very painful experience," she said.
With tears streaming down her cheeks, she was led away by a bystander. Deputy Superintendent Nesbeth noted that while he fully understood the anguish being felt by the protesters, the police, in respect for law and order, had a responsibility to maintain a presence in the area.
Meanwhile, yesterday, human rights group Jamaicans For Justice said that both the government and the police high command have a lot of explaining to do.
In a release, it notes: "The inertia of the Police High Command is causing the family, family members and members of the community undue stress, because of a lack of explanation. And where is the government in all of this? There has been a deafening silence. Would the political directorate be so silent if this happened to one of their family members, or a family member of their colleague?"
