The recent arrest and detention of music mogul Patrick Roberts without his being charged or interrogated is undemocratic, if not unconstitutional. He is not an 'area leader' as erroneously reported in the press, but a legitimate and successful businessman with community ties. Mr. Roberts, I can attest to the fact, was not born in Craig Town but lived there for quite some time with his family. But, being as successful and busy as he is, didn't prevent him from staying involved and giving back to that community. To arrest and detain him
for almost a week has caused a great deal of
embarrassment, concern, hardship and distress to him, his business, his friends and his family, both locally and overseas.
When he lost in the 2003 general elections, without any bitterness or rancour, he said the people should work to build a better life for themselves and their
families. Look at Mr. Roberts' impressive credentials and achievements: a Justice of the Peace, CEO of Shocking Vibes Productions, record producer, artiste manager, president of Arnett Gardens' Football Club, director of Jamaica Football Federation and PNP candidate. He is one of the few good businessmen and/or politicians who genuinely care about the poor and the underprivileged by his thoughts, words and deeds. No one is above the law, but, at the same time, no one's rights or freedom should be infringed upon without hard evidence to support it.
N. Mitchell, Nlmworld@yahoo.com, Via Go-Jamaica
The Shield strategy
The post-Christmas season was undoubtedly the worst to be encountered by comrades of West Central St. Andrew, as we watched in disbelief Deputy Commissioner of Police Mark Shields taking our
chairman, Patrick Roberts, into custody for crime relating to South St. Andrew. We heard DCP Shields' serious allegations discrediting and maligning the integrity and character of our chairman to the extent where he classified him as one of South St. Andrew's 'area
leaders' responsible for the upsurge of crime in that constituency.
Point of information, Mr. Shields, Mr. Roberts has been the chairman for the West Central St. Andrew constituency since 2002. He commands more respect than the sitting Member of Parliament. He is loved by the very young to the very old in all three parochial divisions of the constituency of which he exercises a considerable amount of influence.
We fully support the police in their quest to fight crime. However, we are strongly against the unprofessional conduct of the force, the reckless incarceration of the innocent, the unprecedented history of human rights violations for which the police are most
notorious, and the newly implemented Shield strategy, which is, if you can't catch the criminals, find a
scapegoat to pin their deeds on. Mr. Shields was brought here to make a difference in the force, to lead by example, and to protect the rights of civilians, not to abuse them.
Alecia Grant, Al_Grant25@hotmail.com, Kingston 11, Via Go-Jamaica
