Black Immigrant Daily News

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Black Immigrant Daily News

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Black Immigrant Daily News

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Kadaffi Romney, mother of Jehlano Romney, centre, leaves the Forensic Science Centre, St. James. Romney, a main witness in the murder of officer Clarence Gilkes was shot and killed at Poinsettia Avenue, Morvant on Sunday. – Photo by Ayanna Kinsale

Criston Williams, the attorney of murdered witness Jehlano Romney, says his client asked the police for protection while they were interviewing him in April.

Romney was accused of murdering PC Clarence Gilkes in Richplain Road, Diego Martin, in April.

Gilkes’ autopsy, however, showed he was killed by a police-issued bullet.

Romney, who was on the run for almost a week, surrendered to the police. Homicide officers interviewed him about Gilkes’ murder and he was considered a witness in the matter.

Romney was shot dead at a house in Poinsettia Drive, Morvant, on Sunday night.

Contacted for comment, Williams who accompanied Romney to the police station to surrender, confirmed his client wanted police protection, but said it was not offered.

“You have a young man who is willing to go against the norm and go against the so-called gangster lifestyle and assist the police – and this is what happens.

“It sends the message to the public that maybe I should not be a good citizen to hold anyone accountable, because then I may not be protected.

“It was indirectly the fault of the police, because no protective measures were offered to him as far as I am aware. His death may have been a direct result of that.”

Williams said his client had two cases for false imprisonment against the police.

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Andrea Guiellemo, mother of Nadine Ramnarine is consoled by one of her daughters Pauline Rodriquez at their Tabaquite home on Monday. Ramnarine died in a fiery car crash in Las Vegas, Nevada with her two cousins and an aunt. Guillemo spoke with Newsday at her Tabaquite home. Photo by Lincoln Holder

On Saturday, from morning until night, a Tabaquite family repeatedly tried calling Janelle Nadine Ramnarine on her cellphone to find out how she spent the first night of her vacation in the US at her aunt’s home.

Unknown to the family, Ramnarine, her aunt Carlma Subero-Hardin, 53, and Subero-Hardin’s two daughters Dorietta Hardin, 17, and Ocean Hardin, 14, had been killed in a fiery collision on Saturday morning in Goldfield, Las Vegas, in Nevada.

Ramnarine was the mother of three boys, 14, 12 and two, and worked as a janitor. She lived with her husband and children at Whiteland, near Williamsville, and was originally from Tabaquite.

Ramnarine, 38, left Trinidad on Friday morning to visit her aunt, who had lived in the US for 22 years.

Ramnarine’s bereaved mother, Andrea Guiellmo, 73, said, “I did not want her to go, but I did not tell her. I heard about her trip a few days before she left. My husband (Sylvester Guiellmo), who is very protective of all his children, told her not to go. But she told him that she had already bought her ticket.”

Guiellmo has now lost her daughter, sister and two nieces.

“They were burnt beyond recognition.

“I last saw Nadine on Thursday,when she came home to see us. She left in one piece.

“I do not know how she will be coming back. I prefer her funeral to take place in Trinidad, but I heard it is very costly to bring a body,” Guiellmo told Newsday on Monday at the family’s home in Tabaquite.

Andrea Guiellemo, mother of Nadine Ramnarine. Photo by Lincoln Holder

“This is a very hard blow. But I have to face it…Since Saturday night to now, I have no zeal to eat. I have not eaten and slept properly.”

As tears rolled down her face, Guiellmo said the tragedy had spoiled the Christmas and upcoming birthday celebrations. Guiellmo’s birthday is in December and her husband’s later in the month.

The four victims were on their way to drop off some winter clothes for Subero-Hardin’s only surviving child, a 19-year-old son, at his university. The van and a car collided, and the van burst into flames on impact. The four died on the spot.

An initial report said someone in the car was taken to hospital. It is unclear if there were other occupants in the car.

Guiellmo recalled that her sister returned home in late September for a vacation. Subero-Hardin originally came for one or two weeks but spent over a month with friends and family. During her stay, Subero-Hardin bonded with her relatives, including Ramnarine, who drove her around.

Ramnarine’s sister Pauline Rodriguez said they last spoke briefly by phone on Friday at around 11 pm.

“She was a jolly person and was extra excited to go on the trip. She liked parties, parang and cooking. She was a family person and loved togetherness. She did not like to see people take advantage of others,” Rodriquez said.

“Nadine was last active on WhatsApp at around 6.30 am on Saturday. When Dad called me crying and asked if I got the message about Nadine, it was 8.30 pm.

“All I heard was, ‘Nadine dead.’

“I cannot remember what happened next. I don’t know if I dropped the phone. It was devastating. “

Relatives said the deaths had rocked Tabaquite, the hometown of the aunt and niece. Many people have been visiting the family to offer condolences. Many have also taken to social media to share memories of those who died.

When Newsday visited Ramnarine’s house in Whiteland, no one appeared to be home.

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Surprised twice or thrice!

That’s Dara Mathias, a freelance writer and mother of three, who gave her son a hug at school before leaving him, and that triggered a response amongst some of his peers. Unexpectedly, Dara become the Hugging Mom, and when she shared the story behind her new role, on Twitter, the responses from across the States and further around the globe, once more shocked her. The positivity is overflowing as some people confess that the cute story made them teary-eyed.

I hope they always have adults in their community who they can trust

So how DID Dara become the Hugging Mom?

Here’s her tweet:

“Every day when I drop my son off at preschool, I give him a hug and wish him a good day. I tell him I love him while he runs off to play with his friends. Last week, after I hugged my son, something different happened.

“His friend Chase appeared behind him. Chase leaned right in and hugged me, too! Oh, this is what we doing? Bet. I hugged Chase, absentmindedly rubbing the back of his head like I do my own son’s. I wished him a good day and went on about mine.

“The next morning, after I hugged my son goodbye, his teacher caught my attention. “Um, can Keith give you a hug, too? He wants to hug you.” Keith was watching me from across the room, shyly hanging out near the teacher’s side.

“I walked over to him with my arms open. Aw, come here, baby. I got you. Keith and I wrapped our arms around each other and I wished him a good day.

“And every day since then, Keith has come looking to get his hug, and it belongs to him anytime he wants one.

“My cupcakes might come from Giant but my hugs are home grown. I’m the Hugging Mom. The Love on Everybody’s Babies Cause They’re Mine, Too, Mom. All the babies can get it. I love it here.”

Moved by this story and with today being Parenting/Family Monday on Loop News, Loop Lifestyle reached out to Dara.

My parenting style is likely a mix of conscious and gentle parenting

Dara is a 40-year-old mother of three. Asked how she felt when she first observed the impact of her hug, she said, “It warms my heart that the children in my son’s class took notice of our hugging ritual and found me safe enough to seek affection from me.

“I hope they always have adults in their community who they can trust to provide another place where they feel loved.”

Her original tweet garnered over 168,000 likes and each tweet in the thread has over 50,000 likes in one day on Twitter. Asked what she hopes people learn from the story, she replied, “If there is any takeaway from this even adults can learn, it’s that hugs are healing to everyone who needs them, especially children of all ages.”

Of course, now that her son is sharing her with his friends, we asked how he feels. With a smile, she shared, “My four-year-old is so busy playing with his friends that he hasn’t noticed my new role. But I like to think that, because he has his fill of hugs, he is more than happy to share his mother’s embrace with his classmates. He’s a very generous kid.”

Dara who grew up in Florida surrounded by many members of the Caribbean diaspora, may not have Caribbean heritage but her writing can be found in print in Bitch Magazine and Caribbean Without Borders: Literature, Language and Culture. She is also a former staff writer at Romper.com and her bylines have also appeared online in The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Week, Zora Magazine, Tenderly, Bitch Media, Playboy, and other outlets. Dara is also an avid Mario Kart player with her family.

Loop asked Dara about her parenting style in general since she demonstrated that she is a mom by nature and nurture, and she explained, “My parenting style is likely a mix of conscious and gentle parenting; I am invested in seeing children as whole human beings with agency, who flourish with guidance and love.”

Dara’s other two children are ages 10 and 6.

And now the most unexpected response of all which has Dara “bowled over” is the call by many of the readers for her to write a book about the Hugging Mom.

One such quote tweet said, “Write this book, Sis. Be blessed with a coin by the blessings you are bestowing. Don’t leave out the store bought cupcakes either. That’s important for the moms who have more love than time (or talent).”

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