Black Immigrant Daily News

One of Barbados’ most recent unnatural death victims, Michael Blackett, had a long rap sheet.

The 27-year-old of Flat Rock, St George was facing numerous charges including three murder charges.

The murder charges were read when he was 21 years old.

He appeared at the District A Magistrates Court on Tuesday, November 17, 2015, charged with Murder – The death of Charles Ellis. He was shot on May 5, 2015 at Nelson Street, St Michael; Murder – The death of Kemal Leacock. He was shot on August 14, 2015, at Bottom Close, Wildey, St Michael; and Murder – Shooting death of Ashem Telemaque. He was shot on August 4, 2015, at a bar at Forde’s Road, St Michael.

The 21-year-old Blackett was also charged with Two counts of Wounding with Intent – Shooting and wounding of a man at Parkinson Field, Pinelands, St Michael, on January 22, 2015; and Shooting and wounding of a man at Forde’s Road, St Michael, on August 4, 2015 (same incident where Telemaque was shot).

Unemployed at the time, Blackett was not required to plead to the five indictable matters and was remanded until November 23, 2015, where he is expected to appear in Criminal Court No. 2 before Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant.

Then at age 26, he faced fresh charges.

Blackett was jointly charged with another man with the following offences which occurred on July 16, 2020: Violent disorder and three counts of endangering life.

He was also charged along with two men and one woman, with the offence of Arson which occurred on August 5, 2020.

He appeared at the District ‘A’ Magistrates Court on Saturday, August 29, 2020. Appearing with those he was jointly charged with at the District ‘A’ Magistrates Court before Magistrate Douglas Frederick, they were all remanded to Her Majesty’s Prison at Dodds, St Philip. They were scheduled to reappear on September 25, 2020.

Blackett’s lifeless body was discovered on the Emancipation Day bank holiday, August 2, 2022, along with the body of 22-year-old Loris Malik Rasheed Gittens of Bottom Close, Wildey, St Michael. According to police, Gittens was known for acts of violence.

Editor’s Note: Police are calling the deaths unnatural deaths* not homicides or murders until post-mortems are completed.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

door Valerie Fris PARAMARIBO — “Ik ben niet op de hoogte gesteld van de reden voor mijn buitenfunctiestelling, maar wat

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Black Immigrant Daily News

No…your Eyewitness won’t ask from where we’ve come, but rather, “Where are we going?” If you need to be reminded about the former question, then something’s really wrong with you! Those who’ve “forgotten” the Mingo Manoeuvre with the stained bedsheet (how in the world did a GECOM bedsheet get stained?); the riots in West Berbice; the riot at Mon Repos, and all the huffing and puffing in-between, are suffering from some real big cognitive dissonance!!

So, we’ll move on to what might lie ahead. But hold it!! Isn’t the future, to a large extent, determined by what came before?? Like the speed of the ball towards the boundary being determined by the force with which it was hit before?? Just can’t get away from the past, can we?? One fella who should know said, “The past isn’t dead; it ain’t even past”!! So OK…tell you what: your Eyewitness won’t DWELL on the past, but just ALLUDE to it, to discern any possible causative factors!!

So, let’s cut to the chase and start with what we all know runs everything in Guyana – politics. And this one’s easy – we’re in for a long, very hot summer!! And yes, dear reader, we do have “summer” in Guyana. Haven’t you noticed all the “summer sales” and “summer holidays” and “summer clothes”?? The Emancipation Day celebrations have fuelled the stage for the Opposition supporters’ angst of being robbed by the planters for four hundred years, and its “payback time”!

But hold it!! Isn’t that supposed to be “reparations time” against the folks who extracted all their labour free? The Dutch and the Brits?? And we’ve launched a movement to get those reparations?? Surely, we’ve all read Rodney’s “How Europe Underdeveloped Africa” and applied it to Guyana – since we were directly plundered even before Africa!? “Underdeveloped” means not only did they not “develop” us, but they actually left us worse off compared to countries that weren’t colonised! Think Japan. And then whatever they left was nationalised by Burnham and destroyed??

Anyhow, that won’t cut any ice with the Opposition fire-stokers, who’re working overtime to give us a repeat performance of Desmond Hoyte’s “slow fyaah; mo fyaah” circa 2000. As your Eyewitness is pecking away at this piece, the grand Opposition rally at Parade Ground – and specifically “Burnham’s Court in Georgetown – is scheduled this afternoon. And we can expect that all the demagoguery spouted on Emancipation Day will be ratcheted up to incendiary levels.

Parade Ground – we’ve been reminded – was the scene of African Guyanese being executed and heads stuck on pikes. And this will be analogised to the PPP’s actions in the present. Hyperbole is the stock-in-trade of rabble-rousers!!

And then will come the “morning after”!! A city of clerks…?

 …the US speaks

Two years ago, the US played a great role – along with the EU, Commonwealth, Caricom, OAS, etc – in assuring there was “fair play” after the PNC tried to rig the elections once again!! The PNC myrmidons claim that the Yanks “installed” the PPP, which is therefore an “illegal, illegitimate cabal” – like the PNC of 1964-1992, your Eyewitness guesses!! They’re ironically in raptures over the messages coming out during Pres Ali and his team’s meetings with members of the US Administration last week in Washington. They’re stretching!!

Secty of State Anthony Blinken tweeted, “Guyana remains a key partner as we work to bolster food and energy security, promote shared prosperity and inclusive growth, strengthen transparency, and safeguard the environment”. VP Kamala Harris noted that she “looked forward to continuing her collaboration with President Ali in promoting inclusive democracy, economic development, and security for all Guyanese…”

“Inclusive democracy” is the common term, and American practice is the standard!!

So, where’s the PPP going amiss?

…still truculent 

Opposition Leader Norton’s under pressure to keep his street cred – against extremists who feel they “put him there” because of his old rep.

Trapped by the past…even though he knows the times have changed!! He should speak to Corbin.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

PHILIPSBURG — Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs “spearheads” an electoral reform campaign, a press release from the Ministry of General Affairs states. The release announces the initiative for a survey to give citizens the opportunity to voice their opinion about the reform, and for town hall meetings with a similar objective.

PM Jacobs urges citizens to take part in the survey: “This is an opportunity to be heard on a platform that matters.”

The survey runs on a website called SurveyMonkey.com and it contains eleven questions. Only one of them could provide some insight in the direction voters want to go: “Should voters cast a ballot for parliamentarians and a second one for the prime minister?”

The survey-page opens with a definition of electoral reform: “It refers to making changes that will set the stage for a more stable political environment for governments to come.”

This makes asking participants if they know what electoral reform is and whether they’d like to know more about the subject rather pointless.

Other questions are not likely to provide helpful answers either. Such as: Does the current electoral system properly reflect people’s choices? And: “Do you believe your vote matters for the outcome of an election?

There is one open question that gives participants the opportunity to offer helpful suggestions: “What changes would you like to see?”

It is not clear how long the survey will remain open for participation. The website does not offer a closing date and the press release does not give any indication about this either.

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Related article:Prime Minister Jacobs spearheads electoral reform survey

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