The law of the land
published: Friday | April 2, 2004

THE EDITOR, Sir:

THIS IS a true story, which of course means it will be unbelievable. One morning recently, a young man was on his way to my parents' house to fix their roof. By mid-afternoon there was no sign of him, and it was only in the late evening that the reason for his absence became known.

Apparently, the bus upon which he was travelling was stopped for a random search, the result of which was that a drill was found on his person. A drill. On a workman. Imagine. Since he had no receipt for the well-used drill, and was unable to convince the authorities that this was necessary for his livelihood, he was promptly carted off to jail ­ for possession of a drill. Perhaps with intent to maim or kill, once he had plugged it in and assuming there was electricity.

TIME OF ARREST

As I was not present at the time of arrest, I am unaware of the formal charges, but I gather it is a quite a regular thing for men to be locked up for similar 'infractions' of the law. The difficulty is that this story is that it is just one example of the way in which we view and treat our own people. It happens at the workplace, in the stores, and on the streets. Irrespective of the reasoning behind this young man's arrest, the question arises ­ Is it that Jamaican people have no respect for anyone and anything or, that no one and nothing have respect for the Jamaican people?

I am, etc.,

NEIL HANCHARD

nhanchard@hotmail.com

26 Manor Pk. Dr.

Kingston 8

Via Go-Jamaica