BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – A young man, who was yesterday (Nov. 10) arrested and charged for willfully obstructing a police officer in the execution of his duty, claims that he was victimised and maintains his innocence.
Lincoln Liburd of Lime Kiln told SKNVibes that while he was standing in front one of the stores at Port Zante, within proximity of the Arrival Hall, a police officer approached and ordered all taxi drivers and tour operators to remove from that area.
“Early this morning [Tuesday] on Port Zante, I came with my masquerade garments to work with my troupe. However, the rain was falling and I was cooling out just outside one of the stores near to the Arrival Hall. There were also some other men in the area sheltering from the rain. Suddenly, a police officer came up and said all taxi drivers and tour operators must remove from the store.
“I was not among them; I was standing by myself and the officer turned back to me and said, ‘Wha yoh doing hay?’ I said I am not working, I am just here cooling. He asked me my name and I asked him if I am obligated to give it to him. He said, ‘Yes, you must!’ I told him that I was not born with a name, I was born with a face, hands and feet,” Liburd said.
The young man further explained that the officer turned away from him but resumed his earlier position after he [Liburd] responded to a statement made by a security officer, who works at Port Zante.
“When the police officer turned off, a security officer for Port Zante said something but I didn’t quite hear what he said, and I responded by saying, ‘I don’t know how mek when dem going in hell deh want pull people with dem.’ Maybe my response caused him to get annoyed. So, he turned back around and said, ‘You ain’t gi me yoh name; that could be a charge…’
“I can’t recall what he said the charge was, and he told me that if he catches me talking to any tourist I would be charged for soliciting. But the point is that I was not doing that work, I was waiting for my troupe so that we could make some money from the tourists. So I asked him, ‘What you are going to lock me up for, I can’t talk to nobody…I can’t tell nobody good morning? You just like a lil boy, you are acting like a lil boy, not like a big man.’
“The officer then came very close to me, collar me up and asked me for my name. I gave him my name. He then told me that I was under arrest for something and I put my hands up in the air and told him that he was trying to make a mountain from a mole hill, for I didn’t commit any crime. He then pulled his pistol from the holster and told me that he was going to shoot me. I told him that he can’t shoot me because I ain’t break no law,” he recounted.
A taxi driver, who claimed to have witnessed what transpired, corroborated Liburd’s account of the incident.
Under the condition of anonymity, the taxi driver said he saw when the officer drew his pistol but another officer, whom he had called to assist in placing a pair of handcuffs on Liburd’s wrists, advised him to replace the firearm.
“The officer collared the guy and after he released him, the guy said, ‘If I had collar you up as how you had me, how would you behave?’ Then the wrangle started. The guy didn’t touch the officer as he tried to pull him in the corner. But the guy stood his ground and the officer was unable to do what he wanted. So he called out to the other officer and told him to put the handcuffs on the guy.
“The youngster pulled away and the same officer who wanted to arrest him chucked the guy. The youngster began to behave a little bad and the officer applied for his gun and the other officer told him ‘no, don’t do that’, and he locked back the gun to his side. The other officer then put the handcuffs on the youngster.
“During this time, Michael B, Big Banana, came over and said, ‘Everybody stand back, stand back leh me choke off a young man…and he take off his hat like if he ready to fight. I then went forward and told the young fellow to cool down and take it easy. The same youngster asked Michael B to come and assist him with the handcuffs because it was biting into his wrists, but nobody assisted him. They took him behind the building then to the police station. They lock him up for no reason because he didn’t do the police officer anything,” the taxi driver said.
At about 4:30 that afternoon, SKNVibes visited the Basseterre Police Station and observed when Liburd was released on bail. He told this media house that he was charged under Section 36(2) of Chapter 75 of the Revised Edition 1967 of the Laws of the Federation for willfully obstructing a member of the police force in the execution of his duty.
