Rondell ‘Fineman’ Rawlins laid to rest

Former wanted man Rondell ‘Fineman’ Rawlins was laid to rest in his home village of Tempe West Coast Berbice yesterday after a viewing at Lyken’s Memorial Chapel in Georgetown and a brief sojourn in Buxton where squibs were set off near the coffin.

There was a lower than expected turnout for Rawlins’s first public viewing since the gunman and Jermaine ‘Skinny’ Charles were killed by the Joint Services almost two weeks ago, while the numbers at the funeral service too were limited.

The 32-year-old Rawlins, who law enforcement authorities said headed the Buxton/ Agricola gang, was given an hour-long viewing at the chapel yesterday morning, which was attended by predominantly women.

Around 150 persons gathered to get a glimpse of the man who had driven fear into so many over the last few years, before he was whisked off to West Coast Berbice. Absent was the heavy police presence that had characterised the Agricola funeral of Charles last Thursday.

Standing at the head of the coffin, which was covered in a red, green and yellow flag bearing the image of a lion, Rawlins’s mother Margaret Rawlins and an elder sister stared at his remains.

Mostly restrained in her grief, when the R. Kelly song, The Storm Is Over Now began playing, the mother burst into tears as she softly muttered words and shook her head repeatedly. Rondell is the second child she has lost to the gun for the year. Back in February, her daughter Marcyn King was shot dead by unknown persons as she neared her home in Newtown, Kitty.

Dressed in a brown shirt, dark shades and a red, green and yellow hat, Rawlins’ badly damaged face bore witness to his confrontation with the Joint Services.

There was no mention of any wrongdoing that the man had been involved in and some of those gathered patted his relatives on the back and hugged them while urging them to be strong since “God knows best.”
One well dressed young woman, burst into tears as she glanced at Rawlins and immediately turned away. She was still weeping when the coffin left the chapel.

During the viewing, many curious persons, some untidily dressed walked in to get a glimpse of the deceased and having done so, either quickly left or lingered around on the road outside.

The man’s sister prevented anyone from attempting to take photos of Rawlins’s face, including the media.
After the coffin left the Memorial Chapel, a small funeral cortège consisting of the hearse, a minibus and a few cars, made its way out of Georgetown and along the Embankment Road. As the vehicles passed there were reactions from some bystanders, but on the whole the procession aroused little interest. However, as the vehicles reached the village of Buxton, the drivers began to blow their horns to attract the attention of the villagers. Some on the road hailed the automobiles as they passed, while others were seen peering through their windows.

The procession continued through Buxton until there was a shout for it to stop. At this point someone was heard to call out, “Leh we see he, is we soldier.” The hearse then stopped and the coffin, still draped with a Rastafarian flag, was pulled out by a group of men and opened on the road. This prompted villagers to gather around, seeking a glimpse of the man who had once been labelled as Guyana’s ‘most wanted.’ Soon after, the coffin was removed and placed on a table underneath a shed at the side of the road, where more villagers congregated to get a view of the body. As more people assembled, there were shouts of, “Leh de man go long he way.”

Just before the coffin was returned to the hearse, a squib was set off. Another was ignited soon after, as the procession was about to set off again. In all, the cortège spent about 15 minutes in Buxton.

As in Georgetown, there was a noticeable absence of police along the Embankment Road, although a few officers could be seen along the Public Road in the vicinity of Turkeyen.

However, at Weldaad, Berbice a roadblock had been set up a stone’s throw away from the police station. The vehicles were stopped, the passengers asked to step out and detailed searches were carried out. The procession was further stalled when one of the cars was driven into the police station compound, but it was released shortly after. Stabroek News understands that the police were questioning the presence of a radio set in the car. 
At the mother’s house in Tempe, members of the Joint Services in vehicles circled the streets and plain clothes policemen could be seen taking pictures, videoing and even scribbling notes. 

As the hearse turned into the street stopping at number 32, villagers from all directions (albeit in small numbers) headed to the house and surrounded the coffin. Another hour long viewing was the prelude to the service.
The crowd at the funeral was nowhere near the size that had been noted on past occasions when notorious wanted men were buried. Many at the funeral yesterday speculated that persons might have been nervous about attending, or the distance to Berbice might have dissuaded some who would otherwise have made the trip.

The word around yesterday was that many of the persons who came to the funeral did not know ‘Fineman’ at all, but came out of
curiosity or because they knew his family. Rawlins apparently left his hometown a long time ago and is not really known to the villagers. 
Although the pastor officiating at the service shied away from any reference to Rawlins’s activities, an uncle took it upon himself to make mention of them when the floor was opened to anyone who had anything to say.   

The man said his nephew had been “painted by the police” as a criminal. “They projecting my nephew to be what he isn’t,” the man said.
He was asked by one relative to stop but some members in the congregation said,” Leh the man talk.”
His older sister told the mourners that she remembered her brother as a loving person, who read his Bible every day, and “that’s how I will remember him,” she said with tears in her eyes; “I thank God that the storm is now over.” 

Rawlins’s mother put up a brave front until a sister sang a medley of songs. The sister’s stirring rendition of How Many More? apparently touched the woman and she had to be comforted by her  son. The service ended shortly after Margaret Rawlins recited a poem and told the gathering that despite what her son was or had been portrayed, she would always love him.

“I wasn’t there, I do not know whether he was guilty of the things they say, I can’t say…but God is the final judge,” she said.   
Margaret Rawlins had told Stabroek News on an earlier occasion that she was hopeful that her son’s death would bring an end to the crime situation in the country, as he had been blamed for every crime in the country.
Rondell Rawlins was buried in the Tempe cemetery.