Yesterday, several public-minded citizens held a protest outside the Attorney General’s Carmichael Street office to show their solidarity with slain political activist Courtney Crum-Ewing.
Around 20 protesters displayed placards declaring that they ‘were there for Courtney’ and ‘will not be silenced’ as they were ‘FREE to assemble, to associate [and] to express [them] selves’. The AG’s Chambers was where Crum-Ewing had conducted a one-man protest for weeks last year against the holder of the office, Anil Nandlall. While few of the protesters knew Crum-Ewing personally; those who did noted that he was a man of great personal conviction. Author Ruel Johnson noted that for Crum-Ewing his activism was “not an act” as “he felt passionate about what was right”.
A member of the Walter Rodney Youth Movement noted that she was there to support someone who exercised his right to public expression while another protestor Norwell Hinds voiced the wish to let whomever killed Crum-Ewing know that removing him from the public domain does not remove his message from that sphere to which he had taken his expression. He noted that the important question is not who killed Crum-Ewing but why he was killed. Hinds stated that it appears Crum-Ewing was killed to silence his voice and the protestors were determined “to create a safe space where we can disarm and have a conversation, a safe space for political expression.”
Among the assembled were several who expressed regret that they were not brave enough to protest with Crum-Ewing when he was alive but were proud that now they are brave enough to stand so that his message can be heard.
