A senior citizen said she was yesterday assaulted by members of the police force who forcibly tried to take her to the station because they had allegedly seen her grandson smoking a joint and were unable to capture him.
After a virtual tug-of-war, Norma Clarke, 76, said that a police inspector intervened and told the cops to leave the premises.
Clarke said that dozens of police officers descended upon her Sussex and Saffon streets residence yesterday midday in their bid to take her to the police station over her grandson’s smoking habits. When Stabroek News arrived, the last of the van loads of police had just left and Clarke was left severely shaken by the ordeal.
According to Clarke, the police said that they came in search of her grandson who they said was seen smoking a joint by two plain clothes officers. The woman said that the police told her that her grandson ran into her place when he was confronted by them. Clarke said that she told the officers that her grandson was not in her house and she said they then told her that she would have to go to the police station. “I told them that I was not going anywhere, because is not me they want, I ain’t do nothing wrong”, Clarke said to this newspaper.
Clarke added that after she told the police that she was not leaving her home, cops both male and female pulled at her, trying to lift her into their police van. The elderly woman said that the ordeal lasted for more than 15 minutes until a crowd eventually gathered.
“If you see how they pulling me. I asked them if I am a criminal”, Clarke related. The woman pointed out parts of her body where the police held her. There were some parts of her hands that were swollen.
Clarke said that after the police could not get her into the van, a Police Inspector came. “When the Inspector came, I explained to him, I said man Sir I ain’t do nothing wrong, is the police claimed that they saw my grandson smoking and he ran into my house and they want me to go to the station”, Clarke explained. The woman said that after she explained the situation to the Inspector, he then ordered the cops to leave the premises. Clarke said that during the tug-of-war, some of the officers entered her home and broke a lamp stand.
According to Clarke, the police are always on her grandson’s case since he was caught up in trouble about three years ago. She said that since then she has always encouraged her grandchildren to do the right thing and to make an honest living for themselves. Clarke said that since the incident with her grandson, she found a job for him as a barber.
Clarke, who said she is an active member of ACDA among many other local groups, added that she has never been on the wrong side of the law. She said the ordeal has left her shaken since she suffers from high blood pressure. Clarke described the event as uncalled for.
