Dear Editor,
They left their country because they were trapped in poverty to come to this nation to be trapped by grills on the doors and windows.
Like many immigrants, they came to Guyana for a better life. What they got was a horrible death.
Just days ago, two young women died in a fire in Alberttown.
I don’t know their names. In this country, their names apparently don’t matter. They are refugees.
Yesterday, I went to their apartment to see what happened and took pictures and hope that you will share those pictures, especially the one with the grill on the windows.
As I entered the house, I see grill windows. Some of the grills were out of the windows. I didn’t see any smoke or fire alarms.
One of the windows in the bedroom was grilled. My guess is that it was the grill that kept them from escaping and the fireman from rescuing them.
As I peruse the inside of the house, I see burned beds and chairs. Their apartment was one of several apartments in the building. They were surrounded by neighbours.
Even though they were surrounded by people, they died alone. Hugging each other. Praying for God to have mercy on their souls.
Inside the yard, life goes on. Two men and a woman were drinking Guinness. It’s not even 48 hours since they died and they are already forgotten. They haven’t been buried yet and their friends have moved on. Such is life on these shores.
Life here has no value, no purpose and no meaning. No one cares that two people died. No one has the time to mourn or grieve for them.
On the street outside of the building, I can see the Alberttown Police and Fire Station . With the Police and firefighters being just a stone’s throw away, I ask myself how this can happen. How these women were not rescued.
And, then I remembered that this is Guyana. Here in Guyana, refugees’ lives don’t matter. Foreigners’ lives don’t matter. Immigrants’ lives don’t matter. Not even Guyanese’s lives matter. As a matter of fact, no one’s life matters.
Yours faithfully,
(Name and address provided)
