In Guyana, there is a certain pattern to mass violence that we have become accustomed to. Whenever this pattern comes full circle, it makes one realize how we as a people are precariously perched on the edge of economic and ethnic unrest. It really does not take much to trigger a sharp move away from the veil of civility and unity that is steadily portrayed.
The most recent example of the deep fractures that exist within our society was seen in the murder of Quindon Bacchus, the justified protest actions that followed, and then the violence that ensued against vendors. There are several issues that come together within these occurrences that need to be highlighted, the first of which is the normalized extrajudicial killings that have long plagued our society.
Those who are a part of the policing systems in Guyana have had a long history of violence against Black persons and those who are poor. They have, and continue to operate with impunity against vulnerable communities, comfortable in the fact that there will be no consequences for their actions, as only the unlucky few ever have charges laid against them. Lance Corporal Kristoff DeNobrega, who is accused of fatally shooting Bacchus is one of the unlucky few, and the details coming out of the case really makes one consider the realities that exist for those who find themselves in deadly conflict with the police. Often, the stories from the police simply do not add up and the public despite their disbelief, have no proof that things aren’t as the police statement put forth. This time around though, it was revealed that the firearm that Bacchus had was not in working order, sharply contradicting the statement that was put forth by the police that Bacchus was involved in a shootout with them. So if the gun was not in working order, how could he have been involved in a shootout? Why was he shot six times? Why was that initial statement put out?
The entire situation reeks of corruption and State violence, and the sad part is knowing that this is not the first such occurrence, nor will it be the last. Too often, there are murders of Black persons at the hands of the police and little to nothing comes out of it. This speaks to the anti-Blackness exhibited by the State and which it maintains through its arms such as the police force. When these murders happen, there is often the hair-trigger response that one should not bring up race as the majority of police officers are Black persons. This view is understandable despite being an absolutely inaccurate and shallow way of analyzing the social realities of our society. The history of the policing state was founded on the control of Black and brown people. This is still the role that it maintains to this day, and we have seen the evidence of this countless times and witnessed countless protest actions against it.
Protest actions in cases like this have historically not done much in terms of justice, but they are always justified. Yet, there are those who believe that there are no reasons for these actions. This seems to be the case with President Irfaan Ali, who had at the time of the protests stated that there was no justification for the protests and that people should go home and allow the system to work. These statements are indicative of how out of touch he is with the population and the realities on the ground as he clearly has no real understanding of the fact that the system rarely works for those who do not have the access or means to make it work. The dismissive attitude towards protest actions from the leader of a party which has had a long history of terrible relations with protests and activists is also not lost on me. People have a right to protest against injustices experienced by them and the communities to which they belong. These protests however, should never violently target those who are innocent as was seen at the Mon Repos market and this should be condemned.
