A Bagotville, West Bank Demerara family is calling for justice after a relative was doused with a noxious substance that has altered his facial appearance.
Daniel Phillips, 22, reportedly sustained burns to his face and neck and he also has two swollen eyes, following an attack that his family claimed occurred in the presence of several police officers. The family said they have been harassed by their neighbours for some time.
Daniel’s sister, Marisa Phillips told this publication that earlier in the day, like on many other occasions, they faced some level of aggression from their neighbours. However, it was hours later, during the evening when her brother was alone that he was attacked, she said.
“Last night, he was on his way to Georgetown, to come and meet me and my other sister to go to church. And, on his way out through the street, he was attacked by the neighbours; young men, four of them and he ran into the neighbour’s yard. He called us, and we called the police to go over there to see what was happening because it was him alone,” she related.
“… The police officer in charge of La Grange Police Station… told me men were going to be there in 15 minutes. I called back in 15 minutes, but my brother was still there. … He had to wait till the guys moved to go over to the station himself. When he went over to the station, he made a report.
“He and the police went over for him to identify the young men to bring them into the station. When
they got there, the family ran out at the police officers and they said that they were not taking a single one of the young men there. One of the young men there pulled out a bottle and pelt it at my brother and he said his skin started burning him, in front of the police officer, right. He told one of the police that one of the men threw something on [him] and the police said, ‘boy come into the vehicle here’. He said all he did was run after the police drove away. He just ran and ran into the station because it was only a corner away. He ran and screamed for my Mom at a food shop near the police station and there they brought out flour and threw it on his skin…”
Daniels was rushed to the hospital where the police later arrived and reportedly questioned him about why he ran away from the scene. According to his sister, he told the police that he ran because they did not want to help him.
Marisa Phillips said a statement was taken but yet again they are seeing the same response, in which the force continues to operate in a manner that is not so caring.
“It has been going back and forth with the neighbours since we were kids growing up and we never got any justice because we call the police and we say that we see one of this girl or a guy pass and we say they look like they want to fight we are scared, the police van will come over and take us to the station and have us sitting there for hours and nothing happens,” she said.
“We are not getting help and we are walking through the street bottles and bricks coming behind us. I don’t know how much more we have to go through because even if we fight back the police are saying we are not supposed to fight back but we can’t allow these people to beat on us and take it.”
In a recent incident, she said, the same neighbours were caught on camera hurling bottles and other objects at their home, causing damage. This, she said, had resulted in only one person being charged while the rest continued to walk free.
As such, Marisa Phillips is calling on the authorities for help.
