‘Prisoners take town by storm’

SECURITY was tight, the crowd was appreciative, the weather was fine and the calypsos were good. That was the Rehab Calypso Tent comprising inmates of the various institutions in the Prison Service.

It has become a regular feature on the Prison Service’s calendar for the inmates to display their talent to the public. As usual, with inmates “on the loose”, the security forces had to ensure that security was tight in the event of any untoward incident. There was a large turnout of uniformed prison officers on the perimeter of the calypso square. There was also back-up support from the Police Guard and Emergency Branch (GEB) and the Crime Suppression Unit (CSU). The programme got underway before midday and this attracted the lunch time crowd passing through Woodford Square. Commissioner of Prisons Leo Abraham opened proceedings with an address, expressing his support to the idea of the inmates displaying their talent.

Junior Culture Minister Eddie Hart, himself a pan man, arrived on the scene to take in the show. Minister of National Security Howard Chin Lee did not turn up until around 2.10 pm. He had engagements, firstly launching the drug and crime report at the United Nations at 11 am and then the launch of surveillance cameras in Port-of-Spain with DOMA at City Hall at 1 pm. Eventually, he arrived at Woodford Square with DOMA President Gregory Aboud and spent ten minutes. It was ironic that when Chin Lee turned up, prisoner Eric “Country Man” Benjamin, an inmate of the Maximum Security Prison, was performing a jumpy tune “Pier I Mash Up.” (Chin Lee was the proprietor of Pier I Entertainment Centre before he became Minister in 2002). Before leaving, Chin Lee moved across to the performers’ tent where he met some of the inmates. Among them was a section from the Women’s Prison at Arouca. Music was supplied by the TT Prison Service Inmate Steelband and the Golden Grove Fascinators. One of the performers was Rachael “Blondie” Biemon, a national of the United Kingdom, who sang “Wine, White Girl, Wine.” The Women’s Prison was also represented by Diane Lewis (Letter to my Son), Sparkle “De Doc” Springer (Private Practice), and Lystra “Copie” Copeland (Doh Sing Dat).