Voices of TT speak at Woodford Square

Armed with placards that stated such comments as “Shazard was the victim, name the murderer!”, “President Richards, ‘No one is above the law!” and “Is this sweet T&T or T&T gone rancid?” The group gathered from 2 pm at the “An Assembly of Voices” function, to voice their opinions on the deaths of Shazard Mohammed and Sean Luke, as well as matters concerning residents of Beetham, Chatham, and East Port-of-Spain. One speaker, Imam Rasheed Karim, commented that the intentions of the function were to provide a forum by which citizens of TT could express their sentiments on the occurrences in TT.

He asked the crowd: “What makes a good country? What makes a good nation? What makes a 2020 society? What makes it? Is it new housing? Is it moving people from one place and putting them where you want them? Is it restructuring jobs into 10 days and five days?” Rasheed expressed his view that all religions, be it Christianity, Hinduism or Islam taught that a nation’s groundwork began with the family and urged TT to recognise that all families help to make up a nation and that if these families failed to receive positive impact from the Government, then we could expect no better from TT than what was already occurring.

Also featured at the podium, were representatives of the residents of East Port-of-Spain and Beetham Gardens who expressed their disgust at being evicted from their homes and being denied community centres. Said one representative: “We will not be removed from the only home we have known.

Poverty is not a crime and we believe we are being discriminated against because we are poor.”

Then, a young Afro-Trinidadian Muslim took the podium to recite a poem he had written that had been inspired by the death of Shazard Mohammed, the fisherman who had been shot at point-blank range by a member of the Coast Guard. The youth, who would only give his name as Brother Fuad, said, “They keep trying to cover it all up. Maybe if they could, they would imprison us all and ensure that we shut up. I would never support any political, racial divide. I am a young Muslim man and for justice I shall stand. I never knew this brother personally, not even his name but I sympathise with you all. I can feel his family’s pain.”

Attention was then focused on the arrival of former UNC Senator Robin Montano and Shirley Dookeran, wife of UNC political leader, Winston Dookeran.