Barbaric behaviour Friday, September 6 2013 It is probably not possible, for those of us who have not endured it, to truly understand the fear of being trapped in one’s car in the middle of a riot. And so much worse to have your young children in the car while raging people hurl stones and abuse at you. And for what? What had you done to be so terrorised on a Sunday afternoon. Mr and Mrs Ali, who understandably refused to disclose their full names or address, now know the terror and the cost of being suddenly caught up in a rioting mob of people. The Alis left their home on Sunday with their two sons for a visit to Maracas Bay. On the return they stopped in Maraval to buy ice cream before heading home along the Beetham Highway. Little did they know, as they happily drove home at about 6 pm, that the residents of Beetham Gardens, which borders the eastbound lane of the highway, were rioting, trying to block the road, and pelting stones and debris at passing cars. Seeing the debris on the highway, and the angry mob spilling on to the road, Mr Ali slowed and tried to manoeuvre around the debris, fearing what might happen if he stopped. As they drove through, the mob began throwing stones and pieces of wood embedded with nails at the car. Mrs Ali recalled a woman throwing a stone which shattered the window where their eleven-year-old son was seated. The force broke the window and the stone struck the child just below his left eye, gouging out a piece of his cheek, and sending him crashing and bleeding against his brother. Mr Ali had the presence of mind to keep on driving, until he met the police at the other side of the disturbance. On the plus side of this incident, if a plus can be claimed, the Alis were high in praise of the staff of the Mount Hope Medical Hospital, where a plastic surgeon was waiting for them when they arrived. However, the incident highlights the grave danger which innocent people and their children face when riots and similar disturbances occur. It is all very well for a spokesperson of Beetham Gardens to apologise to the travelling public for the fear and terror unleashed upon them. But those apologies do nothing to ease the terror which was brought down upon the Ali family. Fortunately, the “collateral damage” of injuries to the innocent did not spread further than the Alis, but other cars were damaged. We call upon the police to live up to their promise of keeping the Beetham Highway open and safe for all. But more than that they must find those people who threw stones and injured this child. This is barbaric behaviour.
Posted on: Fri, 06 Sep 2013 15:40:15 +0000
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