Dear Editor: Demonising Andrew Morris won’t change the facts of his brutal killing

‘[…] When we begin to condone extrajudicial killings of unarmed citizens, we are saying that we choose to give up our rights. We choose to leave decisions of life and death to the court of public opinion and to the emotions of a select few …’

The following Letter to the Editor was submitted to Wired868 by the Nationwide Organization of We the People (NOW):

NOW notes the contents of an article in yesterday’s online Express (16 March 2021) titled I’m happy he’s dead, which, curiously, was subsequently removed from the website. It referred to the late Andrew ‘Solo’ Morris and was seemingly widely shared on social media.

The fact is that Andrew ‘Solo’ Morris was brutally beaten and killed by members of the TTPS’ Special Operations Response Team (SORT) on 31 January 2021. Attempting to demonise Mr Morris, who was no saint and had a checkered past, will not and cannot change that. The brutal beating and killing of civilians by the police must never be tolerated.

NOW remains relentlessly committed to the rule of law and due process. When we begin to condone extrajudicial killings of unarmed citizens, we are saying that we choose to give up our rights. We choose to leave decisions of life and death to the court of public opinion and to the emotions of a select few.

NOW remains hopeful that a thorough, transparent and independent investigation into this matter can be effectively conducted. This despite the ongoing attempts by Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith and others to distort the facts in an effort to distract from the misdeeds of the SORT

NOW maintains that CoP Griffith and SORT Head Inspector Mark Hernandez must be removed from their respective positions pending the outcome of the aforementioned investigation.

More from Wired868

Vaneisa: Indifference has a cost; public servants must serve the people

Boorish, sexist, callous and unsympathetic responses to complaints sum up the way the public generally feels treated when they approach Read more

Dear Editor: The judiciary doth protest too much! This is T&T—we all know what’s going on

“[…] As the calypsonian Luta said: ‘the system works for the rich, it holds no hope for the poor’. So Read more

Daly Bread: Is T&T’s National Security Council part of the solution, or the problem?

The Roman Emperor, Nero, is said to have fiddled while Rome burned. His alleged conduct passed into common parlance to Read more

Orin: T&T’s constitution leaves the cookie jar open—that’s the problem!

“[…] The T&T constitution is defective in one important respect. Too much power of nomination and appointment resides in the Read more

Orin: Rudder is the best of T&T; I know my favourite song—what’s yours?

“[…] In musical terms, T&T punches well above its geographic and demographic weight. Many artistes have brought great poetic, musical Read more

Daly Bread: Port of Spain and Port-au-Prince—will T&T mirror crime-ridden Haiti?

As long ago as 2007, readers of this column were introduced to the phrase “breakdown of ordered legal control in Read more