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“[…] During public consultations, Minister Wayne Sturge went so far as to suggest that citizens might be justified in shooting police officers entering their homes, since it’s hard to determine if they are actual police or bandits…
“[…] Imagine being a police officer, doing your job, and wondering if someone might open fire on you just because they’re confused or scared. And what happens when officers start shooting first, too?
“It’s a recipe for disaster—for more blood in the streets, and even in our living rooms…”
The following Letter to the Editor on potential drawbacks of proposed stand your ground legislation was submitted to Wired868 by Osei Benn of D’Abadie:
As a concerned citizen, I understand the fear many of us feel right now. The violence, the home invasions, the heart-breaking headline—it’s enough to make anyone feel unsafe, even in their own home. But that’s exactly why we need real solutions, not risky shortcuts.
The government’s proposal to introduce a “stand your ground” law sounds tough on crime, but it’s not as simple as it seems. During public consultations, Minister Wayne Sturge went so far as to suggest that citizens might be justified in shooting police officers entering their homes, since it’s hard to determine if they are actual police or bandits.
Photo: UNC.
He offered a quote that he attributed to former Justice Hubert Volney that “it was better to be judged by 12 than to be carried by six”, in order to justify his frightening and reckless rhetoric. But all this talk does is sends a message that could get people killed.
Imagine being a police officer, doing your job, and wondering if someone might open fire on you just because they’re confused or scared. And what happens when officers start shooting first, too?
It’s a recipe for disaster—for more blood in the streets, and even in our living rooms.
Martin was killed by George Michael Zimmerman on 26 February while Zimmerman was on neighborhood watch patrol in the gated community of The Retreat at Twin Lakes, Florida.
Photo: Joe Raedle/ Getty Images.
What’s worse is that this law isn’t even necessary. Trinidad and Tobago’s common law already protects the right to defend your home.
In 2023, a woman who shot and killed an intruder in her home was not charged because she acted in self-defence. The police and legal experts agreed: she did what she had to do, and the law was already on her side. (Trinidad Express, 19 June 2023.)
We need real action: smarter policing, stronger communities, faster justice. Not laws that turn neighbours into vigilantes and homes into battlegrounds.
We all want to feel safe. But this isn’t the way.
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