An abominable act- The stinging fall out from pepper-spraying Minister Desmond McKenzie

The pepper-spraying of Minister of Local Government Desmond McKenzie on Bustamante Highway, Tivoli Gardens, earlier last week was repressible and abominable.

Just when the police must be commended for helping to reduce serious crime in this country, they go and commit this dastardly act.

Minister McKenzie got word about a disturbance in a community and went there to ameliorate a tense situation, not act as an instigator.

The police rushed to the conclusion that he was stirring up the crowd rather than helping them calm the situation.

Desmond McKenzie is always forthright but can never be described as a troublemaker.

He is an elder statesman, a man who should be respected and revered. How a police officer can take it upon himself to spray an avuncular senior government minister in his eyes has to be investigated and dealt with.

The Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) should punish the offending officer and make it clear that this behaviour is unacceptable.

The officer who sprayed Minister McKenzie failed to read the situation and in fact, inflamed it.

Elders should never be treated this way. 

Minister McKenzie may have remonstrated with the police, but he was in no way aggressive or assaulted them in any way.

So why subject the minister to this kind of treatment? 

Some have tried to infer that Minister McKenzie got his just deserts, but that is way off the mark and spurious.

Make no mistake, this was police misconduct and brutality. Only a few weeks ago we saw a woman shot by a police officer while in a vehicle, and her body carted out and thrown into the back of a pick-up truck like she was a dead pig, sheep or cow.-

It’s like the police are unaware of optics, and this is why the call for them to wear and operate body cameras while doing their duties grows louder.

Then there are so-called journalists on YouTube lauding the pepper-spraying of Minister McKenzie, delighting in his nearly being blinded. The Government has to consider regulating some of these people broadcasting misinformation and disinformation. It is now out of hand. How can one say Minister McKenzie deserved to be pepper-sprayed in his eyes because he and his party have not done anything for the people? Why politicise the incident?

Let’s show respect and decency.