No joy in Felicity
You know, it was never going to take much for us to crack. Our lives and conversation are centred on race. When election time comes around politicians dutifully court race as a means of securing their precious votes. And so one killing is all it takes in order for the deep seated resentment to explode.
Combine one dead black youth with one licensed firearm-holding, presumably well-off businessman - I assume to be of another race - and well, you’ll either get a Molotov cocktail or a race riot.
And this was the situation on Monday night after 21-year-old Kevin Valley (a cousin of Minister of Trade and Industry Ken Valley) was shot to death allegedly by a businessman in the area. I don’t think anyone knows for sure why he was shot or even why he was outside the home of the shooter, and yet his death has raised the ire of the residents in the area who charge that his killing was unlawful.
There are some alleging that Kevin was there with friends intent to kidnap the son of the businessman with whom he had an argument. Yet there are those who say that Kevin was no criminal. The nagging questions that bother me are: Why was Kevin really there in the first place? Was he or any of his friends armed? Was he causing trouble? And even if he was causing trouble, did it warrant being shot? Did the shooter act too hastily in firing his weapon? Is it possible that the father was provoked enough into pulling the trigger?
Those are the questions that need answering. Riots don’t accomplish much else than to draw the attention of the police away from the investigations into the matter. And of course adding to all the hysteria is Minister Valley lamenting that his cousin was the victim of a crime. The crime has not yet been investigated, the facts have not yet been collected, but instead of appealing for the people’s good sense to prevail Mr. Valley bewails the “crime” that took place. Who has determined that any crime took place Mr. Valley? Armed with as little information as most of the rioters, Mr. Valley flies off the handle and implies that there was a murderer and a victim.
This is the sort of thing that fuels riots. Of course the media has stopped short of describing the events that occurred after the shooting as racially motivated, but it’s a little obvious.
And of course I know that Minister Valley might be saddened at the killing, but still, he’s been in the spotlight for years now and should know better. He should know that there is a process to everything.
In any case I’m hoping against hope that the rioting witnessed in Felicity is not indicative of where we are as a society to where we see race and class in every incident. I’m hoping, but deep down I feel that we’ve only witnessed the first of other incidents like this to come. I’m always afraid for Trinidad when it comes to issues of race. Despite what other may say about how well we get along, I know that in Trinidad and Tobago we have serious issues with race. You can hear it in among your friends, family members and even snippets of conversations you get walking the streets. So don’t be fooled, the potential for something like this to happen has always been there, and from the looks of it, doesn’t need much for it to rear it’s ugly head.
*I feel I need to write something happy now to cancel this post.
15 Responses to “No joy in Felicity”
By boysieringo on Nov 8, 2006 | Reply
Mr. Mani like you didn’t read what I said about Ken Valley in your previous post. How you waste 13 lines of space debating whether he’s a rational person??
Race is a huge problem and the sooner we realise that “rainbow country” is an advertsing slogan and not a social norm in T&T, the faster we can work on our race relations problem.
Another question to consider is the right to own guns? Now some foreign-based-fresh-water-yankees may think it’s a good idea to deal with the high crime. But this ain’t Texas buddy dais Trinidad! Does our “free-up” lifestyle allow us to understand how dangerous guns are? Scotch and bullets doh mix so why put guns in the hand of the wealthy?
By Hottie Hottie on Nov 8, 2006 | Reply
I agree. One of the first questions we need to ask is whether this firearm was legal and under what circumstances was her allowed to have it? Secondly, why was this boy outside this man’s home? And thirdly, why does anybody still listen to Ken Valley?
By Mani on Nov 8, 2006 | Reply
LOL, well Boysie I keep hoping for better from them. I was disenchanted with Minister Valley a long time ago. Did you ever hear what he said about the NAR? He said that the coup was their fault becuase of the economic policies they adopted at the time. and I am like, well that is the dumbest thing he has ever said. That’s like saying that if a woman gets raped it’s because of the short skirt she was wearing that day. One has nothing to do with the other. I’m sorry that’s your MP.
But race is a bad problem here. Do you know how much better it would be if Trinidad could overcome this race problem?
About the guns, I’m glad that the Government is trying to plug the South American hole that allows all these guns to be dumped on our shores, but yes, legal guns seem to be a problem also.
Hottie, well the newspapers report that it was a legal firearm, I’m not sure though how exactly they know that. I try not to listen to politicians, but my recidivism rate is too high. I’m sorry I’ll try to do better next time.
By Bagogyul on Nov 8, 2006 | Reply
#1 What was he doing infront of the people house on a Sunday night?
#2 Why didn’t the father shoot up in the air instead at the alleged “gang members”?
#3 Why are politicians and the media making this out to be a racial thing?
By boysieringo on Nov 8, 2006 | Reply
Screech mash breaks have to put this here (sorry mani). Yesterday marked 10 days since the death of Parmanan Persaud. Does anyone remember who he is? Are we still gunning for Kevin Bisnath? Oh yes 10 days country people is the best oui! P.S. if yuh from trinidad but don’t reside there this applies to you too.
By Hottie Hottie on Nov 8, 2006 | Reply
Boysie, my column for this week which I’m posting tomorrow is about it. Doh frighten. I doh fuhget them thing. AT ALL.
By Mani on Nov 8, 2006 | Reply
Bagogyul, all relevant questions. I think though that the rioters in Felicity are the ones who’ve made it into a racial thing.
Boysie, well you know we have a 9 day memory. Parmanan still crosses my mind even though I try not to think about what he went through. It’s the same with Sean Luke.
By JohnBoy on Nov 9, 2006 | Reply
Bagogyul, the reason people bring up race so easily because while we all try to smile and put a plaster on the issue the wound festering and getting more and more infected just under the cover. Did you all read any of the feedback on the Trinidad Express website? Allya nah realise Trinidad in a cold war since after de NAR?
By nandi23 on Nov 9, 2006 | Reply
he he, on this racial divide, I realised that man’s stupidity is independent of race.
By nandi23 on Nov 9, 2006 | Reply
Politicians are too damn old! As far as I am concerned all of the politicans are too damn racist, with their old stupid selves. We need new minds willing to accept new ideas etc, not old dry up corrupted brains. Think about it, the politicians now come from a time when segragation was still practiced, so of course they will use this to get votes!
I think this is universal, and hopefully the minds of today will not have any vestige of the myopic views of yesterday!
By nandi23 on Nov 9, 2006 | Reply
In elections, is there any option that says VOTE OUT all of them from a side?
By nandi23 on Nov 9, 2006 | Reply
sorry to spam your blog manicou:P, yesterday was elections, check out the tennenesse seat for senate…you’ll see what I’m talking about
By Mani on Nov 10, 2006 | Reply
Johnboy is true. Just as Johnboy said, we like to play this rainbow country thing…and that is the biggest lie of all.
Nandi, I agree iz all about the almighty vote. If we were to just change for one election the way we voted, we’d see the big effect it has on Trinidad. Doh worry though, yuh not spamming me. I did check out the Tennessee guy, Corker I think his name is? I didn’t know what specifically about him ppl didn’t like though.
By Hottie Hottie on Nov 10, 2006 | Reply
Boysie, I posted the Permanand column today.
By Carnival Jumbie (Diva) on Nov 10, 2006 | Reply
Yuh know as you say Mani, There has not been any real explaination as to why the man was there in the first place. All those ppl who rallying behind the victim and causing riot never even waited to see what the circumstances were. Now I not saying who was right or wrong but what are the facts??Other than of course one man shoot and one man dead. I actually went back in the daily papers to check and see if I just missed the reasoning and its still very vague.