On December 5, I went to the courthouse on St Vincent Street, Port-of-Spain and attempted to see the Justice of the Peace on the advice of the police officer who recorded my complaint about a verbal threat. I was unaware until reading the notice that bared shoulders were not allowed on the premises. I explained my urgency to the guard and he graciously told me to go to the main entrance nearest Duke Street to see if they would make an exception.
On arriving there, I explained that I was unaware of the dress code and got no further. The man looked at me and said, "yuh naked. The JP not going to see yuh so." I hotly protested that bare shoulders do not equal nakedness and that I still needed to see the JP on a matter of life and death. He said "de polis won' sen' yuh so" and turned his back and walked away from me. I loudly protested saying I had an urgent and pressing matter.
A woman came forward, looked me up and down and said "go home and come back." I said that I would not get back in time and my situation was too urgent to wait. I asked three times if I could borrow something to throw over my shoulders to which she said: "Lady, dis is not a clothes store. You could stay right dere with yuh life and death" and walked off. What is this sanctimonious nonsense where, for want of two sleeves, my person was left in danger?
I was so stunned and enraged that I returned to Police headquarters to report them. The officers were able to disarm the person threatening me. For that I am extremely grateful to the competent men and women in the police service.
Catherine Hidalgo
Port-of-Spain