"No prison! No prison! No prison!" Those cries echoed on Tuesday night from Santa Rosa Heights residents who shouted down police, prisons and Government officials at a meeting. They were protesting the state of emergency detention centre near their community. The refurbished facility at Santa Rosa to house detainees is due to start operations this week. It is located across the highway from Santa Rosa Heights. Target of residents' sizzling anger for over an hour on Tuesday were Commissioner of Prisons John Rougier, Deputy Commissioner of Police Mervyn Richardson, COP Arima MP Rodger Samuel and Minister of Information Nicole Dyer-Griffith.
The rowdy meeting ended with angry residents moving to compile a petition from the 3,000-strong community for Samuel to convey to Cabinet today. Samuel, who said he stood by his constituents, promised to start dealing with the issue from yesterday. The Government officials had attended a 7 pm meeting of 100-plus representative residents at the Santa Rosa Primary School to hear concerns. Also present was former Arima MP Pennelope Beckles, who supported the residents. The meeting started calmly. Some residents called for increased security due to the closeness of the facility. Others expressed concern about their power and water supplies being affected by the prison's. Others inquired how long the prison would be there and called for the Government to delay its use. Others questioned how the location was chosen.
Minister Dyer-Griffith was the only speaker who managed to get in a full statement. She said the facility was a measure arising from the emergency. Resident of 25 years, Ricardo Betancourt, said the close proximity of the prison to Santa Rosa Heights would not only devalue the area's 1,200 properties but also expose the 3,000-plus residents to danger. Betancourt and Dr Maxine Omawale both said in the event of a prison break, inmates might head straight for their community to "steal a car, rob someone for money, kidnap hostages or rape. "When I built my house, it was to live in a peaceful community where my children can grow up. I didn't move here with the intention of living next to a prison," Betancourt added. The atmosphere degenerated when Richardson spoke, giving a commitment for increased police patrols for residents.
Dr Omawale insisted residents did not want a fence, which was offered, or a prison in their area at all. He and others said they had not come to listen to such offers but had come to a protest the prison's location. The meeting then descended into noisy chaos that continued to the end. Loudly chanting "No prison! No prison! No prison!" residents indicated by an immediate unanimous show of hands they did not want the facility nearby. Beckles agreed with residents that the Government had failed to consult them. She ended her contribution by chanting " No prison! No prison!" That was taken up with similar chants from the audience.
Emotionally, resident Marilyn Bryan declared: "Nobody can live comfortably with this nearby. I see trouble to build my house and now Government build a prison next to it. "The MP is a pastor. He's a man of God. They hurting people, pastor! Pastor, let's see what you can do." Rougier, who said he was listening, spoke about inheriting eight overcrowded prisons. He said overcrowding and dilapidated buildings had continued and there was "no way" things were happening as far as building new prisons were concerned. Rougier said he was not calling the new facility "Santa Rosa Prison." He said the media might have done so. But residents loudly told him the National Security Minister had described the prison as such.
When Rougier started saying he was to retire next month, resident Betancourt shouted him down, saying: "I beg the indulgence of these people to listen to you. We don't want a history lesson. What we want is to know is what you doing about that prison." Rougier appealed to be heard but he hit a further sour note with residents when he said: "If a prison was built where I lived, I'd accept it." "Not at all! That's you!" residents shhouted. "All you not nice!, all you not nice...hold on, hold on," Rougier pleaded with the shouting audience. "People, do we want to hear anymore of what they have to say?" Betancourt asked the audience. "No! No! No!" residents shouted.
COP MP Samuel who had to appeal to residents to listen, received applause when he said: "If Santa Rosa residents are declaring they want no prison and I represent them, then I stand by them. "I will stand with the residents in their plight at this time. I'll stand with you because I represent you." One woman told Samuel: "Alright, so what about the prison?" Samuel said: "We'll deal with it. We gonna deal with it, from tomorrow (Wednesday) I'm gonna deal with that."