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'Clear my name,' says George Phang
Arnett Gardens area leader shuns association with 'Dudus', crime
BY HG HELPS Editor-at-Large helpsh@jamaicaobserver.com
Sunday, June 13, 2010
var addthis_pub="jamaicaobserver";
WELL-known Arnett Gardens area leader George Phang is fuming that he was detained by police and forced to spend a week in a lock-up for what he described as nothing.
Phang, 54, gave himself in to police on Friday, May 28, a day after he heard his name on radio, asking that he surrender to the nearest police station.
PHANG… I am not mixed up with gangs
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PHANG… I am not mixed up with gangs
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Phang, who is manager of the Arnett Gardens Football Club, also distanced himself from rumours circulating that he has a friendship with fugitive Christopher 'Dudus' Coke, who is wanted by the United States to face drug- and gun-running charges.
Coke, the former Tivoli Gardens strongman, has managed to elude the police force and army since May 17 when a warrant was issued for his arrest.
"I don't want anybody to mix me up with 'Dudus'," Phang told the Sunday Observer in an interview.
"The only time that I ever deal with 'Dudus' was when I was making peace between Tivoli and Arnett years ago. I have had no contact with him on any other matter and at that time, the peace meetings included several other people, like Dawn Heron and Saleem Lazarus from Tivoli," said Phang.
"I have made a positive turnaround with my life. It is a massive turnaround from my years as a teenager to now. I am leading a life that the youth can see me as a role model and I want the police high command to help me, rather than draw me in the mud," Phang said.
A racehorse owner and music producer by profession, Phang has been a strong supporter of the People's National Party (PNP) for the better part of 40 years.
It was he who spearheaded the peace arrangements between volatile communities Tivoli Gardens and Arnett Gardens in 1999, a peace that has remained intact since.
It was the same year that former Prime Minister Edward Seaga delivered the main address at Arnett Gardens' football awards, the first time in 30 years that a political opponent was doing so.
The veteran businessman has lived a low profile life in recent years, following a shooting incident in Arnett Gardens almost five years ago, which left him hospitalised for several weeks with multiple gunshot wounds.
Phang was shot 19 times by two men as he played dominoes with friends, the second time that he was being shot. He still has two of the bullets left in his body.
"When I heard my name on radio, I say to myself 'no, a caan me. Me no mix up in a no form of criminal activity'.
"So I contact my lawyer, Churchill Neita, went to Half-Way-Tree station and they told me that they have no knowledge of the police wanting me.
"We then went down to Central Police Station and an Inspector Anderson said that they would have to detain me. No reason was given and up to now I don't know why they detained me.
"After six days in jail, they took a paper to me, a detention order from the Ministry of National Security, saying that I would have to stay in jail for another 26 days. Then right after that them tell me that they would release me," Phang said.
Police sources said that the high command decided that there was no reason to keep Phang in jail, as they found nothing to charge him with.
"I want my name to be cleared from any gang business. I am not mixed up with gangs. I am a law-abiding man. I don't walk with anybody except God," he said.
Phang said he shared a cell with Justin O'Gilvie, Coke's business partner and confidante, who was also released days after Phang got out.
Among the other high-profile detainees were Tesha Miller, reputed leader of the Klansman gang in the Spanish Town area of St Catherine, and Rohan Silvera, who represented the PNP in the 2007 general election in Central St Catherine.
Phang said that he was not treated badly by officials at the Central police lock-up, and was even allowed visits by his doctor, the dreadlocked Carlton 'Pee Wee' Fraser, but is still peeved that he was taken there anyway.
"Them no treat me no way, but it was still a whole heap of inconvenience and embarrassment. Them mixing up my name with criminals. This thing will put a cloud over me and people will now look at me differently," he complained.
"I just believe that I was used as a sacrifice, because I am associated with the PNP. I have no problem with the law. I support law and order and I spend a lot of my time guiding youth in the right way and keep them in the right direction.
"I support the police and I am a citizen in good standing," he said.
Phang cited his work with youth of the inner city and commendations received from the Prince of Wales, Britain's Prince Charles, who visited him while on his last trip here, as examples of his community service.
A senior police official who requested anonymity said that Phang's detention was done without malice as the police sought to interview persons of interest during the State of Emergency declared on May 23.
"He was not detained because he was a PNP supporter, but we were following intelligence and decided to speak with several persons, including Phang, who we thought could assist us with our investigations into the dismantling of gangs," said the senior cop. He was released because there was nothing that linked him with any wrongdoing."
That may be comforting to Phang, but he still believes that the police should go about their business in a more professional manner.
"A whole heap of people are surprised that police locked me up for nothing at all," he said. "They know that I am not into any wrongdoing. I want the police high command to investigate more before they do things like this. They can't just make people come to them and tell them to lock up Phang without him doing anything. I got locked up without doing anything, I am trying to walk the straight and narrow."
Arnett Gardens area leader shuns association with 'Dudus', crime
BY HG HELPS Editor-at-Large helpsh@jamaicaobserver.com
Sunday, June 13, 2010
var addthis_pub="jamaicaobserver";
WELL-known Arnett Gardens area leader George Phang is fuming that he was detained by police and forced to spend a week in a lock-up for what he described as nothing.
Phang, 54, gave himself in to police on Friday, May 28, a day after he heard his name on radio, asking that he surrender to the nearest police station.
PHANG… I am not mixed up with gangs
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PHANG… I am not mixed up with gangs 1/1 Phang, who is manager of the Arnett Gardens Football Club, also distanced himself from rumours circulating that he has a friendship with fugitive Christopher 'Dudus' Coke, who is wanted by the United States to face drug- and gun-running charges.
Coke, the former Tivoli Gardens strongman, has managed to elude the police force and army since May 17 when a warrant was issued for his arrest.
"I don't want anybody to mix me up with 'Dudus'," Phang told the Sunday Observer in an interview.
"The only time that I ever deal with 'Dudus' was when I was making peace between Tivoli and Arnett years ago. I have had no contact with him on any other matter and at that time, the peace meetings included several other people, like Dawn Heron and Saleem Lazarus from Tivoli," said Phang.
"I have made a positive turnaround with my life. It is a massive turnaround from my years as a teenager to now. I am leading a life that the youth can see me as a role model and I want the police high command to help me, rather than draw me in the mud," Phang said.
A racehorse owner and music producer by profession, Phang has been a strong supporter of the People's National Party (PNP) for the better part of 40 years.
It was he who spearheaded the peace arrangements between volatile communities Tivoli Gardens and Arnett Gardens in 1999, a peace that has remained intact since.
It was the same year that former Prime Minister Edward Seaga delivered the main address at Arnett Gardens' football awards, the first time in 30 years that a political opponent was doing so.
The veteran businessman has lived a low profile life in recent years, following a shooting incident in Arnett Gardens almost five years ago, which left him hospitalised for several weeks with multiple gunshot wounds.
Phang was shot 19 times by two men as he played dominoes with friends, the second time that he was being shot. He still has two of the bullets left in his body.
"When I heard my name on radio, I say to myself 'no, a caan me. Me no mix up in a no form of criminal activity'.
"So I contact my lawyer, Churchill Neita, went to Half-Way-Tree station and they told me that they have no knowledge of the police wanting me.
"We then went down to Central Police Station and an Inspector Anderson said that they would have to detain me. No reason was given and up to now I don't know why they detained me.
"After six days in jail, they took a paper to me, a detention order from the Ministry of National Security, saying that I would have to stay in jail for another 26 days. Then right after that them tell me that they would release me," Phang said.
Police sources said that the high command decided that there was no reason to keep Phang in jail, as they found nothing to charge him with.
"I want my name to be cleared from any gang business. I am not mixed up with gangs. I am a law-abiding man. I don't walk with anybody except God," he said.
Phang said he shared a cell with Justin O'Gilvie, Coke's business partner and confidante, who was also released days after Phang got out.
Among the other high-profile detainees were Tesha Miller, reputed leader of the Klansman gang in the Spanish Town area of St Catherine, and Rohan Silvera, who represented the PNP in the 2007 general election in Central St Catherine.
Phang said that he was not treated badly by officials at the Central police lock-up, and was even allowed visits by his doctor, the dreadlocked Carlton 'Pee Wee' Fraser, but is still peeved that he was taken there anyway.
"Them no treat me no way, but it was still a whole heap of inconvenience and embarrassment. Them mixing up my name with criminals. This thing will put a cloud over me and people will now look at me differently," he complained.
"I just believe that I was used as a sacrifice, because I am associated with the PNP. I have no problem with the law. I support law and order and I spend a lot of my time guiding youth in the right way and keep them in the right direction.
"I support the police and I am a citizen in good standing," he said.
Phang cited his work with youth of the inner city and commendations received from the Prince of Wales, Britain's Prince Charles, who visited him while on his last trip here, as examples of his community service.
A senior police official who requested anonymity said that Phang's detention was done without malice as the police sought to interview persons of interest during the State of Emergency declared on May 23.
"He was not detained because he was a PNP supporter, but we were following intelligence and decided to speak with several persons, including Phang, who we thought could assist us with our investigations into the dismantling of gangs," said the senior cop. He was released because there was nothing that linked him with any wrongdoing."
That may be comforting to Phang, but he still believes that the police should go about their business in a more professional manner.
"A whole heap of people are surprised that police locked me up for nothing at all," he said. "They know that I am not into any wrongdoing. I want the police high command to investigate more before they do things like this. They can't just make people come to them and tell them to lock up Phang without him doing anything. I got locked up without doing anything, I am trying to walk the straight and narrow."