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Talking about the abuse she suffered at the hands of the police is hard for Mabel Phillips. She breaks down while recounting the details. - Norman Grindley
A woman who says she was brutally attacked and shot by the police 10 years ago is still living with the scars, and says she has not received any redress.
Although it has been a decade since the attack, 48-year-old Mabel Phillips remembers it as if it were yesterday. As she recounts the events, tears fill her eyes. She told THE STAR, "It was back in 1997, down by Rafter's Rest in Port Antonio. I went to mi children dem father an I asked him why him don't come home to him pickney dem. Mi turn mi back an a walk whe and mi jus feel a lick inna mi back wid a stick."
While she wrestled with the father of her children, another man, whom she identified as a police officer, joined the attack. Through tears, she said, "Mi nuh know whe dis man come from. Di man stand up pan mi foot dem, fasten im knee inna mi bottom and wring up mi hand dem. Den him have mi a pull and fling mi pan di grung and step up inna mi belly."
She continued, "Mi seh di man ankle rest up inna mi stomach and im jus have mi a drag pan di floor. Right now mi even have a hole inna mi foot from whe di officer stand up pan mi. Afta mi deh there now, one police lady come an tell mi fi put on mi shoes. Mi tell her what happened and she walk go over to di policeman and mi baby father."
Phillips said she attempted to walk away with her son but was attacked from behind by the same policeman. "Him come and grab mi up and im jus tek mi hand an wring it and im jig it and jus push it up. Di policewoman come an step up inna mi neck."
Slightly deformed
After a long pause, and lots of tears, she continued, "Right now mi shoulder blade mash up cause dem shoot mi inna mi back four time. Mi never even realise seh mi get shot, a jus cause mi feel a burning. After dat, mi jus couldn't walk and wen dem hol on pan mi hand, di bone jus push out an mi son bawl out an seh 'mommy a wha dat, macka'?"
Though it has been so long, the injuries still affect Phillips' daily life. "Mi right, which is mi working hand, mash up and mi neck can barely turn," she said, barely moving her neck. Her foot is also injured and is slightly deformed.
Phillips was also arrested and charged for resisting arrest but the case was eventually adjourned sine die. She says she has been trying since 1997 to get redress, but has had no luck. "From it happen mi a try until tidday day. Mi want some justice yah man because mi can't work. If a no mi pickney dem, mi can't eat. Yu nuh know di pain dem whe mi feel. Bwoy mi a tell yu. Mi seh not even animal whe can't talk nobody fi a do so. When mi a feel di pain dem sometime mi jus haffi go pan di floor an vomit."
Even though she told THE STAR that she has visited the Police Complaints Division several times, Phillips' case was not listed among their records. An officer from the Bureau of Special Investigations, which usually handles cases involving controversial shootings, also said that their records did not date as far back as the time of the incident and Phillips' report.
Dr. Carolyn Gomes, executive director of Jamaicans for Justice, confirmed that Phillips had made a report to the organisation in 2001. She said the records showed that Phillips was given advice as to how best to proceed with the case. Phillips has no money for a lawyer but said she will not rest until she has received justice.
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