by TREVOR YEARWOOD
ARMED WITH flowers, flags and placards, Rastafarians and other “roots” people took to the streets of Bridgetown yesterday, calling for “justice”.
The protest march from “Temple Yard”, through the Jubilee Gardens, along the Wickham-Lewis Boardwalk and up Broad Street to Queen’s Park was largely to draw attention to the mysterious death of 23-year-old chemical engineer I’Akobi Tacuma Maloney in June, 2008.
Participants used the march to call for the reopening of the case in which Coroner Faith Marshall-Harris said Maloney’s death was due to misadventure.
A spokesman for the 50-odd marchers, Brother Heru of the I’Akobi Youth Resource Centre, said reports that the authorities were reopening the case appeared to be just rumours.
However, it was still something relatives and friends of Maloney were keen on having done, he told the SUNDAY SUN.
The march was partly to mark Maloney’s March 17 birthday and honour people who have fought for justice and righteousness across the globe, including Marcus Garvey and Martin Luther King.
The marchers told the SUNDAY SUN they were not satisfied with the police’s and coroner’s investigation of Maloney’s death, which left too many questions unanswered.
The placards reflected this concern. Some read: “Where Is the Justice”, “Many Questions, No Answers”, “Police Investigated Themselves” and “Justice Must Prevail”.
Maloney, of Hutson’s Alley, Reed Street, St Michael, died on June 17, 2008 at Land Lock, St Lucy. Police say they had nothing to do with the death, but report that they had a discussion with Maloney before he went over the cliff to his death.
Coroner Marshall-Harris suggested that Maloney may have felt harassed by the barrage of questions from the police and that he “panicked and made a dash to freedom” when asked to escort them to the station.
Maloney’s mother, Marguerita, was among those taking part in yesterday’s march.
During a stop on the boardwalk, she said: “This is where I’Akobi would come ritualistically. He always loved the sea. He would just sit here and contemplate, after he had studied enough, after he had been on the computer enough.”
In an earlier interview, she said she was no closer to learning the truth about her son’s death, despite a coroner’s inquest that ended in an April 2009 verdict.
The march followed a session at Temple Yard at which friends and relatives of Maloney prayed and sang hymns and popular songs of the movement. (TY)
