The families of the 17 prisoners who died during a riot at the Camp Street Prison last week, held a candle light vigil outside the jailhouse on Sunday evening, where they gathered in remembrance and to call for justice. The vigil was held under heavy guard by the Guyana Defence Force in a cordoned area. The families gathered singing hymns and mournful tunes as they remembered those who perished in the riot.
The family of Delroy Williams, a murder accused, who perished in the fire, stated that they were at the vigil to express their hurt and concern at the manner in which he died. “We feel hurt, that is why we’re here tonight. We are doing this in peace and love,” Michael Williams, the brother of the deceased stated.
“We ain’t want no more killings in the prison! We want betterment for the prisoners. They under bad conditions and they said they want their voices to be heard and we want their voices to be heard. They ain’t getting proper food, they don’t have proper sleeping facilities for them, there are rats in the pots and the food that they eating, and they want their voices to be heard. They did it for their rights,” he continued. Williams’ mother explained that her other son, Leroy Williams is still in the prison and she is very concerned about him, while declaring her son’s innocence of the crime for which he is on remand.
The reputed wife of robbery accused Anthony Primo, who was before the Court for the America Street money changers’ robbery, explained that she was at home when she received the news of Primo’s death. “He was to go to court only Monday…he went on Tuesday, and Thursday he died,” the woman cried out.
According to reports, the bodies of 16 prisoners were found in the ‘Capital A’ section of the Prison on Thursday morning. This section, located on the eastern side of the compound on John Street, holds prisoners on remand for (or convicted of) serious crimes. The prisoners reportedly lit a series of fires the previous night and the following morning, in retaliation of contraband including drugs and cellular phones being confiscated during a raid. The prisoners reportedly removed the mattresses and put them in front of the grille of their cells before setting them afire.
Firefighters spent hours there, putting out at least three separate blazes at the Camp Street Prison on Wednesday evening. After they managed to put out the first fire, the angry inmates started another blaze at the same spot. This fire too was successfully doused after about 15 minutes, much to the dissatisfaction of the prisoners, who again started another fire. The last inferno took fire tenders approximately half an hour to contain close to midnight. No one was injured during Wednesday night’s incident, but Thursday morning, the inmates continued the unrest within the confines of the penitentiary and some were injured. The prisoners subsequently started another fire around 11:15hrs. While firefighters were able to put out the flames, several inmates died and others were badly injured and rushed to the Hospital.
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Imagine the prisoners are burning down the prison because they want their voices to be heard, and as one person said it is their right to do what they did to get what they want. Can we imagine what will happen if these prisoners be freed! May God help Guyana. So it is their right to have illigal stuff in the prison, it is their right to set fires and kill other prisoners and prison officer, so that means it was their right to rob and kill their victims on the streets and in their homes. Now that they are in prison they want ‘good living conditions’. Is this the message to spread to our youths? Rob people, kill them, breke and enter people’s homes and when you go to jail carry your drugs and cell phone, live a good life in there and burn the place down if them prison officers ‘tek yuh stuff’.
Now taxpayers have to pay to make the prisoners’ life better in the jail! Imagine that! O beautiful Guyana!
‘CANDLE LIGHT VIGIL’: Families remember 17 prisoners who died in Camp St. jailhouse riot.
In a few months from now they will be held as heroes and will be a main fix at Kuffy square.