Rasta rage as haircut saga drags on
Published:Tuesday | November 16, 2021 | 12:09 AMOlivia Brown/Gleaner Writer
Shirley McIntosh, the mother of Rastafarian teen Nzinga King who alleged that her dreadlocks were trimmed by a corporal while she was in custody, is furious about the pace of the investigation into her daughter’s claims.
King’s story sparked national outrage, with hair, race, colour, and class remaining cultural fault lines that stoke controversy in post-Independence Jamaica in the context of a police force sometimes viewed as a colonial carryover. Rastafarian religious custom outlaws haircuts.
“Me think a supm weh woulda deal with already and we move on with we life and whatever, and she can pick up from the pieces. Mi never know a supm weh a go tek so long and drawn out,” McIntosh fumed.
She theorises that the sluggish probe is an attempt to rob her daughter of redress.
“It is a game. It is more than obvious that it is a game. A just you haffi know how fi play your hand inna the game and stay inna the game and nuh give away your aces,” she said.
Members of the Rasta community called for the resignation of the accused policewoman during a protest outside the Four Paths Police Station on August 10.
The alleged haircut, purportedly done because King was deemed a suicide risk, occurred at the Four Paths Police Station in Clarendon on July 22.
McIntosh revealed that the family is even angrier because King, who appeared before the Clarendon Parish Court in July to answer to the charge of disorderly conduct, is set to face the judge on November 23 on the charge of not wearing a face mask in public.
That’s a breach of the Disaster Risk Management Act which governs COVID-19 protocols and could merit a fine of $1 million on conviction.
The mother said she is confused about why both charges were not brought against her daughter on the same day.
“The police never informed us (of that charge). It was the public defender who went to do an investigation and related that to us. So we are just standing by and waiting on that day,” McIntosh said of Arlene Harrison Henry.
Cooperative with investigators
McIntosh maintained that the family has been cooperative with investigators and has provided them with additional DNA that was requested.
King’s mother said she would be relentless in the pursuit of justice, adding that the family was encouraged by the support of Jamaicans and people globally.
“It’s a lot of round and round, but me nah give up ... . Mi nah give up. Mi nah let it go and this unnecessary waiting mek me worse nah give up,” McIntosh told The Gleaner.
“Persons from Ethiopia and a lot of African and European countries are still calling asking me to persevere and don’t give up.”
McIntosh lamented that the incident has caused undue emotional distress for King, who is now undergoing counselling.
The Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM) launched a probe into the incident in August and has been leading the investigation since September.
Attempts to get a comment from the state watchdog on the status of the investigation have been futile.
In a press statement issued on September 16, INDECOM said it recognised “the desire for a swift resolution in its investigation of the complaint made by Ms Nzinga King” but appealed for patience as it concluded the enquiry.
The statement continued: “Whilst the initial complaint stemmed from a specific allegation (the cutting of Ms King’s hair), the investigation has widened into a review of policies and procedures that guide police treatment in public interactions and detention in lock-ups.”
INDECOM concluded that it would “not disclose any additional details of the investigation with regard to any specific evidence unearthed until the conclusion of all reports” and a ruling from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
But months after an announcement that the probe was in its final stages, word on an outcome of the investigation has not been forthcoming.
King’s attorney, Isat Buchanan, said INDECOM has been mum on the matter.
“They haven’t given us an update. They told us months ago that the investigation was completed and they asked for more DNA and they have been ghosts since,” Buchanan said.
The attorney questioned the transparency of the King case and said he hoped to get clarity when she returns to court on November 23.