More unrest at Georgetown Prison, as wardens bid farewell to slain prison officer

Posted by: Denis Chabrol in Crime, News July 25, 2017, http://demerarawaves.com/2017/...lain-prison-officer/

Guyana Prison Service wardens were Tuesday preparing to bid farewell to Prison Officer, Odinga Wain Wickham who was killed during the violent unrest at the Camp Street jail earlier this month, their colleagues and other members of the security forces were busy quelling another disturbance by several inmates.

Fire fighters arrived on the scene and soldiers armed with assault rifles took up positions around the Georgetown Prison’s ‘brick’ building to which 86 ‘real bad’ prisoners were transferred Monday from the Lusignan swampy area.

When Demerara Waves Online News arrived on the scene, several inmates were seen in the prison yard under heavy guard. It was unclear why they were outside.

Sources said the prisoners complained that the brick prison was too hot. They also reportedly broke up beds, banged the doors and broke parts of the brick prison’s wall.

No fires were lit, but at least three fire tenders were seen on Camp Street, D’urban and John Street. Hoses were already connected to water sources and fire fighters held them at the ready.

The more than 80 prisoners were moved out of the swampy area at Lusignan after 13 of them dug a hole under the foundation of the more than 10-foot tall wall and exited the penal facility. By early Monday night, security forces captured seven of them at Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara and in several parts of Georgetown.

In all, 10 escapees- the remaining four from the July 9 escape from the Georgetown Prison- and six from the Lusignan swampy area.

Public Security Minister, Khemraj Ramjattan has said the New Amsterdam and Mazaruni Prisons are “saturated” and so authorities had decided to keep the “real bad” ones at the swampy area until rehabilitation of the brick prison and the construction of associated facilities such as the infirmary, kitchen and administrative building were completed over the next few weeks.

However, all that has changed and following the escape of the 13 from the Lusignan swamp, the others  were moved to the brick prison on Camp Street.

Less than a quarter mile away at Lyken Funeral Parlour at John and Bent Streets, family members, relatives and colleague prison guards of Odinga Wain Wickham were paying their final respects to him.

Many prison guards, dressed in their ceremonial tunics, wept as the filed passed the coffin. While Wickham’s mother retained her composure, his aunt wailed uncontrollably and banged the coffin several times. She was moved away and restrained from getting back close to the coffin by several persons who sat on her and held her hands.

The Guyana government has provided GYD$1 million to the deceased, an amount that dates back to 10 years ago at the height of the violent crime spree in which several policemen had been gunned down.

That period of violence by heavily armed gangs dated back to February, 2002 when five prisoners shot and stabbed prison guards before bolting from the Camp Street jail. Soon after, that gang had spawned into a much larger number , all of whom had been ensconced in the East Coast Demerara village of Buxton from where they had staged kidnaps, murders and robberies.

Several of the prisoners were seen seated in the yard of the Georgetown Prison

Condolences and sympathies to Wickham's families and friends. 

This is an unfortunate scene, but the leadership vision for Guyana is to sympathize with criminals where law enforcement officers become the victims. 

The PNC/AFC wicked ways coming back to haunt Guyanese. During PPP time PNC/AFC supported criminals and comforted them whenever police rough them up. Jackass Granger even told police to only capture criminals, not kill them even at risk of their own lives. Clearly the pnc/afc are a criminal organization in cahoots with the criminals. 

Build a devil's island type prison fortress for these criminals. The government can fund the building with a UN type grant. There are over two hundred islands in the Essequibo river. The government should start building that fortress prison on one of them. It should also be single cells for each person.

Look at how Demerara_Guy, Deryck Rugbeer, Prashad, and Cobra refused to offer their condolences.  Is it because the victim is a black man?

When is the family of Odinga Wickham going to file the lawsuit against the Minister of Public Security for negligent homicide?  Good case for Nigel Hughes.

Bibi Haniffa posted:

When is the family of Odinga Wickham going to file the lawsuit against the Minister of Public Security for negligent homicide?  Good case for Nigel Hughes.

Good question.

Its black on black crime, no lawsuits as long as black man killing each other. God forbid it was a collie man who was the killer, they would riot and burn indian businesses and homes. 

prison unrest is the new trend in guyana. nobody talking about sugar workers losing jobs and civil servants needing a pay raise.

The prison unrest was created to take the attention off the sugar workers and the civil servants.  Even Roopnarine is happy that nobody questioning his resignation anymore.  He has gone into hiding hoping they forget about him. 

Let say the prison unrest overshadow the sugar workers and civil servants plight. This is he new coalition strategy to cover their failing track records. When that's not enough, somebody threatened to kill Granger as if that's a big deal.

Bibi Haniffa posted:

The prison unrest was created to take the attention off the sugar workers and the civil servants.  Even Roopnarine is happy that nobody questioning his resignation anymore.  He has gone into hiding hoping they forget about him. 

Really? Remember saying that if you stuck around too long you would begin to feel retarded? Now look what happened.

Deepest sympathy to the family and friends of Prison Officer Odinga Wain Wickham.

Sparky posted:

Bibi Haniffa posted:

The prison unrest was created to take the attention off the sugar workers and the civil servants.  Even Roopnarine is happy that nobody questioning his resignation anymore.  He has gone into hiding hoping they forget about him. 

Really? Remember saying that if you stuck around too long you would begin to feel retarded? Now look what happened.

Me believe it happened the first day and got worse. When some people refuse help, its rass to pay.

Mitwah posted:

Look at how Demerara_Guy, Deryck Rugbeer, Prashad, and Cobra refused to offer their condolences.  Is it because the victim is a black man?

Mitwah, I can't believe you're repeating your racist playbook mantra as when your were supporting AFC/PNC in the past. Apparently, you found yourself lonely in your own little world. Our sympathies would not bring back the deceased back to life. I personally don't think on racist terms to discriminate against a person who work in law enforcement. As much as I believe that they're corrupted law enforcement officials, they are many that perform their duties with honesty and integrity. You have to be careful how you approached us in your racial reference. If any, Granger and Ramjattan owed the honorable officer's family more than sympathy. They are solely responsible from his death due to their inability and unwillingness to follow the COI recommendations that would have saved all of this shit we are in today.

Mitwah posted:

Look at how Demerara_Guy, Deryck Rugbeer, Prashad, and Cobra refused to offer their condolences.  Is it because the victim is a black man?

Mitwah, I can't believe you're repeating your racist playbook mantra as when your were supporting AFC/PNC in the past. Apparently, you found yourself lonely in your own little world. Our sympathies would not bring the deceased back to life. I personally don't think on racist terms to discriminate against a person who work in law enforcement. As much as I believe that they're corrupted law enforcement officials, they are many that perform their duties with honesty and integrity. You have to be careful how you approached us in your racial reference. If any, Granger and Ramjattan owed the honorable officer's family more than sympathy. They are solely responsible from his death due to their inability and unwillingness to follow the COI recommendations that would have saved all of this shit we are in today.

Cobra, I know you are better than that. Come on now and hiss a few words for the deceased. Don't be so cold.

Mitwah posted:

Cobra, I know you are better than that. Come on now and hiss a few words for the deceased. Don't be so cold.

My sympathies to the family of the deceased who are mourning at this present moment as we speak, Mitwah. I have the same feeling for any good citizens regardless of race. However, the situation remains with the current administration that are incompetent to protect Guyana during these crises. 

Cobra posted:

Mitwah posted:

Cobra, I know you are better than that. Come on now and hiss a few words for the deceased. Don't be so cold.

My sympathies to the family of the deceased who are mourning at this present moment as we speak, Mitwah. I have the same feeling for any good citizens regardless of race. However, the situation remains with the current administration that are incompetent to protect Guyana during these crises. 

who you will replace them with GNI maybe amral will run for president