Dear Editor,

The declaration by Public Defender Arlene Harrison Henry to publicly apologise to the Rastafarian community for the disadvantages meted out to them in 1963 is a move in the right direction.

My brother is a Rastafarian and he would be proud of this stance by our public defender. This is why I have a vested interest in this affair. Further, the Jamaica Labour Party who served in the Government then and the People’s National Party Government in power should also apologise to the Rastafarian community for this well-known atrocity.

Rastafarian men were killed in a minor riot in Coral Gardens over lands. As a little boy growing up in Lucea in the 60s, I heard many Rastafarian brethren speak about the matter on a few occasions. These cruelties should not be swept under the carpet and forgotten. The Rastafarian lifestyle was rejected when I was a youngster; anyone who wanted to be comfortable with law enforcement officers would disassociate themselves from this group.

We were told tall tales of ‘black heart man’ or ‘takeaway man’, who would take us away and suck out our blood out of our bodies. If a Rastafarian man passed through the district, we would retire to bed early. Coming from school we would walk in groups to prevent being attacked or taken away. We had a morbid fear for these men who meant no harm to little children or adults.

The healing has been a long time in coming, but it is here, so I must say, thank God.

It is significant to say that the Rastafarian brethren in these communities have helped the health sectors somewhat with their spreading of healthy eating habits.

Paris Taylor

Greater Portmore, St Catherine

paristaylor82@hotmail.com