– By Yvonne Sam
On November 1, when I heard the news on the radio that a male had been pepper sprayed at close range by the Montreal police ( SPVM), that he was experiencing a mental crisis, and had been taken to the hospital, the only words that evoked an egress from my lips were “ Not again!”
Surprisingly, not for a nanosecond did an inkling of a thought linger on the color aspect, as I intuitively knew the color that most often gets in trouble with law enforcement.
In 2019, in the face of harsh criticism for its handling of past interactions, the SPVM declared that it will train all its patrol officers to use tools that will help them deal with those suffering from mental health issues. Continue reading
Guyana: UN Refugee Agency concerned about indigenous Venezuelans in Guyana
A senior official of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) says more humanitarian presence and support from the international community is needed as she commented on the plight of indigenous Venezuelan refugees in Guyana.
UNHCR’s Multi-Country Office Representative in Panama, Philippa Candler, speaking to reporters here, noted that an estimated 24,500 refugees and migrants from Venezuela are living in Guyana, including some 2,500 indigenous Warao.
Some have settled in hard-to-reach areas near the Venezuelan border and others in or around the towns of Mabaruma and Port Kaituma. Since early 2020, an estimated 250 Warao also found refuge in Anabisi in northern Guyana. More than half of this group are children. Continue reading →
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