Taylor’s Alley Gang Truce Supervisor attacked by who?

The Gang Suppression Unit was in open conflict on Wednesday night with residents of Taylor’s Alley. Shortly after seven, six residents of the area say that the GSU descended in the alley where the well known street figure, Arthur Young was hanging out with a group of young men from the Conscious Youth Development Programme. Young, who is also with the CYDP, says he is the supervisor of the Taylor’s Alley group in respect of the gang truce. Hell broke loose when the GSU reportedly brutalized the group.  Thirty-seven year old Young spoke with News Five about the incident and says he was directly targeted.

Arthur Young, Claims GSU Brutality

“Like a little bit after seven we were through Taylor’s Alley just talking positive like we always do. GSU run up and said freeze. Then after that they said get on the ground. As soon as we got on the ground, they start to repeatedly kick us in our head, ribs, back and everything. Then they start taking off our tennis and throw it away. They put all the guys on top of me and said hold the weight of your soldiers. I started to talk to them and told them they don’t have to treat us like this. They said commissioner, Doug Singh, nobody can’t help you all. So I tell them we work for CYDP and this is our area that we work in and live in here. so they said that they don’t want to see us through here no more. And I told them it’s not like that because this is our residence. And they keep constantly repeating to kick us. One spell they sent to buy water and throw it on us and then they start tazer us. We couldn’t really say anything; they just brutalizing us. I think it is not fear because the police could come and do their job and we always respect them when they come around and if they want someone they can just take them. But if they come and keep beating us like that, then a man can only take so much. And then we don’t want to have no problem like that with the law.”

Andrea Polanco

“Did they say what they were doing through Taylor’s Alley? Were they looking for weapons, drugs, anything? Did they say why they were there?”

Arthur Young

Arthur Young

“They didn’t say nothing. They just said freeze, get on the ground and started hitting us repeatedly.”

Andrea Polanco

“Do you believe they are targeting you and your friends?”

Arthur Young

“It’s obvious because we stay right through here; we don’t go nowhere. We don’t go to the clubs, nothing; we have our own place we go party and all that. But I can’t say for what reason; only they know the reason and whoever is sending them they need to try stop that or try to collaborate with us in a different way instead of just trying to run up through yah and di beat us up.”

Andrea Polanco

“Do you think at this point it is something more personal?”

Arthur Young

“I won’t say it si personal cause I never did no officer nothing in life so I wouldn’t say it is personal unless they have a grudge against me.”

Andrea Polanco

“Arthur in terms of the injuries, I understand that several of you guys were taken to the hospital. Did you got to the hospital yourself or did the GSU take you guys?”

Arthur Young

“No they just beat us up and left us there. We had to take ourselves to the hospital and we got our doctor papers and everything and we got our medication for it and they classified the wound as harm. So from there we took it over and today we were at the police station filing a report against the officers. And from there we are going to deal with it through court.”

Andrea Polanco

“Approximately how many of the officers were there?”

Arthur Young

“From what I could see it was about eight of them but I’m pretty sure it’s more. They were armed in GSU uniforms.”

Andrea Polanco

“Did they make any threats against your life or anything like that?”

Arthur Young

“They told us that they gonna kill us and they could take us up the road and shoot us up and if we come back here, it ain’t gonna be like this.”

Andrea Polanco

“I see you have bandage on your hand. What exactly happened to your hand?”

Arthur Young

“Well I had an injury before this, but they just make it more worse. They tazered me in my back, they bust my eye, they kicked me up in my ribs, behind my neck, my back, they even stepped on my knee, my ankle and everything.

Andrea Polanco

“Now Arthur from what I understand, you guys are not the ones who will usually run to the media and have your faces in front of the camera all the time. Why do you feel it is necessary to speak out on this issue?”

Arthur Young

“I feel it is necessary because we’ve been going through this for like many years and there is a time to put a stop to certain things and once you deal with the proper procedure first then we are going to see where it goes from there. But to say that we gonna retaliate against the police; that’s out of our mind. But I got to say also that a man can only take certain amount and if we keep getting abused like this, then we need to find something to do if people from the high places can’t help us. We from the streets and we don’t back down, but we wise. I know me and my guys we are not evil doers; we call ourselves defenders—we are not gonna go out there instigate no problems with no one and have beef. But if they come back and keep on doing this and it will leave us no choice and our backs is against the wall.”

Andrea Polanco

“So you are saying retaliation is not the first option?”

Arthur Young

“Retaliation is not the first option. The first option is trying to see Dean Barrow as the leader for the country because if he is the one who is having this truce together and they funding it in whatever kind of way and doing projects, then he is suppose to give us some answers because the way I’m seeing it, they don’t know what’s happening or maybe they don’t want to tell us or maybe they are tricking us and they have this plan.”

Andrea Polanco

“But do you honestly believe that you will get justice through the law?”

Arthur Young

“When you talk about justice for law, you can’t lament on that too much because the system has its own way of dealing with that and we from the streets, we’re like the outcast regardless of what people think about us.  I just want someone to address the situation and deal with the GSU because if they can’t deal with them then somebody going to have to deal with them.”