By Kisean Joseph
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A passionate group of protesters gathered outside His Majesty’s Prison (aka 1735), on Thursday, calling for justice following the death of Rashawn Shabazz, a mentally ill patient who died while in the prison system.
About 50 people turned out for the picket, led by Khalid Shabazz, father of the deceased, who said the family remains deeply concerned about broader justice issues affecting the country.
“We’re eternally grateful for the support,” Shabazz said. “There’s a lot of people in Antigua and Barbuda that has justice issues, as it relates to receiving justice from the system. So we’re very concerned. The family of Rashawn Shabazz is very concerned; others are concerned. We want to be able to pressure the authorities to be able to make this better; make this a better country that we all can live in.”
Shabazz said too many cases involving missing persons and unsolved murders continue to leave families without answers, and stressed that his son’s case is far from an isolated one.
“Too many missing people, too many murders that remain unsolved. There’s too many families that are reeling,” he said. “There’s too many of that kind of issues going on in our country. And so we have to be able to address it.”
Also present was Michelle Wethered, who identified herself as Rashawn Shabazz’s aunt, and said she joined the picket in his memory.
“I’m fighting for my justice for my nephew,” Wethered said. “It’s hard to see that I’m fighting for my nephew, and I need justice, non-stop. We’re fighting for our nephew. Justice, no wasting time.”
Franz DeFreitas, who attended in support of the family and said that as a father of two adult children, he found the circumstances of the death unacceptable. He framed the issue as one that could affect any citizen.
“As a citizen of Antigua and Barbuda, I’m of the opinion that that is unjustified, and it should never happen,” DeFreitas said. “As a father of two children in their 20s; as a citizen who myself at any time could experience mental health challenges, and as a citizen, any of us who could find ourselves on the other side of the law and be incarcerated, I am absolutely opposed to the idea that people could come to jail, find themselves [deceased], and then we have to deal with that as citizens of Antigua and Barbuda.”
Rashawn Shabazz’s death has renewed public concern over the treatment of mentally ill individuals within the prison system. His father said previously that court orders to have his son transferred to Clarevue Psychiatric Hospital were not consistently carried out during his lifetime, and that his son’s mental health struggles were well documented by authorities long before his death.
The picket comes as advocates continue to call for reforms to how mentally ill inmates are housed and treated within the country’s correctional facilities.
Family and Supporters Picket Prison Over Rashawn Shabazz’s Death
