A closer examination into the sudden death of I’Akobi Tacuma Maloney

BY LA SHAWNA GRIFFITH

Race and racism are two words that are on the tongues of people ever since the shocking death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

According to videos posted Floyd was killed by forty-four-year-old Officer Derek Chauvin who is seen in the viral video circulating on social media kneeling on his neck until he shouted, “ I cannot breathe, I want my mama!”

Global News reported that, a group of cheering protesters torched a Minneapolis police station that the department abandoned, as days of violent protest have occurred since Floyd’s death. A police spokesperson told Global News the staff of the 3^rd precinct had evacuated the station in the interest of the safety of our personnel.

This situation has implications for every person who identifies as a black person world over, because it means that once again, many are not safe in their own home countries because of the melanin in their skin.

Adding further fire to the flame, Donald Trump took to Twitter to criticize the lack of leadership in Minneapolis and told Governor Tim Walz that he has the full support of the military. “Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but when the looting starts, the shooting starts,” Trump Tweeted.

This could lead to a bigger problem. Can we truly say that the persons involved in this case were racist and took pleasure in killing George Floyd?

The answer to this remains to be determined by the jury when the case is trialed.

In a shocking development, which was reported by The Associated Press, officer Chauvin was charged for third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. He was jointly accused of ignoring another officer who had concerns at the time about the state of Floyd, as he lay handcuffed on the ground pleading that he could not breathe.

He faces more than twelve years in prison if he is convicted of murder.

While one can watch the videos circulating and make their judgements if indeed and in fact third-degree murder is what Chauvin should be facing after having his foot in Floyd’s neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds, is one the jury can decide.

However, this is not the first time that police officers have killed black persons in the United States of America, and as much as we would not like to say it, it may not be the last.

If we flip the script and look at my island of birth Barbados, there is still uncertainty into the sudden death of I’Akobi Tacuma Maloney who was a graduate of The University Of The West Indies, who succumbed to his death at Land Lock, Cove Bay, St. Lucy in June 2008. To date, his death remains a mystery despite initial reports that Maloney had committed suicide.

According to the Nation Newspaper Thursday, June 19^th, 2008, “Some officers on the scene Tuesday night said they responded to a call of a drug landing around 5:30 p.m. where they discovered Maloney, who suddenly ran and jumped off a cliff, landing on a ledge below. Shortly, after this, he was washed off the ledge by the pounding waves, which took him out to sea,” Public Relations Officer Inspector Barry Hunte said in a press release.

However, since this initial statement in 2008, and subsequent statements which alluded that there was no foul play involved in the death of Maloney, the question of what transpired between him and the members of The Royal Barbados Police Force up until the time of his  “suicide” have not been properly explained in almost twelve years.

So, the issue of black violence is not only isolated to Minneapolis, it happens right here in Barbados and in the Caribbean by extension as there are many cases like Maloney’s which have never been told.

A perfect example is the myriad of cane field murders where the majority of them remain unsolved and unheard of.

The solution to this problem is not one that can be fixed overnight. It is a holistic revamp of the: ideologies, laws, norms, and values of the society to allow policemen and women as well as persons of privilege to understand that black persons are not always a threat.

The only way to do this is by reshaping the mindset of people so they understand that the way forward is not by acts of unexplained levels of violence, but it is by having love in our hearts for each other so peace can reign in the world.