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Vol. 32, Issue 27 BROOKLYN EDITION July 2-8, 2021
RACISM
CHARGES
ABOUND
Guyana’s gov’t taken to task
over visas for Haitians
By Bert Wilkinson
A nasty political row is simmering
in the aftermath of a
week old decision by Guyana’s
Indo-dominated government
to impose visa requirements
for Haitian nationals with the
opposition linking the move to
an alleged continued pattern of
racism against people of African
origin.
In a move that had long been
signaled by the governing People’s
Progressive Party (PPP),
President Irfaan Ali ordered Haitians
to obtain visas before entering
fellow CARICOM member
state, Guyana, while promisingbut
so far not imposing-similar
restrictions on the thousands of
Cubans who settle in Guyana
or for those who come to pick
up American tourists and permanent
visas. Still thousands of
others fly to Guyana as suitcase
traders to sell merchandise back
home. Many remain, obtain jobs
and live in Guyana without any
hassles.
Opposition spokesman Aubrey
Norton said Wednesday that
while authorities point to a thriving
human trafficking and smuggling
ring involving Haitians
transiting Guyana to neighboring
South American countries
like Guyana, French Guiana and
Suriname, statistics the opposition
has shown that there are
way more Venezuelans in Guyana
than Haitians. Most of them
sneak over river borders illegally,
and are welcomed by authorities
despite the fact that Venezuela
has vowed to annex the entire
western Guyana by any means
necessary.
“We are aware that more people
who speak Spanish, Venezuelans
and Cubans, are being trafficked
than the Haitians. This is
all part of the psychological warfare
that the PPP is unleashing
on Afro Guyanese. This is a clear
case of racism,” Norton said.
He spoke hours after Attorney
General, Anil Nandlall took to
social media to defend the move
by the government, contending
that the Haitians are being
smuggled in inhumane ways
through Guyana as he pointed to
the recent discovery of a group of
50 in southwestern Guyana. He
said they had been abandoned
by their handlers in tough terrain
with no food and water for
a week.
“What we are dealing here with
Police and local offi cials with the guns they recovered during the gun buy back program
in Clarkstown. Offi ce of Attorney General Letitia James
James takes 147 guns off streets at
Rockland County gun buyback
By Nelson A. King
New York Attorney General,
Letitia James on Wednesday
announced that 147 firearms
were turned in to law
enforcement at a gun buyback
event hosted by her
office, Rockland County District
Attorney Thomas Walsh
and the Clarkstown Police
Department.
The Office of the Attorney
General (OAG) accepts
— with no questions asked
— working and non-working,
unloaded firearms in
exchange for compensation
on site.
To date, James said she has
taken nearly 1,300 firearms
out of communities through
gun buybacks since taking
office in 2019.
“Gun violence is an ongoing
threat to public safety and it
jeopardizes the welfare of our
families and children,” she
said. “Getting these dangerous
weapons off our streets is
essential to eradicating gun
violence and protecting communities
from harm.
“My office will continue
taking every measure possible
to ensure that New Yorkers
are safe and secure in
their neighborhoods, and we
thank our partners in law
enforcement for their invaluable
support and partnership
in this effort,” James added.
“Today my office joined
with the New York Attorney
General’s Office and the
Clarkstown Police Department
to host a voluntary
gun buyback program,” said
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