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Vol. 31, Issue 29 BROOKLYN EDITION July 17-23, 2020
US GOV’T
KNOCKS
GUYANA
Pompeo threatens to revoke
visas of top Guyanese officials
By Bert Wilkinson
The United States government
has signaled plans to
revoke the American entry
visas of top Guyanese government
officials for preventing
the swearing in of a new government
in the wake of the
controversy-ridden March 2
general elections.
Secretary of State, Mike
Pompeo made the announcement
on Wednesday, on the
same day that Chief Justice
Roxanne George held preliminary
hearings into a
challenge by attorneys for
President David Granger to
force Elections Commission
Chairwoman, Claudette
Singh to abide by a report on
the conduct of the elections.
The report was handed to the
commission in the past week
but the chair has rejected it
suggesting it was not the one
she had demanded. A declaration
of a winner is based
on the report from the chief
executive officer.
Full arguments are to be
heard on Friday.
More than 100 days
after Guyanese voted, Guyana’s
elections commission
remains bogged down by a
series of roadblocks, linked
mostly to widespread allegations
by government officials
that the elections were
rigged in favor of the main
opposition People’s Progressive
Party (PPP). Tabulation
figures show that the PPP
has won by about three parliamentary
seats but government
officials say that more
than 100,000 votes were
affected by fraudulent activities
including dead, migrated
people voting, stuffed ballot
boxes and more people voting
at some stations than
were eligible. The PPP and
the umbrella Caribbean
Court of Justice (CCJ) have
argued that such matters are
for an elections petition that
can be heard after an official
commission declaration of a
winner. The governing coalition
has been fighting to
avoid going that route.
“Today, I am announcing
visa restrictions on the
individuals responsible for
or complicit in undermining
democracy in Guyana.
Immediate family members
and such persons may also
be subject to restrictions,”
School closing protest
Amanda Charles-Cyrus with her daughter Ariel protest the closure of St. Gregory
the Great Catholic Academy on Church Avenue. See story on Page 3.
Photo by Kevin Williams
Dem pols denounce surge in gun violence
By Nelson A. King
Three Brooklyn Democratic
legislators on Tuesday
expressed alarm over the
increase in gun violence in
New York City.
State Sen. Roxanne J. Persaud,
Assembly Member Jaime
Williams and Council Member
Alan Maisel on Tuesday issued
a joint statement denouncing
gun violence, saying that they
were appalled by the surge.
“A few hours after I spoke
at the George Floyd mural
unveiling, about our community
coming together and
what it means when we say
Black Lives Matter, a driveby
shooter shot five people
at three locations within
SD-19,” said Guyanese-born
Persaud, referring to the 19th
Senatorial District in Brooklyn,
which encompasses the
neighborhoods of Canarsie,
East New York, Brownsville,
Mill Basin, Sheepshead Bay,
Bergen Beach, Marine Park,
Flatlands, Mill Island, Georgetown,
Ocean Hill and Starrett
City.
“To say that I’m angry is
an understatement,” Persaud
added. “The lives of these five
victims and their families will
be changed forever by the
deranged minds of individuals
with no concept of life, love,
nor community value.
“This recent surge in gun
violence on the heels of national
protest for racial justice and
equality cannot dampen or
taint the positive progress our
community has made during
these troubling times,” Persaud
continued. “We have had
too much violence and death
over the past months, and we
cannot allow it to continue
unchecked.
“I am confident that the
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