A Call for Justice: Picket Planned Following Rashawn Shabazz’s Death at His Majesty’s Prison

A public picket calling for justice and accountability following the death of Rashawn “Turtle” Shabazz at His Majesty’s Prison is scheduled for Thursday, August 20, with demonstrators expected to gather outside the prison and the Ministry of Legal Affairs.

The protest, set to begin at 8:30 a.m., is being organised under the message, “Justice is not a request, it’s a demand,” nearly a month after Shabazz died following a police-assisted extraction from his prison cell on July 23.

Shabazz, who was days away from his 36th birthday, had reportedly barricaded himself inside his cell and refused repeated requests from prison officers to leave so that he could be taken to the prison’s medical unit for treatment.

Prison officials reportedly spent considerable time attempting to persuade him to cooperate. However, Shabazz allegedly threatened officers, prompting prison authorities to seek assistance from the police.

During the extraction, police reportedly discharged rubber bullets while Shabazz used a mattress as a shield. Tear gas was subsequently deployed in an effort to force him from the cell.

Shabazz was eventually removed from the cell alive but was reportedly coughing following the use of the gas. He was transported to the Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre, where authorities said he later died.

His father, Khalid Shabazz, has since challenged aspects of the account surrounding his son’s death and raised questions about why Rashawn was being held at His Majesty’s Prison in the first place.

According to the elder Shabazz, his son had lived with mental illness for more than 15 years and had been the subject of repeated court orders directing that he be housed at Clarevue Psychiatric Hospital rather than at the prison.

He alleged that those orders were never enforced and believes the failure to have his son placed at the psychiatric facility contributed to the circumstances that ultimately led to his death.

Khalid Shabazz has also disputed suggestions that his son died after arriving at the hospital. He said medical personnel informed him that Rashawn’s heart had stopped beating before he reached the medical facility.

The circumstances surrounding the death have fuelled calls for answers and accountability, with organisers of the August 20 demonstration broadening their campaign beyond Shabazz’s case.

The protest flyer declares, “We stand, we speak, we fight for justice,” and says the picket will also represent people who died during police encounters, those who died in prison or while in custody, and those whose deaths involved prison or security personnel.

Organisers say they are also standing for victims of unresolved murders, missing persons and families whose cases they believe have been ignored for too long.

“Their names must not be forgotten. Their deaths must not be ignored. Every case deserves answers,” the flyer states.

Among the specific demands being made is the resignation of Superintendent of Prisons Lieutenant Colonel Trevor Pennyfeather.

Organisers are also calling for the removal of Justice Minister Steadroy “Cutie” Benjamin.

The campaign is being promoted under the slogans “No Justice, No Peace” and “We Won’t Be Silent,” with organisers insisting they will continue pressing for answers surrounding Shabazz’s death and other unresolved cases.

“We will not stop until justice is done. We will not rest until the truth is known,” the flyer states.