The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

A GROUP of Bahamians who live in the United States and Canada are organising a protest in Miami against the Davis administration.

Coalition of Independents leader Lincoln Bain said he will be going to the protest, which is planned for March 23.

However, Mr Bain insisted he did not organise the protest. He outlined instances where he and members of his party were arrested by police while trying to demonstrate as examples of what has fuelled the upcoming event.

“They are organising a protest because they are disgusted by the way they've seen the Bahamian government treating Bahamians as of late from many instances, including Bahamians at Parliament being. . .arrested,” Mr Bain said.

“Bahamians trying to deliver a letter to the prime minister's office and being refused entry. Also what happened at CARICOM enraged them. They feel a Bahamian should have been allowed to protest and they feel that that would have been a better statement for democracy - it would have been democracy in full force.

“But instead what we saw was dictatorship and so they were extremely disturbed about seeing women being (arrested). . .by male police officers and police with heavy weaponry — having a heavy hand against Bahamians on a beach.”

Police had arrested 14 men, including Mr Bain, along with four women for unlawful assembly at Baha Mar ahead of the 2023 CARICOM meeting.

The individuals were also arrested for resisting arrest and causing a nuisance.

During the incident, an officer in plain clothes grabbed a female Tribune reporter’s iPhone as she filmed what was going on.

After minutes of explaining to the individual that the woman was a reporter, the phone was returned - however, the officer did not explain why the phone was taken.

A few officers also surrounded The Tribune’s male photographer at one point, however he was let go once it was explained he was with this newspaper and doing his job.

Some of Mr Bain’s supporters were also arrested later that same day while trying to gather at Goodman’s Bay Beach.

He said the group planning to protest in Miami are also upset that police stopped him from trying to demolish homes in a shanty town last week. He has claimed the land in question was leased to a Bahamian woman for farming, but is now occupied by shanty town residents.

“They're having a protest in front of the Bahamian embassy in Miami,” Mr Bain said. “They're going to write a document that outlines their concerns and they're going to deliver it to the Bahamian embassy.

“They invited us to come and be a part of this, and to also speak and let the international media, American media, know exactly how we are being treated in The Bahamas as Bahamians and as political leaders by our government defiling our constitutional rights.

“Because going from there, we're going to take this to the United Nations and so they're also willing to accompany us to the United Nations to make sure the Bahamian civil rights are not violated.”

“They were also disgusted that a media personnel had her device taken from her,” he said, referring to The Tribune reporter. “Another photographer, his device was taken and this should never happen in the civilised world.”