On Monday, February 17, 2011, the news of the arrest of Ambassador H. Dan Morias broke in Maryland. The County of Maryland in Liberia sits comfortably in the keyhole of the southeastern region of the country.
In about an hour in Harper, the streets began to swell with people stemming from elders to youths and women. They wanted to know what had happened. Because prior to that, the City was already tensed when the County Attorney arrived in Harper ahead of schedule for the February Term of Court. People wanted to know why he (County Attorney) arrived in Harper so early. Because news of the possible arrest of Amb. H. Dan Morais was circulating.
A group of chiefs, elders, youths and others met with the County Attorney, Cllr. Aloysius Allison, in his office to ascertain the facts. Cllr. Allison admitted that it is true his mission in Harper was to arrest the Ambassador. The people asked him not to. Because they (people) believe it is wrong to arrest nine others and keep them in prison without a trial and then come back and arrest another son of theirs for the same reason.
The crowd left the County Attorney's office and continued on to the Governor of the County, Hon. J. Gblebo Brown's residence. He (Governor) admitted that the County Attorney truly came to arrest Amb. Morais.
The people did the same thing that they did for the County Attorney - they advised the Governor not to carry on another arrest until the other nine of their sons and daughter in prison are tried in a competent court of jurisdiction. Otherwise, they would resist the arrest of Amb. Morais.
The last person that the people met that day to discuss this possible arrest of the Ambassador was the representative of the Harper District - Hon. James Biney. The people told Hon. Biney what they told the County Attorney and Governor - they would resist any arrest of one more of their children. Because the Government has not tried the rest that were arrested. And it's been almost one year ago.
It is upon this fact that when the news hit that the Ambassador was arrested and it was proven to be true, things began to take a different shape in the City. The people, mostly, the Greboes from the two chiefdoms (Kudemoweh & Numoweh), whose children had been previously arrested without a court trial and detained, began to engage the streets. Soon, there was an impromptu protest demonstration.
On that Monday, February 17, 2011, the march was peaceful. Chiefs, men, women and children as well as youths came from different persuasions. They chanted slogans and said, “Justice Delayed is Justice Denied!” and "Gloria, Ballout, Gblebo and Regina MUST resign!” They also chanted, "No Justice no election!"
Those who were out there did include, Friends of Morais (FOM) who are mostly Tubman University and high school students. Some of those FOM came from Pleebo, Harper, Karluway and Barrobo. Others came from social clubs, chiefs of the different towns, villages and hamlets.
They all were calling for the Fair & Speedy Trial of the previous 9 arrested on March 24 & 25, 2010. They added the Ambassador;s name to the list to be set free.
The March came from Downtown Harper, passed by the City Hall and then back Downtown before going to Bigtown (outsketch of Harper) where it originated. Tuesday, February 18, the same thing happened. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, 19, 20 & 21, respectively, the same thing happened, except that tear gas was used heavily on the protesters on Thursday. But on Saturday and Sunday, protest demonstration ceased temporarily.
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday the crowd grew larger and larger. Sooner not later, it would resemble Libya, Tunisia and elsewhere.
On Monday, February 28, 2011, protest demonstrators (men, women, elders, chiefs, youths) marched through the City again. The protesters ended up in the vicinity of the Harper City Hall. Between the Maximum Prison Compound and the City Hall all “hell” broke loose.
The Emergency Response Unit (ERU) began to fire tear gas at the crowd. Soon the crowd dispersed. It began to run in different directions like a defeated scout. A nine year old baby was tear-gas along with his mother. A young man around age 18 was shot. I visited with him at the hospital. Alphonso Howard is his name. He was in tears and blood running from his mouth in a container that the hospital provided for his use. He couldn’t talk. His entire mouth was ripped apart. Some say it wasn't a bullet. I like to know what it was that broke hjis teeth and open his jaw.
I left the hospital and went back to the location where the ERU was still violently pressuring the people. The plume of tear gas filled the entire area. I maneged to get through to pick up some elderly, cheifs and youths who we hit very hard. It was chaotic in the area. People were still running in different directions but mainly towards their locales where the protest demonstration originated - Bigtown.
The ERU kept on their backs as they were running back to their locales. Soon the ERU began to arrest individuals along the way. It arrested the ones that collapsed from extreme tear gas and pain and dumped them in Police padded wagons. All of those arrested were youths.
By the time the protesters reached in their neighborhood, six youths were already arrested and thrown in Police padded wagons. One of the youths arrested was already ill when he was arrested. He wasn’t one of the protesters. He was passing by. The crowd caught up with him. And he couldn’t running any faster because he was ill. So the Police arrested him. The Police kept him in jail for more than two days without medical attention. On the third day in jail, his illness became very serious. The Police took him to the hospital for a single injection to keep him alive in order for him to carry its orders - demonstrate planted evidence in their (Police) favor. Later on, they took the three youths back in jail. Messrs. Himmie Morais, Anthony Himmie Dison and Joseph Hodge remained in jail for exactly four days after the protest rally. The other two youths were released for “Lack of evidence” by the Police.
The three youths were released on Bill on Thursday, March 3, 2011 after four days of hard prison time. They had no food and water. They were deprived of telephone calls to family and legal counsel. They were processed through the Pleebo Magisterial Court. This a City where the incident did not occur. But they imprisoned the three youths in Harper Maximum Prison Compound.
On Monday, March 7, 2011, the Case of the three youths was moved on the Docket in the Pleebo Magisterial Court instead of the Harper Magisterial Court where the incident took place.
The Clerk called the Defendants and read the Charge (s) in court. According to what was read, the youths are charged with “Breaking the Law - illegal demonstration, failure to disperse, planting juju in front of the City Hall to kill people, asking Government officials to resign…”
At the Hearings, the Defendants showed up. There were Chiefs, youths, elders (men & women) and others. But the State (Prosecution) failed to show up.
So the Case is rescheduled for this coming Friday, March 11, 2011 at precisely 10am in Pleebo (an approximately 1-hour drive from Downtown Harper).
All is expected to be present.
The turn out for the youths was great. Tens and tens of Paramount and Clan chiefs and elders (men & women) from the different villages, towns, and hamlets around Harper were in full attendance. This sent a message that local government is undergoing a serious rock-and-roll.
I am Thomas G. Bedell writing and speaking from on the ground in Harper, Maryland County
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