Open eLetter To Derek Mitchell, President, National Democratic Institution (NDI).
FROM: T. Gbuo-Mle Bedell
Pyongyang, Harper City
Maryland County, Liberia
Cell:+231.886.920.151/886.920.151
Email: geesayfannokon@yahoo.com, osygefo@hotmail.com
January 28, 2020
REPOST: February 5, 2021
Dear Mr. Derek Mitchell:
Greetings! We are writing you and your institution, (National Democratic Institution's, NDI), this eLetter from deep in the belly and keyhole of the southeastern region of Liberia, where we have no access to good road to travel to and receive goods from Monrovia and are therefore marginalized, Maryland County, to be exact. We are writing in the name of tens and tens of police brutality victims (dead and alive) in Liberia. And that's because we are deeply troubled in heart and very concerned over your Institution's, (NDI) activities in Liberia dictated by your recent condemnation of the Liberian government's handling of protesters and followed by your call for an "independent" investigation for "police brutality" on December 30, 2019!
This eLetter is bold, Mr. Mitchell! Because, we are deeply troubled with your recent call! As such, it is our strongest desire to earnestly ask you: when did you and NDI discovered police brutality in Liberia? Was it on December 30, 2019? Or when?
For you see, Derek, in June 2012, the infamous Emergency Response Unit (ERU) of The Liberia National Police (LNP), viciously brutalized Yours Truly, in the city of Pleebo, Maryland County, Republic of Liberia, on an illegal and unlawful Order from the Pleebo Magisterial Court. Notice, only the Minister of Justice and Police Director are clothed with the Power to authorize any action of The Emergency Response Unit (ERU) of the Republic of Liberia. Therefore, the Order from the Court was not only unlawful, illegal, unethical and morally wrong, but also was a gross violation of the Rule of Law! Worst, it was unleashed upon an innocent, armless, law-abiding, taxpaying, peaceful civilian citizen, who is a whistleblower and social justice advocate. Yours Truly was dehumanized and brutalized for no apparent reason other than injustice and admitted at The J. J. Dossen Hospital in Harper for several days for medical treatment before being airlifted to J. F. K. Hospital in Monrovia by the UN due to the severity of the medical case. Yours Truly, remained at J. F. K. for several days before being released to go home.
Upon returning into the general population, Yours Truly, embarked upon a quest for justice (seeking the truth). The path to that quest went through the Police Department to the Ethics Commission of The Supreme Court and into your offices in Sinkor, Monrovia.
Dr. Togba-Nah Tipoteh, one of our teachers, mentors and an incorruptible leader in the struggle for "Rice and Rights," became deeply concerned over the situation. So, he recommended Yours Truly, to your offices to help pursue justice. Unfortunately, your institution miserably failed. NDI dilly-dally and went pussyfooting all long the way! In the end, Dr. Tipoteh was disappointed in your institution. And Yours Truly was also disappointed! That's why when we heard that you "condemned" police brutality on December 30, 2019, and called for an "independent" investigation, we wobbled in the knee from the shock that hit us! We are still wondering and pondering as to why now that you and NDI are condemning police brutality on a massive scale and calling for an "independent" investigation when as a matter of fact and history, you never did so in tens and tens of police brutality cases that you were aware of in Liberia.
For example, in 2010, in the same city of Pleebo, Maryland County, Gator Doe, an aimless young civilian was shot at point blank range by the infamous ERU. He was left in the street gutters to bleed to death in the City. He and other employees, of the Cavalla Rubber Corporation (CRC), a French multinational corporation, were exercising their labor, human and democratic rights by blowing alarm on the Corporation's bad labor practices.
Not only that, in the same 2010, in Harper City, the capital of Maryland County, a young lad was bloody up with brute force by the same infamous ERU! While bleeding profusely, the young lad was locked up in The Harper Maximum Prison and left without medical care. He ran out of blood and suddenly died! Yours Truly joined the bereaved family to call for justice. NDI was nowhere to be found!
Will it not be fair when the ordinary Liberian thinks you are attempting to maximize profit (whatever profit) at the expense of the current Liberian government by condemning its recent approach to crowd control during a mass demonstration on December 30, 2019? Or could it be that you are helping to put the people against their Government?
Whatever your answers will be to these troubling questions, we are bold to ask, which side are you really on, Derek?
Are you on the side of justice or injustice or you are just racist or leading a discriminatory organization? Because, tens and tens of police brutality victims are still languishing throughout the corridors of this country crying for justice. And NDI remains silent! You and NDI never care to look into any of these cases nor help the victims seek justice. Pitifully, some of these victims are today sitting in wheel chairs. Those who died, families are still weeping and mourning over their untimely deaths and unbefitting burials. Those who were shot at point blank range and the ones who died with shackles at the brutal hands of the police, have their children growing up without fatherly love. Have you ever enquired or call for an "independent" investigation in these cases? The answer is a resounding "no!" Because, if you did, the victims would have known! Why are you doing so now, we ask?!
To date, as we opine, some of the courts in Maryland County are threatening, intimidating, insulting, humiliating and grossly imposing unlawful fines on innocent poor and harmless citizens and residents for no apparent reason other than being poor! Some of these courts deny people of Due Process! And because of the lack of lawyers in the County, some magistrates imprison the accused for far too long without having the right to legal Defense. We are talking about pretrial detainees, as well! They're locked up almost forever without a trial! Some go free when their families and friends bribe. Those who have no friends and family available or with no availability of money, rot in prison! More injustice is done to Marylanders with complaints! Offices in Monrovia demand the poor and penniless complainants to traveled to Monrovia in order to file their complaints. And these offices know fully well that the road from Maryland to Monrovia is not accessible to. As such, cases in Maryland remain untouched and injustice double. Worst of all, it costs the poor people an arm, leg and kidney to pay transportation fare to Monrovia. With all these things happening right before your nose, you pretend not to see nor hear the crying of the poor! So it seems like, it is absolutely true that, there's no justice for the poor! Your attitude in Liberia affirms that!
Mr. Derek, did you not say in your philosophy that you are, "nonpartisan, nonprofit" and that you "work with partners...to increase effectiveness of Democratic institutions"? That philosophy is sitting on your website! Then why do you contradict yourself in practice? Or is it because you are dealing with Blacks in Africa?
Mr. Mitchell, how many times have you and NDI ever traveled to Maryland to do your work? Because, you see, if you had done so, you would have known and seen all of these travesties of justice we are writing about. Some Magistrates are running around here intimidating and locking whistleblowers and other people up as if Maryland were "Wild, Wild West"! Remember Derek, Monrovia is not Liberia! We all live in Liberia! And Monrovia is just the capital. Please move around the country! We suggest, in so doing, open your eyes and mind! And free yourself from prejudice and discrmination!
Currently, we have cases for the attention of The Supreme Court in Maryland. But it is like going to Heaven in the eye of a needle. Transportation to Monrovia is difficult if not impossible due to critically bad road condition! Can you then help our poor people take their cases further for justice or you prefer for them to engage the streets before you think it is a serious matter?
Please wake up, Sir, and do the job you assigned yourself! If you can't do the job without discrimination and prejudice, then shut up! Otherwise, get up now and call for investigation in some of these judicial malpractices, misconducts and police brutality!
Mr. Mitchell, reply to us or don't reply, entirely rests on you! You will only be demonstrating your defense and/or defects of your institution's Mission & Vision Statements in practice!
Thanks for granting us a hearing! Be well, Derek and Peace! Look forward to hearing from you very soon! I am,
Yours Kindly,
T. Gbuo-Mle Bedell
Social Justice Advocate working pro bono, victim of police brutality and political persecution...
