THE EDITOR, Sir:

It's documented in 'history' that 45 years after Emancipation from slavery in Jamaica, the law was revised to state that no black person should be seen selling anything other than ground provisions and fish. It's also documented in 'history' that the police force was formed to suppress the Morant Bay Rebellion.

Now that I learnt these facts, I won't ponder anymore why there are police running down ordinary black people who are peddling a few commodities on the streets of downtown Kingston and other towns across the island, seizing their goods and locking them down in jails for court appearances where they are fined or sentenced to prison.

Not to be forgotten is the way the police treat ordinary black people who struggle through life to own a motor vehicle. These vehicles are being seized by the police in most instances on trumped-up traffic violations, placed on wreckers, taken to the pound in a bid to have the owners or operators pay some big fines for release of these vehicles. If this is not revenue trapping, I don't know what else to call it.

Here is a narrative from the Honourable Marcus Garvey for the police to think on. "The present day Negro or 'coloured' intellectual is no less a liar and a cunning thief than his illustrious teacher. He is lazy, dull and uncreative; his purpose is to deceive the less fortunate of his race and by his wiles ride easily into position and wealth at their expense.

"The race needs men of vision and ability, men of character and, above all, men of honesty and that is so hard to find."

I am, etc.,

ALLAN MARTIN

Namibia