The President of the Beausejour Community Group, Jim Joseph, has spoken out regarding reports that Gros Islet residents beat up a man accused of breaking into a house in their community.
The incident occurred on Wednesday morning, June 21, 2023.
Social media videos of an injured man on the ground with a woman off-camera telling others not to hit him again went viral.
The President of the Beausejour Community Group in Gros Islet told St. Lucia Times he believed the incident was isolated and did not constitute a trend.
“I am not pro ‘vigilante justice’ because I believe that we should all allow due process, which is in place to deal with those things,” Jim Joseph told St. Lucia Times.
But he explained that whenever there is a failure in the due process chain, there is a need to identify and address the shortcoming.
In addition, Joseph spoke of the need to understand the chain of events that would lead an aggrieved individual to mete out ‘justice’.
However, he explained that justice pertains to fairness, equity, understanding the circumstances, and providing penalties commensurate with a crime.
“So I do not think that justice should be the right word in this incident,” the Beausejour Community Group President stated.
“What are the supporting or enabling factors that are there or not there to cause somebody to do what they did in the first place? Is there a support system for that particular person who would resort to that,” he stated regarding the home invasion suspect.
“Is there a psychological problem, or are there psycho-social problems? You want to know how you could solve the problem and how it would not reoccur,” Joseph explained.
“We have to look at this from a broader context. We cannot look at it from the perspective that the justice system has failed or the community is frustrated,” the Beausejour Community Group President told St. Lucia Times.
“We have to look at it from a broader perspective to see where all of us are falling short ,” Joseph declared.
Headline photo: Injured suspect being led away by the police.
Remember the elder who was killed by the young boy from the Boys Home. This story could have ended in like manner. Thank God no one was killed – while I too believe in the justice system – enough is enough in St. Lucia with these lazy good for nothings – whose sole purpose in life appears to be crime – let this be a lesson for the fool and for his fellow students in the career criminal institution.
The lousy system in st lucia is the reason why people are resorting to vigilante justice
I support swift justice, meaning trash anyone @$$ if they intrude your privacy more so to steel what you work for. People who do not experience the harsh reality at those vagabonds will only beat their tantrum as opposed to the ones who suffers at the at hands of these cockroaches who chooses to make stealing there profession. As the article is suggesting several factors, at the same time you know the energy thieves have to disbursed when going to steal someone else things. Think of the steps involved. Additionally what about killing or inflection of harm to the home dweller
When the short coming come by you we see what you do.
Y’all better be careful. He is a known thug. Y’all should have done your patriotic duty and put an end to that.
People no longer have confidence in the Courts system of justice, with criminals being Bailed out, then being free to commit same crimes all over again; I don’t blame people for taking justice by their own hands. People are fed up and have had enough. Be careful the criminal could be Armed, but don’t kill him in the process; remember ‘thou shalt not kill/steal’ Deut: 5: 17, 19.
I am not sure if they still do this but I remember on stlucianewsonline the police would always put out an article about know your laws and one of them was
30.ARREST WITH OR WITHOUT PROCESS FOR CRIME
(1)         A person may—
(a) Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â with or without warrant or other legal process, arrest and detain another person whom he or she knows to have committed an indictable offence;
(b) Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â if the other person, having notice or knowing that he or she is accused of an indictable offence, avoids arrest by resistance or flight or escapes or endeavours to escape from custody,
-use any force which is necessary for the arrest,detention or recapture, and may kill that other person if that other person cannot otherwise be arrested, detained, or retaken by any other means.
34.REASONABLE USE OF FORCE IN SELF-DEFENCE
A person may use such force as is reasonable in the circumstances—
(a) Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â to prevent crime;
(b) Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â to protect himself or herself or another person from injury;
(c) Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â to protect himself or herself or another person (with his or her authority) from trespass to himself or herself or the other person;
(d)         to protect from injury or damage his or her property or property belonging to another person with that person’s authority.
36.FORCE TO REPEL TRESPASSER
A person in actual possession of a house, land or vessel, or goods, or any other person authorized by him or her, may use the force reasonable in the circumstances as is necessary for the purpose of resisting a person who attempts forcibly and unlawfully to enter such house, land or vessel, or to take possession of the goods.
First and foremost why does this Jim guy always out there looking for publicity. Go make children and keep quiet. Chooppss Tan. Another Lucian looking for relevance.
If a vote was to be taken the majority would be in favor of vigilante justice, because the same majority are sick and tired of overwhelming unsolved crime and the few who are apprehended for serious crime
If a vote was to be taken, the majority would be in favor of vigilante justice as long as there is no death involved, because the same majority are sick and tired of the overwhelming unsolved crimes . To make matters worse, the criminals get punishments that are too lenient. The citizenry sees no hope that serious crimes will ever be controlled or reduced.