The Desmond Trotter Case
Around carnival time, February 1974, an American tourist John Jirasek was killed. Police affidavits were later entered into evidence, which purported to show that one Antiguan female visitor (alias Pretty Pig) was in the company of Roy Mason when, Desmond Trotter, whispered excitedly, "I just kill a white man". On the basis of that (and other evidence that Trotter was found with the murder weapon) both Mason and Trotter were charged and tried for murder.
The case of The Queen v. Desmond Trotter and Roy Mason was the most politically charged trial in Dominica at that time, and drew huge crowds which blocked the courthouse entrance and overflowed into the nearby grounds of the Roseau Public library. Many of Desmond Trotters believed that he was a valiant black power activist who was framed by 'babylon' system. To his detractors, in both the Labor government and Freedom party (who shared in attacking Trotter and those who shared his political views) he was a troublemaker whose bad influence had "spoilt peoples children" and ruined the tourism industry. Trotter was defended by a young lawyer from Grenada, who was to endear himself to Dominican youth who adhered to black power thought, Maurice Bishop . Later to-be-foreign minister in the Freedom Party government, Brian Alleyne joined in the defense. Mason was found not guilty. Trotter lost and was sentenced to hang.
Though found guilty, a world-wide appeal was launched by black power, humanitarian and liberal organizations. In Dominica, pamphlets and wall-slogans alleged a "frame-up" and called for Trotter's release. Trotter's death sentence was later commuted, with his final release occurring during the tumult of 1979.
Desmond Trotter's trial represented the split in the movement of black power thought. M.N.D. and its organ ‘Twavay’ were more effective in pointing out problems...Read More>>
INTERVIEW EXTRACT OF DESMOND TROTTER BY RAS ALBERT WILLIAMS
RAS ALBERT WILLIAMS: When the time came, when the government formed this plot against you. Can you recall where exactly were you when you where arrest and accused of this crime?
RAS KABINDA HABRE SELLASSIE: When I was arrested and thing?
RAS ALBERT WILLIAMS: Yeah
RAS KABINDA HABRE SELLASSIE: What happen, my foot had got blown up, remember a bomb had blown up in my foot.
RAS ALBERT WILLIAMS: That as when and where?
RAS KABINDA HABRE SELLASSIE: That was in…remember them arrest me… I go in jail in 1974. My case was in November I think. Sometime in March April May or one of them time there, what happen, my foot had get burned. And after the foot got burned then after this thing happened over the carnival. It was a carnival period this man got shot and during that time there, I was sick also I had fever, I used to suffer from bronchitis. At that time, I used to work in the police station, you overstand. I used to be the votes clerk in the traffic department I was the man receiving all money for licenses and things like that, and at that time I was on sick leave during the carnival period when that man got shot.
RAS ALBERT WILLIAMS: You said that your foot got burned by a bomb explosion?
RAS KABINDA HABRE SELLASSIE: Yeah, Yeah!
RAS ALBERT WILLIAMS: So how did that happen? Where did that happen?
RAS KABINDA HABRE SELLASSIE: That happen through….remember that Manicou Movements was more like a guerrilla movement. Here were certain things that were being planned and thing, and sometimes things happen other wise. You overs, that is what really happen.
RAS ALBERT WILLIAMS: Where were you at that time you said, you were on your job when they came for you?
RAS KABINDA HABRE SELLASSIE: No no I was in my yard, [home] at that time I was sick. Remember I told you that my foot had get burned. So after the foot got burned…the thing happened over the carnival time. At the time I was sick at my home from bronchitis and them thing, and a little time after that the foot got burned, and thing like that and while my foot was burned, while I was in my house that is when they come and arrest I thing like that. At first they had pick up my elder brother[ Garner Trotter] and Roy [Mason], and thing like that, and then afterwards, yeah what happen was.. I was on a movements on the road walking with some of the other man them. Remember Doctrove and some of the younger brothers and we were going on a movement and certain things happen then. Somebody put a, plant a weapon in the bucket that I was carrying. The bucket I was carrying , is either that or somebody took my bucket that I was carrying with little food and we say we going up in the mountain for a time and chill, and when we reach at Fond Cole, we stayed there to go check an elder man. So when we reach there we ask every man what is their position, if they have any weapon, and thing like that. Because it don’t make sense to carry thing like that because is on the road we are walk, and you know how Babylon is so just keep calm, and everybody say they clean. So when we leave to walk together and when reach a certain distance we see the Babylon pass us, so I leave to go up the mountain track to just walk a little faster and avoid the main road. So when I see nobody doh come yet I stand up and wait for them. While I waiting on them, I just see the Babylon vehicle come up on I. And when they come up on I, they say they want to search me. So I said no problem. All I have in my bag is stores, but when them search in the bucket them find a weapon, .32 revolver. I don’t know up to this day how this weapon get into that, you understand? I have no idea of that weapon at all. And that is what they use, once they get that weapon now, they show me that they found a gun in the bucket I was carrying and they used that as the pretext to say that is the weapon that shoot the white man, and then they just start to frame it around me. And then this Antiguan woman, who I never know in my life, never see in my life, the police them force her…she had over stay in Dominica, then the police force her to say she hear me say during the carnival talking to Roy, or somebody like that, “ that I just do a good job, I shoot a white man.” and kind of Talk like that
RAS ALBERT WILLIAMS: Okay…alright and erm…
RAS KABINDA HABRE SELLASSIE: Well that is how the frame up really come about. That is how they had me. Just the other day I was meditating I should sue the British government because they were complicit in them things. It had to be the British that were behind those kind of things, because even while I was there to hang and everything, when I lose all my appeals from the Privy Counsel, and I just had about 21 days to live because they say I lost the last appeal, a white, a white man come to me twelve a clock in the cell in DA, and he tell me he come straight from the Privy Counsel, he is this and he is that, and if I want to live I must make a sworn statement telling all the brothers to come out from the hills, and give up the struggle, and things like that, and that they will save my life, and those kind of talk, you know. And I tell him best he go and build his gallows because he can’t tell me to say that because they don’t have no right to treat us like that and persecute us like that, and we don’t have no assurance that they will stop treating us like that. But is was the British government that had a direct hand that was involved in this thing. At that time we more…all the papers we were printing and thing we used to be attacking the imperialistic, colonialist empire of the world that were controlling all of us in the Caribbean as African people. Our target point was more America and England so is there involvement in all those things, and Patrick John was just a puppet, you understand?
RAS ALBERT WILLIAMS: Yeah!…okay
For the full interview click here.