‘FNM thug threw rock at gran’

By DANA SMITH

dsmith@tribunemedia.net

A 61-YEAR-OLD grandmother was hit in the eye by a rock that her daughter claims was thrown by a thug in an FNM t-shirt.

PLP supporter Rosanna Cash is now considering legal action as a result of her injury that happened during a nomination day parade walkabout with PLP leader Perry Christie.

Mrs Cash’s daughter, who is also named Rosanna Cash, was present when her mother was injured and claimed the rock-thrower was decked in FNM paraphernalia.

She said: “We were walking through McCullough Corner, me and my mother with Mr Christie, and some gentlemen in FNM shirts, they were throwing rocks. My mother got hit in her left eye... her eye has a very bad blood bruise inside of it.”

Her mother said: “I was walking close to my daughter and when we got almost on the turn there from McCullough Corner I saw these things fly cross. I saw the shadow of it fly.”

She said her daughter thought at first that the flying objects were coconuts, so they immediately ducked their heads for safety.

“When I held up my head again and looked, I saw another shadow so I put my two hands over my head and that’s when another lady got hit on her arm with the rock. When I held up my head again and turned left, I saw these two guys on the corner of the house and the only thing I could hear – bap! I got hit right in my left eye and I fell right to the ground,” she said.

Soon after being hit, Mrs Cash said persons around her lifted her up and sat her on a nearby wall.

“The doctor who was on the parade, he took some water and he began to wash my face and then, what made me get really scared, I saw blood coming from my eye,” she added.

Mrs Cash said Mr Christie asked her to go back to PLP headquarters, from where she went to the police to lodge a formal complaint.

“The sergeant who took my statement from me, she asked me if I wanted legal action, and I said, ‘yes man, I can’t let it go like that because I could have lost my eyesight’.”

Mrs Cash said Mr Christie then took her to a doctor for treatment, including several tests to ensure there was no extensive damage to her eye.

“I feel a little bit better, but my eye is still foggy,” she said. “Right now, it is burning me and I can’t face the sun.”

Mr Christie said police were also present during the attack.

He said: “They saw all of that and took immediate action and moved into the area and had patrol cars. They may have, as far as I’m aware, found one or two persons who they think may be associated with the rock-throwing.”

He called it a “dangerous thing” to happen as Mrs Cash could have potentially lost her eye.

“A happy occasion was really marred by that and we then proceeded just to go back to our headquarters because we realised that we had no control over stupid people doing stupid things,” he said.

Mr Christie added: “I have been loathe to describe it as a politically motivated attack but it just so happened we were PLPs marching in colours and someone attacked a PLP parade – that is the factual aspect of it.

“It is something that I decry and something that at all cost leaders must try to avoid happening in our country.”

The attack came on the same day – nomination day – that a group of thugs wearing PLP t-shirts were pictured driving over an effigy of an FNM supporter in the street. Several photographs were taken of this scene, which identified the perpetrators waving Shane Gibson banners. The photos were posted on the PLP’s Golden Gates Facebook. They were later taken down.

The FNM said it was “disappointed” no-one from the PLP’s party hierarchy had condemned the effigy attack - what it called “a senseless act.”

Minister of National Security Tommy Turnquest said: “The PLP claims to have some magic solution for crime. But it is now very clear to all Bahamians that the PLP isn’t serious about fighting violence in our country. How can they be if they can’t even speak out against acts that promote violence?”

Comments

BigD1 says...

This supposedly took place in the PLP stronghold area with Mr. Christie and the Police present and people wearing FNM shirts were throwing stones in the direction of the PLP leader and this is just being publiciesed now. I am an FNM but I am also a realist. Anyone who knows anything about this area would realise that this is most unlikely. I await to get the full story but there is something fishy here.

Posted 22 April 2012, 9:37 a.m. Suggest removal

des says...

FNM's supporters have no heart the woman was struck in her eye. When Shane Gibson supporters had the rag doll in the Road it was in the media and he was heavily criticized for it.

Posted 22 April 2012, 2:28 p.m. Suggest removal

notsogullible says...

I too am very suspect of who actually threw whatever it was that actually hit this special lady. PLP or FNM, it doesn't matter who she is affiliated with politically, this should never have happened. How do we know that this was not a PLP staged political stunt gone wrong. Why hasn't leader PGC actually encouraged this dear lady to press charges. Matter of fact, her family should ignore any advice not to pursue the matter because what was done was criminal and should be punished. Might they already know who has done this? Very suspect, I say.

Posted 22 April 2012, 3:26 p.m. Suggest removal

CEMA65 says...

Did you guys making all the negative comments about this poor lady actually read the article? It clearly stated that Mrs. Cash has already been to the police station to file a complaint and it directly directly quoted her as saying that she is going to take legal action. It was the reporter herself who editorialized that she is "considering" legal action. She then contradicted herself later in the story by quoting Mrs. Cash's exact words. Come on people. Do you really hate the people who support the PLP so much that you will make up anything to condone and diminish this or pretend like it didn't happen? Everyone believed the story about the FNM painted dog and felt sorry about it. But you people can't believe a human being? This is the problem now: Put people first my fellow Bahamians!!

Posted 23 April 2012, 4:12 a.m. Suggest removal

Gadfly says...

There should be no excuse proffered for this type of behavior nor should we as a society provide any refuge for these persons. This is nor should it be political. If it were my or your grandmother, mother or sister, I am certain that we would be calling upon the police to investigate, apprehend and charge these thugs. The real issue is not that Ms. Cash got hit in the face, though that is important, it is that there are those amongst us that would throw a missile into a peacefully assembled crowd with no obvious provocation and some of us would think that that is ok. Crime is not a political problem, its a social problem and until we as citizens accept our responsibilty for the crime in our society nothing will change.

Posted 23 April 2012, 9:18 a.m. Suggest removal

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