‘Disband de TTPS!’

Ah had one ah dem involuntary spasms when ah hear dat.

‘Disband de TTPS!’

Mih long distance discussion wid ah pardnah in Triniland did start orf as usual. First we tork about dis, den dat. Afterwards we move orn tuh dissectin’ de state ah affairs in de country.

‘Disband de TTPS!’

In ah way, dem discussions does provide mih ah opportunity tuh see how mih tinkin’ does compare tuh ah cross-section ah Triniland Trinis.

Is only one special Trini ah does need tuh tork to tuh know real quick how ah measurin’ up.

‘Disband de TTPS!’

Dis rongs, de cross-section move to de right ah where it was before. Given some ah de tings I does tink, ah not sure why hearin’ dem three words make mih twitch. Ah wasn’t sure how much ah was likin’ dis latest direction.

‘Disband de TTPS!’

It had more in dem words dan ah was hearin’. In dem was de voice of ah Trini so frustrated, dat when dey view de state ah affairs in de country, all de police in T&T should geh fired. Every larse one.

Ah did hear dat kind ah tork before, buh at dat time it wasn’t all de police, only dem over ah certain rank. Dem was de ones holdin’ tings back cause dey didn’t know how tuh change dey stripes. Dey had tuh geh let go.

When ah did hear dat original plan, ah tort it was radical. My Trini cross-section of one doh tork just fuh torkin’ sake, so ah did shut mih mouth tuh listen widout interruptin’. Ah hear how tuh pay dem fired police fuh all dey years of accumulated leave so dey departure would go as smood as any ting does go in Triniland. De govahment could use some ah de money it was savin’ after SAUTT geh mash up an’ all de retired English police geh run back tuh dey mudder country.

Afterwards, ah did find mihself tinkin’. A radical idea like dat was sure tuh wake people up. Ah was even puttin’ de pieces tuhgedder on how tuh implement it, like eef was me in charge. De hardest part would be how tuh full de void wid ah cadre ah smart professional younger officers no longer frustrated by old school superiors who tort policin’ was ah job not ah profession.

All dat was before dem three words.

‘Disband de TTPS!’

Is cocoa every man jack have in de sun, ah get tell. All ah dem takin’ orders from people who holdin’ files on dem in one hand, an’ pullin’ dey short hairs wid de udder hand.

When ah hear dat larse part ah had tuh cross mih legs, buh dat eh stop mih eyes from still waterin’ at de image. Ah barely manage tuh play devil’s advocate yes. Ah glad, as ah was able tuh understand how mih survey sample had changed. One ting was fuh sure, dis new idea eh just get pull out ah no body orifice.

‘Which part yuh go get de new police from?’

‘Yuh eh go have tuh go back tuh de same putrid pool tuh find replacements?’

‘Who go do de policin’ while it eh have no police?’

I tort dem was three borse questions right dey. Dotish me eh had no answer tuh de answers ah get.

Not tuh worry eef is from de same pool de new police go have tuh come from, ah get tell. Dem new ones go realize dat all joke done. Gettin’ rid ah de current TTPS go be ah gigantic step forward by itself, ah hear. Who go do de policin’ in de meanwhile? Not de regiment? Crime doh drop when dey out on de streets, ah geh asked. Besides, who name John tink he bad enough tuh tell ah soldier he cyar do he nuttin cause soldiers eh have no powers ah arrest? Dey in de streets, not in parliament kicksin’ arong. Is ah good ting dey couldn’t see how ah just smile an’ shake mih head up an’ dong in agreement wid dat.

Ah toss up Gibbs tuh keep de conversation goin’.

Dey dance dong de pitch an’ hit dat no-ball fuh six. Ah get informed dat Gibbs was between ah rock an’ ah hard place. He eh had no support as none ah dem didn’t like he since he was too much of ah ‘real police’. He end up cheupsin’ an’ wid he udder Canadian sidekick, walk orf wid dey money bags, ah get advised.

In ah way ah was sad.

Sad because ah wasn’t torkin’ tuh no radical. Ah wasn’t listenin’ tuh no flag-waver fuh none ah dem parties. In mih mind ah was seein’ ah member ah de silent majority. It was someone who was fed up wid Manning an’ Rowley, den was glad tuh see de PP an’ now dey was blasted vex, frustrated an’ disappointed. Toss some disillusionment in dey too. Ah was torkin’ tuh ah Trinbagonian Trini.

It have udders of course. Fuh starters it have de ones ah next pardnah doh stop torkin’ about. However many kinds it have, all waitin’ fuh 2015. We go see if Rudder still right an’ how dey vote is really not how dey does party. In de meantime, it have any set who eh want tings tuh done an’ return tuh some sense of what used tuh be de normalcy all ah dem dey did know?

Any such ah desire is de saddest part of it all fuh me cause I lived dat normalcy. It gorn fuh good. De only way tuh get it back is tuh close yuh eye an’ relive it. Just know dat when yuh open yuh eye is back tuh de present yuh is.

De new normalcy? Eef I want ah cell phone like yours I eh lookin’ tuh buy it, is yours ah takin’. Put up ah fight an’ ah prepared tuh stab not only yuh, buh yuh brudder too. An’ ah go get tuh enjoy de spoils of mih crime as chances are, any police dat does only solve 11 murders out ah 152, eh go solve de murders I just commit. Dat is not just de new normalcy, buh de facts ah life in Trinbago.

Disband de TTPS!

Never happen.

Eef de police have cocoa in de sun den what it is dem politicians have? Not plantations ah cocoa in de same sun? An’ dey breaksin’ no tail when ah dark cloud parse. Who eh done know how de place does flood when dem clouds form?

No TTPS officer go have tuh worry about dey organization gettin’ disbanded. Ent dat officer who slap de civilian on de 50^th anniversary ah independence still wukkin’? Eef dey cyar fire he, how dey go get rid of all de udders?

Anyways, me eh tink dat de idea of disbandin’ de police is de goal ah mih Trini cross-section. De call is symbolic I tink. It in protest ah de knowledge dat business go continue as usual. Like what go happen tuh dem two guppies dat geh cyatch in de diesel bunkerin’ scheme in Sea Lots. Dem go be de onlyest ones who go face de music while de carite an’ kingfish dat was part ah de plot eh go get hooked an’ reeled in tuh face dat music too. Fuh dat larse part tuh happen go be like seein’ God face in dis life. What we go see instead is more worried an’ frustrated people hardenin’ dey position an’ agreein’ tuh de idea ah not only radical action, buh willin’ tuh make deals dat go involve dey souls. Sometimes it does fell so good when yuh wrong. Me eh go get vex eef ah wrong nah.

Ah try tuh take de discussion wid mih one-person Trini posse in ah next direction. Was ah story bout ah class ah crime scene investigators just graduatin’ who decide dat direction. Ah wanted tuh know what de arse dey does really do an’ how any ah it helpin’ in de fight against murders. Dat one cyatch de whole posse orf guard. Dey answer eh sound like dey was too sure deyself. ‘Collect evidence, bullets?’

Ah tort ah was distractin’ dem from dey frustrations when ah bring up udder people CSI. Ah know ah was on dangerous grong since ah doh normally like tuh make dem comparisons: too many variables. Ah still went ahead as ah was gettin’ desperate.

Ah use de memory ah pictures ah see tuh describe how dem CSI does be when dey searchin’ fuh evidence. On dey hands an’ knees.

Right away ah did know what de person on de udder end ah de conversation was tinkin’.

On hands an’ knees.

Ah had tuh ask mihself dat next question.

Could part ah dat pose wuk too fuh T&T? Ah mean how many ah we does assume dat position when we tink is de onlyest place tuh turn fuh help?

Disband de TTPS?

Since dat eh go happen, maybe dem knees is de place tuh be. De prayin’ could start from now tuh save time. Will it bring de opposite of ah symbolic response?