Officers of the Guard and Emergency Branch (GEB) squared off with a coalition group over a drum protest at the St James Ampitheatre.
Members explained that they were granted permission to use the facility, only to be told by the GEB, after the event had started, that they had to disperse or face arrest. The incident caused tempers to flare, as many verbally lashed out at the Government for not dealing with pertinent issues at the Fifth Summit of the Americas.

Hurling remarks, the protesters jeered the GEB for “abusing their authority and not having a grip on crime.” Truth Drummers is a coalition of several farming, civil rights and environmental groups in T&T, who included Verna St Rose, Peter Vine and Prof Wayne Kublalsingh. “Shame on you! Prime Minister Patrick Manning is a dictator! This is our right!” the members screamed at the GEB, who were armed with guns, batons and shields over their faces, as they inched into their space. But the situation was quelled when Senior Superintendent Eulyn Julius intervened, advising the GEB to return to the nearby St James Police Station.

Attorney Vernon De Lima, who spoke to three senior officers present, warned that if they touched one member, the situation could result in loss of life. “I am sure the police are more frightened than these people here,” De Lima remarked. “We are not going to let fear stop us,” St Rose chipped in, waxing up the crowd. Unfazed by the threats, the members stood their ground, refusing the budge.

Superintendent Smith instructed the DJ to turn off the speakers. Protesters then lost their cool and shouted down the police for several minutes. “We are losing our democracy,” shouted Wendell Manwarren of 3-Canal. “What will your children inherit? We own this country. We have a right to expression of freedom.” In passing their stinging comments, they chastised the Government for spending billions on the summit which they claim will not benefit the people of T&T in the years to come.