Police Killings Spark Crisis in Guyana
August 16, 2012 Originally posted on NACLA.org This year in Guyana, Emancipation Day —the day which commemorates the abolition of slavery —was not a cause of celebration but was marked instead by widespread sadness and anger. On August 1, the funerals of three men —Shemroy Bouyea, Ron Somerset, and Allan Lewis —were held, as all three men had been shot dead by Guyanese security forces during a protest regarding government plans to increase electricity rates in the bauxite mining town of Linden. Almost two weeks earlier, on July 18, the men were part of a large, ongoing protest calling for Guyanese President Donald Ramotar to reverse his decision to increase electricity rates in the community. Opposition to the issue of increased electricity tariffs is not something new in Linden as former President Bharrat Jagdeo tried to implement similar reforms in July 2008 but eventually backed down due to widespread community opposition . While the proposed increase of electricity rates i