One year later, Ryan Crawford doesn’t regret confrontation with traffic officer

One year after a video went viral of him in an expletive-laden confrontation with a Police traffic officer, attorney-at-law Ryan Crawford says he does not regret the incident and said it served to send a message that citizens should not be subjected to Police excesses.

“I think what we have done in this country (is that) we have given up so much rights to so many entities, especially the Police, so I don’t regret it,” he told the News Room in an interview Thursday.

“Had I known he would have posted the video I would have said more funny things,” said Crawford. He doubted that the “more funny things” would have meant less expletives.

“My (family) from West Coast Berbice – they curse a lot; so, I guess I inherited that.

“Somehow when you say the curse words – to me – it sounds better, it emphasises the point.”

After the video went viral, Crawford teamed up with fellow Berbice attorney and former Magistrate Chandra Sohan to launch the Federal United Party (Fed Up).

But he said the formation of the party started in 2016.

“I am just looking for a country that is progressive,” he stated.

Crawford admits that now he is known for his use of expletives but he hopes that persons can focus on what he trying to achieve with the political movement.

“Most people got to know me by a video; what they focused on was the language but somewhere in that message was seriousness to it and I think a lot of people missed that.”

He said he was pointing out that the constitution of Guyana affords citizens certain fundamental rights and citizens must not be taken advantage of by the Police.

As an attorney, he said he knows of many instances where innocent persons are charged by the Police and there are times when files just disappear.

“If we don’t curtail the power of the Police then we are going to end up in serious problems,” Crawford stated.

He said citizens must not be stopped and searched on the whims and fancies of the Police.

Crawford is facing several charges as a result of the September 13, 2018 incident and the matters are before the court.