Judge J. Kennedy Peabody of the Sixth Judicial Circuit Civil Law Court of Montserrado County on Monday, condemned the institutional oppression and suppressions that are ongoing in many parts of the world.
Speaking on behalf of the Civil Law Court Judges, while delivering his charge at the opening of the June Term of Court, he said, “Some people are being knelt upon and can’t breathe; yes, some people working under you can’t breathe; that is racism; you are kneeling on someone’s promotion; that is racism; when you hate someone, that is racism; sectionalism is racism; nepotism is racism; segregation is racism and moreover, tribalism is racism,” he noted.
He described the situation in the same scenario when the late black man, George Floyd died recently in the United States who was reportedly killed by a white cop who suffocated him by kneeling on his neck.
The Judge pointed out that, Liberia will not move forward if you dislike someone only because he or she is not your choice of candidate. “Unity and love build a nation but hate is a curse to a people and a nation,” he stated.
Peabody linked institutional breakdown with the suppression and oppression of people working under someone. He said, “Blacks’ lives matter and those who work under your welfare, and lives matter too.”
In solidarity of the late George Floyd, he concluded, “Ladies and gentlemen, in solidarity with ourselves, the African Americans and all people of color worldwide, and in honor of the late George Floyd, please rise with me for eight minutes and forty seconds.”
Also speaking was Cllr. Bobby Livingstone who represented the Liberia National Bar Association (LNBA). He informed attorneys and counselors that the Bar will be taking serious measures to deny practicing lawyers license who fail to meet with the Bar’s payment requirements for dues and taxes toward the building of its headquarters.
On the contrary, the County Attorney Cllr. Edwin Martin differed with him and said mere technicality should not be considered a policy to deny members their license to practice but rather seek advice from the Supreme Court and find an amicable solution in saving the reputable name of the LNBA.