‘ALL OF MI BODY A HURT MI’ - Autistic youngster beaten by students remains in fear, constant pain

When Tyree Green, along with his sisters Georgette and Cameka walked in their community in west Kingston, his face grimaced with each step.

Using his hand to balance, Green slowly sat on an old refrigerator beside his siblings. The 21-year-old, autistic sixth-form student of Denham Town High School said he has been in severe pain since last Wednesday, following a grievous assault by two of his schoolmates.

"Mi nuh sleep good at nights from it happen because mi a feel a lot of pain. Mi head and mi side and all of mi body a hurt mi, and mi feel 'fraid sometimes," he said.

A viral video of the incident shows two students repeatedly kicking and slapping Green, after instructing him to kneel on the floor. Jamaicans at home and across the globe have expressed outrage. Green said that it was not the first time he was beaten and bullied by the boys, who had also threatened him after the latest incident.

On the day in question, the youngster said while he was speaking with girls in a grade-10 classroom, one of his attackers called him.

"Dem start ask di girl 'bout her parents and where she live, and then one a dem call mi in di class and start box mi and a ask mi who di girl. Dem beat mi and kick mi, and then dem shove mi out a the class. One of them threaten mi and say mi must not tell anybody, or look what mi a go get," he said.

As he spoke, Cameka, who said that she has played the role of his mother for years, admitted feeling "cut up" about the incident. She said they will be taking him to get a more thorough medical check-up, as they are worried that he may have internal injuries.

"He is autistic and it's an everyday thing at school for him. Mi a seek justice fi mi likkle bredda, because we mother don't even know because she get two strokes and is bedridden. So we don't even let she know what a gwaan, because we don't want her to get a third one and it kill her," Cameka shared.

"All now mi can't finish look pon di video, because it too terrible to watch. Mi go on social media and everyone a 'chaw iron' 'bout it. Mi blood get cold when mi watch it, and mi can't believe say people so heartless and wicked. Dem deh people deh nuffi deh a school, man, because dem deh is not school pickney," she sounded.

Swift action by the Kingston West police led to the arrest of the suspects, who were slapped with charges of assault occasioning bodily harm.

Rumours began swirling that a member from Green's family had attacked relatives of the suspects' families, including a sister, who had to be hospitalised after a beating. However, Cameka rubbished this.

"Unno people on social media who a walk a spread rumours, unno need fi stop it. A bare lie unno a walk a tell. If unno wah help we, unno can help we demonstrate fi mi brother, but don't walk and spread fake news," she said.

Georgette said that she, too, is disheartened by the trauma her sickly brother endures, noting how she watches helplessly as he stays up at night crying in pain.

"It inna police hands and mi a leave it to dem. But mi leave dem youth deh to God, because God is the master and judge of everything. Mi bredda can't sleep at nights and a bare pain him a feel. Him a walk and limp now, and he has not gone back to school," Georgette admitted. "He is 21 and still in school, so that show you the challenges that he has; and now them gone beat him up [it] make things worse."