A public demonstration demanding transparency and justice for the death of 35-year-old Rashawn “Turtle” Shabazz while in custody at His Majesty’s Prison is set to take place on Thursday, August 20. Organizers have announced that the picket will kick off at 8:30 a.m., staged outside the dual locations of the prison compound and the headquarters of the Ministry of Legal Affairs, amplifying the call for answers from state authorities.
Shabazz’s death dates back to July 23, when a controversial cell extraction operation carried out with police assistance led to his passing. Multiple reports confirm that during the forced removal, law enforcement deployed less-lethal crowd control measures: rubber bullets and tear gas were used to subdue Shabazz before his death. The circumstances of the operation have already sparked widespread public anger and raised serious questions about the use of force against incarcerated people.
At the center of the controversy are lingering contradictions over Shabazz’s placement in custody. His father, Khalid Shabazz, has publicly challenged authorities, questioning how his son ended up detained in a maximum-security prison when court orders allegedly required he receive mental health care at the Clarevue Psychiatric Hospital instead. The discrepancy has fueled claims of institutional negligence that contributed to the 35-year-old’s death.
Beyond demanding a full accounting of the events that led to Shabazz’s death, protest organizers have laid out clear, high-stakes demands for institutional change. They are calling for formal accountability from all officials involved in Shabazz’s custody and care, and have issued explicit demands for two senior leaders to step down: Lieutenant Colonel Trevor Pennyfeather, the Superintendent of Prisons, and Steadroy “Cutie” Benjamin, the country’s Justice Minister.