An Antigua and Barbuda-based justice advocacy organization, Justice Now, has issued a public call for community members to join a peaceful demonstration outside the national Police Headquarters this month, pushing law enforcement authorities to deliver long-awaited clarity on a backlog of unsettled criminal cases.
The planned picket is set to kick off at 4 p.m. on Thursday, September 24, at the Police Headquarters located on American Road in St. John’s — an address officially confirmed as the force’s central command by the Royal Police Force of Antigua and Barbuda. Under the rallying slogan “Justice Now — The Wait Has Gone On Long Enough,” the event is designed to shine a sustained spotlight on a wide range of unresolved cases that have left families without closure. These include uninvestigated or unsolved murders, unresolved missing person reports, suspicious deaths in custody, and other unaddressed criminal matters where victims and their loved ones continue to wait for formal police support and answers.
In a public statement announcing the demonstration, representatives from Justice Now emphasized that far too many homicide cases remain closed without resolution across the country, while dozens of missing person cases have been left stagnant, leaving grieving families with no concrete information about their loved ones’ fates. The organization firmly holds that every family affected by these unresolved cases has a fundamental right to have their concerns heard by authorities, and no case should be pushed out of public consciousness and official priorities simply because months or years have passed since the incident.
“Every life matters, every family deserves to be heard, and no case should simply fade from public memory because time has passed,” the group reiterated in its statement.
The upcoming picket is the latest high-profile action from Justice Now, which has emerged as a prominent voice calling for reform in the country’s correctional system in recent weeks. The group has been openly critical of conditions inside His Majesty’s Prison, particularly around handling of inmate deaths in custody, and has repeatedly pushed for stronger institutional accountability and systemic changes to the treatment of incarcerated people living with mental health conditions. Organizers are urging all community members who support the call for justice for affected families to join the peaceful gathering next week.