On Tuesday, we told you about the ugly scene that played at the Big Falls Community Center on Sunday as Area Representative and Minister of State Juan Coy clashed with Bartolo Teul, a prominent conservationist and community member from that area. Teul says he was questioning the minister’s slate for Big Falls’ Village council elections. He says Coy became angry when he persisted in his comments and ordered police to remove him from the meeting. Teul – who campaigned for Coy in the 2008 elections – has now turned bitterly against his one time political ally.
But what really happened the village community center? In the modern democratic milieu where unfettered free speech means just picking up a phone and calling a radio station, it sounds almost outlandish to even attempt to throw a citizen out of a public meeting for voicing his opinion. But that’s just what eyewitnesses say happened. Our contact in PG Wil Maheia who is an independent political activist spoke to some of the Big Falls residents who were at the meeting and saw what happened.
Mr. Pau, Resident – Big Falls
“Bartolo asked a question and he said like this, ‘who put those people.’ But the Minister said he couldn’t answer the question and that is what caused the problem. Mr. Bartolo Teul was asking about ten times and he could not answer the question. Always he said like this, I came to present the slate we elected but we didn’t elect nobody, he selected them himself.”
Marie Aleman, Chairman – Water Board
“It was obvious he got upset after the first few statements that Mr. Teul made.”
Wil Maheia,
“And after he got upset with the statement that was made by Mr. Bartolo Teul, what happened?”
Marie Aleman,
“He asked Mr. Bartolo for the mic and Bartolo said there are two mics, why don’t you go and get the other one.”
Rogelio Carles, Resident – Big Falls
“Mr. Coy came and wanted to strong the mic from Bartolo and Bartolo said we have two mics, use the next mic and answer my question and he didn’t want to and so he called the police and said take him from here. The Minister instructed the police to take Bartolo from there. So I thought they were just going to move Bartolo from the site but when I looked I saw them strangling and shoving him and one of his slippers dropped and he bent down to get it and they still pushed him. I don’t know why Mangar will charge him for resisting arrest.”
“Bartolo said what did I do, I didn’t do anything, and this is a democratic country and I have the right to talk. Bartolo almost fell down the stairs because Mangar was holding him by his shirt like that.”
Neither Coy nor the government have issued any comment on what happened. Bart Teul who is the husband of UDP Senator Pulcheria Teul has been charged with assault of a police officer and will re-appear in court on May 11th.
