And while the PUP council is divided - and the Central Government is mute - the UDP is having a field day with the Mica matter.
As we told you the party had a press conference today - and UDP Shadow Minister for National Security Mike Peyrefitte said punitive action should have already been taken against Goodin:
Mike Peyrefitte, UDP Shadow Minister of Security
"And nobody has moved to say suspend him, reprimand him in any way so far. It is hypocrisy. People have been charged for less than this situation. I'll get into the law and OJ can correct me - seems to be more active than me these days. People have been charged for less than what Micah Goodin finds himself in today. You have shots coming from a vehicle, a report is made. Tarique James was in Micah Goodin's vehicle and he has been charged with discharging a firearm in public. Under the law, Micah Goodin being the owner and controller of that vehicle is responsible for what comes from that vehicle. If I am driving in a vehicle and I give somebody a ride, and the police see me throw a gun out that vehicle, I am responsible, because I am the owner and the controller of that vehicle until it can be disprove by me that it wasn't me who threw it out the window. So when shots come from your vehicle as is reported you are responsible and you are supposed to be charged, because that has the markings of a joint enterprise. And why don't the police do what they always do, charge everybody and sort it out later. Thats what they normally do, so what is so different now. If you are the deputy mayor and the mayor prefers to ignore the law and run the council from Barbados instead of giving you, man something is wrong with you."
And what's wrong the UDP says is how the matter was handled by police: first, by not charging Deputy Mayor Goodin and by not detaining him as they said they did.
UDP candidate OJ Elrington - is the attorney for the man accused of shooting Goodin's Nissan Rogue - Transport Officer Kenyon Tillett. He says he visited his client on Saturday morning, 7 hours after the shooting and Goodin was not detained at that time:
OJ Elrington, Kenyon Tillett Attorney
"I got to the police station at around a little bit after 9am on Saturday morning. We both spoke to the investigating officer at that time. He informed us that Mr. Micah Goodin, according to him at that time, at best had already been released. That is why I found it very disturbing when I heard my friend - still maintain he is my friend, my colleague at the bar and the Commissioner of Police say unequivocally that Mr. Micah Gooding was in police custody was 35 hours."
Mike Peyrefitte, UDP Shadow Minister of Security
"Then the lies, detained for 36 hours? no sir. there is no evidence that he was even detained and not because you're at the police station means you are detained you know. Detained means they put you at piss house at the back downstairs - detained and its in the diary. There is no evidence of any diary of him being detained or anything like that. When you are detained the EDU and the officer in charge will have a record of your detention. There is no such record of that from any police station in this country. So when was he detained? detained by which officer? there is nothing to say that at all. He may have been at the police station, but certainly not detained and the evidence has shown that he was on his phone. Thats a strange detention to me. He was never detained and I don't know why the police commissioner would get behind that. And then you have a story that Micah Goodin gives that this young man in his vehicle was shot and he took him to the hospital, then went to Queen Street Police Station. But when the family member says nothing goes like that at all and then he changes his story and says that it wasn't him who took him to the hospital, they just went to the station. It makes you wonder what else he is not lying about in this situation."
Hon. Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
"This sounds like when I was 18-19 years old. This sounds like a rap video. This supposed to be our city hall. This is supposed to be our deputy mayor."
Mike Peyrefitte, UDP Shadow Minister of Security
"And then, I don't want to categorized anybody or put anybody in a box, but what's up with all these gun licenses for different people? Legitimate business people out here can't get gun licenses. This young man Mr. James, I don't want to pre-judge him, but I know for a fact he is a part of this gang intervention unit situation. What is he doing with a licensed firearm? You can understand maybe the traffic officer, you can maybe understand even the deputy mayor, but what's with all these gun licenses and Commissioner Williams, in cases like these you know what you do, you cancel all the licenses. If are out partying, a lot of people don't know this, but not because you are a licensed firearm holder means that you can do what you want. You know that if you are a licensed firearm holder and you have your gun on you and you are legally drunk, that in itself is an offense."
"Micah Goodin needs to be charged and arrested and let him go apply for bail at the supreme court like everybody else who wants to deal with gun play. And one person made a report that shots came from that vehicle, it's not personal, but we are trying to make sure that we live in a society that's fair."
Hon. Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
"It's an abuse of power. It is favouritism, it is injustice, it is what the PUP said would not happen."
For his part, Goodin has said that he was trying to prevent a murder by playing mediator between groups making a threat at each other. He has not responded to our requests for an interview.
