Corporal Kenrick Bol is the Rastafarian police officer who says he should be allowed to wear well groomed dreadlocks while serving as a police officer. As we told you last night, he was warned to remove the locks and now he's been placed on suspension for unspecified infractions.
Bol has already lawyered up - and he chose Leslie Mendez. She's the same attorney who secured the landmark 2021 judgement where the Supreme Court affirmed that two female police officers were free to wear their dreadlocks.
Accompanying her in that landmark case was another crusading human rights attorney - Anthony Sylvester - who is now the Attorney General - basically, the government's attorney. So, since he helped set the precedent, will he advise the police department to stand down in its action against Corporal Bol?
Well, Sylvestre sees things slightly differently now. He and News Director Jules Vasquez had a lively exchange about it:
Jules Vasquez
"Are you observing this case and are you advising on this case?"
Anthony Sylvestre, Attorney General
"So so we are observing this case, and in fact, actually there's a meeting we have tomorrow with, the police department, to specifically address the issue."
"So, I saw, I think, in your newscast, Miss Mendez, who, my friend, by the way, we worked on that case to get an actually. And so she's a very formidable attorney. And so I know that she is coming. She is coming good! So, so, so I won't say too much because we haven't formally responded to her, and, and I think it would be more prudent to, to, to, to have our response be be formalized in a letter to her, but suffice it to say, so now in this seat, I have a appreciation, a better appreciation, for the need for certain policies and rules and laws to be in place, particularly as it relates to a, a body like the police department, which must be disciplined and which must be organized. And so, as you rightly pointed out: my job is to, to, to ensure that the, is to advise."
"So, a particular department or ministry, they may have a policy and they may have a reason, a rationale for that policy, which is, which is one of the things, courts look to."
"Because it's very important, as I said, the police department is, is an organized, disciplined body. And it works for all of us. And so it's important, therefore, that we have a system in place and as well we have rules and in place that allow for them to be effective and efficient in the discharge of their, their duty as a, as a department."
Jules Vasquez
"Are you being an acrobat here insofar as flipping positions on your own precedent, which you set in the, in the regional landmark of the Rastafari, of the woman police officers with dreadlocks. You're going against your own judgment."
Anthony Sylvestre, Attorney General
"I like that, no, I'm not being an acrobat. I wish I were or that prolific, you know, physically, I the physical prowess."
"No, but but but but really, cases really are fact-specific. So you have to look at the specific facts and, and so we're still in that process. And we will properly advise the police department accordingly."
Jules Vasquez
"But, you know, you would be accused of being at the heights of hypocrisy, AG. Because you yourself wear locks."
Anthony Sylvestre, Attorney General
"Exactly, but. I'm not an attorney general for Rastas or only persons who wear dreadlocks, but for all Belizeans and, and so I have to make a decision based on what's in the best interests of the entire country."
Jules Vasquez
"But, it still pertains that women with braids or with locks are able to wear those that still?"
Anthony Sylvestre, Attorney General
"Yes, yes, yes."
Jules Vasquez
"So then, male officers have a different set of rights than women officers than female officers?"
Anthony Sylvestre, Attorney General
"Well, again, so we would we would...There are restrictions. Obviously they're restrictions. So, for instance, a male officer can't wear a female police uniform. Why? So you may question me as to why? Why can't he? So so so so they're and they're, they're, they're there's a policy and certain rules that that are required and necessary."
"But but certainly I, I accept that, I, I, I, I'm in the crossfire because the position that I held before and, in this, this position, I, I have different set of instructions."
Jules Vasquez
"As a wearer of locks yourself, suppose they said in, in the cabinet and in John Briceno's cabinet: No more dreadlocks."
Anthony Sylvestre, Attorney General
"They wouldn't say that. (Laughs)"
