And why was he in jail ? Yes, for simple cannabis charges. It’s a pretty stark story that illustrates yet again the pointlessness of locking people up for cannabis possession or use.
NY Carib News carries the story
Jawara McIntosh, the youngest son of Jamaican reggae legend Peter Tosh, has died. His body will be flown to Jamaica for the burial.
Known as Tosh 1, he died last Friday, three years after being mercilessly beaten at the Bergen County jail in Hackensack, New Jersey by another inmate while serving a sentence for ganja-related charges.
McIntosh sustained traumatic brain injuries in the February 2017 jailhouse attack and had been confined to a bed since the incident. The father of four, like his dad, was a vibrant stage performer and an activist for the legalization of cannabis.
Niambe McIntosh, his younger sister, said her brother lived with her in Boston, Massachusetts.
She, her mother and father have been caring for him daily. They ran a holistic clinic from her home; independently researching and applying for alternative medicine, and using food to help heal Tosh 1.
The Tosh family had filed a lawsuit against Bergen County jail in Hackensack, New Jersey, for failing to protect and uphold the human rights and the dignity of Tosh 1.
Niambe, who has the responsibility of managing the Peter Tosh Estate and the Peter Tosh Foundation, said that the lawsuit was part of a larger fight against racial injustice in the United States.
“Our family’s fight for Justice for Jawara is part of a broader movement. Not only do we hope that this lawsuit against Bergen County attains some justice for my family, but we also hope that it will play a pivotal role in obtaining justice for the many that have fallen victim to our failed War on Drugs,” she said.
