By PETER GREEN
Four Silver Stars pan players who were arrested by police at the Queen’s Park Savannah on Sunday morning, were released from the Belmont Police Station around 7.30 pm on Monday.
Present to welcome them included President of Pan Trinbago, Beverly Ramsey-Moore. It could not be ascertained what, if any charges were laid, but one thing is certain, the players are out of custody.
Also present to greet the players were Vice President, Terry Bernard, Education Officer, Candice Andrews-Brumant, Public Relations Officer, Kwesi Moore, Chairman of the Northern Region, Desiree Myers, parents, and the leadership and management of Silver Stars, and other supporters.
Ramsey-Moore said the entire incident seems to have been aimed at putting pan men against police, reminiscent of days gone by when police and pan players were at odds with each other.
She added, “I am really calling on the Commissioner of Police to intervene to ensure transparency and to ensure that the process is fair. It is troubling; it is indeed troubling. We are resilient people, you know where we came from.
“Listen, whoever is trying to push us back to those days, it will not happen. We have fought long and hard; we stand upon the blood, sweat and tears of our ancestors, and we will not go back to those dark days.”
In a media release, mas band Berkeley Carnival Revolution said it stood firm with the players. “We unequivocally condemn the unnecessary use of force in a matter that could have been handled with dialogue, mutual respect and the proper channels. There is no place for violence against the very people who dedicate themselves to preserving and advancing our national culture.”
The release added: “It is both heartbreaking and unacceptable that in 2026, we are still witnessing actions that evoke the painful history of cultural oppression. More than a century after Captain Baker sought to silence the people of Trinidad through the suppression of Canboulay, we should know better as a nation.”
THE BRAWL
The players were arrested towards the end of the Lost Trip band launch. The entire launch was supposed to end at 2 am on Sunday, but despite requests to stop, the steel band members continued to play after the stoppage time.
From there it turned ugly. Plainclothes police officers ordered the band to stop. The steel band members refused and when the police intervened, there was a brawl. The situation escalated when one of the police officers allegedly grabbed the sticks from a drummer and threw down the drums, leading to the scuffle.
Several members of the Silver Stars band were arrested and taken to the Belmont Police Station. One member was injured and taken to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital for treatment.
Eyewitnesses to the brawl told Sunshine Today that as far as they were concerned, the police acted unreasonable and with haste.
Later on Sunday, Pan Trinbago President, Beverly Ramsey-Moore, visited the Belmont Police Station with relatives of some of the detainees. The brawl happened in the North Stand, near the VIP section, where several Government Ministers had earlier attended, but had left.
The brawl was video-taped and uploaded to social media. The videos showed pans strewn across the North Stand and some members trapped underneath. Hundreds attended the event at the Queen’s Park Savannah on Saturday night.
