Talk ’bout comesse last Saturday morning in the city of San Fernando for 2005 City Day J’Ouvert celebrations.

Led by its Mayor Ian Atherly with a band aptly named “Comesse” thousands of revellers took to the streets to celebrate city day.

But lurking on every street corner were those hell-bent on spoiling the fun, like the young man who couldn’t control his temper.

No one knew what trigged him off, but “Mr. Rastaman” dressed in a white T-shirt, got so mad, that from close range he let loose the beer bottle in his hand, straight to the left side of the woman’s head.

The bottle broke on impact, slicing her left ear.

The woman dressed in a blue jersey, stood in shock and embarrassment as blood ran down her neck.

It was only about two seconds before the incident, the man had been “rinsing her ears” with talk as they walked up Cipero Street, San Fernando, but she had been ignoring him.

After being struck with the bottle, another young man, this time dressed in a red jersey retaliated immediately and the big fight start.

It moved from the pavement, into the road where a beer bottle was smashed into the head of her attacker and he, too, began to bleed.

Although there was a heavy police presence along the streets, at that particular spot where the fight was taking place, not an officer was in sight.

The angry men just couldn’t be restrained although attempts were made to break up the fight.

Cops finally arrived and arrested the Rastaman; the other one had disappeared into the crowd.

The injured woman hid in the crowd until her alleged attacker was taken away, before she calmly left in company of some friends to seek medical attention.

But that wasn’t all the comess, as curious spectators who had crowded the area where the cops were making the arrest, observed in another corner, friends trying to revive a female reveller who had collapsed.

She had to be bodily lifted and put into the tray of a van as they sought to find out what was wrong with her.

A short distance away, police had to break up another group of warring young men.

Bacchanal erupted when an East Indian man accused two men of African descent of robbing him of his gold and wallet.

The “accused” denied the charges levelled against them and they told officers in fact it was two East Indian men who robbed the man.

San Fernando Mayor IAN ATHERLY
leads his J’Ouvert band, Comesse.

The injured woman kept her
composure after being struck
with a beer bottle that cut her ear.

Two men ended up in a serious fight
because of the incident.

The man who allegedly hit
the woman being escorted
away by cops.

In an unrelated incident, this woman
collapsed and had to be carried away.