Retired Supreme Court Marshal Wounded in Jamaica Road Eviction Chaos, Demands Probe

Published: July 20, 2026

Editor’s Note: Disturbing picture below

MONROVIA – A retired marshal of the Supreme Court of Liberia is demanding an investigation into the government’s eviction enforcement tactics after he suffered head wounds requiring nearly 19 stitches when his vehicle was caught in violent clashes during a court-ordered eviction in the Jamaica Road community, with police officers, he says, standing by as he bled.

Brig. Gen. Amos B.K. Dickson, 72, who served the judiciary for nearly four decades, said the operation near the Battery Factory on the Japan Freeway was poorly coordinated and dangerous, carried out without warning signs, roadblocks or public notice to motorists.

“There were no warning signs, no roadblocks, no public announcement that the road was closed because of an eviction. We simply drove into the area, and suddenly stones and bottles started flying everywhere,” Dickson said in an interview with Spoon TV from his residence in Kebbah.

Dickson said he was on his routine morning trip to supervise renovation work at his school when he unknowingly drove into the eviction zone. His vehicle became trapped in traffic as panic spread, leaving motorists unable to escape the violence that erupted between law enforcement officers and angry residents.

His daughter was traveling with him when the attack began. Fearing for her safety, he instructed her to leave the vehicle while he stayed behind to protect it from theft or vandalism.

“I told my daughter to leave because I didn’t want to abandon my vehicle. But when she saw blood running from my head, she came back. She was the one who rescued me,” he said.

Dickson expressed disappointment that despite the presence of security officers at the scene, none came to his aid.

“Police officers were standing around, yet nobody came to help me while I was bleeding. My daughter was the only person who came to my rescue,” he said.

The retired marshal said the injuries could have been fatal.

“If God had not helped me, I probably would not be alive today. I received almost 19 stitches on my head,” he said.

He also sustained leg injuries after being struck by rocks and displayed blood-stained clothing and photographs of his wounds during the interview. His vehicle suffered extensive damage, including shattered windows.

While acknowledging that court orders must be respected, Dickson argued that the government’s method of executing eviction orders is placing innocent citizens in danger.

“No one is saying government should not carry out eviction orders. The issue is how they are enforced,” he said.

He said authorities should provide advance public notice whenever large-scale enforcement actions are planned.

“If government knows an eviction will be taking place in a certain area, then announce it. Tell people not to use that road. Divert traffic. Don’t allow innocent citizens to drive into danger,” he said.

Simple traffic control measures, he argued, could have prevented the chaos that trapped motorists between security forces and residents resisting the eviction.

Drawing on his judicial career, Dickson stressed that the judiciary should not bear the blame for violence associated with enforcement actions.

“The Judiciary interprets the law. It does not enforce the law. Enforcement is the responsibility of the Executive,” he said.

While courts determine legal ownership and issue judgments, he explained, the Executive Branch must decide how those judgments are implemented without endangering public safety.

“If enforcing a court order will create conflict, then government must carefully plan how to execute it,” he said.

Describing Liberia’s growing land disputes as a national crisis requiring urgent political intervention, Dickson called on President Joseph Boakai’s administration to establish a National Land Crisis Committee comprising government officials, legal experts and community stakeholders to mediate complex ownership disputes before they escalate into violent confrontations.

“The land crisis is becoming worse. If we are not careful, it will create bigger problems,” he warned.

Many disputes, he said, involve absentee property owners who return after decades abroad to reclaim land now occupied by communities that have built permanent homes. He suggested negotiated settlements instead of mass evictions.

“If someone leaves Liberia for 20 or 30 years and people have developed that land, government should bring everyone together to negotiate compensation or settlement rather than simply removing thousands of people,” he said.

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