Nugent recovering well, Tambourine Army to discuss recent events
CO-FOUNDER OF advocacy group Tambourine Army, Latoya Nugent, shared that she has been recovering well following her arrest and subsequent hospitalisation earlier this week. She said the group will be meeting to discuss the impact of recent events, as well as any possible adjustments that may be needed.
On Tuesday, Nugent was arrested and charged with malicious use of computers, under the Cybercrimes Act, by detectives attached to the Counter-Terrorism and Organised Crime Investigation Branch. The following day, she fell ill while at the Duhaney Park Police Station and was taken to the Duhaney Park Health Centre, where she was treated and later transferred to the Kingston Public Hospital. She was later released and granted bail.
“It has deterred my body to some extent, but in terms of my willpower, not at all. There’s a difference between standing with survivors and grandstanding with survivors, and I’m not into the latter,” the activist told The Gleaner.
“A lot of the outpouring I’m seeing is coming from survivors and, for me, that validates the need for the work, so why should I be wasting my time and energy with folks who are into grandstanding? I’m not opposed to criticism, but I’m very mindful about where it comes from, and if it doesn’t come from a place of earnest care, I really don’t pay attention to it.”
BEST INTEREST OF SURVIVORS
The advocate said: “At Tambourine Army, we operate on the basis of consensus. So, the entire team will meet and talk about what has transpired and we’ll decide whether to continue as we’ve been doing or whether we’ll make some adjustments and what those changes would look like if we agree that the changes are necessary. At the centre of all of that is what we believe is in the best interest of survivors based on what they would have communicated to us.”
Charges laid against Nugent stemmed from complaints about alleged defamatory comments she made on social media about alleged sex abusers.
When asked if she would have acted differently given the outcome of the situation, she stated: “If it would have been better for survivors, then yes. But I’ve not seen any narrative so far that suggest if I had acted differently, survivors would be in a better place.”