BY RICHARD JOHNSON—
Observer Senior reporter—
Niambe McIntosh—
It was a reflective Niambe McIntosh, the youngest child of reggae icon Peter Tosh who took to social media on Friday to discuss the death of her brother Jawara, aka Tosh 1, who passed away weeks ago.
Speaking on Facebook Live, Niambe was solemn, but resolute as she spoke of the circumstances surrounding her brother’s death and the lessons learned from his arrest, incarceration, beating, hospitalization and subsequent passing.
She shared that in 2016 her brother was arrested on a ganja charge and despite no previous conviction was offered a plea deal. She said he turned himself into to the Bergen County Police in New Jersey in January of 2017 and six weeks later he was attacked, suffered a traumatic brain injury, which she pointed out left him in a minimally conscious state.
“From then on the journey began to seek justice for Jawara. Most of my time was spent caring for Jawara. For those first three months he was in and out of the ICU, but he held on as he didn’t want any of us to deal with the pain of losing him,” she noted.
Niambe drew parallels between the lives of her father and brother, noting that both lived a life of activism.
“It is a difficult choice to make when you make yourself a target… my father said, ‘I’m not a politician but I suffer the consequences.’ I know both journeys are so deeply connected. This is all spiritually guided that even during the most difficult time there is an energy to trust the process, the work and the mission continue. My father’s and brother’s lives are not in vain.”
She added that the family will be using this experience to keep the fire going for their legacy projects of equal rights and justice, criminal justice reform and the legalization of marijuana.
“There is much more work to be done. I look forward to watching Jawara change the world as he had done in the flesh. The journey does not end. We are all the more strong because of this journey. Jawara’s spirit can be so much more. It is difficult for my family, but we know that there are amazing things that lie ahead… work that is beyond what we can imagine at this point. We are taking the frustration and sadness and using it as fuel to make sure we continue this mission for equal rights and justice,” she concluded.
Bergen County Sheriff’s Office, in a statement on the incident which left Tosh 1 injured, noted: “The assault, which lasted less than 10 seconds, resulted in the serious injury of Mr McIntosh. Bergen County Sheriff’s officers immediately responded to contain the disturbance and provide care to Mr McIntosh. Medical personnel, including a physician from the jail, provided medical treatment to the victim while awaiting the arrival of the Hackensack Fire Department Emergency Medical Service.”
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