The family of the late reggae icon and marijuana activist Peter Tosh is seeking answers after they say his son was left in a coma following an attack in a New Jersey jail, where he was serving a six-month sentence on pot possession charges.
Jawara McIntosh has been hospitalised since suffering traumatic brain injuries in the attack in February at the Bergen County jail, where he was after pleading guilty to marijuana possession, his family said.
McIntosh, of Boston, performed under the stage name Tosh1. His father was a Jamaican-born musician and activist who started the Wailers along with Bob Marley. His 1976 hit “Legalize It” remains a rallying cry for those pushing to make marijuana legal.
Jawara McIntosh also was a pro-marijuana activist and performed the song outside of the New Jersey statehouse in April 2014 during a rally pushing for state and federal lawmakers to legalise or decriminalise marijuana.
Attorney Jasmine Rand said Thursday the family has filed a notice that it plans to sue the county and also wants the US Justice Department to investigate.
“My heart cries not knowing what happened to my son,” said his mother, Melody Cunningham. “Not being able to talk to him because of the condition that he’s in. (I’m) trying to be strong for him, I have to be strong for him.”
His sister, Niambe McIntosh, said that they haven’t been given any solid information about what happened. Rand said the county hasn’t been forthcoming about providing evidence about what happened.
Source-AP
