THERE was an uneasy calm in the Beetham Gardens community yesterday afternoon, amid talk that the area was going to be ’locked down’ by the police again last night.

The run-up to yesterday’s tension in the area was the result of a series of events that began at Broadway in Port of Spain on Wednesday night, with the killing of DVD vendor Anderson Bynoe, and the subsequent killing by police of Fabian Mauge and Ricky Roberts in the Beetham Gardens hours later.

That led to a protest on Thursday evening which was eventually quelled when police went in and locked down the area, placing it under what residents yesterday called an ’illegal curfew’.

ASP Lennard Gaye has since been appointed to investigate the residents’ claims, police said. Statements have already been taken and a ’preliminary’ report has been forwarded to acting CoP James Philbert.

Yesterday, however, while residents said their protest was a legitimate one, some admitted that the stoning of cars along the Beetham Highway during their action did not help their cause.

Thursday’s protest began shortly before 6 p.m. and the eastbound lane of the highway was blocked by residents. Parts of the Priority Bus route were blocked as well. Some motorists heading home claimed they were robbed.

When the Express revisited the area yesterday afternoon, Mauge’s father, Wayne Mauge, said he was among residents arrested on Thursday night and charged with obscene language.

He appeared before a Port of Spain magistrate yesterday morning, pleaded guilty with an explanation and was reprimanded and discharged. He said, however, that some residents remained in custody and may be appearing in court on Monday.

This was confirmed by the police.