Holistic Consciousness Advocate & Trauma Surgeon Dr. Dale Dangleben opines that Rastafarians were right about certain issues, and had we listened to their teachings, we would have been further ahead as a people

Rastafarians have been right for many years and had we listened to their teachings, we would have been further ahead as a people. These are some of the sentiments of Holistic Consciousness Advocate and Trauma Surgeon Dr. Dale Dangleben, in reaction to the Prohibited and Unlawful Societies and Associations Act, also known as The Dread Act, which was enacted in 1974 in Dominica, in response to Rastafarian unrest.
 
According to that law, adherents of Rastafarianism wearing their hair in its natural state referred to as "Dreads” or locs, were subject to arrest without a warrant, were not permitted bail and could be held without charges for at least 48 hours. The law also prohibited the prosecution of any individual who killed or injured a "Dread" inside a place of residence. Prime Minister Patrick John’s Dominica Labour Party spearheaded the effort to pass the bill in the House of Assembly of Dominica. The Bill was passed unopposed by members of the Dominica Freedom Party.
 
During the years the Act was in effect, several Rastafarians were arrested, beaten and killed. Some sources also report that adherents had their dreadlocks forcibly cut off during that period, while others cut their own hair and left the movement to avoid persecution. Many Rastafarians fled into the rainforests to escape the effects of the Dread Act.