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Belizeans For Justice: Unbroken and Outspoken
posted (July 19, 2010)
And five hours after Lauriano was killed, there was another execution; this time 24 year old Nikki Pinkard was gunned down. We'll have that story shortly - and it will of course be led by his mother - who says that her son was a blameless victim. And that brings us to the Belizeans for Justice Group who held its once delayed press conference today. It made headlines last week when the secretary of the group got a threatening note, which forced them to hold off on a press conference they had planned.

They were briefly shaken, but they regrouped and rescheduled, and today they showed that their resolve is unbroken and their rhetoric is unapologetic.

Joan Sutherland, Secretary - Belizeans for Justice
"I want who so ever is threatening me I would like them to stop and come to me face to face. I am not scared, what they are doing to me is giving me more strength and more voice to talk."

Yolanda Schakron, President, Belizeans for Justice
"I am so sorry, I will not back down. We Belizeans for Justice are here because we want to see a difference and we want to stop burying our children."

Marie Lewis, Grandmother - Marquis Mahler
"I am 68 years old, I am ready to die, now, so if they want to come and shot me, I live at the corner Faber's Road and Central American Boulevard. They can shot me down like a bird as I said on the media. I told 'Mose' we are not people anymore we are animals, even the wildlife are treated better than us."

Elizabeth Longsworth, Mother of Andre Trapp
"I challenge anybody, anyone of them, they know where I live, #4 Cesar Ridge Road just like Mrs. Marie, you can bring it on, you want the Gideon to start, let the Gideon start."

Jules Vasquez Reporting
Fortunately "the Gideon" did not start today and there was an impressive, visible detail of police officers to make sure of that. Still, every face was strained and anxious, each with its own story of loss, its own tragic trajectory:

Marie Lewis Grandmother, Marquis Mahler
"Marquis was only 8 years old, the 27 of next month he will be 9 years old. He was a smart little guy. That little boy kiss me on Monday morning on the 10th of July to wish me 'Grandma happy birthday' I couldn't believe that was the last kiss and goodbye for me, I can't believe it because the hug that he gave me, I don't think that I got another hug until I hug him and tell him goodbye. Marquis, I don't know baby, you are an angel, come down. Then this morning my other grand children told me 'grandma, we got to get out of here, we are not Belizeans, we are aliens, we are junk, they don't take care of us, so what can we do - just leave and go.'"

Elizabeth Longsworth
"On behalf of this group and those poor mothers who lost their children. All the lawyers who are standing behind the gang-bangers who have a lot of money. They can pay off the lawyers, they are killing our children, put them in suitcase and go to courthouse to kill them. My son was not a saint, he didn't have any halo. I don't have anything much to say about that part. Sometime you leave things to God, but sometimes you have to help God, believe me I will help him. They are killing us out. When election time comes it's the politician that they will kill next. The people that are running for elections, as long as you beat them they will shot you down. I am telling you now that you better get up and do something about them people. This is already past corruption, this is like Afghanistan."

And while they grieved for their loved ones - Stephen Buckley who was shot in the head by police and Christina Zetina - who lost a leg after being shot told the gathering fo the pain they are living with:

Stephen Buckley, shot by police
"Right now what I have to say the police promise me that they would help me out with a little grocery, they are not looking out for me at all. Right now I am taking them to the court because they are not helping me out any at all. The police shot me for nothing, I really didn't like that this man chance me for nothing. Because I wasn't bothering anyone. But right now I really need help."

Oscar Rosado
"The reality is that Mr. Buckley was sole bread winner of his family for his wife and his 4 children. He provided for the rent, the utilities, the food, the school fees for his children education and today because of the unfortunate incident Mr. Buckley cannot continue to do so. We ask through the police welfare fund which we know there is one; there could be some type of long term assistance for this family. This is the least Mr. Buckley and his family deserve."

Amputee Christina Zetina hobbled up on crotches:

Christina Zetina, lost leg to gun violence
"Good morning, I also was going through a lot of police harassments, I got thrown in the "pisshouse" after I got my foot amputated. I had to move out of the country because of the harassment that I was going through. I had to left my whole family and from then it's really hard for me, I didn't had a wrap over my foot when they took me took to the police station. I think they really chance me because I got really badly hurt inside and out. Then for them to pick me up and abuse me like that, it hurt. When the court case came up I lost the attempted murder charge, the guy got off on that, but they left the maim as a hung jury. I want to go back and fight for my maim, I am going to take the re-trial."

And while they are now under the umbrella of Belizeans for Justice - that group's founders are also under multiple threats. Secretary Joan Sutherland got this note on Tuesday, July 13:

Joan Sutherland, Secretary - Belizeans For Justice
"Ever since Tuesday it's really hard for my daughter, she is even afraid to sleep at night. The least noise she hears 'ma what is that' I don't think it's fair for us mother to live in fear like that. I got text messages on my phone that they sent me and say that this is just the beginning for me. Like Mrs. Schakron we are not fighting with weapons, we are fighting with grief, pain in our hearts."

Yolanda Schakron, President, Belizeans for Justice
"My life has change. On Saturday I receive some information from some high police officers that my 16 year old son's life is in danger and they know exactly what he drives and they know where he goes. We mothers have no weapons to protect ourselves, we have no guns, we have no grenades, but we want our system to be rid of corruption."

And for that to stop - the group believes the top cops head must roll.

Yolanda Schakron
"We believe that the Commissioner of the Belize Police Department has lost the confidence of the public. We therefore are asking to our government, our leaders to Mr. Doug Singh to terminate him immediately."

But more than just ultimatums, the event turned from a press conference to a community meeting:

Elizabeth Longsworth
"Every mother have that responsibility to go and tell their son and your neighbor's son to let's get together and deal with this thing. Because I did it. we didn't have shooting in Yabra or like 6 months. That was because the mothers were involved in bringing the sons together. Then everybody lost interest because they got comfortable. We can't get comfortable."

Bernard Adolphus, COLA
"We have to target the mothers too because some mothers have to be held accountable and responsible for their children behavior and they have to be held accountable for it."

Michael Young, Chairman - Crimes Control Council
"I agree with you. we have this country, we are at war, we either got to be cowards or we will stand up and fight. And as usual in Belize the women are the ones that stand up before the men. The simple point I want to make is that with all the cowardly criminals out there who take the gun and shoot you when you don't have anything to defend yourself. If our people exercise the power that they have, we cannot be defeated."

But no one seems to know quite how to achieve that unity - whether the Belizeans for justice is the vehicle to push ahead that initiative remains to be seen...

The group announced that it will open a secretariat where it will offer public education on legal rights and counseling for grieving mothers.

Anyone wanting to assist Christina Zetina who has to remain in hiding until her trail comes up can donate to Scotia bank account number 4001616 or call 633-6734.

Her family also has a land issue that's led to what they say is police harassment in PG. We've been looking into that report and will have more on it in tomorrow's newscast..

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