Four people were murdered in 20 hours in Belize City this weekend. It is a record, and the worst kind. Even more worrying is that three of those people were genuinely killed for no reason, collateral damage in a gang war that now seems to be between gangs and the police.
It's literally crazy! We start with a listing of the casualties:
On Saturday morning at 5:00, 44 year old Joe Hamilton, a well-known bar-b-que vendor was shot down at the corner of South and Plues Streets. He was not far from his home on Wagner's Lane when a gunman shot him seven times, three times to the head, one of those shots coming after he was already on the ground.
And then on Saturday afternoon at 1:20, a two blocks over on King street near its corner with Euphrates Avenue, a female Chinese grocer, 32 year old Yan Ying Chen, was in her grilled store when she was shot to her shoulder and back. She died shortly later at the hospital.
An hour and a half after that on Faber's Road, another female Chinese grocer was shot - again, behind an iron grill. 37 year old Fei Lan Wu, was shot in the lower back and died three hours later while undergoing surgery.
And then ten hours later, at 12:30 am, 39 year old contractor Abner Rodriguez was found dead on 7th. Street in the King's Park Area. He had been severely chopped.
Four murders in 24 hours, a staggering toll of crime - and it has left this community reeling.
None more so than the Chinese, as two innocent female storekeepers were killed for no apparent reason; it is not even known if it was a robbery attempt.
Today, the Chinese community reacted by staging a national shutdown of all businesses. Now, that was done just 7 months ago when teenager Helen Yue was killed - but this time the usually quiet community backed it up with aggressive direct action.
It played out in front of the Supreme Court and 7news was there every step of the way.
Jules Vasquez Reporting
Chinese from Belize City and the districts started assembling in front of the courthouse from after 8:00 this morning - all in white shirts - an indication of peace - except, as later events would show, this crowd wanted blood.
They gathered to see the persons accused of killing two Chinese women go to court and to protest crime targeting their community.
Close to nine, the crowd started showing their muscle and mass streaming over into Battlefield Park - while casually blocking waiting traffic - another portent of things to come.
It was a change indeed, and their signs clearly expressed the rage of this community as they went over to the courtroom to see the men accused of killing their country people.
Police explained that they couldn't block that area - and needed to go back into park.
Police Officer
"They cannot stay here. They need to go back in the park."
Edmund Quan, Bze-Chinese Association
"They want to show their reasons why they are here."
Police Officer
"Show it at the park. Not here."
And the resistance put up by the usually docile Chinese also gave a portent of how sticky the day would become.
Still, they were determined and lined the area. Finally, President Edmund Quan got them to move.
But the crowd was picking up steam with t-shirts being handed out. And they lined the area in front of Brodie's - which seemed peaceful enough.
But things changed very suddenly when the prison bus came and the crowd turned into a mob and surged across the street in a rage, pelting the bus with water bags.
Police had to restrain them - but the crowd remained volatile and when the police bus came with detainees, they surged at it again.
Again, police held them back - and the person they wanted was not even on the bus. While police held the line at the court's stairs.
Leaders of the Chinese community Eric Chang And Edmund Quan tried to negotiate with police for what was an unlawful assembly - they did have any permit to protest or to assemble.
But they had a harder time placating militant in their own ranks.
That scene was broken up by a judge's driver, who bulled his way in - almost creating a Tiananmen Square situation. Again police intervened to let the judge pass.
But soon no one would pass - as a fiery female came on the scene and charged up the crowd and while Eric Chang tried some shuttle diplomacy - the crowd was now pitched and would not be talked out of some militant show.
President Edmund Quan gave them what they wanted - shouting at the high court to bring back the death penalty.
Jules Vasquez
"Why is it important to come out here and show this kind of civil disobedience?"
Edmund Quan, Bze-Chinese Association
"It's not civil disobedience."
Jules Vasquez
"You are blocking the streets, Edmund."
Edmund Quan, Bze-Chinese Association
"They are voicing their communities' voice. We are just making our voice clear to the government, to the judiciary system that we demand justice. Too much senseless crime and senseless killings happening."
Jules Vasquez
"Are you afraid of provoking a mob mentality out here?"
Edmund Quan, Bze-Chinese Association
"That is not the point behind today's protest. We just want to make our voice clear. We have the victims out here too. We have the victims' friends."
Jules Vasquez
"Are you concerned that you all may have led them into a misleading situation in terms that the guy won't be brought this morning. He won't be brought until this afternoon and this crowd is hyped up; this crowd is pitched. How do you bring them down?"
Edmund Quan, Bze-Chinese Association
"Actually the purpose we are out here is for crime on a whole. Obviously the two perpetrators of crime of the two senseless killing of the Belizean Chinese that happen - that brought some of the people."
Phillip Ying - Bze-Taiwan Chamber of Commerce
"It's extremely important that we send a message that crime is punishable otherwise murderers are walking free. What kind of message are we sending out; if a murderers can walk free in one or two months, we cannot stop crime."
Jules Vasquez
"Is there a great deal of rage in your community about these two killings on Saturday?"
Edmund Quan, Bze-Chinese Association
"It is outrageous."
Jules Vasquez
"Ok I know you all are planning a two days shutdown."
Edmund Quan, Bze-Chinese Association
"We haven't confirmed that yet but today we are shutting down because we come here to protest."
Jules Vasquez
"What are these people saying right now?"
Edmund Quan, Bze-Chinese Association
"We want the death penalty."
And that message was mixed with potent symbolism when enlarged pictures of the two deceased were brought to the event and distributed principally to the families of the deceased.
First to the husband of the Faber's Road Victim, Fei Lan Wu, the 37 year old mother of two who was killed on Faber's Road.
And then, the brother of 32 year old Yan Ying Chen who was killed on King Street.
All this stoked up the crowd - chanting, "Give me back a life."
Chinese protester
"Give me back a life."
Crowd
"Give me back a life."
And then they brought in an empty coffin - for that life lost which stirred another round of chants.
Crowd
"We want justice"
Another coffin was brought - and they were placed in the center of Regent street - remember all this is still an illegal assembly - blocking up traffic in the middle of downtown.
And from an illegal assembly to an illegal procession - they started moving off - headed towards the police station where the subjects of their ire were detained.
A crowd of 375 Chinese chanting in both Mandarin and English heading through downtown Belize City - again, without a permit.
Unprecedented, unlawful and unapologetic, a community determined to not take it anymore:
Jules Vasquez
"Is this showing an indication that the Chinese community will no longer sit back and take - that you are now energized, mobilized and prepared to stand up?"
Edmund Quan, Bze-Chinese Association
"Yes we will step up to the situation. We will not be sitting ducks."
And they took their message right to the police station - where they hurriedly closed the gates in fear of an advancing mob.
Walking down the street as their businesses were closed - a double protest for double impact.
The crowd parked the coffins in Center Street - while police stood their ground or watched on, armed and ready the leaders again had to talk them out of the area.
And they went on a marathon walking protest - all the way down New Road, over the Bel China Bridge, and unto Cemetery Road - where there was a scene, as the crown turned into a mob after someone threw a projectile at them and then ran into this shop for cover. The Chinese didn't want to leave until they dealt with the man in the shop - fortunately he was secreted out of there and then the shutter was opened to placate an increasingly angry mob
The crowd went all the way back to Battlefield Park by noon - still determined to camp out until he suspects came - fortunately - they were convinced to got to a special meeting instead and the event dissipated, with their message clearly sent
Edmund Quan, Bze-Chinese Association
"We just want the, to know that we really are tired of these crimes. We are really tired of all the killings, robbing - we want the people to work, find a job instead of robbing people. it doesn't matter if it is Chinese, Indians or Belizeans. Whenever killing or robbing takes place - it affects all of us."
And in another first, the shutdown of all Chinese businesses across the country will extend until tomorrow.
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