7 News Belize

Man Says He Can't Help For Harassment
posted (November 21, 2012)
If you are from the Southside of the City, you may be familiar with the name Derrick Martinez. He is a basketball player who is currently hosting a weekend basketball tournament for the youths living in the Port Loyola area. The American citizen who is a born Belizean has been playing ball for over 10 years around the globe but returning home to give back to the less fortunate youths has always been a yearly tradition. But that tradition might just be broken because Martinez claims he is being constantly harassed by police. Since returning back home in August - he claims he has been rubbed down and roughed up by police over 4 times already.

Derrick Martinez, Claims Police Harassment
"Every year after I finish my tournament in America I come to my own country which I was born and raised in order to just relax myself in a nice comfort zone. Every year I come, the cops - they keep on harassing me thinking that some kind of criminal is going on with me. I got to prove to them and show them that I am not that type of individual by doing something positive. I am not going to be negative in order to jeopardize the future that I have."

"From when I came on the 24th August - I got harass like 5 different times from the cops. Whenever the see me they harass me. The behavior that have they would just come and try to break some part of me or try to rough me up instead of just being calm and everything. i know they have the right as police officers to search you but whenever they search me, I never have anything because I am not a drinker or smoker. My body got to keep in shape and always in shape. When they rub me down and they find nothing - they still don't care - they take me to the station and they still rough me up. I have no idea what the reason is but I have to do something - something got to get done."

"Now in America - I want to show and prove it; in America it happens so many times. As an individual, I am black but it can't happen anymore from after what happened. I won a lawsuit out there and this is what I have. Whenever this is in my wallet no police officer cannot hold me nor detained me."

Martinez plans to return to the US before the end of this year.

Home | Archives | Downloads/Podcasts | Advertise | Contact Us

7 News Belize