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He told us that on Wednesday night at around 7 o'clock while riding his bike near Southside Market, he was stopped and searched by police. Nothing was found on him, but he was still escorted to the Precinct one Police Station at the corner of Kut Avenue and Euphrates. While at the station he alleged he was assaulted and harassed by officers and then was put to wash several police motorcycles. Three hours later, at around 10 that night he was released without any charges. For this working class man, he believes his rights were violated - here's his story.

Cardell Bernardez - Alleges Police Harassment
"Riding my bicycle on my way to South Side Meat Market, two Belize Defence Force soldiers and a police officer approach me with a flash light into my face and I told him that that could be avoided, if he want to search me I don't have any problem with it because you have a job to do. He search me and didn't find anything, he turn and told me that I have an attitude, I turn and told him that I didn't have any attitude, I am just defending me. Now all these other people came and he search them and gave then that run, but just the way how I talk to him he must not have liked it. Now I have my hands against the wall, he called for the mobile, the mobile didn't assist him. He walks me from South Side Meat Market shop to St. John's police station. When he walked me there he was trying to take me through the back gate, the gate was close and so he took me to the front. The 2 BDF soldiers told the corporal that I was assaulting them."

Monica Bodden
"This was when you got to the station?"

Cardell Bernardez - Alleges Police Harassment
"Yes, the police officer told the corporal that I assaulted him, so they had me sitting down. Now the same officer who took me in took me back of the yard and told me to start wash the cycle. So I start wash the cycle, while I was doing that, one of the BDF soldiers grab me and choke me and threw me against the wall and drop 2 lick on me and when I yelled out to say that one of the sergeant or corporal will come out to assist me - nobody came out to assist me, so I just took my lick. After that he took a baseball bat and told me not to disrespect him again - that is what he told me and I didn't answer him."

"He told me to go back and wash the cycle and then he approach with a big knife and turn around and held it up to me and then the officer came out and told him to leave the young man alone. Then they went inside the station to do their job. Now when I finish washing the cycle, I went back inside the station to sit down and then they told me to sweep inside the station. After doing than they told me to wash another cycle. When I finish washing the second cycle, I went back inside to sit down and then about 10pm they told me to go home."

"We have the BDF and the police to protect us, but as a man in uniform they are out here to take advantage of us and chance us, so it doesn't make any sense we have police officers and BDF because a lot of us as Belizeans are not getting our rights."

Bernardez is an employee of the Belize City Council.