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Alleged Succotz Rioters Went Back To Court
posted (February 12, 2015)
In August of last year, the villagers of Succotz staged an angry, impromptu protest to demand the Deputy Commissioner of Police Miguel Segura be criminally charged like any other person. Segura was driving under the influence when he crashed into a taxi and killed the passenger, 54 year-old Yolanda Consuela Valencia - a Succotz resident. The driver, 28 year Yannie Evan Cu, was seriously injured.

The villagers were standing up for their own, and believed that they had just cause, but the protest devolved into a riot where stones were thrown at the police who trying to put out roadblocks of burning tires.

15 persons were later charged in November for the offence of rioting and participating in an unlawful assembly, and they were initially arraigned. The sitting Magistrate, Herbert Panton, scheduled today as the start date for the trial against all of the accused. They reported dutifully to court as they were supposed to, and after 3 hours of waiting, they were told by the Chief Magistrate that they needed to come back for another adjournment in April.

That's not the news that these residents hoped for. They were expecting that at today's hearing, they would be able to defend themselves in court.

A few of them spoke with us this morning outside the courtroom:

Minellia Chan, Charged for Rioting
"They called us right now to tell us that it was adjourn again to the 16th April."

Daniel Ortiz
"Was there any reason given why?"

Minellia Chan, Charged for Rioting
"No, they just tell us to come back. We are missing from our jobs right now. I have my gift shop there and I am losing from sales from the cruise ships and I have to come here to spend time. I don't know why they don't do it, because they always adjourn, but they never tell us why."

Daniel Ortiz
"Ma'am, do you believe that you were justified in making the demonstration you made, that they are accusing you of riot now?"

Minellia Chan, Charged for Rioting
"Yes, that's it."

Daniel Ortiz
"When the time comes, will you make a defence that you know what, we didn't riot, we demonstrated. What will be your position before the court when the time comes, when the magistrate asks you what your position is?"

Minellia Chan, Charged for Rioting
"We are just asking for justice and they never saw me with a stone or machete or with a stick. They only tell me that they send me a summons and to 20 of us from Succotz. The people of Succotz are just asking for justice - nothing else."

Daniel Ortiz
"Is there anything you are missing at home, that you could have been doing, but you are here at court because of this summons?"

Asuceno Godoy, Charged for Rioting
"Yes sir, because I have to work. I work for my son and at this moment he needs to go to the doctor and I have to give him money to go because he is not working. So, I and my husband help him. Today, I didn't work. So what will happen with this day?"

Nefretery Nancy Marin - Supporting Succotz Residents
"It's pitiful that they don't consider that these are poor people that work for a living and the more they drag them to court, the more they miss work and like Yannie's mom said, she has to work to help her son. Nobody else is helping her. She makes tortillas for a living and that cannot pay the medications, cannot sustain a family and that goes for all the other people. One of the guys here says that he earns one hundred dollars per day and he is here losing that. This is monies that these poor families need, but yet the court will drag them because the lawyer decides not to show up or whatever reason he has. They gave them another day all the way to April. So, I think that they should just really be considerate to the people and call the case, make their decisions and let us know what's going on, so we can know what other step to take."

When the case returns to court in 2 months' time, we'll be there.

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