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Ellis Meighan Says GSU Taking It Personal
posted (December 18, 2015)
Two nights ago, we told you about the GSU making Christmas for senior citizens; well tonight the GSU is back in the news - but this time, the controversial unit is accused of playing Scrooge at Ellis Meighan's house on Banak Street.

Meighan called us today to say that the GSU did a rough and brutal search of his home this morning. We spoke to a relative who was in the home at that time - and to Meighan himself. Here's what they said:..

Friend of Meighan, Claims Brutality
"Police came here and saying that they are looking for drugs and that men are drug kingpin around here. They broke up stick on us for no reason. They didnt find anything, so they just got ignorant and started to beat us. Then he have us kneeling down and start to watch us and tell that we have on new clothes and jewelry and this and that and that we are thiefs, rapist and robbers and killers and all kind of things. They are chancing men."

Ellis Meighan, Fed up with GSU
"Right now they have in the hospital. His side is busted up with a gun - they whap him with a gun. This is something that we gel fed us of, this we are not taking anymore. The next time Mr. Barry of Mr. Flowers plan to come here to do the same procedures that he did, he will have to plan to kill all of us and done, because we are tired and fed up. We didn't do anything. Nobody from here fired anything from morning, nobody got robbed in this whole vicinity. Night before Mr. Vidal came from Belmopan, they did their search and I have no problem - I love that."

"Our house get shot every two weeks to a month - every minute, every time. We have no problem with that. It's the brutality. They come and beat us like we are animals. My brother was in the hospital a couple months ago from internal bleeding from GSU. Now they beat him in the same spot and they burst him open again with a firearm this time. Now they whap my brother with a firearm when he was handcuff with two handcuff behind his back - they still brutalized my brother. So the GSU officers are pushing us to go out there and do thing. We are not on that. At the end of the day they don't have any charged for us. They didn't find anything here. They claimed that we sell drugs. Out of the thousand times they come here, they haven't found any drugs. We don't have any problems with Chester Williams crowd or Mr. Grinage or Ms. Phillips - whosoever are running the strike teams them. We are okay with the officers in Belize City. It's the GSU. Certain men from the GSU. What is the problem with Barry Flowers and my family. He is not a ranking officer to say send out a operation to go to Ells yard and beat up everybody. And there is no way Mark Flowers are sending others, because Mark Flowers in not in the country at this moment. So Barry is doing whatever he wants on his own and the main thing he say is that the news media can't save us, the public can't save us, the prime minister can't save us. This is what Mr. Barry Flowers is always shouting at us. Nobody can't help us. So what do they want us to do as a citizen - defend ourselves in the streets? That is what they want us to do? We are tired of going to the news media and we are tired of going to the Ombudsman. The only next part we have now is decide to die."

The search happened between 9:00 and 10:00 - which is not far from the time or the place where Walter Juarez was shot. Now, some persons in law enforcement have suggested that the Juarez shooting could be related to the search - a kind of retaliation against the state for what you just hear Meighan say was a brutal search. But Meighan says there's no connection, and the times don't match up:...

Jules Vasquez
"Let's be real. When these things happened, it provoke a reaction. That only natural. Chester Williams always talks about it."

Ellis Meighan, Fed up with GSU
"Today a shooting happened on Magazine Road. I didn't do any shooting. All I know they say it's because of a beating that they beat my crowd. That is not so. That shooting is before they beat my crowd."

Jules Vasquez
"So it's not as a result of that, because they are also trying to say that you all are inciting public terror, either you or your brother are the ones Broaster is alleging and you know the allegation."

Ellis Meighan, Fed up with GSU
"Mr. Broaster is alleging that, but from Mr. Broaster release, over 72 going for a week now and not even a citizen nor a Chinese didn't get attacked or hurt."

Jules Vasquez
"So there is no relation?"

Ellis Meighan, Fed up with GSU
"Everything is just a blow from the media, they want to put a blow on you, that I am the baddest person living. That could never be. We have a family, we have lovers that we want to live for."

We asked the commander of the GSU for a comment on the search and the allegation that his officers, specifically his younger brother went rogue to settle a personal grievance against Meighan. Flowers told us that the GSU went on an operation from 3:00 am this morning, and searched about 30 homes including the Meighan's. He makes no apology for the search and says his unit has good reason to believe the Meighan's are involved in something illegal. He says that anyone who was beaten should make a report to the Professional standards Branch and it will be investigated. Flowers added, quote, "We don't engage in unnecessary brutality anymore."

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