7 News Belize

The Peace Process Continues Heading Into Labour Day Weekend
posted (April 27, 2017)
You all remember that sigh of relief that you took after the long murder-free Easter weekend? Well, another long weekend is here: it's the Labor day weekend and we are sure you would want to hold on to that hope and peace of mind, especially for those of you heading out to the Agriculture and Trade Show. And to make sure it remains calm and civil among rival city gangs, there was another mediation session today.

We have been following these breakthrough meetings for some time now and mediator Dianne Finnegan discussed how critical these sessions are to keeping the harmony and to helping these men heal. American intervention specialist Deshawn Morris also discussed how impactful his work has been since being here.

Dianne Finnegan, Mediator
"Representatives from Taylors Alley, PIV, Back a land, Mayflower, George Street, Antelope street , I guess that's it about, the meeting was really to talk about this weekend , it is a long weekend a hot weekend and actually sharing with them some of the challenges they face if they choose to go to the agricultural show, not that we are saying don't go but to prepare themselves that this is a time that the police security will be high so they need to be cautious and if they go , to go with responsible individuals who will be able to steer them in the right path instead of individuals who would create more drama for them and they end of getting locked down. It was a good meeting, as per usual we normally just start off the meeting and they end it with conversation and how they feel about what is happening and the fact that they really spoke about how effective Jiwe is in their lives right now and how he was able to reach them at a level where they are able to control their anger and their hurt."

Courtney Weatherburne, 7News
"Just the idea for me of being in a room with somebody or a gang member who has maybe attacked your family, or shot your brother or took away your father and hurt you in that manner, how is that healing process, what is the approach to shedding all that hurt and pain?"

Dianne Finnegan, Mediator
"Well the first step is for them to understand that they have each done things to each other, you have killed one of mines, I have killed one of yours."

"Whatsoever you do that cannot bring back these individuals but we can make sure that there is not another body that is going to go in a casket in our hands so that is the first step, when they can internalize that and see the essence of the message then the process starts, it starts with a buck, with a nod of the head, a shake hand and then the embrace and we have seen it step by step by step happening."

Dashaun "Jiwe" Morris, Mediator
"Every day is still a struggle, coming to a place that was kinda like really out of control but I kind of just try to reinforce to them the progress that has been made and just try to keep that on their minds and just remind them of what is at stake. I always let them know, even I tell myself not everybody is rooting for them, us, me, they not rooting for us there is a lot of people waiting for something to happen so I just kinda always try to keep that on the forefront of their minds to let them know that their actions and the things that you do don't only affect you, they affect a lot of people who are invested in you."

And while Jiwe has nothing but good intentions, some are questioning a video he shot in December in Belize. It shows him "making it rain" Belizean and American dollars. Looking at the video, it might seem that he is insulting Belizeans as he says "this country is so dumbed down" while he is throwing Belizean dollars. But see for yourself, here is the video and his response. We warn you that if you have sensitive ears, you might want to change the channel:

Dashaun "Jiwe" Morris, Mediator
"For those Belizeans that feel that way, they need to go back watch the video again because I wasn't talking about Belizeans, the first shot I was talking about was America and I was stating that I had to go out of the country to get my value to be recognized so that is the first thing so they need to look at that video again. Second of all, the message, the whole point in that video was to let people know to put your money to good use and in American it is a big thing throwing your money."

"You know back home these rappers and these entertainers spend all their money, they use all their money on diamonds, jewelry, cars, clubs, partying, liquor, alcohol and I said the purpose of that video was and if you listen to what I am saying, that I came out here and done worked hard and not a dime of that money going to no strip club , not a dime of this money going to no jury , not a dime of this is going to no cars, this is going home to my babies and my family."

So just to clarify Morris was referring to the US as "dumbed down" not Belize. Morris says he has always taken an anti-American stance because of how the US has treated him and you can see evidence of that when he says, quote, "I had to go out the country to get paid" - meaning he has Belize to thank for welcoming him and paying him for the work he does here, that is why he had Belizean dollars. Morris says he is committed to continue helping the gang members in Belize keep the peace and as you heard Finnegan say, he has been instrumental in this shift in gang violence.

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