Family of slain canero wants justice
atanacio gutierrez
It is fourteen months since Atanacio Gutierrez, a cane farmer from the village of San Victor in the Corozal District, was shot dead during a protest at the Tower Hill Factory. He was one among thousands of farmers calling for the removal of the infamous core sampler. His wife Benita accompanied him on that fateful day last year February. Since his death she has asked for an investigation but says none has been forthcoming. Today she told News Five’s Delahnie Bain how she and her six children have been coping.
Delahnie Bain, Reporting
Atanacio Gutierrez was fatally shot on February second, 2009 as he protested with his fellow cane farmers against the core sampler at the Belize Sugar Industries Factory. While that riot at Tower Hill was the end of the core sampler, Atanacio met his death at the hands of police. And more than a year later, his family is still suffering from the loss.
Benita Gutierrez, Widow, Atanacio Gutierrez (Translated)
“It’s a difficult situation. The government took their father and now they are increasing prices and they know my situation. There are six children; four girls, two boys and now they are all in school. Right now someone has provided me with some finances and that helped because I was indebted and as I pay I stay without anything. The government said that they would help but they have done anything. Every minute they come to interview me and I don’t see anything and I don’t know what’s happening. The government should be helping us because my kids are now without their father.”
Atanacio’s widow, Benita Gutierrez did not just lose a husband in the riot, she lost the sole provider for her family. Because her children, particularly her baby Alexis Alexander, has still not gotten over the loss of his father, Benita cannot leave him to seek employment.
Benita Gutierrez
benita gutierrez
“To help myself I bake bread to sell, I do raffles. My daughter, who is in school, gets the things to raffle and if nobody wins then we stay with it but if somebody wins then we have to give it up. The little that they make is for their school and they constantly are in need of school items. Right now they need a chair for school and I just can’t get it. Thank God I have already paid for this year. Mr. Johnny Briceño came on the first anniversary of my husband’s death and he helped me so I paid the school fees. But I’m worried about the chair, my light, my water, I still owe my water. I don’t have any means of paying.”
Benita is barely making it along with the little funds she has been able to gather, and while her children are her top priority, she has also been pressing the prime minister to have her husband’s death investigated. But she says her requests have fallen on deaf ears.
Benita Gutierrez
“I wrote about the investigation to the prime minister but he is not answering me. First he sent one letter saying he will help, but it is now more than one year and not a dollar, not even a penny has been given to my kids. The Cane Farmers Association gives me some food and we do the raffles but that’s it. I think the police is responsible because of the orders that Mr. Barrow gave. He gave the order at four o’clock and my husband was killed at three-forty-five so the police are responsible. I’ve heard that the person that killed my husband has been promoted. How can that be?”
According to Benita, she just wants assistance for her six children. But that’s a wish that may not come true since she cannot even get a response from the authorities on who is to be held responsible for Atanacio’s killing.
Delahnie Bain for News Five.
Benita’s six children are in school and that makes life even more difficult for her.
Shouldn’t MAGANA be the one responsible for her husbands death?????????????????
Sad to see individuals in situations like this, but again protesting has its risks. Killing an individual protesting over the core sampler is not worth it. The prime minister does need to say or write something. An investigation should be initiated to see who was responsible for this deadly act. It just goes to show you that the government does not care about the peons that reside in Belize. No worries, he (PM) will be well taken care of and have enough of the tax payers money in his own wallet. Take it for what it’s worth, but what’s happening in Belize is not a fairy tale and there is no happy ending.
A person/human being was killed here. No matter if he was wrong or not. An investigation should be made by an independent body. Somebody should take responsibility and no body is above the law.
How sad the story is this poor belizean woman.it goes to show again to belizeans that the mafiosos in power in the UDP or PUP gang dont have a heart,they have eyes but they cant see.they only care about one thing,and that is them,nobody else matters for them,
reading this ….. me off to the extreme of my human reasons. because she is a low class person barrow might never have read the letter maybe the “se.cretary” read it to him and he was like oh ya and done. dean your action will be paid back. God help you win with the votes of the poor people and you later turn your back on them how evil are you.
You have to understand the PM… he’s busy “discussing” with the murderous gang “leaders” of southside Belize city…..when the poor hardworking caniero substitutes his cane for a more profitable [& illegal] cash “crop” and starts killing indiscriminately, perhaps, and only then, will our PM be willing to sit with them and discuss their concerns…Iam sorry Bruce, but I thought I saw in the news that it was a policeman who pulled the trigger.. and that MAGANA was trying to avoid the confrontation… but perhaps you are right, he’s to blame, he should have encouarged the farmers to take their shotguns and machetes that day to defend themselves from the bullets, right Bruce?? as for the widow, she should probably stop baking bread and raffles to survive..and be like a southside voter…. beg, beg and beg so as to receive.!!! The PM and Johnny love that….!!
agree with your there Roska…maybe i’ll go live in southside and do some begging just so i get a chance to be heard…sad case indeed
Hm ! san for true after many months nothing has been done and nothing will be done,and I believe that its Mr.Dean Barrow’s fault of all this tragedy, before the riot started the cane farmers requested to meet with mr barrow ……actually mr. magana contacted the muy “prime minister the honourable dean ‘BURRO” barrow several times and he refused to meet with the cane farmers, I believe the whole nation heard the prime minister in national radio broadcast –when he ordered the riot scuad to do whatever they need to do to remove the cane farmers thats when everything broke loose ,he mr BARROW should have come and meet with them …nothing would have happend ,how when he needed the votes from the canefarmers he did not refuse to come and ask their votes,NOW looks like he’s gotten tired of the canefarmers,I still remember mr BARROW’S famouse WORDS when he said ” IF IT HAPPENS AGAIN”….I SHALL DO IT AGAIN !THAT IS NOT MY INDUSTRY-I REPEAT,THAT IS NOT MY INDUSTRY!” refering to the sugar industry ,we all know the sugar industry is not as vibrant like before,this prime minister does not want to invest in this sugar industry because he only care for himself and his cronies,what kind of prime minister is he? even in other sections of belize their has not been NO investor to come and invest in Belize,unemployment is extremely high,BELIZE is 2nd-POOREST country in central america…50,000 more poor of the poor now{46% of the country’s population] THE #1 murder capital in the caribbean ….so when will our prime minister start to do something for BELIZEANS looks like what he said is true we can only imagine the possibilities