Youth for the Future organizes peace rally
Murder capital number one just got worse. On Tuesday, two additional murders were added to the dreadful statistics in Belize City with the homicides of Dylan Ayuso and Norman Gillett. Just prior to that on Monday, two school children and a man were injured in a mid afternoon shoot-out in the Saint Martin de Porres Area of the City. That’s in two days alone this week in the City. Violence continues unabated and citizens are under siege to criminals. One group of Belizean artists in collaboration with Youth for the Future, say they will advocate against youth violence with a peace rally. On Saturday, at the Third World Field behind the Saint Martin De Porres Primary School, they will stage the show entitled “Enough is Enough”, which will feature a top line-up of artists. According to Coordinator, Joseph Stamp-Romero, Y.F.F. and the artists hope to break the cycle on crime.
Joseph Stamp-Romero, Coordinator, Enough is Enough Peace Rally
“Definitely if people come out, they can expect to hear speakers and performers from different artist, but also a message that they can take home to say that it’s time for peace, it’s time that we do it ourselves. Time and time you hear on the radio why don’t we do this why don’t we do that—different people saying different things, making different suggestions. Well, hopefully, they can take home a message that says I will do it myself. I will make sure that I make peace, that I advocate for peace in my neighbourhood.”
Duane Moody
“Which artists are going to be featured in this event?”
Joseph Stamp-Romero
“Well we have Supa G who was enthusiastic about it. We have Chico Ramos, we have Berne, we have Father Lee, we have Erson Picart, we have Nu Generation Dance Company participating also. So you have a whole contingency of artists who are actually going to be there and giving of their time, free and just being there for the cause.”
Father Brian Christopher, Resident Priest, St. Martin De Porres Parish
“It will break the silence just for a night. It will get people out of their homes and be an opportunity for the people of God to take back the night from the violence and it will be a chance for us to celebrate together. There has been too much mourning, there’s been too much despair, too much feeling of helplessness and this will be an opportunity to take back some power. Like I said, take back the night. I just know in the short time that I’ve been here, the level of violence has been more than I’ve ever seen and I’ve lived in some though places before. So I think that his is definitely coming at a great time.”
Joseph Stamp-Romero
“Crime is not specific at all; it’s for everybody it’s a problem that we all face. And definitely we are glad that Y.F.F. embraced the initiative to be a part of this because they understand the need for us all to be a part of it. So it’s no one person problem, it’s a community problem.”
The event starts at three p.m.
