Police say grenade threat to public is the reason for GSU incident

Following the weekend’s violence, the police claim today that the gangs have grenades that they plan to use over the September celebrations. On Friday night, the Gang Suppression Unit zeroed in on George Street at a house where neighbours gathered after attending the funeral of Charles Woodeye. It is estimated that over forty persons were detained after a violent clash between GSU officers, members of the George Street Gang and others unaffiliated with any street violence. Many innocent bystanders got caught up in the search of the area which the Ministry of Police today says was a routine search for guns and grenades. One bystander is Zane Galvez whose family owns Royal Wholesale. Galvez and a friend were delivering a case of Heineken beer to the family on George Street. He says he walked into the house, handed over the liquor, collected his payment and gave his condolences. After that the GSU trucks drove up and tasers and guns that shoot rubber bullets were pulled out. Galvez’s arm was broken in three areas even as he pleaded with the GSU not to hurt him.

Zane Galvez

Zane Galvez, Beaten by GSU

“As you hear the doors open you hear gunshots gone off—like multiple gunshots. People end up getting shot with rubber bullets. So I stormed back into the house and I get low cause I never know weh di happen—I was very confused about the whole situation. I see people getting tasered, people di get pepper-sprayed and it was mostly women and kids—that’s outside. We were in the house and after they stormed in the house, they start broke up everything, continue taser people, di lash people with clubs. I jumped on the ground because I neva wahn seem like I mi di resist or di put up wah struggle ina any way. So I deh pan my back on the ground both hands in the air and I di tell the officers I noh know weh di happen, I noh deh ina it. Please just let me leave cause I just come deliver a case of Heineken. And he just stand up over me for a couple seconds the watch me pan di ground and I noh know weh mi di run through ih mind but he still swing a baseball bat at my head and I had to put my hand ina di way to block the blow. That dah how I end up get the injuries to my elbow. I believe dah mi almost forty guys get picked up and outta all of them, only two guys get charged—one for obscene language and one for throwing missile. And you could believe that that charges get put pan them after they get detained because after you get detained you wahn di cuss and your frustrated and whatnot. So they neva had no charge fi anybody; nobody neva wanted so I noh understand why they had to come ina this manner of brute force and ignorance.”

Elsworth Wade

Elsworth Wade, Shot with GSU Rubber Bullet

“I di wait fi Zane after he drop off Heineken in the yard. Id eh outside ina di vehicle di wait. About three, four truck brakes up after about a minute or two waiting for Zane in the vehicle with lone masked man. Jump rush the yard, wah ruckion start ina di yard. Wah two ah dehn spot me ina di vehicle and freeze me tell me step out with my hands up. Ask I walk out, somebody just shot me ina my back with wa rubber bullet. I drop pan my knees then wah next two start shock me up, start whap me up, noh even give me no chance fi try explain nothing or ask why this di happen. Drag me, stone all ah we ina di vehicle pan top ah one another. After still come around and pepper-spray everybody in the vehicle. Ker we dah di station after that, dreg we outta again; di beat we fi jump outta di vehicle as we reach dah station. Meanwhile we di walk dah back after dehn done take we offa di ground where they done put we on the ground outta di vehicle, spot wah man weh know we, Mister Caliz, we say Mister Caliz you know we, you know we dah people like this. Dehn yah time yah ih still got on his mask but I done know ih lone walking. So after that the man haul off ih mask in front of everybody—everybody see da Mister Caliz that. He started talkignt hat people go on like unu dah bad man, but dah dehn da bad man. All kinda thing like that and I noh really know. They just lock we down after that; ruff we up bad fi wah lee search. Simple thing weh dehn could just tell we open fi we leg, dehn di kick yo, just di really brutalize yo dehn kinda way di.  And on top of that, lock we down dah station, me personally lock me down from Friday night like bout seven o’clock and released Monday morning bout after nine o’clock—past my forty-eight hours—without seeing a doctor til mussi bout Sunday night.”

Zane Galvez

“I just left from my lawyer and we di have legal action. I di try see how I could pursue it for some criminal charges against them because I believe this is attempt murder because my doctor said that if he had hit me in the head, I would probably not be here right now talking to you.”

Galvez says his medical bills after his first surgery this coming Friday will reach to a little less than seven thousand dollars. Government officials have so far declined an interview on the actions of the GSU, but the Ministry of Police sent out a press release today explaining the Police Department’s tough stance against acts of violence over the weekend.  The release says that during the search, police came under assault; a police vehicle was damaged and the police station on West and Dean Streets was targeted.  Offenders also threw a Molotov cocktail (home-made explosive) at the police station. According to the Police, they also have evidence that, while in lock-down, gang members instructed other members to target Chinese grocers and other innocent Belizeans with a shooting spree to send a message of retaliation for their detention.