12 Persons Arrested After Political Squabble in Red Bank
The police have swiftly charged persons who were not wearing face masks or social distancing in the village of Red Bank when a confrontation erupted between party supporters on Sunday. A total of twelve persons were taken to court, nine of them are from the Cal family who were involved in a clash with U.D.P. supporters that were riding through the village in a motorcade and a red flag was grabbed from them. That incident spilled over, machetes were brandished and shots were fired. Here is News Five’s Hipolito Novelo with a report.
Hipolito Novelo, Reporting
Twelve persons have been charged following the political squabble that happened in Red Bank Village on Sunday. Arrested and charged are Kirk Talbot, Caroline Foreman, Albert Moody and nine members of the Cal family: Antonio, Reino Cal, Philip, Edgar, Valentine, Sidro, Magarito, Justino, Candaliana. They are all charged for failure to wear a face mask and adhere to social distancing. On arraignment they all were granted bail which they met. The clash on Sunday was caught on camera between strong party supporters of the P.U.P. and U.D.P. Machetes were drawn and shots fired. The scene was chaotic and dangerous when a cop fired shots.
A motorcade for the U.D.P.’s Ivan Williams was passing through the village when one of the P.U.P.’s Rodwell Ferguson’s supporter grabbed a U.D.P. flag and ran away with it. This is on the heels of a verbal exchange. Williams is blaming Fergusons’ supporters, specifically the Cal family, for starting the fight.
Ivan Williams, U.D.P. Standard Bearer, Stann Creek West
“The Cal family started the commotion with the machetes. If you look at eh video they were wielding machetes. Luckily there was a police man coming from a village at the back of Red Bank here you know and he was coming from somewhere and fortunately for us he saw what was happening. We have always maintain that we done practice any kind of police. As a matter of fact I want to tell you that they took down my banner in Santa Cruz and the night before they took down my banner in Silk Grass so I want to call so I want to call my colleagues and particularly the person who I am running against the Honorable Mister Ferguson to speak with his people. It is politics is what is it. That could have been avoided perhaps to talk to his people. If you look in the video they were intoxicated and I know for a fact he was in the village earlier and probably he gave them rum and I am serious about this, Hipolito.”
But Ferguson says that Williams and his supporters have repeatedly been tantalizing his supporters.
Hipolito Novelo
“The P.U.P. supporters, some of them were drunk.”
Rodwell Ferguson, Area Representative, Stann Creek West
“That’s not true, okay and let me tell you something on Sunday I was about seventy miles away from Red Bank. I was campaigning in the Village of Middlesex all day Sunday. They wrote on this Facebook page that I gave them rum to drink. I was never ever in the Red Bank that day and let me tell you something young man I have never gotten drunk in my entire life as a human being. I don’t drink rum. I don’t drink beer. I don’t drink no kind of alcohol from when I was a young man. Many come to ask me to buy them rum and I tell them I prefer to buy them a pack of bread to eat. My people were sober, sober.”
Hipolito Novelo
“Mister Williams is saying that several times he has been attacked.”
Rodwell Ferguson
“Who has been attacked?”
Hipolito Novelo
“Mister Williams.”
Rodwell Ferguson
“For what reason sir?”
Hipolito Novelo
“From what he is saying, he is being attacked and he is calling on you to calm your people.”
Rodwell Ferguson
“Let me tell you something, Ivan, this is my fifth election I am running and never one day you have heard me on media that I am causing any friction or any commotion. I always caution my people that this is a race and at the end of the day the better man win.”
For now, tensions have cooled down in the village. Reporting for News Five, I am Hipolito Novelo.
