Food Distribution in Lake-I Brings Feuding Gangs Together

The senseless killings that have been recorded in Lake-I over the past month has left the community torn.  The bitter rivalry between two gangs has prompted the Belize Police Department to change its approach to crime fighting.  While new measures are in place to abate the scourge of gun violence in the area, community policing is still very much a part of the strategy.  This afternoon, the senior command of the department teamed up with the leaders of the respective gangs in an effort to bring about a ceasefire through the distribution of food on Christmas Eve.  News Five’s Isani Cayetano reports.

Isani Cayetano, Reporting

For the past few weeks, Lake Independence has been in turmoil.  The gangs that operate in this community are at war with each other and blood has been shed on both sides.  Today is Christmas Eve.  While many are at home preparing or out and about doing last-minute shopping, the leaders of the respective groups have come together to distribute food within the neighborhood.  It’s a belated gesture, but nonetheless a show of solidarity that the time has come for there to be peace.

Brandon Baptist

Brandon Baptist, Lake-I Resident

“I just like that wi di get together and be wih bredda keepers, yoh get di sense, do this together, yoh get di sense.  Ih feel good fi just di give weh food together and could talk to each other and heng with each other again too mein, yoh get di sense.  We tiad ah dis back and forth and up and down thing ya, yoh get di sense.  So betta we just hold hands together and do this thing ya, yoh check.”

That’s Brandon Baptist, a resident of the Police Street area.  The group that he belongs to has had a standing feud with those that associate with Brandon Smith.  Over the years, that enmity has resulted in lives being lost.

Brandon Smith

Brandon Smith, Lake-I Resident

“We just di try build back di neighborhood.  Dehn seh wih di destroy it so we just di build it back and dat dah di best thing fi do.  Ah mean fi seh, if yoh could look, we di try hold it down but da just next people di try, yeh…  But da soh ih goh same way too, cause yoh cyant forget yoh past.”

Bringing together both groups to participate in this activity is the Belize Police Department.  With funding from the private sector, the initiative sees plates of food being given out to residents by the gang members themselves.

Richard Rosado

Dr. Richard Rosado, Officer Commanding, Eastern Division

“I believe that it is a good initiative.  It is a good gesture on behalf of the business community, in particular Benny’s, for having partnered with the Belize Police Department and our Deputy Prime Minister, Honorable Cordel Hyde in providing lunch for the residents in this area, a pre-Christmas lunch.  I believe that this initiative will help us improve our system, our professional outlook and it will also improve that connection between the community and the police.”

The community itself is fractured and for there to be healing, there needs to be unity.

Brandon Baptist

“Dat da di betta way too mein, dat da di key ah success right ya, live as one, peace.”

Isani Cayetano

“This is at a time when most people would say that the neighborhood is at war.  You have groups who are going against each other and what have you [and] this community initiative comes in the middle of that.”

Brandon Baptist

“Well, like weh I seh, mein.  Dehn always seh that we da bad people back ya and thing right, but we da noh bad people mein, we got love eena fu we heart, check.  So we wahn show di people dehn dat we da noh no bad seed, we da good people and we could do this together, like weh I seh, we wahn do this together.”

Brandon Smith

“Lotta people out ya noh got certain things and dehn noh wahn get certain things.  Soh we just wahn try fi reach out to sohn people weh in need.”

Isani Cayetano

“Is there anything else you want to say regarding this particular initiative considering the fact that people would look and say, well the neighborhood is at war, how comes you guys are now coming together to try to save what is left of what is happening?”

Brandon Smith

“Well people could seh weh dehn wahn cause dehn noh know weh di go ahn.  Dehn might feel like da we ahn dehn and da we and weh but da different people di come een and step een, yoh undastand me.  Dah soh ih go, anytime anybody sih something di happen and oh dehn deh da peace, sohn people wahn throw stone and hide dehn hand, yoh undastand me.  Da soh ih been di goh, that’s why ih always come back to this.”

Reporting for News Five, I am Isani Cayetano.