Despite Being Fire Victims, Families Claim Police Harassment

Early Sunday morning, there was a suspected arson on Rivero Street in Belize City that gutted two wooden houses adjacent to each other. And while three families have been left without a roof over their heads, they are battling yet another issue. Today, News Five headed back to the area where the fire victims claim that they are being harassed by the police. On Thursday evening, five of the men, including a seventeen-year-old minor, were taken into custody. According to the family, they are being accused of being members of a gang. At news time tonight, the men are still detained, one of whom had received burns to his body during the fire.

Voice of: Dulce Sanchez, Claims Police Harassment

“Just losing a home and being harassed by police coming like every so often. The guys could be in the yard and still they are just coming. My son was the one that got injured; the other day they came and he had to take off his pants outside in just boxers, checking through his dreads – for what. I mean it is frustrating. We are going through our crisis at this moment to be harassed by the police.  We have other neighbours that have guys lingering around but this is the house, this is the yard that they target 24/7 and more. When the house got burned, we didn’t see any police. A shot was fired yesterday – I am not sure from which direction or where – the first thing they came was for the guys. I mean it is just frustrating to know that you are being targeted for nothing. I am not gonna come here and say my sons are saints, because I’m not gonna put my head on the block for no one. But at the end of the day when it came to yesterday, I know for a fact, the boys were in the yard. The police passed like two times and saw them in this yard and after that, you see like four truck came, like real criminals.”

Joan Ramsey

Joan Ramsey, Claims Police Harassment

“Monday, dehn come the take up picture ina the yard. Nobody noh deh ina the yard cause dehn noh got nowhere to go. When the young man dehn come home, the police dehn start Monday and di harass dehn. Every twenty twenty-five minutes dehn come and di harass di pikney dehn. This dah wah family yard darling. The children dehn noh got nowhere to go. And dehn di tell dehn go. Weh part dehn got fi go. And then yo wouldn’t want see last night, wah lee shooting. Everybody run out fi see weh di go on, my son run outta ih bed and come out yah. Dehn grab everybody. Dehn come first di haul and pull dehn. Then dehn gone and come back, not even five minutes dehn come back, put handcuff pan all ah dehn and ker dehn. Now dah station dehn di tell we that how dehn di charge dehn for gang-related. This dah wah family yard; no gang noh deh yah.”

Voice of: Dulce Sanchez

“Last night, I asked them why are they holding them. They said they are holding them for loitering in the yard. I don’t know how can you be charged for loitering when you are in your yard. And before we left, they said they were going to get charged for being a gang. I told them that that is ridiculous. I mean what gang? What gang? They are in this yard all the time so what gang? Faber’s Road gang? I have no idea.”