Citizens and grassroots organizations look for solutions to crime
nigel petillo
The murder of Aubrey Lopez last week Thursday has stirred deep emotions against violence. A group led by activist Nigel Petillo protested on Friday in Belmopan and this Tuesday night it took its plight back to the murder capital. Mission Fix Belize has been joined by families of victims of crime and others whose common purpose is to rid the streets of criminal elements. News Five’s Jose Sanchez was at a forum on Tuesday night and heard the riveting testimonies.
Jose Sanchez, Reporting
Organizers of the three and a half hour event outlined ALAMAP, the Aubrey Lopez Anti Murder Action Plan. The event was attended by police officers, the church, families of murder victims and concerned citizens. One of the more drastic measures included a curfew for everyone.
Nigel Petillo, Organizer, Mission Fix Belize
“We want to set out a well defined curfew system that will target everyone; EVERYONE found on the streets after the suggested curfew time regardless of status.”
Chairman of Belize Association of Evangelical Churches
“We have seen the need, we have worked, we have prayed, we hold community forums, evangelistic drives, feeding programs, social programs, all types of different programs but still we are plagued with the issue of crime. We have found very recently that we felt to stage a gun amnesty, which will take place next week. It’s under the theme “Jesus is Lord of Belize” and this amnesty will take place next week Thursday and Friday, the twenty-seventh and twenty-eighth of May. I want to applaud you again. I want to say out rightly that it is not everything that you said I’ve agreed with—I’ll be honest to say that. Again I say I thank God for the initiative that you all have taken to say this is a start, what do you have? What can you put forward? And I think together we can make a big difference in our country.”
Office of the Prime minister sent a representative with the message that he wants to consult the public.
mary vasquez
Mary Vasquez, Office of the Prime Minister
“The government at this time is starting to formulate a comprehensive plan and it’s very important we believe not to duplicate any of the efforts that are currently underway. And we understand that because this is a crisis situation that has touched many, many people, many of our area afraid to leave our homes, many of us have family members that have been killed, many of us have businesses that are suffering because people are afraid to go out in the evenings or because we have to close earlier. So we don’t want to come forward and have a knee jerk reaction and say this is the plan. We really need to consult with a wide group of people. We need to consult within government and with the community. So at this time the plan is to consult and during that process of consultation, to come up with specific actions that we can do in the immediate future, but more importantly to secure Belize over the long term.”
Yolanda Schakron, Belizeans for Justice
“There are so many mothers who have no one to turn to, whose cries have been just lost in the wind. So I really thank God. You know it’s sad that murder has brought us to this time and it has brought us together like this, but I believe that as people who love life, people who want to have a good Belize for our children and our grandchildren, the time to act is now. I believe like what Mr. Petillo is saying, we need action and we need drastic because you know what a life is a life and no one has the right to cut someone short of their life. I call on the Police Department, I call on Mr. Jeffries as the leader of that department to stop turning a blind eye. The time to clean up that depsrtment is now.”
Goldburn Adolphus, AKA Easy Glen, spoke about the reality on the streets.
Goldburn “Easy Glen” Adolphus
goldburn adolphus
“I start off when I got incarcerated the first time was 1987. I first went to prison. I get to know my father behind bars, Captain Charles Good, God rest his soul, who died for what he believed in. I deh yah tonight, noh fi give no testimony or fi try beg nobody fi put down no gun or so forth. But you know weh I come fi tell man, right now the whole general public and ghetto youths? Anytime you kill, Goldburn, you kill Selvin, you kill Julian, man you di kill yourself. Di bible tell yoh man shall destroy dehn self.”
It must be biblical, it must be a plague. There are many races of people in Belize, Mestizos, Mayas, East Indians or Garifunas are not killing themselves, why are we doing this to ourselves. If this continues, we’ll be extinct. I hope I’m lying or just plain ignorant of the fact.
Thanks for working together to try to address the situation. I disagree with the curfew for everyone, nurses & others work shifts that require them to be on the streets after dark & we will start screaming when the next policeman loses control of his trigger finger & shoots another productive citizen. The Police cannot be everywhere, how do we protect the people who must walk home from work, through deserted streets, they become more vulnerable to crime. Let’s not be politically correct & make it clear who we want off the streets at night, young men. It may not change what goes on during the day but it is a start.
Mr. Adolphus mentioned in another article I read that in 7 or 8 years in prison, he never had a visitor, it may be necessary to have some of these men talk to the children at the primary school level before they get sucked into the life.
One of the most important things that the “grassroots organization” need to do is to start push the GOB of Belize to legalized marijuana. This could help somewhat.
keep up the pressure my Belizean brothers/sisters. its in our hands now. stop depending on those impotent uncaring souls in Belmopan. WE ‘THE PEOPLE’ ARE THE GOV’T, together we can fix this thing. while they sit in cabinet and ‘consult’ we are out here dying.
We shouldnt really be mad at the criminals, they are doing what criminals do. we should direct our attention to the folks that we entrusted with the task of protecting us and who have failed us miserably, and iam talking both gangs THE RED(UDP) AND BLUE(PUP)
Congratulations to the Citizens and Grass Roots Organizations of Belize for their bold step in seeking an immediate HALT to this madness that has engulfed our beautiful country. Among my many con-cerns and fears is that attitude that if crime took so long to build up to the present crises, SO WILL IT TAKE a long time to bring it under control. This is a defeatest attitude that offers little consolation to
our frightened and enslaved population. My second concern from my long experience in dealing with people is that Belizeans are placated with short slogans. Example The Political Parties have won
election with CATCH PHRASES like ” Belizeans First ” – “No matter What” ” Land for every Belizean”
“Education for every Child” etc etc. Likewise the establishment of commissions after commissions
to investigate what everybody already knows ALL FORGOTTEN IN A VERY SHORT TIME. My advice is enforce the laws of Belize Now ! Then do the rest afterwards.
Well i had made the suggestion for curfew in what of my previous postings or hanging so i am glad that one of the suggestion is in the light to try to better things in the whole entire belize city.
And the faster this get into action the better because the people had spoken and voted 76% for a curfew to be implicated.
Make the policeman they start work for there money and clean up the street of belize city .
Govt. consultations with other groups are good before making knee jerking decisions, but the current SCENARIO in Belize is SO BAD, that some IMMEDIATE DRASTIC ACTIONS should be immediately implemented,even if they are only temporary.
What about a temporary curfew? This is no time for government to be pussy footing around with proper decsion -making principles, PEOPLE ARE BEING MURDERED.
Finally…. Finally, The Church is stepping up to the plate.
The people will pick the leaders they deserve….. as always.
Ms. Vasquez, this plan should have been in place a long time ago, what the hell are you people thinking?. It is obvious that Aubrey had to lose his life before we the Belizean people could know about the Government’s plan. Da shame or what?. According to my understanding, and please forgive me, “I have wa 2-sense memory and ah dibby dibby”. You people (GOB) want to dictate how the citizens should consult with the very same installation that continue to fail us and are responsible to protect our country in the first place?. Yes, this is the legal and logical thing to do but, how dare you?. Ms. Vasquez, personally, I think “you da di fall gal” please noh mek dehn use you like dat man. I think that the Minister of National Security and the Commissioner of Poilce should have been the responsible representatives to inform the people of whatever plan that is being formulated and it’s long term expectation as a hope to cling to before the people went home. The people of Belize di cry out and call out fi protection and security fi stop di blood-shed Ms. Vasquez and dat deh way over you head an fi me one to!. I agree with Nigel, since we know that the people that were suppose to protect us are incompetent or confused, let them lay their lousy cards on the table right now with Nigel and the people, to start implementing adequate tactics to eradicate the idiots that are causing grief to our people, before another law abiding citizen and positive role model like Aubrey get killed. For you Mr. Adolphus, guess what, Guns do kill and we all know that. If you never have anything good fi sey, dehn shut you ,,,mouth. Noh stand up deh like wa idiot and sey dat you neva mi di de fi tell di Jack—es dem fi put down dem guns, bicaus dat da whe we di people want, idiot. Enough is enough people. How can our country’s economy get better, when our country is badly tainted with corruptions and senseless killings?. GOB, noh feel know way man, call wa meeting with Nigel and ih team. Invite di general public and mek wi conquer dis evil together. Ih noh hurt fi sey wi noh know whe wi di do and wi need help, but if wi knock head together, wi could mek it work an tek back wi country from di devil.
To MADDY, your comments useto make sense, but the lost 2 are NONSENSE, how can you legalize marijuana, when drugs is the 2d reason why people are dying stupidly in Belize. HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN THE LOOK ON THESE FOOLS FACE? Didn’t the other fool kill his father for .25 cents and he was on drugs or still had the effects from it. What needs to be done in Belize is that ANY suspicious activity by your neigbours should be called in to a HOTLINE AND HAVE POLICE INVESTIGATE IT. REMEMBER “I AM MY BROTHERS KEEPER”
I totally agree with kinkriol, to be honest with you, look at the chinese people, bless neh heart. They and like many hard working belizeans live to provide and support the common good of society, which helps each other. If you notice, this behavior links right back to our judicial system. These youths been commiting crime, and “if caught” they no more or less its gonna be a couple months and right back at it. I think these magistrates and so fort are scared, if so step down. Again, offer an invitation to an outsider, with less regards for sympathy, and whom works right down the line.
Likewise, I want to thank these activists, Nigel, Goldburn and Mrs. Yolanda, I believe in you guys and one of these days we shall win Belize back. Lets not give in, and or course Crispin, Carlos Perdomo you guys need to pull your weight.
“We have seen the need, we have worked, we have prayed, we hold community forums, evangelistic drives, feeding programs, social programs, all types of different programs but still we are plagued with the issue of crime.”
God bless you my brother!!! And again I say 2 Chronicles 7:14 “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” A promise from the Word of God which still holds true for today and for our beloved country. God is not a man that He should lie, but we must do our part—-i.e. humble ourselves, pray, seek His face and turn from our wicked ways. Then the promise will be fulfilled. He will hear from heaven and He will forgive our sin and He will heal our land.
Brothers and sisters in Christ in the U.S. are praying and believing with you. Be strong and take courage. Do not fear or be dismayed, for the Lord will go before you.
His peace and blessings be with you now and always.
When the house is on fire one cant stop to try and figure out the cause of the fire , we must act immediately to impliment every possible solution to contain the blaze, however , we also need to find how the fire got started in order that we could prevent future occurence.
Now i believe according to my research discovery , I would link most of these criminal activities to break down in family , we need our Fathers home with their Wife and children ,more than at the bars socializing with (socalled friends) and we need to know where our children are all the time and who they are hanging out with , show me your friends ,and i’ll tell you who you are could be very true .