Belizeans for Justice holds conference despite threats

joan sutherland

Last week, one of the founding members of Belizeans for Justice received a death threat on the eve of a planned press conference. Joan Sutherland, whose son was killed in November 2006, joined the anti-crime movement along with relatives of other murder victims. This morning, the press conference was convened under heavy police presence and according to Sutherland; threats will not deter the work of the organization. News Five’s Jose Sanchez was at the Radisson and has this report.

Jose Sanchez, reporting

Belizeans for Justice held a press conference today. The meeting was initially postponed because of a threat made against Belizeans for Justice founding member, Joan Sutherland.

Joan Sutherland, Founding Member, Belizeans for Justice

“I want whosoever di threaten me, I would like them to stop and come to me face to face. I am not scared. What they are doing to me is giving me more strength and more voice fi talk. They di give me the strength that I know I could get up and I di fight. I noh di fight fi nothing right now. I am fighting for something because yoh di knock deh door out deh and that dah the reason why they di threaten we now. But whatever they are doing, make Belizeans for Justice stronger.”

At the entrance of the Radisson’s Villa Wing, officers stood guard and also on the fifth floor inside the conference room more officers provided protection to the group who at times voiced their displeasure with the police department and also about the failure of the justice system.

Christina Zetina, Member, Belizeans for Justice

“I get thrown inna piss house after my foot got amputated. I mi had to move out of the country because of the harassment I mi di go through. I had to lef my whole family and from then ih mi really hard pan me because this dah the time when I need my family around. And when the court case come up, I lose the attempted murder but they lef di maim as wahn hung jury. So I wahn go back and fight fi my maim. I gwen and I wahn take the retrial. I also wahn say that after this court case I get fi find out that the guy weh ker in this bwai after seven days after this incident dah mi his brother-in-law. That’s why I mi di get all di police harassment because all the while he was a police, his brother-in-law.”

marquis mahler

The grandmother of eight year old Marquis Mahler, who was shot several times, also joined the group today.

Marie Lewis, grandmother of Marquis Mahler

marie lewis

“Marquis was only eight years old. The twenty-seventh of next month he’ll be nine years old and he was a smart little guy. That little boy kissed me Monday morning, the tenth of July, to wish (me) grandma happy birthday. I can’t believe that was the last kiss and goodbye for me. I can’t believe it because the hug that he gave me, I don’t think that I got another hug until I hug him and tell him goodbye. Marquis, I don’t know baby. You’re gone, you’re an angel. When my grandson went there and asked for help, they were drinking at the station and the station is just a hundred yards from my house. Come on, where are the police to protect us.”

The mother of Andre Trapp, the former boss of Kraal Road, spoke at the event.

frances longsworth

Frances Elizabeth Longsworth, Mother of Andre Trapp

“I noh di say that da all the police, but most of them corrupted and when you go dah the senior officers deh, they say weh we could do? We can’t do nothing because it come from ministerial level. Well I di challenge Mister Doug Singh. I like weh u mi say the other day and I di pray that you stand up to what you di say cause I am challenging you—even if dah by mi self. But I am challenging you on behalf of this group and they pour mothers who loose deh pikney.”

Yolanda Shackron, Founding Member, Belizeans for Justice

yolanda schakron

“There are multiple cases of abuse of innocent citizens by members of the Belize Police Department. In addition to the wayward behavior of certain members of the Belize Police department, we and so many other Belizeans have been convinced of the widespread corruption in our force that is supposed to protect us. For these reasons we believe that the Commissioner of the Belize Police Department has lost the confidence of this public. We therefore are asking to our government, to our leader, to Doug Singh to terminate him immediately.”

Reporting for News Five, Jose Sanchez.

Also in the audience, were other grieving mothers such as Alice Williams, the mother of recently murdered teen Neisa Pipersburgh and shooting victim Steven Buckley, who also addressed the gathering.