Second shooting in two months kills Harrison Staine
harrison staine
Exactly one week ago, Eyan Arnold, a thirty five year old caretaker, was shot and killed on Berkley Street. On Sunday night, there was another homicide in the same hood. This time a mentally challenged man who was riding his bicycle was targeted; it turned out fatal for the forty-two year old who had survived a previous attempt on his life months ago. The family of Harrison Eugene Staine says his murder was caused by rivaling gangs even though he was not involved with them. News Five Jose Sanchez reports on the continued violence in the City’s hot spots.
Jose Sanchez, Reporting 
Harrison Eugene Staine was killed at seven-twenty-five on Sunday night as he rode his bicycle on Berkley Street towards West Canal. He was shot on the left side of his face. The blood stained remained where the forty-two year old man’s life was snuffed out. Since no slug was found at night, officers returned to the scene this morning to comb the area for clues. According to Staine’s brother, Harrison’s first brush with death was on June eleventh on South Street.
Steven Staine, Brother of Murder Victim
“He got shot twice in the neck; one entry, one exit. The other one was a graze. He survived that. We know it was going to happen; it was inevitable. We tried to advise him to move out of the neighborhood. He said that’s where he lived, born and grew there. I moved out and he remained to stay in that neighbourhood. We know the condition of the city right now.”
The victim lived alone in the family home on Wagner’s Lane. Everyone else moved out when the crime situation in the city got out of control.
steven staine
Steven Staine
“He was mentally challenged, not to the degree that he does not know the day the time or so. He was just a little bit mentally challenged.”
Jose Sanchez
“So it’s clear to say then that this is an innocent man who was killed, he didn’t have any involvement in anything.”
Steven Staine
“No, he doesn’t mess with gang and that stuff. The last time I gave an interview I encouraged you guys to go into the neighborhood, talk to people in the neighborhood, find out what kind of person he was see if he was involved in gang and you’ll find out that that’s not so. He was not involved with gang or any of the sort.”
Area residents said the victim did not bother anyone. They say rivaling youths on both sides of West Canal go after the innocent when they can’t find each other. But the victim’s brother believes the problem is everywhere.
Steven Staine
“It’s the whole country. Look at the fourteen year old Chinese girl that they chanced out of her life. Ih deh inna ih house, ih place ah business. Who would have said that yoh safe inna yoh house? Noh even inna yoh house yoh safe. Way een deh and ih dead. My lee bwai weh ride round and sell DVD, he have ih wife and ih two baby, he gone buy food and dehn chance he out ah ih life too. So dah noh only di neighborhood, I guess dah di whole country right now and we have serious issues and nobody di address dehn.”
Jose Sanchez
“It’s just every day a different person dies because they can’t catch who they want to catch.”
Steven Staine
“Tomorrow, I could almost guarantee yoh wah hear another person drop and, like I said, we noh seriously di address di problem dat is plaguing us. We have serious ills inna dis country. We noh have no sort of economic justice, no political justice. I noh even think we have justice; the justice system is failing us so bad dat I noh even know weh fi turn. Who yoh wah turn to? Yoh si dah young lady Shelly, I knew her personally. She was a witness fi di prosecution and weh happen? Ih dead. Apparent di guy saw what they did, weh dehn do? Find he dead next day. So who will you run to?”
Not only “Who will you run to?” Residents are also asking where they can run to avoid becoming part of the murder statistics. Reporting fro News Five, Jose Sanchez.
Di crime ting da di hole country, it’s right in the City & it’s we gainst we self.
why are there no jaguars patrolling in those dangerous areas in belize like this one, there is really no where to run to, Anyway, they cannot stop all the killings, right.
We have said it all before.
we have asked all the questions.
when will this madness stop.
R.I.P
About 7 hours before I bidded my brethren Eyan Arnold farewell my, cousin Harrison Staine was murdered near his home. Another victim of gun violence in my beloved Belize. I agree with my cousin Steve that in Belize there is no justice but I would just like to touch on this issue a little bit more.
I personally believe that all this crime and murders is a direct result of the sociological structure of the nation. Where the government, church, education, and family structure have failed Belizeans. Pretty much the government and many Belizean families who are well off doesn’t really care unless their family is affected. People right now are losing site of their spirituality and they believe that it is alright to shed blood even if it is innocent blood. People that were deprived of their basic rights to obtain a basic education are having babies; so we can just imagine how their offspring are going to be.
Some of our great grandparents were pretty much enslaved by the government or a few rich families working strenous hours for a little bit of nothing but they were tolerant. Then some of our grand parents were treated in the same way but were less tolerant. Then some of our parents were treated the same way but they were even less tolerant. Then I came along and I said, “Life must have more to offer”. Then my kids came along and said, “To heck with this”.
So we see 5 generations facing the same or little worst conditions and at some point in their lives were crying out but not many cared to hear. Fortunately for some of us our foreparents taught us well. They taught us how to be humble, respectful, and humane towards our fellow brothers and sisters and we were able to grasp these values.
On the other hand many were not so fortunate. These values were not passed down to us and if it was; some of us chose not to grasp these values. So now its August 24 th ,2010 and a-lot of our youths are lost spiritually and their basic survival is crucial. With the alcohol,drugs, guns,dancehall music, many youth don’t fear GOD,you,me,their ma,pa,granny,grampa,police,BDF,Jaguar or anything. Now its going to take God, and a joint effort from positive Belizeans to remove this curse thats upon us. Come on ma people da time fi we wake up. LOVE is the answer noh war. A chapter a day keep the devil away.
May GOD give the Staine family the strength and perseverance to pull through these crucial times.
To Steve, D and the rest of the family stay strong. We know GOD noh sleep and the BIBLE speaks about whats in store for the war mungers and blood thirsty. For armies trust in their horses and chariots. Bad man trust in their 9mm, their AK 47s, and their M 16 but we will forever trust in GOD.
Harry may you rest in peace brethren. Dem noh build great man dem only kill great man.
here we go again and ill let you all decide weather this pm even gives a damm about all the killing going on in belize to me a leader should do anything he can to help his country even if that means begging for more money from any country if you really care about your people which ill show you why thhis pm doesnt. on the merida iniatiative that is the project where the us is going to give over 100 million to central america to combat gangs and drug cartels well out of that 100 million belize got 2 million now there are only 8 countries in central america granted we know mexico is getting the bulk of the money but lets say for argument sake they get half which is 50million the other 50milloin should be devided by 7 that means each should get 7milloin each well guess what honduras got 15.5 million what did belize get 2 million think this is fair well your pm thinks so he said it is beneath him to beg for more money he prefers to see your mother and father sister or brother get killed rather than beg for more money this is what he said QUOTE….. In terms of the monies that they give out to countries in my view its welcome whatever belize gets we can use we cant go cap in hand to the americans asking for more. I am not OLIVER TWIST I AM OLIVER BARROW so really so really these resourses are limited i am dertermined to in fact be as creative as possible to scrape and scramble as much local resourses to give us some kind of claw hold in terms of this amportant fight against crime he say what ever the americans give us is appreciated BUT DONT EXPECT ME TO GO BARGAIN WITH THEM OR ARGUE WITH THEM FOR MORE. OK PEOPLE THERE YOU GO THIS IS YOUR PM HE IS TOO GOOD TO BEG FOR MORE MONEY SO THAT YOUR FAMILY OR FRIENDS DO NOT GET KILLED WHAT DOES THAT TELL YOU THIS GUY IS NOOOO GOODDDDDDDDDDDDD AS A LEADER HE SHOULD BE WILLING TO GO AND BEG FROM ANY COUNTRY THAT WOULD BE WILLING TO GIVE BELIZE MONEY OR TRAINING OR EQUIPTMENT AND NOT ONLY FROM THE US THEY ARE NOT I REPEAT THEY ARE NOT THE ONLY COUNTRY WE CAN GET ASSISTANCE FROM WE CAN GET ASSISTANCE FROM IRAN ,VENEZUELA, RUSSIA ,INDIA, CHINA WHAT KIND OF A PERSON DO WE HAVE AS A PM I CALL HIM A COWARD AND A LOSER AS FAR AS A PM GOES YOU MAKE UP YOUR OWN MINDS YOU HAVE HEARD WHAT HE HAS TO SAY NOW LET HIM HEAR WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY.
reading this makes you get the pic of the magnitude of crime that really is affecting us with no gov. department to address this problem. no defence minister nor the p.m tries to halt this madness in our communities. are we getting the same issues like mexico where people haveto leave their house to feel safer? mein we need help from the gov. to stop this as soon as possible. my concern is that soon we’ll end up having a civil war in this jewel which would be so tragic to reach that point.
My sympahties to Steven and his family at the same time my admiration for his heroic decision to save his family by moving out of that neighborhood….. Some people claim that poverty breeds crime…. I take that with a grain of salt… It’s unfortunate that many people (like Mose Hyde)condone these killings with their saying…”Poor man hav fu eat..” Yes we all have to eat, but we dont have to kill for that… unless we are lazy to work the land…. These desperate poor from southside need to move to rural areas…. plant their food, raise their chickens and pigs, get down to subsistence farming then grow into productive farmers…. I saw decades ago many central americans come into our country, leave EVERYTHING behind at home (due to the civil wars of the 80’s), begin from scratch and become subsistence farmers in Belize…then grow into large scale farming to the point of becoming well recognized successful farmers. If our central american brothers could do it… why we creoles can’t do it .. Are they stronger than us??? Likewise in the north of Belize there is extreme poverty but we dont hear of our poor mestizo brothers killing each other like our creole breddren are doing in southside – they will rather work the land. Will they do illegal things to survive?? definitely, like becoming “contrabandistas’ (smugglers) to send their children to school but they will not be killing each other as the southsiders are doing….. I can live with a contrabandista next t door but NOT with a MURDERER….even though “poor man hav fu eat” in the north also. One basic difference I have observed is the family values that our poor mestizo brothers instill in their children, that apparently we the creoles dont do or do not enforce… WE all need to learn from them and the menonites…. we need to have more love for the land and the family and more fear GOD… It hurts me so much when our breddren show no respect for each others life… Let’s stop blaming our past and present slave masters for our failures and let’s get out of the slums that offer nothing good for our chldren… like the great BOB MARLEY said..”Only we can free ourselves from mental slavery”….. and those that have lost GOD and respect fo human life and dignity… let’s deal with them likewise… but for the good of the majority… the law abiding citizens…. we as people need to raise up against these scums of society!!!
Mr. Prime Minister Do something about these crimes.
Implement serious penalties not just jail, but rather serious sentencing
Amen Rastaman forever & Belizeanpride. These kids cannot tell us why they are destroying each other & moving is only a temporary fix. The south side has become a bad word because of a few really bad people but most of the residents are decent & law abiding. The most heinous crime on the south side was committed by children of privilege from the other side of town, most of whom were not punished. Geography does not change our mindset, education & self awareness does. It saddens me every time I hear another Belizean describe our brothers & sisters in certain neighborhoods as immoral, godless & loveless & in one case as pimps.
Leaders on both sides have used the criminals to their advantage, the difference is that now they have no control over children born to the thugs of the 80’s & 90’s who helped some of them make names for themselves. The civil war is already on, our rebels are just clueless, disorganized and not smart enough to demand change. What happened to Harrison was tragic but will continue to happen unless our generation whose children are now affected by the violence can stand up, face the fact that we have not lived up to our responsibility as parents & turn those worthless kids in & accept that if the death penalty is implemented, some of us will lose a few.
I say hang them, if one get hang the other might think twice before they kill. What’s hapenning in Belize? The government has to step up. The youths are dying and they are killing.
Bengal and Rastaman………..I applaud both your insightful contribution to this most troubling situation at home.
Although many people are clamouring for the implementation of the death penalty for these hardened crimminals, the way the so called justice system has failed us, that in and of itself may yet prove to be another , “exercise in frustration”.
While the Politicians must now try harder than ever to fix this problem, it is so abundantly clear that some of our parents, somewhere, somehow, failed miserably in instilling certain values and morals in their children. How else can you explain the wanton disregard for life exibited by these terrorists? And don’t tell me no foolishness bout, ” poor man haffu eat”.
Until and unless we have more respect for ourselves and respect for each other and the sancitity of life ……the killings have only just begun. Troubling……so troubling!!!!!!
The PM and his greedy crowd weh de inna cabinet are just sitting on their …es and watch this country bury itself. They don’t give a damm about what happens to the people of this country. The crime situation has reach a new level its so ridiculous. Look at how many people are dying senselessly and how many accused killers are walking free. Belize is not the country it once used to be,so sad…this country is lying in state,attending its own funeral.Maybe with some divine intervention it can be rescued or saved some way or some how.
i agree with rene, hang a few might make these killers think twice
My prayers are with the family of Mr, Harris another senseless murder, please tell me what did Mr. Harris did so bad that he had to he know it was for no reason all murders are senseless now I’m so sorry you know I say to all you murders out there the world is round and your day will come when either you have going to die by a bullet or someone you love the most will die because of your mistakes and that day I will pray for you and your family as well because I have a heart I don’t know what kind of heart you have because you make senseless decisions .
HERE WE GO AGAIN, ITS A DAMM SHAME THAT SO MANY MURDERS ARE HAPPENING AND NOTHING MUCH IS BEEN DONE TO PREVENT THE NEXT INNOCENT PERSON FROM LOSING THIER LIFE. THIS NEW GENERATION IS TAKING OVER AND SENDING THIS COUNTRY TO IT’S DEMISE. BELIZE USE TO BE A LOVELY COUNTRY BUT NOW ITS A COUNTRY TO FEAR !!!!! THE MERE FACT YOUR LIFE COULD BE SNUFFED OUT LIKE A FLY AND YOUR CONSIDER JUST ANOTHER STATISTIC!!!!!! IN A CENTRAL AMERICAN COUNTRY.
Nuff respect Louisville KY. Likewise much LOVE and thanks for your contribution. The situation is sickening man.