7 News Belize

Kraal Road Lashes Out Against GSU
posted (August 28, 2014)
Earlier this week we showed you the citizens on patrol programme and the effort being made by police to mend relations with the community. But it seems that for every step forward, the police department makes two backwards. That's what we found yesterday when we visited Kraal Road. IT is a gang area - and police were descending with force. Monica Bodden has the story:..

Monica Bodden reporting
We arrived on Kraal Road just after 5 yesterday evening and were greeted by an angry mob of area residents - Accusing the GSU of police harassment and abuse.

The officers were inside two separate yards conducting searches - Some of them stood on the sidelines and in the middle of Kraal Road with guns in front of the crowd.

Voice of: Area Resident
"Miss we just came from a funeral and the young man that they have in there just came from funeral and they are beating him, he is vomiting and they punch him in the mouth. They are roughing up my grandmother. She is 55 years old, nobody need to be roughing her up. The police is always coming at our house and we respect them and now they are saying that if any of us say anything they will beat us."

Monica Bodden
"Did they mention what they are looking for?"

Voice of: Area Resident
"They didn't mention anything, they come and point their guns in my neighbor's baby face. Her baby is 3 years old."

Police brutality is the indiscriminate use of excessive force - usually physical- but it can also be verbal abuse and psychological intimidation by police officers.

Monica Bodden
"You came outside and you saw the officer pointing the gun at your 3 year old?"

Mother of 3 year old
"They did at my bedroom door. My oldest daughter was in the chair doing her homework. They ask who are at home and she said my mother and my grandmother and me. They still walk in my house. When I came out of my bathroom I saw the Spanish officer at my bedroom door with the gun pointing at my daughter. Suppose that gun had went off now? He couldn't look at me and tell me sorry because I don't play that. My man goes to work all day and every day. This is past nonsense, no gang bang lives where I live 0 no drug dealers. That boy that they are beating up over there just came from a funeral and he is being beaten for nothing - that is nonsense and it needs to stop."

The child who was still traumatized by what happened, had to be comforted by her father.

The Gang Suppression Unit has been one of the most controversial law enforcement squads in Belize - with a string of high-profile criminal and brutality allegations going all the way back to when they were first formed in October of 2011.

Area Resident
"This is my yard, why did they bring those young men here? They can't take out that beehive. So many years that beehive is here."

Area Resident
"You see how I look, dirty and stink and I am on news. This is not like me. I have one problem. My son doesn't gang bang, my son doesn't smoke weed and my son doesn't sell drugs. My house is old and it is for me right and I am getting sick and tired of this. Last week my son and his girlfriend were in my house watching TV. The week before something had happen in our yard because the yard is pass through yard, so they came at the yard and a little event happen. I don't have any problem with that because it's a pass through yard, I don't have a problem they come and do their job. My son was sitting down in the chair with his girlfriend, one of the officers came and he went at the door and was talking to my son and asking the young lady if she is over age or under age - I don't have any problem with that. They went in my house and disrespect my house. Those things are wrong. I don't have any problem with the police because if I get in trouble that is the first person I would call. I am asking them to please leave us alone."

Area Resident
"My mom is 53 years old and she is tired of being harassed for those boys. None of them have anything to do around here. I am tired of this."

Monica Bodden
"Your mom is inside the house?"

Area Resident
"Yes ma'am she is right there. They chance her. I want you to see how they string her up in there for no reason."

Area Resident
"The police is trying to make us criminal. Every day they come here and we don't have anything for them. They don't want me to go in my own yard and I just come from work."

Officers occupied the yard of the famous Raymond "Killa" Gentle -alleged boss of Kraal Road- who was slain in 2011- This grandmother peeps at the crowd through the wooden louvers- as a sign that she is ok.

After a while, the crowd ran over to the fence side to see what was happening to the 3 other men they accused police of beating - one of whom they said was beaten so badly that he threw up.

By the time our cameras were allowed to enter the gates of that particular yard, the vomit had allegedly been washed away. After the entire commotion was over - everyone was allowed to go free and nothing was found in any of the yards.

One of the officers in charged said the Unit was only in the area to destroy a bee hive. But residents have another account, they tell of systematic abuse.

Grandmother
"They love to harass those boys and they run in my house. You know how long they were beating those boys - have their heads against the wall standing on them kicking them and all kind of thing. Anytime they come the police have lots of problems with them."

Monica Bodden
"I understand that you were inside the house as well during the whole commotion?"

Grandmother
"I was inside because I am tired of the boys being beat up and kick up, stomp up and their heads against the wall."

Area Resident
"I came downstairs because I heard someone throwing up, but I thought that it was my little brother, so I came downstairs and I found 3 young man; two young man on their knees and the other one throwing up. The two young man knees were trembling. I listen to the officer ridiculing the boys like they are not human beings. The officers told one of the young man that he has AIDS and then he ask other young man about if he have a woman, how does he have sex or what do you do - I got offended because that's no way to treat anybody."

And while one would consider that it is also tough turf to police - on the city's Southside where gang problems and drug issues are a fact of life - are those prevailing conditions why these persistent reports of low-level police harassment just simply go unheard?

We could not reach the new commander of the GSU by phone, but we repeat that the officer who appeared to be in charge of the operation said that they were only there to get rid of some bees.

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