Minister Musa Weighs in On Santa Cruz Bullying Incident

We also heard from Kareem Musa, the Minister of Home Affairs, on the matter. Musa is not only the minister with responsibility for the Belize Police Department, but he is also the father of two teenage boys. He described the bullying incident as gut wrenching. Minister Musa says he was the one who requested that the Commissioner of Police intervene in the matter.

 

Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs

“I saw the video footage of the group of young men who were trialing what appeared to be this humble young man just walking home from school I believe. He was being completely harassed; his rights violated to the point where he was actually harmed. I know that the police were very swift in picking up the aggressor, the one who committed the offense. I believe he was already charged with harm and subsequent to that you see the family members going to try to intimidate the family of the young man who was hit. Now you can see where the behavior of this young man comes from if his family is willing to go an intimidate this other family for a clear violation of this young man’s rights. That to me is unacceptable. I know the department has already again moved swiftly to pick up these individuals. They are currently in detention. It will depend on whether the family wants to press charges but at the very least if they do no press charges, I have asked the ComPol to please have and intervention because that type of behavior cannot be countenanced where you actually feel that you have the power to go an intimidate following a very clear violation of that young man’s rights. I didn’t know what to expect but when he hit him, I am sure all fathers felt that. I have two sons, one sixteen and one thirteen and of course you are going to put yourself in the shoes of that young man because my sons are the same. They are not going to interfere with anybody and they will walk along their merry way. But if somebody is completely harassing and bullying you, this young man would have fought back, but that is not in his nature and you could tell that.”