Police have made inroads in the murder and attempted murder incident that happened in Cotton Tree on Saturday. The murder suspect is still at large, but today they informed the media that they have arrested and charged twenty-two-year-old Jamal James Hyde, a construction worker from Cayo with two counts of abetment to murder. The charges are in connection with the murder of thirty-nine-year-old Clint Castillo and the attempted murder of Andrew Muns. It’s an interesting scenario because the shootings happened in an area that the state of emergency covers, and because the man charged comes from the Roaring Creek area, known to have clashes with individuals from Cotton Tree in the past. On Monday, Muns’ sister, Anna Middleton, told News Five that the family is having a hard time coping with the loss, having suffered the loss of another brother only four months ago.
Anna Middleton
Anna Middleton, Sister of Clint Castillo
“It’s hurting us, the family because we are trying to recover. I know we have this to recover also. I’ve seen a lot of family go through this, but I would never. Believe in me. I’m not on my door. We don’t have our mom. We don’t have our power. We just have each other, you know? So I don’t know what’s that reason behind the killing because Clint wasn’t a criminal.”
The existing state of emergency proves that no one suspected of being involved in gang activity is above being collared, even at the courts. That’s what happened today when Police Street resident Cameron Williams was granted bail after being charged for being the member of a gang. The twenty-one-year-old, immediately following his court appearance earlier today, was snatched up by officers who detained him and placed him on remand at the Belize Central Prison under the S.O.E. Williams was before the lower courts on a single charge and upon being granted bail of five thousand dollars, plus one surety of the same amount, he was informed by the prosecutor that he is a person of interest under the state of emergency. Before he could process his bail, Williams, who has been in custody at the Belize Central Prison since May eighth, will spend an additional ninety days in jail.
It’s been a year since twenty-year-old Kijahe Molina was charged with wounding an off-duty police officer. The call center agent, then nineteen, is accused of stabbing Police Constable Zani Zavala at Good Will Supermarket. When he appeared in the magistrate’s court today, in the company of attorney Hurl Hamilton, Molina threw himself at the mercy of the court, asking for probation instead of a custodial sentence. After pleading guilty to wounding, Molina was fined nine hundred dollars and bound over to keep the peace for a period of one year in the sum of one thousand dollars. The prosecutor did not object to the fine, despite Molina’s attorney expecting that he would have been given probation. Molina is a first-time offender with no previous convictions.
On Friday, we told you about Brian Perriott who was arrested and charged under the Cyber Crimes Act for spreading nude videos of his ex-girlfriend. The call center agent was facing five years in prison for the despicable act. Today, when the twenty-six-year-old appeared before lower court, he changed his plea to not guilty after lawyering up. Bail was subsequently granted to Perriott in the sum of eight thousand dollars, plus one surety of the same amount. The conditions of his bail include that he is not to engage in any publications on any social media platforms regarding the case. Likewise, he should refrain from responding to any messages regarding the matter. Perriott was also informed that even attempting to make contact with the witnesses via social media will amount to a breach of his bail conditions.
Today, Leader of the Opposition Moses “Shyne” Barrow came out swinging against Commissioner of Police Chester Williams, while condemning a viral video showing a police officer pistol whipping an individual. As we reported, the incident took place in San Pedro and was recorded by a bystander. The Belize Police Department is yet to issue a statement on the incident. Barrow says the silence of the department’s top brass is deafening.
Moses “Shyne” Barrow
Moses “Shyne” Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
“The first issue of national importance on behalf of the opposition and the people of Belize is the disturbing video of police brutality, excessive use of force, by an officer in San Pedro and the deafening silence of the police department and the Com Pol. I understand that the gentleman in the video is the ComPol’s Godson, I think, officer Mackin. I know his father, his father is a good officer and long serving senior police, retired but, we have a responsibility to correct behavior that is reprehensible and the response of the officer, “oh he is away from his family” and basically that he is frustrated, is a red flag. He needs counseling, he needs help, more importantly he needs discipline because if this type of behavior is countenanced by the police top brass, then we are in trouble as a nation. So we in the U.D.P. and in larger society reject this type of excessive force and we condemn the behavior, and silence of these police department, top brass. I’ve seen in other instances where the ComPol will have police officers arrested immediately, and to not even condemn the actions of officer Mackin is very appalling. So we call on the top brass to take immediate action because there is no excuse for pistol whipping someone who is a suspect, allegedly. They said that suspect is armed to chastise someone that was recording him.”
Is Commissioner of Police Chester Williams misusing his authority to drag his brother Arthur Williams before the courts? Leader of the Opposition Moses “Shyne’ Barrow surely thinks that is the case. Last week, we told you that Arthur Williams was arraigned on a single charge of contempt of judicial orders. That is after he allegedly violated bail conditions which stipulate that he must not post anything about the Commissioner of Police or the Belize Police Department. Barrow is accusing ComPol Williams of using the Cyber Crime Act to criminalize his own brother over a civil or personal matter. Barrow says he personally tried to get an attorney for Arthur Williams, but no one would take up the case. Tonight, he is telling the Commissioner of Police to get his house in order.
Moses “Shyne” Barrow
Moses “Shyne” Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
“The commissioner likes to talk about the U.D.P. not having its house in order well when u reach to a point where you are sending police to arrest and charge your own brother for expressing his opinions on matters that I think he would know about in Stan Creek west and wherever else. Recently Arthur Williams made an ambiguous comment, and he was dragged back before the court and it is alarming, and you hear about how the ComPol talks about me and how he chastise me, isn’t that considered cyberbullying? I was alarmed that they dragged Arthur Williams, the commissioner had his brother dragged before the court for some ambiguous, he did not say the commissioners name, he did not say anything, you would really had to know, and I see people post ambiguous things about me all the time, but as long as they call your name you can’t sue them. Where are we as a nation if everything somebody says on Facebook is going to be cyberbullying and then apply the law equally. Don’t apply the law just to uncle because it’s impacting the commissioner. Then the commissioner is a “Bwai named sue”, he’s apart of the club, according to Jules Vasquez, I’m a part of the club as well. So why didn’t he sue his brother? Is it that his brother is telling the truth, and he has no proof that his brother is lying? I’m very very concerned. Then he said that his brother may have mental health issues, if this is the case, then the criminal court is certainly not the place for his brother. Right, let’s get him the help that he needs, that’s the type of intervention that we should have. To criminalize someone that you claim has a mental health problem; I don’t know if uncle has a mental problem as he’s affectionately known. But I’m very concerned and then I tried to assist with a lawyer, because you know in the criminal justice system in Belize if you don’t have a lawyer, then you will be taken advantage of. It is a problem in our country where people who don’t have representation sometimes don’t get justice, and no lawyer wanted to take the case. That says a lot.”
Leader of the Opposition Moses “Shyne” Barrow has issued a cease-and-desist letter through his attorney to Natania Reuben in the U.S. If that name sounds familiar, that is because Reuben is one of the victims of the infamous 1999 Club New York shooting. A few months back, Reuben released a video claiming that it was Sean “Diddy” Combs who shot her during the incident and not Moses “Shyne” Barrow. The Leader of the Opposition has embraced those remarks. But, on June first, a YouTube Channel published an interview with Reuben in which she made several claims against Barrow that he says are untrue and defamatory. In his four-page cease-and-desist letter Barrow maintains his innocence and denies that Reuben was the catalyst for his successful music career. He further clarified that no law exists in Belize stating that anyone convicted of a crime anywhere in the world can never be prime minister of Belize. We can confirm that such is the case. Reuben made several serious allegations against Barrow directed towards his character, source of funds and trips to the U.S. He has of course denied every single one of them. Reuben even suggested that Barrow drives a Maybach [pronounced may-back] in Belize. This of course we know to be false. But when questions pertaining to Reuben’s comments were posed to Barrow today, he threatened to sue any media house that dared to repeat her allegation. Here is how that played out.
Moses “Shyne” Barrow
Moses “Shyne” Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
“I have a lawsuit right here and I will share the lawsuit with all of the media, suing her for defamation so everything that she has said is defamatory and I will share the lawsuit with the media, and I will take it from there. If you insist on repeating it, we will send letters to all the media houses.”
Paul Lopez
“I note that there are several publications that have ran this story, are you suing them as well?”
Moses “Shyne” Barrow
“Yes, we have already sent out letters to everybody on Facebook that have repeated defamatory comments and sent letters to Ms. Ruben and the media entity that was recorded.”
Paul Lopez
“That is to say that you categorically deny everything she alleges.”
Moses “Shyne” Barrow
“Defamatory means it is dishonest, so yes.”
Paul Lopez
“This is fair play in that you have piggybacked on her comments clearing your name.”
Moses “Shyne” Barrow
“Did she change that?”
Paul Lopez
“She maintains that.”
Moses “Shyne” Barrow
“That is, it and anything else is a lie and the U.S Courts will deal with it. If anybody feels strongly they want to share the information, the Belize court will deal with it.”
Paul Lopez
“You see the conflict here though, on one hand she is telling the truth and is a reliable source and on the other hand she is being defamatory and spewing lies.”
Moses “Shyne” Barrow
“Was I the one that brought her up?”
Paul Lopez
“It was a question posed to you.”
Moses “Shyne” Barrow
“Was I the one that call a press briefing to say that this is the one who said so and so?”
Paul Lopez
“You are the one that calls your press briefing?”
Moses “Shyne” Barrow
“My press briefing is to deal with national matters as the leader of the opposition. I did not bring that matter into it and if the gentle man asks a question. He asked a question in an attempt to be disparaging to me and bring me down and I told him what I got from it. Do I drive a Maybach.”
Paul Lopez
“I don’t think I have seen a Maybach in Belize.”
Moses “Shyne” Barrow
“Exactly, but I was not using it for any leverage because I don’t need to. I have been elected to the House of Representatives. Everyone knows my story and what I have been through so there is no surprise there. The fact that someone who said I did something twenty-seven years ago comes out now and says I didn’t do it that is newsworthy but whether she is credible or not, that does not matter in Belize because that ship has already sailed. I have been elected as an area representative, a party leader and we continue. So I don’t think it has any consequence.”
The 2024 Miss African Queen Pageant is just a few days away and this year six contestants are making their final preparations for the big day. The annual event is meant to bring Belizean women closer to their African roots by allowing them to embrace the physical traits linking them to the continent and highlights aspects of various cultures through clothing and dance. In this week’s episode of Kolcha Tuesday, we explore the cultural ties between Belizeans and their African heritage.
Britney Gordon, Reporting
For many Belizeans, the word Creole can refer to several aspects of one’s identity. It may be the language, or a signifier of one’s skin color among the mixture of races and ethnicities found in the country. No matter how it is used, the origin of the word refers to those who were born in a country that is not their parents’ homeland. This is the legacy of the slaves that were brought to the Caribbean from West Africa. And this is the heritage that the Miss African Queen Pageant seeks to highlight every year. Maryam Abdul-Qawiyy, spokesperson for the Miss African Queen Contest, tells us more.
Maryam Abdul-Qawiyy
Maryam Abdul-Qawiyy, Spokesperson, Miss African Queen Contest
“Being here in Belize, we are a melting pot of cultures of Creole, Garifuna, Maya, Mestizo, and we also have our Mennonites as well and our diplomats and people who come to live here from all over the world. We love all our cultures, but the main four Belizean cultures that are here are black and brown people and this pageant came about for especially the Creole to celebrate their heritage and the creole people are a part of the African diaspora. These were people who were enslaved so it’s about recognizing self where you’re from that’s why it’s called miss African queen because all black peoples are coming from the continent of Africa.”
According to Abdul-Qawiyy, the contest was created to fill a gap in pageantry and celebrate women who break away from Euro-centric beauty standards. Leah James, a contestant representing The Gambia, says that she entered this year’s competition so that her young daughters appreciate African beauty and be reminded of their heritage. We ask what it means for her as a black Belizean woman to represent this part of history.
Leah James
Leah James, Contestant
“I’m going to be very honest with that. If you had asked me that six, seven years ago, I would not be able to give an answer that would really resonate with my heart. But after having my first child. Her having her curl here all those coils all of that that is what made me realize that you know what? Despite my skin color I might be lighter than others but it’s still in me and I need to be proud of it not only for myself but for her because she needs to feel proud of herself she needs to feel like that pride because they’re girls they’re gonna look up to somebody they need someone to look up to so I’m ensuring that My pride shows true that they can see that okay you have someone to look up to.”
To connect with her costume, James decided to create elements of it by hand, such as her headpiece and parts of her dress. We caught up with fellow contestant, Hypolita Usher, who will be representing Uganda, as she was gathering the finishing elements for her attire. Uganda is a landlocked country located in East Africa, famous for its biodiversity and being the source of the Nile River. Uganda is also known for its relatively high birth rate, displaying on average four point five eight children per woman. Usher explains that the reason she chose to embody Uganda is because she could see herself represented among the features of the women of that nation.
Hypolita Usher
Hypolita Usher, Contestant
“It was really hard choosing Uganda for the simple fact that all the countries I’ve read up on, they have so much to offer. However, what stuck with me with them was that, if Africa on a whole, they love full figured women, but Uganda specifically, there’s a tribe living in the woods who prefer it, who groom their children to be thicker women, and they are listed as the tallest people in the world. So I said, look at that, I’m full figured, I’m tall. So that’s what made me really go with Uganda.”
The goal of the pageant is to bridge the gap between the African continent and Belize. Abdul-Qawiyy, a former Miss African Queen herself, acknowledges the similarities between Egyptian and Belizean dance. By participating, every contestant leaves with a stronger connection to their chosen country.
Maryam Abdul-Qawiyy
“One of our contestants this year, she’s representing Sierra Leone and she found that in Sierra Leone, there’s a similar name that we have here in Belize for one of our towns, the exact name. And not only that, but they also speak Creole. I don’t want to give away too much, but she will be explaining more in her different statements and her intro and all the delegates have found similarities between Belize and these African nations. And that’s what it’s all about, is to find these similarities, to recognize that our culture and our heritage is worldwide, and that it’s important for reeducation of self.”
The African ancestry that ties Belize to the rest of the Caribbean may not be at the forefront of the mind of Belizeans, but it is something that flows within their veins. It can be seen in the fishing and agricultural communities, finding resourceful ways to survive. It can be heard in the language and music that connects people of various ages, and it is felt in the community that comes together to celebrate what it means to call themselves Belizeans. Britney Gordon for News Five.
Today, approximately one hundred dignitaries from across the region gathered in Belize to share knowledge on how to improve aviation security and facilitation. This meeting was facilitated by the Ministry of Civil Aviation, which hosted the Twelfth Annual North American, Central American and Caribbean Directors of Civil Aviation Meeting. In his keynote address, Prime Minister John Briceño, shared his hopes for the outcome of the conference and explains that it is a necessary step towards improving the aviation industry across regions.
Prime Minister John Briceño
Prime Minister John Briceño
“In looking forward, it is imperative that we focus on key areas that are vital for the sustainable development and security of our aviation sector. Aviation security and facilitation stand at the forefront of our discussions as we strive to ensure the safety and efficiency of air travel within our region. By sharing best practices and collaborating on innovative solutions, we can enhance our collective efforts in safeguarding our skies and protecting our passengers. Furthermore, effective implementation of ICAO’s standard and recommended practices is essential for harmonizing aviation regulations and procedures across the Americas. By working together to overcome the challenges and barriers to compliance, we can strengthen our aviation systems and promote seamless connectivity within the region. Gender equality is another critical issue that we must address in our discussion. And gender equality is not only in aviation industries but across countries. For instance, like us in Belize, that we are probably more than 40 percent of women that are not working. And you could imagine if we could harness the that workforce, bring them into the workforce, how much more productivity we can have as a country, as a region, even in the world at large. So it’s important for us to be able to try to have more gender equality. Of course, the issue of sustainable aviation, again, challenges to the connectivity.”
Today, at the twelfth annual North American, Central American and Caribbean Directors of Civil Aviation Meeting, Prime Minister John Briceño, stressed the significance of the aviation industry to the country, stating that fifty-five percent of the country’s G.D.P. comes from tourism, and over fifty percent of tourists travel by air. Considering this, Briceño further explained his goals to expand the industry, both domestically and internationally for Belize. Here’s more on that.
Prime Minister John Briceño
“Aviation is of foremost importance to our tourism industry. For us in Belize, tourism accounts for fifty-five percent of G.D.P. More than eighty percent of our tourists who come to Belize will travel to one of our diverse destinations by air. Considering how important aviation is to GDP, And how vital it is to Belize’s economy, our government has declared aviation a priority sector of our country. Our projections for growth in tourism align with ICAO’s projections for growth in the air transport sector. Our overnight projections show a tripling of passengers who utilize the Phillip Goldson International Airport over the next fifteen years. Triple. Three hundred percent. At present, we are in the process of negotiating the development of an aviation master plan and expect that it will result in an all-around improvement of the aviation industry in Belize. The goal of our government, as stated in Plan Belize, our medium-term development plan is to expand the P.G.A., our International Airport, with a U.S. one hundred twenty-five million investment, to a new airport in San Pedro, a national airport next to P.G.A. to handle and to manage local air traffic, and a new airport in here down south in Placencia. All of them to be able to handle larger planes within Belize and who knows, probably handle short regional flights.”
