7 News Belize

“We Want Peace, We Want It Now!”
posted (October 8, 2010)
Today students from 25 secondary and primary schools learned an important lesson about taking a stand for the public good. The lesson wasn't delivered in any classroom or lecture hall, it was taught on the streets where the students protested vocally and purposefully against crime.

It was an impressive show, but was it effective? That's what Monica Bodden tried to find out:….

This was what it looked like this morning out at the Memorial Park - where students from 25 different schools gathered en masse - to take part in a Peace Rally and Parade.

The grounds were full to overflowing - as these youngsters waved their Belizean flags and lifted posters in the air - which spelled out their true emotions - about how they are affected by the violent crimes in our country.

Ruth Castillo - Assistant secretary BDAPP
"It's a peace rally and peace parade and the purpose of it is to bring awareness to those children within our school who are suffering because of the loss of a love one, parents, family members that they have lost due to gun violence."

Today's march for peace also included the participation of the Mayor of Belize City - Zeniada Moya Flowers and the Mayor of Belmopan - Simeon Lopez - who too lost his son to gun violence.

The idea for a Peace Rally came about after the death of 8 year old Eyannie Nunez who was a student of All Saints Primary School. It was planned by the Belize District Association of Primary Principals.

Ruth Castillo - Assistant secretary BDAPP
"It came about primarily after the death of the All Saints student Eyannie Nunez. The executive felt that we must take action and so that is when we decided to try to work with the other principals to organize something like this."

And while the message today was strong - there was a lot of positive entertainment that the students put together themselves…

Mark Noble - Student, Holy Redeemer
"My sign is saying 'put down the weapons, let Belize grow, we want to live'."

Monica Bodden
"You care to tell me what your sign is saying?"

Sherwin Valero - Student, Holy Redeemer School
"Yes miss, peace and justice. Put down the gun and stop the crime in Belize our country, stop the violence in our country. We want peace and justice."

Monica Bodden
"You watch the news a lot?"

Sherwin Valero - Student, Holy Redeemer School
"Yes miss."

Monica Bodden
"Now when you hear all the crime and violence from the news, how does it affect you?"

Sherwin Valero - Student, Holy Redeemer School
"Miss it makes me feel sad miss and every time I walk I don't feel safe where ever I go."

Monica Bodden
"You know the purpose of why you are out here this morning?"

Sherwin Valero - Student, Holy Redeemer School
"Yes miss because of the gun violence and everything that is happening in our country."

Monica Bodden
"You listen to the news a lot?"

Mark Noble - Student, Holy Redeemer
"Yes I do."

Monica Bodden
"You hear a lot of the crimes going on?"

Mark Noble - Student, Holy Redeemer
"Yes I hear a lot."

Monica Bodden
"How does it affect you?"

Mark Noble - Student, Holy Redeemer
"It affects me because I don't want to get shot one of these days."

Monica Bodden
"What does your poster says?"

Aliyah Broaster - Student, Wesley College
"It's saying that we are fighting for violence and crime to stop and we are tired of it."

Monica Bodden
"Now I see on your poster you have Glenroy Broaster. Was he a relative of yours?"

Aliyah Broaster - Student, Wesley College
"Yes he is my uncle."

For Aliyah - gun violence has already hit home. On February first 2005 - her uncle Glenroy Broaster was shot three times while riding his bicycle on his way home - he died instantly. Today she couldn't stop her tears from falling - as she explained the pain of losing loved one.

Aliyah Broaster - Student, Wesley College
"I really miss my uncle. it really hurt. I am sick and tired of it and o now f somebody else get hurt out there, how would the parents feel."

Monica Bodden
"It needs to stop?"

Aliyah Broaster - Student, Wesley College
"It really needs to."

Ruth Castillo - Assistant secretary BDAPP
"We find that some of the children become withdrawn, some of them become afraid, they are very fearful of being in the city. Sometimes we want to give the students research, home work where they would need to go to the library and because of that they are afraid. Some of the primary schools have saw the need of dismissing school at an earlier time to allow the children time to get home work done and so on and not be on the streets at night."

Jamore Lopez, Belize District Center Manager
"The ministry fully supports and endorses this activity and the week of activity and we are hoping that this will be throughout the year and for years to come and not just for this week or for this day. We believe that as educators, as students as all stakeholders in education, the wider community; we need to send a message to our extended community to our law makers that we will not stand by idly and watch our country being held hostage and I believe we are all out here to make that statement and I am here in solidarity as well with the schools, with the principals and with the students."

After the peace Rally - hundreds of students marched through the city streets - shouting and singing anti crime chants - an impressive display of critical mass - but as they passed through streets full of law abiding citizens - they were preaching to the converted - the question now is whether the outlaws heard the message loud enough and clear enough.

The parade made its way through North Front Street - across the Bel China Bridge - into Vernon Street - down Magazine Road, Cemetery Road, Orange Street, Albert Street, Albert Street West, Yarborough Road and end at Yarborough Green. Our records show that Primary School students staged an anti-crime rally on February 16 of 2007. That one was slightly smaller, as it did not have the participation of high schools.

Home | Archives | Downloads/Podcasts | Advertise | Contact Us

7 News Belize