COVID-19, it's left tens of thousands of Belizeans jobless, and there's a creeping sense of desperation amongst the most needy, but, on the other side, over twenty thousand Belizeans have received their first unemployment relief cheque, four thousand have received or are waiting for their enhanced food pantry package, while tens of thousands have applied for a package of food assistance.
But, today in Belize City, securing a little assistance for some Belize City residents was a hassle.
That's because police were closing down food pantries locations across the City. They were telling people to go home- that the pantries which included perishable food items would be delivered-when they wouldn't be.
Naturally, city breadlines became belligerent and this morning directed their ire at an insensitive police force. And the Minister in charge of food pantry disbursement came to their rescue, piling scorn upon the police. 7News was there, and here's the story:
There was some commotion on Regent Street this morning as police closed down the Salvation Army Pantry.
Angry resident
"And so far from we've been out here everybody was in their circle. We are out here from yesterday. When I came out here I was at 99. I came to this officer and ask him for a ticket and he look on me and told me that they already have 100. They told us that we have to come back today. When we came back today from 5am we are out here standing here and we still can't get any help. They told us that they will bring it at home. They should have sold us the $12 worth of food. When they were selling you they weren't worrying about giving you, but because now it's free we have to go through all this problem. They are talking about they are giving toppings. But they are not giving any toppings in this. They give you 3 pounds of beans, 3 pounds of everything they give in there. No chicken, no soap powder, clorox, no vegetables - nothing like that they give."
Daphne Grant
"5'oclock we were out here waiting for our pantry. If they want us to pay, we can pay. We have been paying $12. Now they come and shutdown the place. We are not supposed to feed our children. This is chance. Watch how long they have us out here from yesterday they are treating us like dogs. They are eating and we are suffering. At the end of the day only poor people will suffer in this."
And just as the women were leaving we spoke to Salvation Army district secretary Elaine Weatherbune who was also confused about the reason behind the shutdown,
Maj. Elaine Weatherburne, District Secretary
"Well we were instructed by the police that we needed to close the pantry down. We don't have anything in writing in black and white so we're not sure what happened but we just followed instructions and closed it. I heard that all of them are closed, I'm not sure."
"No particular reason because it's not that the people were close together, they were separated because we marked the lines and they were all okay so I don't know."
Cherisse Halsall:
"And do you have sufficient stock of everything to provide right now?"
Maj. Elaine Weatherburne, District Secretary
"I have everything right now. The Women's Department, the ministry will deal with it. They had one opened yesterday and it was closed as well, so they were informed of that one so I think they will deal with it."
And Indeed the minister himself showed up to deal with it.
Hon. Anthony "Boots" Martinez
"The policemen came and closed down the Salvation Army Pantry illegally. This is a legit business that operates food. It is entitled to work from 8 am until 4 pm in the evening, the people must maintain social distance. You hear the cry for food for people, you hear the cry that people want a little food how will you turn back people in the legit hours and my problem with it is the police, I could tell you, have no legal authority under the law so the commissioner needs to be careful of not having the policemen breaking the law."
"I am terribly upset and you see sometimes I wonder if there is a social conscience, Sir. Like for example all Public servants including police people have been paid, a lot of them don't have anything to eat and then you're stopping them from getting something to eat, sir. I have a problem with that."
"They say instruction came from above of which nobody can't tell you what kind of instruction or what law came from above when I came out here the corporal said to me instruction comes from above but how the thing can work like that?"
"They were closing down Wellworth, they closed down Samuel Haynes, they closed down Salvation Army at Oleander street with no authority."
And After that first shoutout and another with a corporal, the Commissioner showed up.
After the Minister and Commissioner had come to an understanding this pantry, at least, was back up and running.
Angel Noble:
"Under whose instructions they opened it again?"
Hon. Anthony "Boots" Martinez
"Under my instructions for two reasons, because the police were acting illegally so they do not undermine, I just tell people that you have your rights. The police cannot close you down."
Martinez also managed to re-open Wellworth and the Salvation Army on Oleander Street but he had to get on the radio to beg the people who had gone home expecting delivery of their pantry, to get back in line. The issue is perishable foods that will spoil by the time they can come back on Monday.
For his part, the Commissioner of Police chastised his cops for their insensitivity even though they maintained that the orders had come from their commanders.
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