Last night we told you about 25-year-old Ulysease Roca. He's the Willows Bank resident, who was found dead in his family home on Sunday. Roca was a gay Belizean and an HIV positive patient, and faced an unfortunate reality included being ridiculed and shunned for his sexuality and his illness.
But, after being picked up by police for breaking the 8 p.m. curfew 2 weeks ago, a police officer recorded a video of Roca on a personal cellular phone, where Roca was depicted as a sort of homeless degenerate. That video was leaked, and it went viral on social media. In a Facebook live broadcast several days later, Roca made an emotional plea to his bullies, both cyber and in-real-life, demanding that they stopped harassing him about the embarrassing video. He also accused an officer of hitting him in the face while he was in detention. That injury to his left jaw worsened with massive swelling, and his family suspects that because of his HIV-status, that injury did not heal. They also assert that he tried to seek medical help for that injury, but was shunned.
Well, the gay rights advocacy groups, United Belize Advocacy Movement (UniBAM), the Empower Yourself Belize Movement, the Mental Health Association, Our Circle, and Belize Trans Colors have all calling for a closer examination of the Roca case to ensure that there is no recurrence.
Their joint release starts by applauding Police Commissioner Chester Williams for his candid and timely comments on the incident, and for insisting that an investigation be carried out into Roca's allegation of brutality, abuse of authority, and expressions of homophobia from the police.
Their statement says, quote, "How will the homophobic behavior documented on video and shared publicly via social media be addressed within the Belize Police Department? This is not the first case of front-line police officers showing an inadequate level of skills in detaining and interrogating persons with diverse mental capabilities…" End quote.
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