The march for peace organized by the mothers and families of crime victims took place yesterday in Belize City. It could have been a washout because almost on cue – it began raining at 4 pm when the march left off from the junction of Central American Boulevard and Caesar Ridge Road. But as Keith Swift found out, the rain only deepened the resolve of the more than 2 hundred participants who chose to march.

Keith Swift Reporting,
It was an impressive show of unity and purpose because almost as if in defiance of the driving rain, hundreds of men, women, and youths from across economic, political, and racial boundaries took their cry for an end to crime to the street.

Erwin X, Activist
“Give thanks to the showers of blessings. We want justice, we want peace. We want justice, we want peace.”

And the loudest cry came from the mothers, fathers, and aunts – carrying pictures and the emotional burden of the sons and nephews they’ve lost to violence.

Yvonne Moore Husman, Mother of Murdered Son
“I lost my child. I lost my child and my life has never been the same. I didn’t realize the crime was this bad until I lost my child and then got sensitized to what’s happening.”

Joan Sutherland, Mother of Murdered Son
“I lose my son Allen Sutherland the 10th of November 2006. Right now I the march for peace; marching for peace."

Lavern Orosco, Mother of Murdered Son
“I lost my son Rennick Reneau but when I was saying that police killed my son they said I am crazy. But now they are killing one another. I am still standing that they killed my son. Police killed my son.”

Mother of Gerald Duhaney,
“I lose my son Gerald Duhaney three years ago to gun violence. I march because I want peace and I want a difference. I want the gang leaders and all of them to know that no rain can’t stop this peace jam; rain.”

Teresita Soberanis, Mother of Randy Coye
“This is Randy Coye. I am Randy Coye’s mom. They killed Randy senselessly. Randy was a lover of life and they killed him and we loved him. We will never stop loving him. All we want is justice. We want justice in this country of Belize and if the government can’t give us justice then bring somebody from outside and give us justice.”

Maria Joseph, Aunt of Murder Victim
“I am out here for justice and peace for my nephew. This is what I am marching for, him right here. The rain doesn’t bother me at all because they took away my loved one and I came out here for this, for him. He got me out here today.”

And it wasn’t just the mothers and immediate family members of crime victims.

Grace Arnold, Friend of Cpl. Gavin Sanchez
“I am out here for my friend Corporal Sanchez because this is not justifiable, this is murder. We need justice. We need for them to do a proper investigation and get justice.”

Jarrett “Red Man” Goff, Lost Friend to Gun Violence
“Chris Galvez, I am out here. I am out here for everybody but at the same time but that is somebody special to me at the same time.”

Keith Swift,
“What message do you want to send?”

Jarrett “Red Man” Goff,
“Well man the kill man over man who already dead, you the get the sense. So if the violence doesn’t stop then that means all of us will dead. You get the sense?”

Francis Figueroa, Lost Friend to Gun Violence
“I lost a close friend of mine Christopher Galvez, that was a very close friend of mine, we grew up together, and I just came to Belize and I lost him just like that. We want justice, we want peace. Belize is a tough country right now, we don’t need no violence and more killing. Right now we need the people to just ease off of that, all of the ghetto youths need to ease off of that. We are losing too much of our young people nowadays. We are not living to even be 21; younger than that are dying. We are out here because we want better for the country.”

Organizers say that Sunday’s march in which participants weren’t afraid to get wet, sends a loud message.

Martin Galvez, Father of Chris Galvez
“They say only crazy people walk in rain so I would say we are bent crazy on getting justice. We are in it for the long haul, for the long run. If the leaders have any conscience I think it should. People are out here in rain as you can see and it is not easy to be standing in this rain. People feel cold, their phones are getting spoil and everything but people are out here to show their support.”

Yolanda Schakron, Aunt of Chris Galvez
“We are determined, rain will not stop us. This signifies the tears of the mothers and the people who have lost loved ones to violence.”

Keith Swift,
“But do you think this will make a difference?”

Yolanda Schakron,
“I hope so because we are tired.”

Danalyn Murillo, Mother of Teddy Murillo
“Rain will not kill us, bullets do. So let’s put a stop to the violence using the guns to kill each other. Strength comes in numbers and individually the word is not being heard by us or our neighbours that we need to stop this violence, we need to stop killing, and we need to start to love each other. And I think in this numbers it is showing that there must be love for people to march in the rain to bring across the point stop the fighting and stop the violence.”

But the question is - who is that message directed to?

Mother of Gerald Duhaney,
”I the send it to everybody: the government, and the police them too.”

Lavern Orosco,
“I hope this march sends a message to the Minister who is in charge of Police. I want him to open his eyes and see that we mothers are marching. We will march in fire if we have to; inna fire.”

And one politician who says he got the message is a drenched PUP Leader Johnny Briceno who participated in the march.

Hon. Johnny Briceno, PUP Leader
“We have to come together as a group, as a people, as a society to be able to turn this thing around. The people of this country are saying enough to the violence in the streets of Belize City. This is not a political issue, this is an issue that is affecting everybody, everybody and I am appealing to Belizeans to come out and be a part of it. This is our country, this is our Belize City, and I went to sixth form here and I used to walk behind George Street and I never had a problem.”

And if the problem isn’t addressed - Erwin X says this has morphed into a movement and there will be more to come.

Keith Swift,
“We had a similar march a couple years back with Therese Felix. Why is it different this time?”

Erwin X,
“It will make a difference now if you look at the faces that are out here today and you look at the momentum and the energy. The violence has also reached the rich and as a result of that it is the entire nation that is bleeding and feeling and grieving now and this is a start, what we have here is a strong movement.

This is not something that will just die off but it will continue. I pray to Belizeans to get up and assist us because really and truly our mission is life over death. Let us live in peace and stop resting in peace. We need help from everybody. If I could do it, if Miss Schakron could do it, if Keith could be out here in the rain, if the cameraman could do it, if the mothers and the elders could do it then Belize all of unu have to get up and do it.”

And the first two hundred or so Belizeans showed that they can do it and they did it - through the rain and all in yesterday’s march.

Estimates put the crowd at between 200 and 250. As Erwin X alluded to, more events are planned including a memorial service. They also plan to take their marches for peace to the districts. They again have their website at www.peace-in-belize-bz.org. They have also activated a hotline for information and that number is 650-4357.