Tonight we retrace that upwards trajectory - and look behind her ascent to the forces that kept pushing her upwards and outwards. Jules Vasquez reports;

Jules Vasquez reporting
We first met Yolanda Schakron, private citizen in December of 2009 - after her nephew Chris Galvez was murdered the night before.

She was, then, just another grieving, devastated relative of a murder victim:

(December 23, 2009)
Yolanda Schakron
"I just want the violence to stop because Christopher was a good boy."

6 days later that grief had hardened into a bitter resentment of what she called a corrupt Police Department:

(December 29, 2009)
Yolanda Schakron
"My nephew was executed. He was executed and the police officers are covering up. And I say this on TV live, I am not afraid. God protects me, I am not afraid, but I want the truth to be known."

And that campaign to get the truth out soon started to take shape in a community of grief looking for someone to find them or get them answers:

(February 2, 2010)
Yolanda Schakron
"And eventually what we want to do is want to form an organization or team up with another organization so that the government starts listening to us because people in this country are afraid."

Keith Swift
"But do you think this will make a difference?"

Yolanda Schakron
"Of course we can. The people have the power. We put the politicians up there. They have to listen to us. They have to listen to us."

And to make sure they did listen, this nascent organization staged a Sunday protest against the damning toll of violence - and because of grief's powerful grip - they marched even in a downpour:

(March 22, 2010)
Yolanda Schakron, Aunt of Chris Galvez
"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."

Tired, but they had to continue, turning up the volume and the rhetoric - distilling it into a rage as pure as fire - all directed at the police:

(February 1, 2010)
Yolanda Schakron, Aunt of Chris Galvez
"Who are you covering up for? Who"

(May 8, 2010), B Roll 1
Yolanda Schakron, Aunt of Chris Galvez
"And I want to ask Mr. Jeffries, imagine it's your son that got killed. How will you feel? Does it have to hit you before you react. Do you see these faces here? These are the faces of mothers that are hurting because no-one can bring back our loved one."

"We are taking that very, very seriously. And if need be, if they do not listen, if they do not act, if it's necessary, we will take our protest to Belmopan. And we will be having other public events."

But they didn't really, instead, Belizeans for Justice became more political - forcing one of its founding members to step out and cry foul:

(February 22, 2011)
Oscar Rosado
"Politicians that have joined in with Belizeans for Justice and I am afraid that they are using the organization."

"And I will say that some of the people that I think will now use the organization and are now using it for their political mileage."

That put Oscar Rosado in an unenviable position: The Crosshairs of Yolanda Schakron:

Yolanda Schakron
"Oscar turn to God Oscar, pray, don't go around accusing people of things Oscar. Don't do it, it's not right."

"And I tell Oscar I am really amazed at how low he has stooped. What he has become since he joins a party, since he joins the government, since he joined the United Democratic Party. I am amazed and I would advise Mr. Barrow - that's my leader too you know and I respect him because I am a Christian - and I would advise Mr. Barrow - you need to speak to Oscar, maybe Oscar needs some medical help. Don't you guys be using him like this!"

And she could respect him because in February of 2011, Yolanda Schakron was not political:

Yolanda Schakron
"I am not liked by the United Democratic Party, I am not liked by the government but I really don't care and I have no political aspirations. I do not want to get into politics Jules."

But slowly, slowly, things changed - and three four months later, that hardline had softened:

(June 14, 2011)
Monica Bodden
"Are you running for politics?"

Yolanda Schakron - President, Belizeans For Justice
"That's what I keep hearing on Wave Radio every day, right."

Monica Bodden
"But are you considering it?"

Yolanda Schakron - President, Belizeans For Justice
"Well I have thought about it somewhat. I need to speak to my children because you know I am a single mother and I have two children and they are the most important kids in my life right now and I need to continue my activism."

Activism turned into politicization and by September she had campaign shirts on the streets - and by February she was the new candidate in Lake - I:

(February 6, 2012)
Hon. Francis Fonseca - PUP Leader
"The PUP Lake Independence Committee has given their full unconditional unwavering support to the candidacy of Yolanda Schakron."

Yolanda Schakron, Lake I Standard Bearer
"I also have the commitment and the support of Mr. Cordel Hyde committee and so I am very confident that come March 7, Lake I will be delivered to the People's United Party."

That too would end in tears though, and which again hardened into a pure rage - this time the target was Prime Minister Dean Barrow:

Yolanda Schakron
"Dean Barrow, it's not over. You and the UDP will not conquer me."

Indeed, a rage so pure, that we have only rarely seen it burn across a public stage with such intensity - but was it all a rigged game, was the Belizeans For Justice movement used to launch her fiery political career?

Jules Vasquez
"We've seen you rise up to the public renown and people look to you as someone as a fighter. There is no doubt about that but a lot of those people might feel betrayed or that you sold them out or let them down when you got into politics. How do you respond to that criticism that you let people down?"

Yolanda Schakron
"I have not betrayed anyone Jules. there is no way I could have supported Dean Barrow and this government. Now, you tell me Jules, can I support somebody like that when I am advocating for justice and for the rights of the poor? Never."

Jules Vasquez
"So precisely now does Belizeans For Justice stands? Does that still exist or was that just a platform for you to launch your political career?"

Yolanda Schakron
"Let me make something specifically clear to you Jules. There is no way when I started Belizeans for Justice I had any idea of the corruption that existed in our country. There is no way that Christopher's death would have put me out here to be in politics. It's a very painful situation, it still is and I would give anything to get back Chris Galvez - to have him here with me. There is no way it was a political platform. So Belizeans for Justice after elections are over we will continue, we will have a meeting with the executive and we will continue fighting for the causes of the people of this country who have no voice, who no one cares about; the forgotten people."

Jules Vasquez
"You told me very distinctly that you can put your name of the line that you are not getting in politics. Were you deceiving me then or has situation changed so much?"

Yolanda Schakron
"No, it has changed so much. I have seen the vindictive nature of the Dean Barrow administration. People on the streets, mothers, women, men have asked me to get into the political field."

"At that time I had no idea I was going into politics. You know that Jules. It's something that - I am telling you the truth - I pray and as God directs me I move."

We could not reach Schakron today to find out how it is going with her citizenship renunciation. But the process is irrevocable - and she started it before the election - so we expect that it is well underway.

And indeed it should be since her party, the PUP is hoping to force a bye-election in Lake Independence.