Point blank range
Posted: 06/09/2007 - 04:24 PM
Author: Frankie Rhys
The title for this article doubles down. One of the arrows points to Felix, which came real close to doing to us what Dean didn’t do. Last week’s article, “Mean Dean and its aftermath,” reminded Belizeans that the hurricane season usually peaks somewhere around the middle of September, and that Belize is usually more at risk during the latter part of that season. Dean and Felix were particularly ominous because they appeared to indicate that the track of Cape Verde hurricanes this year leads straight to Belize and its surrounding environs. The dice are rolling in our favor so far, but the laws of probability dictate that they will come up snake eyes sooner or later.
I had planned to write about the plight of Belize’s creative musicians and the poor treatment we are subjected to, but with a potential “one-two punch,” the ramped up level of hurricanes moving on a bee line to Belize and the skyrocketing level of street violence in Belize City, an ass of a hotel manager is really a miniscule problem! He’ll hear it later; when and if there is time.
The other arrow points to the shootings that are now completely out of hand, as if they were ever “in hand.” I’m sure that a lot of Belizeans, especially residents of the city, realize that something is radically wrong here. We have a city population of only seventy thousand, and as of now, the city has had the majority of the country’s approximately sixty-one murders in just seven months, a horrendous percentage of killings given our small population. More people are killed in other countries, but these countries have a much larger population than us, therefore the percentage of killings is significantly higher in Belize. We have had six murders in the past week, and people are really concerned with what’s taking place, in terms of their own safety and in terms of the effect on our society.
The Police Department appears to be helpless in the face of this violence. Only one hour after Superintendent Chester Williams promised “swift and severe action” on Thursday’s news, the killings continued. The UDP is running an ad on television, chastising Ralph Fonseca, the Minister responsible for the Police, for remaining silent in the face of all of this bloodshed, and indeed, the Minister and the rest of GOB have said nothing other than making a cursory reference to the bloodshed in Friday’s meeting of the House, along with a promise, another one, to do something. The problem seems to be, though, that Government is powerless to stop anything. Why is GOB so impotent when it comes to protecting its citizenry?
The primary reason is the extent of the corruption in Belize! Those of us who keep talking about corruption are not very popular with the authorities. They wish that we would shut up. No doubt they have probably devoted more time and money to figure out ways to shut us up than they have devoted to stopping the violence. They hope that the general public will eventually get tired of us and stop listening, but for those of you who have tolerated this level of corruption and dishonesty, or who have tried to get a “piece of the action,” reasoning that, “Everybody is doing it. I’d be a fool not to get mine,” this is the reward you reap; a country which is becoming too expensive and too hazardous for everybody who lives in it, including you!
The reason why the Police are helpless is simple. There are too many dirty politicians and dirty cops! The money generated by the cocaine that is funneled through Belize on its way to the United States has created an ungovernable society. We, along with all Caribbean, Central American countries and Mexico are paying a terrible price for America’s “war on drugs.” It’s really their problem, but their heavy-handed and nonsensical approach to drugs has made it our problem too, and a hell of a problem it is!
Once people in positions of authority get involved, they lose the ability to govern! Evan X pointed out that the Belize City “gangstas” are no longer Bloods or Crips like they were in the late ‘80’s and early ‘90’s. Their primary source of income is now the protection of in-transit shipments of cocaine and control of the local crack cocaine outlets. They will also “jack” rival shipments whenever the opportunity presents itself. They are the “soldiers” on the street - doing the dirty work for members of “high society” who profit tremendously from the trade but who can’t, or choose not to, do the dirty work themselves.
The dirty politicians and the dirty cops need the “gangstas.” If they really try to shut these guys down, they cut off their own illicit income - huge dollars. It’s simply not in their shortsighted interest to do so. The “gangstas” figure, “What the f—k. Nobody ever gave me a chance to make it ‘straight’ anyhow. I got to eat and I got to take care of my family. I want nice things too. What do you expect me to do, beg on the street?” These are tough, proud young men. Some of them are the kind of people who show the intelligence and drive to have become CEO’s of major corporations if society hadn’t closed its doors to them.
Many of them were driven out of school, cut loose by an educational system that generally discourages innovation and initiative from black students, especially if they come from “economically disadvantaged” families. The average Belizean school tends to operate in that fashion. When my son was a student at Stann Creek Ecumenical High School, some excuse for a “teacher” told him, “The reason that I don’t like you is because you ask too many questions!” This is why my experience as a teacher at Edward P. Yorke High School has been positive in so many ways. This is a school that actually tries to cater to the needs of all of its students, no matter what their economic and social background. The more questions they ask, the better, and they should expect to be given honest answers and to be taught how to research so that they can find answers on their own. That’s a significant part of the learning process.
These young people are not supposed to succeed; they are black and they come from the bottom of the social ladder. Belize is a highly stratified society, although most people are reluctant to admit it. Talk to Belizeans and you will soon realize that the concept of upward mobility is not universally accepted here. People are expected to remain in the “class” that they were born into, just like the colonial masters taught them to. It’s not quite the “caste system,” but it’s a pretty damn good imitation. Besides, education in post-colonial Belize was never really free, even for primary school students. Many southside and rural youngsters become early dropouts because their parents simply can’t afford the cost of sending them to school. High school is financially out of the question for them.
Maybe the assassination of George “Junie Balls” McKenzie was revenge for something that happened in the past, maybe it wasn’t. A tough 33-year-old black man who was trying to change his life, who was beginning to understand the dynamics of a system that is designed to marginalize black people, especially young black men, who was a proven leader and who had achieved an almost “legendary” status on and off the street, was a serious threat to the system. Maybe he scared people who have an interest in keeping the system the way it is and a decision was made to eliminate him before he could start building a movement that could possibly overturn the boat. This system uses black people to keep black people in check. When will we ever learn?
As far as Felix goes, it almost had our number. Meteorologists remarked before this hurricane season how the atmospheric conditions and the water temperatures eerily mirrored the conditions in 1961, the year of Hurricane Hattie, one of the most intense and destructive hurricanes ever. The shelters are still inadequate and far too few to protect the population of Belize City. GOB just backed down from a totally inane pronouncement that since - according to them - the shelters are only good up to a Category III, they were not going to open any shelters in the city at all! I don’t think I need to elaborate on the colossal stupidity of that “idea.”
When I tried to get extra insulin and blood pressure pills this morning, like so many other southside residents who suddenly found themselves short of medication, we all found the NHI system in total disarray. I have also never really worked out what diabetics like me will do if the power goes south for an extended period. Insulin has to be refrigerated or it will spoil!
While the concept of a mandatory evacuation of Belize City if a hurricane appears headed directly at us may be, in theory, the only way to avoid loss of life, the caveat here is “in theory!” The reality is daunting. If such an evacuation was to involve 50,000 people, the figure that the authorities assumed were left after the voluntary evacuations and, that figure could be low, consider the following. A bus seats on average 60 people. If SRO (standing room only) is factored in, say 80 people per bus. It would take 625 buses to evacuate 50, 000 people! Given that maybe 15,000 of those people have access to private vehicles, it would still take 438 buses to evacuate the remaining 35, 000 city residents! We don’t have 625 buses in Belize. We probably don’t have 438 buses. This would mean multiple runs and multiple runs take time. Unless such an evacuation was ordered several days in advance, this solution is impractical.
Besides, where in Belize are we going to put 50,000 people? Shelters in Benque and San Ignacio/Santa Elena were filled early. The Cayo District is it: there is no other relatively safe area for evacuees. Can Cayo handle 50,000 people even if we could find a way to get them there on time? I seriously doubt it. Although evacuation is a necessary component of any hurricane plan, it can’t be the only solution. If we get through the 2007 hurricane season in one piece, we need to begin an emergency construction program to improve our existing shelters and build new shelters in and around the city so that residents can be accommodated in shelters that can withstand a possible hit by a Category V storm. This should have been priority from September 21st, 1981, but since it wasn’t done then, we need to do it, yesterday!
“No money deh” is not an option. Let the politicians find the money! They can go to Taiwan, or Venezuela, and they can dig into their own stuffed pockets to return some of the money they stole from the people. Belizeans need to make this demand, speaking together with one powerful voice. Hurricane shelters have absolutely nothing to do with red or blue. They are literally a life and death issue for thousands of Belizeans!
We also have a one-lane highway leading inland, the Western Highway. The inbound lane can’t be turned into a second outbound lane because Belizeans from the rest of the country have to have an opportunity to come to the city to pick up relatives. The Northern Highway is useless as an evacuation route. It’s a coastal highway that could easily lead people into the teeth of an erratic storm. The Western Highway was jammed with bumper-to-bumper traffic in ’98 when city residents were trying to flee Hurricane Mitch. If Mitch had turned on us, hundreds of people would have been trapped in their vehicles during a major hurricane. There are more vehicles in the country in 2007 than there were in 1998!
And finally, how do you go somewhere if you have no money? Shelters don’t supply food, water, blankets, etc. The authorities make it crystal clear that you are expected to fend for yourself!
No, I won’t second-guess GOB for taking Felix seriously. I think I cleared up that point last week when I discussed Hurricane Dean. I will point out, however, that we shouldn’t engage in too much self-congratulation about how smoothly everything went. We will never know how prepared we are for a major hurricane until we get nailed and our systems are really put to the test! What we need to do is to analyze those areas where obvious holes appeared, and work to close those holes post haste. We don’t have a lot of time; the hurricane season still has three months to go, and given the tracks of two major hurricanes, it is not out of the question that number three is waiting in the wings. Even if we don’t get hit this year, global warming is having an effect on our climate and weather. Only “scientists” who are on the payroll of major corporations dispute this anymore. Hurricanes appear to be getting more severe, and it’s only a matter of time until we are going to have to put our money where our mouths are.
One more thing: if the public needs more education about hurricanes, so do private companies. One major hotel ordered its personnel to report to work even during a state of emergency, otherwise they would be fired! Other businesses will dock employees for two days pay. The all clear was given around noon on Tuesday, September 4th. How can some private companies expect employees to report for work at 1 p.m. when voluntary evacuations were encouraged as the way to go? How do you return from a shelter or a relative’s home in Benque, San Ignacio or Belmopan on one hour’s notice or less? Do these managers think about the plight of their employees at all? Profit is apparently their only concern. That kind of “notice” is a prime example of the lack of consideration, as well as the lack of respect that employers have for their employees in Belize, and unfortunately, it appears to be the rule, not the exception.
So here we are. The politicians, along with too many key police officers, are so compromised by corruption that they can’t stop the killings because they work with the “gangstas” on some level or other, and they make crazy money from the way things are. GOB didn’t spend any money on shelters, radar, affordable housing, nothing for the masses of citizens. The Novelo brothers pissed away $30 million in their GOB-sponsored attempt to monopolize all bus transportation in Belize. The illegal loan that was taken out to pay Ashcroft’s Belize Bank for the UHS debacle accounts for another $33 million, or maybe $66 million, depending on whose figures you believe. Add the $17 million tax break extended to that same Belize Bank, while taxes for the average Belizean were rising into the stratosphere. How much money was wasted in the “bass ackwards” deals that swirled around Belize Telecom or Belize Telemedia; whatever you care to call it?
Come to think of it, the money that was gambled away on the foreign currency market by you-know-who would have been almost enough to buy a brand new radar system, and now that same you-know-who wants to “legally” emasculate the PUC, just to ensure that the kind of incestuous deals like the BECOL, BEL power purchasing agreement can continue to be made. Speaking of BEL and BECOL, if a future storm brings so much rain that Chalillo collapses, Fortis pays GOB $1.00 Belize, and walks away from the disaster. The contract with GOB legally absolves the company from any liability for loss of life or property! That’s the kind of “deal” that you-know-who made. A small part of that wasted and misappropriated money would have provided first class hurricane shelters for the Belizean people.
Think that corruption doesn’t cost? What’re the odds of being gunned down in the crossfire as the “gangstas” settle their scores? What’re the odds of getting gunned down for the miserable $27.00 that someone stole from a young Belizean brother who was on his way to work? How many of our people will die if another oncoming storm hits Belize City dead on, a city that can’t protect its residents because of the greed of the politicians? Corruption may cost an untold number of Belizeans their most precious possession, their lives.
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