To some, he's just a political fire starter, with mercenary motives and not much else; but to others, Brian "Yellowman" Audinett is a grassroots hero, defiant, fearless and outspoken. But whatever you think of him, for two consecutive Fridays in the month of January of 2005, he earned his fame...as "Yellowman" went from a political hype artist to a battle-tested street soldier when he confronted and confounded the police's riot squad in their storm trooper get-ups. So while the jury may be out on his anti-establishment actions, the images remain, forever burnt into the national conscious in this republic of the image. For Yellowman the drama has subsided as he has returned to his daily life. And today we caught up with the surprisingly disarming character as he made his rounds in the city streets.
Alfonso Noble Reporting,
He was front and center at Friday's riot, militant and defiant in the face of very ready but tempered riot squad. Indeed, it was a time for Yellowman and not Yellowmen. And, in the end after the shields have been put down, retribution has been delivered to some, and the injuries are beginning to heal, the man who was at the center of it all, fearless hero to some, dastardly villain to others, Yellowman, aka Brian Audinett is back in Belize City with no regrets.
Yellowman,
"I would do it again for my country. Yes man I would it for this country, not for me and not for no UDP, for the country and that is the truth. We went out there to fight for our country and we can't tolerate new taxes because we are poor people and we can't afford it. When we went out there now Jeffries was provoking people and telling people 'unu come unu come' like he is a crazy man. I don't know what is wrong with Jeffries but we didn't go out there to fight against any police because we believe that the police have to do their job. But if they knock us, we have to knock back and that is the God's honest truth. We went out to make the government know that we can't afford new taxes. We won't tolerate new taxes and by any means necessary we will do what we have to do to make sure that doesn't happens. Alfonso nobody paid us any money to go out there. We went out there with goodwill and our heart for our country. Nobody gave us no money: no Finnegan, no Barrow, no UDP. We went out there on our own. Some of those people who were in the crowd are who PUP paid. Those people just went up there for their little $30 and $50 that they promised the people them because early the morning we saw they had a lot of bus from Mesop that they were putting people in and paying them a $50 or $30 to go up there. We didn't collect money from nobody so that is lies they are telling. I never expect it to reach that point but when we reached out there and the way how things were going and how Jeffries was treating people, Jeffries caused the fight to break out there. How he was running with the pepper spray to burn people didn't make any sense Alfonso."
And while he could not have expected that his demonstration of frustration and helplessness would turn out the way it did on Friday, it did and now he is facing a series of criminal charges arising out of the riot.
Yellowman,
"I got six charges."
Alfonso Noble,
Explain to me what are the charges.
Yellowman,
"Aggravated assault, resisting arrest, aggravated assault, disorderly conduct, harm, and escape. Those are light charges man, I will win these 'cause I didn't do nothing. You can bet I will these my friend."
Yellow has senior counsel on his side as Dean Lindo is his defense attorney.
7NEWS produced for broadcast by News Director Jules Vasquez
Edited for the internet by Keith Swift
