Yesterday he was charged and today UDP candidate for Orange Walk Central Rosendo 'Chendo' Urbina was arraigned in that town's Magistrate's Court for common assault. He's accused of striking a journalist who works for Johnny Briceno's station. And while even the accusation of assaulting a journalist can never be a good thing for a politician, through a weird case of political jujitsu, it has energized UDP activists in Orange Walk. That was evident today when Urbina's supporters shut the town down for a few hours as he went to appear in court.
Jules Vasquez Reporting,
Before 9:00 this morning a large and animated crowd of UDP supporters carrying signs gathered in front of the Orange Walk Magistrate's Court on Holy Trinity Street. They were there to support Chendo Urbina - but they were also there to lash out against Johnny Briceno's TV station CTV-3 and its reporter Jorge
Aldana who reported to police that Urbina assaulted him.
So the signs were as much about Chendo as they were about Aldana, CTV-3 and other PUP personalities, past and present. But despite the hostilities, the CTV-3 crew, dressed all in blue, maintained their presence, and when they weren't being chased off, they were being taunted.
Though the ruckus was raised outside the court, police maintained a presence but generally did not interfere until it got a little too hostile. At 9:00 Urbina arrived to applause. And just before ten Magistrate Emerson Banner arrived. Shortly after he emerged to uproarious applause...and that led to this: CTV-3 camera man Lucio Alcoser was pinned to a vehicle and had to be rescued by officer commanding Orange Walk Robert Mariano.
But shortly after another CTV cameraman was back in the thick of it. But eventually
the crowd pushed him to the end of the street. And with the CTV crew under threat and pressure, they finally decided to leave, driving off to taunts and ovation.
After that Chendo Urbina was received like some kind of hero and took center stage then led a march down the main street which is the Belize-Corozal road to his office on Progress Street.
Rosendo Urbina, Charged for Assault
"As I said I don't know why the PUP would try to do something like that because I am sure that it backfired on them. Definitely we will see that the people in Orange Walk wanted something like this to happen, he gave it to them, and I am very grateful that I am a big part of it. It will give me more impetus to work because with these right here, I know now the amount of people I have that support me. Before I was just going house to house, I couldn't see the support but now I am seeing the massive support that we have and I am sure that Johnny Briceno will not be sleeping."
And the man he wants to keep awake is a man he formerly supported as no less than a Briceno loyalist.
Rosendo Urbina,
"I voted for him so I can say I put him there. I worked for him free at my cost also and he well and know that. But I am sure that I can no longer associate myself with their corruption and their lack of transparency."
Urbina was represented by Michael Peyrefitte. He pleaded not guilty and received bail of $500. He will re-appear on April 30th.
