Whenever a child dies, it is a tragedy, to see a promising young life snuffed out before he or she really even had a chance to live. And when that child was a casualty of gang warfare it is a tragedy for the entire society.
And so it was for 8 year old Marquis Mahler whose funeral was held this afternoon. Our cameras were there for the sad end as they put this child into the ground:...
Monica Bodden, Reporting
As the body of 8 yr old Marquis Mahler was interred at the family's property on mile 8 today - the real toll of the ongoing gang warfare was brought home with stunning, saddening impact.
Canon Leroy Flowers
"In the midst of the uncertainty of life this family now return their love one to you in whom they trust today and place them into your everlasting arms with sorrow and tears."
This grieving mother couldn't bear the pain of seeing the plaster being pasted as her little boy who is just one more victim of the senseless shootings was entombed in the vault.
For the family of this eight year old who buried their sibling, son and grandson today, the grief of their loss is compounded by the ongoing reality that they remain under sustained threat.
And threats are everywhere as even the organization called Belizeans for Justice had to postpone their press conference yesterday - when one of their members received a threatening message.
Joan Sutherland, Treasurer, Belizeans for Justice
"I woke up yesterday morning and - I never open my door until I am ready to walk through my door to go to work - opening the door between 7:30 and 8 o' clock, I walk on the veranda and I saw a plastic bag and I pick up and open it and when I open it I saw that there was a white paper folded in it. I open the paper and there was a reading on it that says, 'I know who you are and what you do in the committee, but I deal with the small fish first. R.I.P.' I am not afraid of myself for the threat that they send me. The more threat they send me that stronger I get to fight. I am not going to quit Belizean For Justice because I am fighting to help mothers stop feel the pain that I am feeling. I cry almost every day of my life for 3 years 8 months and 4 days I cry almost every day. It's like it just gets harder and harder, now an 8 year old is dead. What else is going to happen? I have my daughter living with me, with my little grandchild who is 9 months old. I don't want to be at work and get a call that they shoot up my house, shoot up my daughter and my grandchild."
But even though they have been threatened, they will still be holding their Press Conference Next Week.
Yolanda Schakron, President, Belizeans for Justice
"We have re-scheduled our press conference for next week and I think we will have more things that we want to talk about and we want to bring out to the public and we are very determined to see changes in the justice system, we are determined to see changes and to end the corruption in the police department. We are asking for the removal of Mr. Crispin Jeffries because at the moment we the community, the mothers feel that he is not performing to the best of his ability. He is not being accountable to the Belizean people. We the tax payers are paying his salary and we believe that the police department should have transparency an I believe that they should be better able to help solve crimes and curb this wave of crimes that has overtaken our city."
Monica Bodden
"Why was the press conference actually postponed until next week?"
Yolanda Schakron
"Well yesterday when I heard that from Ms. Joan we talk and we got a little scared because we are not that much loved by some members of the police department so we didn't know who to turn to. I told Ms. Joan the best thing for us to do is to just hold off and try to get some advice and let us call it in and go to the media with it. That's the best we can do. We want the Belizean community, the world to know what is happening in our country."
Belizeans for Justice press conference will be held next Tuesday at the 10 o'clock at the Radisson. According to Schakron, the police department has promised to provide security.
