You would probably think that there's nothing more harmless than missionaries building a school in a small village….it costs nothing, serves the common good, and gives students an option….
But you'd be wrong if that village was Progresso in Orange Walk where all hell broke loose when the missionaries started building on a neighbor's driveway.
Monica Bodden found out why it got so crazy when late this evening in Carmelita village she got the first interview form the family at the center of the uproar.
We have footage of the flare up courtesy CTV-3 in Orange Walk…
Monica Bodden Reporting
It was one of the biggest brawls the village had ever seen. As a family came head to head with construction works -who were working on the construction site for a Seventh Day Adventist school. There were shovels, machetes; axe and flying cement blocks - It was a sight to behold - all in the name of a land dispute.
For Bernadette Westby she has been living on her land for the past 15 years and says they have created a roadway that leads them unto the street.
But now Missionaries of the Seventh Day Adventist Church has donated funds for a new school building - which construction has already started on. - The only problem is that the new building is going up on Westby's roadway. Which is denying her access to the main road.
Bernadette Westby
"The problem with the alley way, the teacher came one day, I was here in Carmelita, only my kids were home and she phoned and asked my daughter if we can give her the alley way, that she can occupy it and we told her that no, and she insist and we went ahead and told her no, and she still went ahead and insist and said that she will fix Progresso people and she went for the white man at the farm and she started to dig out the way with the machine. I went home and the pastor came and asked me permission and I told him no I can't give him my alley way, how will I come out, how I will ever have an option to go out and I told him no. And I think we all have understanding and he is a Christian and so i said, if he is a Christian he understand that I tell him no and he still went ahead and he - hard headed and he still went ahead and start to dig and started to build on the road and think that is not right to do that."
And so today Westby went to the Lands Department in Belmopan.
Monica Bodden
"How can this be solved? What do you want?"
Bernadette Westby
"I went to Belmopan today and talked to the minister of surveyor and lands, and he told me he is going Friday. If I can go Friday. Better if you have left this trip for Friday and he said he is going Friday to Progresso and he will reach 9:00 o'clock. I told him I don't want my alley way behind my bathroom. I want it on the other side. He said he will take a surveyor and he is going Friday."
Monica Bodden
"Up that side?"
Bernadette Westby
"Yes, because it's better for me that way and not the other way to go all the way around." "And what they told me too, if I don't give me the alley way, they will not give me my tittle for my land, they will not give me and it's like they are threaten me that way."
Monica Bodden
"Who told you this?"
Bernadette Westby
"The teacher and Cawich, Mr. Cawich told me that and the teacher and the pastor too. If I don't give them my alley way, they will not give me my tittle for my land."
The big fight started on Monday - According to Amelia, she was outside her mother's house when she noticed the men began digging next to her brothers pick-up truck that was parked in the alley way. She said she ran over with a shovel and started shoveling back the sand back into the hole.
Amelia Flowers - Daughter
"Monday I was under the mongo tree sitting down, we havent eat yet. So when I turn to the other side I see my brothers vehicle going down when they were digging, so when they were digging I ran with a shovel and so when I did the first shovel, it's when the guy filled up my eyes right here, it is still kinda swell. So when my husband and my little brother and my mother and my aunt say them, my aunt ran across and all the guys started run for picks and said that they were "hype up" and they are not playing they will hurt us.
"When they had knocked me and I close my eyes and opened it back, I saw three people around me, so when I saw the three person around me I saw my husband and my brother and all of them had reached. So when they reached, like what I told you the guy ran for the shovel and the pick and everything so, when they did that I got frightened and didn't know what to do. So, when my husband pulled me back to help me one of the guys punched him down. When he punched him down then my little brother started to throw the blocks at the guys at the guys but he didn't hit them, so it's the problem."
Kent Flowers - Son-in-law
"So, what happened, when the guys started the fight, actually it was them who started the fight, but you guys didn't see it on the camera, that they started the fight? I saw that they trough a spayed fill with sand in my wife's eyes and three off them attacked her, so I said well, I have to defend my wife, so I went over there and when I went to the commotion I tried to part my wife from the guy and that's when the other guy punched me, and knocked out my teeth."
Monica Bodden
"How many teeth?"
Kent Flowers - Son-in-law "Three teeth, so I just come from the dentist this morning and I have the receipt right here, where I paid five hundred and sixty dollars. But the one that he knocked out, I had paid one thousand five hundred for that teeth, that was like ten years ago back then, and that same teeth he knocked out today cost three thousand five hundred dollars. So I want to know if they will give me my money back or what?"
Monica Bodden
"So you weren't there starting no fight, you were defending your wife?"
Kent Flowers - Son-in-law "Exactly, as you can see it on the video, I was not doing anything, I just went there to defend my wife and I got my teeth knocked out and the next guy threw a cement block at me. And I went to Corozal to give report and the police man told me that, he will not take any statement from me and my wife. You understand me; the police from Progresso said he will not take any statement from me and my wife."
Monica Bodden
"He gave you a reason?"
Kent Flowers - Son-in-law "No, well, they told me that nobody will get charge and I will not get paid for my teeth."
Daniel Magana - son
"I say it's unfair because I tried to help out because I see they hit my brother-in-law and he dropped and I just ran and swung what I had in my hand and so the crowd separate, they charged me with aggravated assault to some Westby, he was the other guy on the other side with the yellow shirt, so the one that was without shirt, it was him I swung the machete at, and I never touched him, it just missed the left hand side of his hand, he didn't have any wounds from me. The only wound he had was the one he got when he hit my brother-in-law, he just hurt and he said i did it. I never did anything."
Kent Flowers - Son-in-law
"The guy that punched out my teeth said he will burn down my mother-in-law house and he will kill me, he said "dis no don ya yet" that is what he told me, he said he will meet me in Orange Walk."
Monica Bodden
"He was saying this outside the police station?"
Kent Flowers - Son-in-law…
"Actually he said it right there where the incident was happening, and the police was right there hearing this and did nothing about it."
"And also I want to say a little about the pastor, because the man comes there with bogus letter, because you guys saw the letter. Two different signatures from the commissioner of lands, two different signatures and the man came in the name of the Lord to screw us. What kind of Pastor is that, I want to tell everybody, don't go to that church."
Daniel Magana - son
"They telling us, that we are the ones that want to find trouble, they say that we don't want better for the village. it's not that we don't want it, it's where they are placing this thing, it's where it's being put, because as you went over there and you saw the amount of land they got especially that piece to put this building especially on that piece. So, why they can use the rest of building, they have building on the right side they have building on the left side and they have building behind our one also. And they said we can be between two school and as I know, it's just one school they have, that one they are building that's it."
Monica Bodden
"So, you guys can't take out your vehicle or anything?"
Daniel Magana - son
"No, we can't take out anything and we don't know how we will pass now, we don't know what access we have."
And yes there are always two sides to the story. You've heard from the aggrieved family, but Monica also spoke to the president of the PTA Elisa Tek who told us that the community desperately needs the school and that all measures were taken to accommodate the aggrieved family:..
To make sure the situation does not escalate again, police are standing guard 24 - 7 and protecting the workers….
