And, today in Cayo, a family of 11 was also talking about the Commissioner. They're the ones who were taken in by police last Friday night after they were allegedly have an illegal gathering at a home on Aloe Vera Street in Belize City.
The cops say that 3 of the party-goers should have been in mandatory isolation because they tested positive for COVID-19. Three days ago, the Commissioner minced no words when he described what penalty he feels all the party goers should have faced:
Chester Williams - Commissioner of Police
"The police should have flog them."
But, they weren't flogged. 11 of them were put into quarantine in Cayo and now they have tested negative. But, what happens for them next is still the source of confusion, and we spoke to one family member today. Britney Belisle who was the birthday girl at last week's party said they are still in quarantine at the Victor Galvez stadium and claim police are mistreating them:
Britney Belisle, Quarantine in Cayo
"We are still at San Ignacio at the center. We got our first test today and it says we are negative. We got that early this morning and now the officers came to us and says that Chester send a message to tell us to pack our stuff because we were going to court. So we tried to explain why were we going to court for and what is the procedure of quarantine, is it one test then you go home or one test then you go to Belize. We are trying to get the understanding of this. Another
officer came and say to pack our things because it's Belize we are going. Then they were talking of bringing pepper spray and they will whop us. I guess they are following what Chester said. We feel like they are violating us. I feel like our rights is getting violated and have not done anything wrong. We know about the social gathering stuf and things like that, but we have already explained to them we didn't have any party. We see lots of people on facebook having party and things like that. Why Chester doesn't go and approach them. All of us are family right here. Why we can't sit down in our house and have a little social? We are just trying to live as a family trying to battle this together. We don't know what to do. Right now we need some help."
Jules Vasquez, reporter
"Explain to me, how did you all feel when you hear the commissioner of police say that you all should have gotten flogged?"
Britney Belisle, Quarantine in Cayo
"I don't know if he was dehydrated because we went looking for the police officer. I know from listening to him, he wasn't making any sense, because why would they flog us? It's not us in the wrong. We didn't tell my brother to show up where he should not have shown up. If anybody should get flog would be him."
Cayo Police say they went to take them out for bail but they did not want to ride in the police prison van, so they left them there. They add that all of them would have been released today and stress that no one mentioned the Commissioner's name.
