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Last night, we broke the story updating the case of Derrick Uh - who died in custody after he was left locked up in a police van for 13 hours when police forgot he was there. His family's attorney, Dean Barrow was forced to file a lawsuit against the government after there was no response from the Attorney General's Ministry on the many requests to settle the case and give the family a just compensation for the loss of their 20 year old brother and son. It's a case in which government had already publicly conceded liability - so their inaction was puzzling.
Well, the news tonight is that, jolted by the 7News coverage of the story - the Attorney General's Ministry today reached out to the family's attorney proposing a figure for compensation.
But, that news hadn't reached them yet this morning when Cherisse Halsall visited the family in Cristo Rey where there was bitterness and anger at unfulfilled promises:
By now, every Belizean knows the tragic tale of Derek Uh; he's the 20-year-old who died of heat shock, dehydration, and carbon monoxide poisoning after Corozal police forgot he was locked in a metal prisoner van on one of the hottest days of the year.
And shortly after Derek's death, a death that Comissioner of Police Chester Williams himself has described as being caused by "torture.", he visited the Uh family at their Cristo Rey home where he made them a promise. It's a promise that Derek's mother Raquel Uh remembers vividly.
Raquel Uh, Derek Uh's Mom
" Chester Williams came and said that he will move stone by stone because he will do justice for my son and right now we will pass 9 months and Chester Williams didn't do anything nobody helps us only the family and friends the helped us and nobody, right now the government hasn't done anything too and they don't want to help us."
Reporter:
" When the government decides to pay you for your son they are going to decide how much you get based on if he had a job, if he had a child, how old he was but do you think that they can really put a monetary value on your son's life?"
Raquel Uh, Derek Uh's Mom
"Nobody can give me a price for my son because every time I tell my two daughters if God tells me what do you want? You want money or you want your son back? I would tell him I want my son, I want my son because maybe all the mothers, all the sons they don't have a price for us, they don't have a price."
Naturally just 9 months after his death Raquel Uh is still mourning her child thinking on what could have been had things gone differently.
Raquel Uh, Derek Uh's Mom
"He told me mom I will save money because I want to go back to college, I work hard so I want to go to college I will work hard for you because you need for me to help you so I want to finish my studies and I will help you mom."
And while that mother fights through her pain, the Commissioner says that the AG's ministry has been wrestling with the quantum due to the family and he's expecting it to go to court ordered mediation:
Jules Vasquez:
"Sir, this is heartless, to say we're going to mediation."
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
" I am not the one to say how much the state must pay, that's a matter for the AG ministry. I maintain the fact that when it comes to fighting the issue of liability, we must not waste any time, but as public servants, we have a responsibility to ensure that when we disperse public funds that we are dispersing not extravagantly but that we are giving what is rightfully due."
But is it even possible to determine what is rightfully due after all the trauma that this family has been through? Not to mention the expenses incurred by an unexpected death and the painful inconveniences caused by having to attend often adjourned court proceedings.
Vanesa Uh, Derek Uh's Sister
" If it was like how they said in the beginning that they would move stone by stone to make justice and that it would be easy for us like, believe me I think this would be easier for my mom and for us because every time when they bring us papers it's like the story is always getting like revived and all the same pain over and over."
"This doesn't have to go to court, if the government makes an agreement this doesn't have to go to court but why are we going to go to court because there is no help to my family, there is no consideration and maybe because they see that we live in a humble family, a humble house because we don't have all the resources and I think if we were a family of money or those big companies in Belize they would move, the government would want to make an agreement but because we are from a humble family, in a humble house because we don't have all the resources because I think if we were a family of money or those big companies in Belize, they would move the government would want to make an agreement but because we are a humble family I think that is when it comes, when the power wants to abuse the lower ones."
But now that he's gone his sisters have continued to fight for what Derek wanted: to allow their mom to retire retire with dignity:
Vanesa Uh, Derek Uh's Sister
"We want my mom's life to change because she works in the free zone and she has to get up early in the morning and go and work and come late at night and we want her to stop working and make her have a business that she can manage and stay home. "
But what will G.O.B. do? We put the question to the Prime Minister this morning and he guaranteed that a settlement would be reached
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"I think first, I think I need to again once more express my condolences to the family and to, you know the sheer horror that that song man went through, whilst he was locked up under police custody, umm, that is unforgivable and I think that the commissioner has pretty much said the same, as to the compensation those things take the time I don't think that the government or the police department has ever said that there should not be compensation it's a matter of working it through so I want to give my commitment that we are going to work it through. The commissioner has just explained that and so I just want to I think, it's best I leave it at that."
And they did work it through very quickly. As we said at the top, the government today proposed a figure to the family through its attorney. They are considering it - and will decide whether to accept, counter propose, or proceed with the lawsuit. We'll keep you posted.
