A video went viral today, and it shows former parliamentarian Anthony "Boots" Martinez, involved in a public brawl for the remains of a wooden house.
Now, this is an old incident, recorded in the days after Hurricane Lisa November, but it's only now come to very public attention.
It comes in the wake of the recall petition that Martinez launched against the man who replaced him in Port Loyola, Gilroy Usher Sr.
So, obviously it's meant to smear the man who's targeting a sitting PUP representative and today we met up with Boots at the office he's using for those efforts to get his take on this long gone brawl. Here's more:
Boots Martinez
"It no belongs to unu, da me build this. This no belongs to him."
Man
"But that da government money."
Boots Martinez
"This no belongs to me and no belongs to unu."
It happened in the aftermath of Hurricane Lisa in 2022 when portions of of Belize City lay in ruin. That's when former minister Anthony "Boots" Martinez, of course wearing a pair of rubber boots got into a confrontation with Norma Roches, allegedly a girlfriend of one of his former employees.
Anthony "Boots" Martinez, Former Member Of Parliament
"Well the first thing, just thing that it was drawn to my attention that Mr. Lindon Gibson who died just about a month ago, his house fell down during the hurricane, and the day after the hurricane, one Simon Williams, the brother-in-law of the area representative Hon. Gilroy Usher and one Ms. Norma Roches, a previous girlfriend of the deceased. I was called to say that some people are scavenging the house. I went around there and I said "no." It is impossible for you to be scavenging the house. One, the first morale of it: NEMO. Unu not even give N.E.M.O a break to do a settlement, how will you take down the house, the house only fell off of the post you know. The house was intact and they brought a crew of workmen to scavenge the house, take out the window, take out the door and for me, that is wrong and that is illegal and I stand up for my constituency."
Man
"The legal beneficiary of the man who is dying."
Boots Martinez
"The legal beneficiary of the man?"
Man
"You bring a paper here, no Boots Martines name for this property."
Boots Martinez
"You bring it Norma name."
At the time the crowd attested that Norma Roches lived with Lindon Gibson, but according to Boots when Lindon Gibson fell ill, it was his 13-year-old daughter from Dangriga who took care of him.
Anthony "Boots" Martinez, Former Member Of Parliament
"Listen carefully what I said. I said in krill terms indeed they have a fling but they weren't living, I know we will talk krill terms now, I know, I used to go to that house, Lindon Gibson used to be my employee."
Reporter:
"So, who deserved that house after he died?"
Anthony "Boots" Martinez, Former Member Of Parliament
"The children, he didn't leave a will and like I said to Lindon. He spoke to me before he died and he said give my 13-year-old daughter and I said Lindon you aren't leaving a will so as far as I know the thing has to go through the correct way a probate, you have to take that to probate, if you don't make the will, he never did make the will and so as far as I know the law, there is a thing called Intestate which means when someone dies and doesn't make a will, there is a formula 1/3 for wife or common law, and 2/3 for children, simple and easy."
Cherisse Halsall:
"Sir, the allegations the neighbors were making was that you got so upset because you have a vested interest in property, you have a baby with some girl who has a claim on the house?"
Anthony "Boots" Martinez, Former Member Of Parliament
"Me no have no baby with no gial, and all of my pikny they name Martinez. If I have a baby with anybody I no have no shame in my game, because I'm not a married man, and I'm entitled to do what I want, why they no question they kind a thing duh about the former Prime Minister."
But whatever the reason Boots refused to back down, and when he attempted to remove one of the windows that Norma Roches and Simon Williams had placed in a truck, Willams was seen to attack him with a crowbar - nearly knocking him O-W-T.
Today we asked the former parliamentarian how that confrontation was ultimately resolved.
Anthony "Boots" Martinez, Former Member Of Parliament
"I went to the police station, along with them and we made a report, and do you know what happened? They still came and took the house."
Reporter:
"And, you could do nothing about it?"
Anthony "Boots" Martinez, Former Member Of Parliament
"Listen to me, I put the case in the hands of police."
Cherisse Halsall:
"So when you went down the street Sir, screaming, it's over, it's over, it's the police you went to run for?"
Anthony "Boots" Martinez, Former Member Of Parliament
"The police to make sure because put it this way here, no shame in my game you know, you know and I am straight forward that guess what is going on now. I a here for peace but I am not a soft man either."
Cherisse Halsall: "On that point Sir, you put some bad behavior down in this video and some people might say the bad behavior you put down should have you OWT of politics?"
Anthony "Boots" Martinez, Former Member Of Parliament
"Man, OWT of politics listen to me. I am a human being too, you no see the video where the man said that he would whop me with a crow bar, you see it, you see it, oh so at the end of the day I am sorry, I might not have strength to defend all of unusual but I think I have enough strength to defend myself."
Of course, there are two sides to every story….and a release from Gilroy Usher Sr is calling the incident with boots a quote heartless action and claiming that he only backed down from the confrontation when, quote: "the Police intervened and informed him that since Miss Norma Roches was the common-law wife of the late Lyndon Gibson for many years, she has full legal authority over the property."
