Three senior and four junior bands will compete in Saturday's annual carnival road march. Tonight the bands are at mas camp making final preparations for Saturday. But after last weekend's tear gas attack at the king and queen contest, some question whether the road march will be safe for participants and spectators after investigating, police are now saying that Saturday's tear gas event was simply the product of a mix-up. But on morning radio the talk is that it was deliberate and may be repeated. Why? Keith Swift went looking for answers.
Keith Swift Reporting,
By now you have seen this video of the chaotic aftermath at the Marion Jones Stadium after somebody detonated a canister of tear gas. The attack came at the start of the senior king competition. Some say that was no coincidence. They claim that the attack targeted what some feel is a pervasive homosexual culture that has become synonymous with carnival. Well Patrick Thompson is supposedly one of those men all caught up in the homosexual culture of carnival. He has been dancing in carnival for twelve years. Patrick says the homophobes have it wrong, he isn't gay and neither is carnival.
Patrick Thompson, Carnival Participant
"Yes you got homosexuals who dance the in groups and straight guys and for me I don't find it no kind of threat to me dancing in carnival as a straight
person alongside people who are homosexuals."
Keith Swift,
So you don't have no problem dancing in the streets with tights on?
Patrick Thompson,
"No because then if you look at it, if because a man to be in a tights you will call them a homosexual, that means you are saying all the cyclists are homosexuals because they are in tights and why don't they look at it that way just because you are dancing through the street. A guy does not have to be a homosexual person to be dancing in carnival. If you notice with carnivals in the other parts of the world, the people dress worst than how we dress and you don't hear those kind of things on the media that carnival over there is gay so why would they say it in Belize."
One man open about his sexuality is Caleb Orosco. He wasn't at Saturday's show but have friends who were. He says he isn't sure if the attack was a hate crime but it has raised his alarm.
Caleb Orosco, Activist
"The feedback I've been getting is kind of conflicting and it creates a question of what if."
Keith Swift,
Do your gay friends believe it was an attack on them?
Caleb Orosco,
"Some do and some are not sure and they are waiting for evidence."
Keith Swift,
If I am straight and I don't want to see a man running in tights, can you see where people might be coming from?
Caleb Orosco,
"An individual male does not have to worry about feeling less than a man. If they are straight they will remain straight."
Keith Swift,
Are you going to be watching the carnival road march on Saturday?
Caleb Orosco,
"I will be on the sideline."
Keith Swift,
Will you feel safe?
Caleb Orosco,
"That remains to be seen in terms of who decides that they have a responsibility to correct me as an individual."
The Carnival Committee's Public Relations Officer Edith Tesecum says her committee frowns on any planned attempt to disrupt Saturday's road march based on the sexual orientation of the participants.
Edith Tesecum, P.R. - Carnival Committee
"Gay people used to run the carnival, gay people were dancing in the
carnival, and it was known. People made it public. It was not something that was hidden from anybody so I honestly don't see why all of a sudden it has become a problem.
We have been receiving a lot of threats. We have heard the rumors that the gays and lesbians are being targeted. We do not know how true it is but we are looking into that. We have hired extra security for it and we are really hoping that this is exactly what it is being said to be, that is a rumor."
Police Press Officer G. Michael Reid agrees. He says the police now believe that Saturday's incident was nothing more than a mix-up. He says besides the throwing of words, the PD doesn't expect participants to be in any physical danger.
Keith Swift,
Have there been any credible threats?
G. Michael Reid, Police Department
"We're not aware of any threats, whether credible or not. We know that there are some rumors circulating but we don't know that any threats as such on any individual person. We still believe that this might have been an inadvertent act. That in fact it was in fact just individuals thinking that they had acquired something that would provide some type of smoke or some effect that would augment their whole presentation. But unfortunately it wasn't that, it was this irritant."
Keith Swift,
If I'm a parent can I feel safe taking my child to see the road march?
Edith Tesecum,
"I think it will be safe. I think there will be the few people who will try certain things but I don't see where that should stop us and I don't see why that should be the cause of us stopping the carnival or postponing the carnival."
And so on it will go on Saturday. In the hope that the, masqueraders, kings, and queens will march on in the true spirit of bacchanal as they've been doing for more than a decade.
G. Michael Reid has confirmed to us that there will be an increased police presence along the carnival route as well as with the carnival bands.
