That little scene played out at about 2:30 this afternoon - but our day out on Chetumal Street South started almost 12 hours earlier - at 4:00 this morning - where about 25 squatters, adults and children lay sleeping.
Here's the story:
Jules Vasquez Reporting
At 4:00 this morning, mosquito repelling fires were the only lights on Chetumal Street south through the impenetrable black of the pre-dawn, our lights found men sleeping on doors tilted at a 45 degree angle leaning on a the remains of a foundation. Children awakened early by the rain the cold, the mosquitoes perplexed faces - their lives now public as they stood shoeless on the wet ground. This one covered up under blankets.
While this one was sleeping in the open air:
Aaron Sanchez, Head of Squatters' Group
"If you realize that these people they don't have anywhere to go. Their house are broken down and they have to sleep right there."
Pedro Vans was there to watch over his possessions.
Pedro Vans
"Last night I was under a little shade and all of my kids were over there because when it started to rain we came to shelter over there under the house. We slept like animals. I didn't sleep, only my family got shelter there and I was outside."
Jules Vasquez
"But at the same time Mr. Vans, you don't have to sleep here. You must have a house out in the front. Only my kids stayed here, but if I move and I leave all my materials, who are going to take care of it?"
Jules Vasquez
"How did you pass the night Ms. Carillas?"
Marta Carrillas
"Well I haven't slept so much. Only like maybe two hours - that's the most that I have slept today. But I am in a better mood today, I am not mad. But I think that what's the government wants. Whatever they want they can have it - they want to see people sleeping underneath their houses - like you say we don't really have to stay here but we have our materials that people are stealing. Maybe somebody will come out and tell us what they will do to help us. If they don't want to give us a piece of land to the front then I don't care, I just want a piece of land. That's all I am asking for. I don't care if they want to sell all this land in the front to the rich people - I don't care - I can go to the back. But I need a piece of land."
Squatter
"I don't know what they want from us but broken the houses down is not necessary. They should just give us a time to just move the house or something like that, but we really need this land because I am a young person and I am trying to get my education, so that's why my father gave me a house so that I can live when I graduate from school. Right now I am not actually living at the house but I am with my mother but I come here every evening and on Sundays. We work so hard to cut down the trees and clear the land to build this house."
Claudia Martinez's husband, Felipe and her 14 year old son were arrested yesterday - and she and her two children slept under this house last night:
Claudia Martinez
"We need this place."
Jules Vasquez
"But as a mother it must be very hard for you to make decision that your children sleep out here in the cold - in the night air."
Claudia Martinez
"Yes it is. But then we have work hard and invested a lot of money so that we can have a shelter to lie under."
Down the street - we found these children who said they slept on blankets on the ground. These boys are four years old while other older ones were walking the streets in their night blankets skipping across London bridges.
In this house - we found 13 children at 5:30 in the morning - now all of them didn't sleep here but since it's the only structure still fully standing in the area, they all gathered here at dawn Including Wilbur - whose high spirits were welcomed.
By all including his mother Blanca Sinte is the mother of five.
Jules Vasquez
"Now, you don't have anywhere else to go?"
Blanca Sinte, Mother of Five
"No."
Caliz Orellano, Father of Three
"Now our children - they don't know what to do and we don't know what will happen to us. They say that we are supposed to move but we don't know where to go with our children. We have to stay here because we don't have anywhere else to go."
Jules Vasquez
"How did you spend the night?"
Genesis Dominguez, First Former
"Well we spend it right here with sheets and blankets to cover from the mosquitoes."
Jules Vasquez
"How is that?"
Genesis Dominguez, First Former
"It's terrible. You know about the mosquito bites right?"
Jules Vasquez
"Tell me how you spend your night?"
Squatter
"Well I spend it right out here because we don't have anywhere else to go."
Jules Vasquez
"Explain to me what you mean by "out here"?"
Squatter
"On the street right here."
Jules Vasquez
"No, you sleep on the street?"
Squatter
"Yes."
Jules Vasquez
"For real?"
Squatter
"We came from over there to here because there are a lot of mosquitoes and we can't take the mosquitoes. It rain too."
Jules Vasquez
"Are you going to school today?"
Genesis Dominguez, First Former
"I doubt it because our house was destroyed. One than one family was living in the house that they broke down."
Jules Vasquez
"So are you going to school today?"
Squatter
"No."
Jules Vasquez
"How come?"
Squatter
"I don't have iron to iron my clothes."
Jules Vasquez
"How do you feel about this whole thing?"
Squatter
"Bad."
Jules Vasquez
"Why?"
Squatter
"Because people don't have any homes."
Jules Vasquez
"How you feel about this whole thing?"
Squatter
"I don't feel good. It is unfair for them to do us this because they wouldn't like for this to be done to them."
Jules Vasquez
"Now you have perception out there that "they are aliens" so you know you can handle them how you want because they are not from here. That is a perception and certainly I heard it vocalize on the street yesterday while they were staging the protest. Is it all people who have been naturalized or immigrants?"
Aaron Sanchez, Head of Squatters' Group
"No Jules we have born Belizeans that this thing will affect also who live back here, but as usual you that there are certain people that always talk and are not serious - to that extent they are going out there. Jules, these people out here have Belize passport - voters ID that I don't even have. I am not in possession of a passport - a Belize passport. Jules I am really disappointed in this whole issue because one of the thing is that I was promise by the minister that this thing would be resolve."
Jules Vasquez
"Which minister?"
Aaron Sanchez, Head of Squatters' Group
"The Deputy Prime Minister and to come here yesterday morning and see what have occurred - I am really disappointed."
Jules Vasquez
"Now why is it that we didn't see you yesterday on the frontline?"
Aaron Sanchez, Head of Squatters' Group
"Because Jules I was still trying to resolve this thing - trying to see the minister - trying to find out who order this and who are involve in this and who actually.... - I don't know - I am lost for words right now Jules."
Jules Vasquez
"Anything came out of those meetings?"
Aaron Sanchez, Head of Squatters' Group
"The only person I have spoken with is the Minister of Works and it doesn't resolve the problem any at all. We didn't come to a conclusion."
Jules Vasquez "What was your expectation for a best case scenario?"
Aaron Sanchez, Head of Squatters' Group
"Well my expectation is that maybe the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister would have taken a circle back here and access the damage and after that maybe we can sit down and solve this. I think this problem is easy to be solved. All that we need is dialogue."
He says it can be solved with dialogue but this standard six student says empathy is the key
Standard Six Student
"Well we just want to ask the Prime Minister to give us a little hand, so that he can see that we are human being also and that anything that happens to us can happen to him also or someday it might happen to somebody who he loves."
