It was a video shoot day for artist J Money on Saturday. He was set to film the music video for his single "Hold On" an anthem for young men just trying to make it, even if they live in rougher neighborhoods.
And that's why he thought it was only fitting to film in his own neighborhood in the Martin De Porres area on Lavender Street.
The Police, however, had a different perspective on JMoney's shoot; they saw it as a plain and simple illegal gathering with public drinking to boot. They proceeded to detain all parties involved and allegedly brutalized the man they saw as the ringleader.
Tonight JMoney and his crew are speaking out, complaining that the current S.I. has made no provisions for business activities that the creative sector needs to carry out. Here's what they told Cherisse Halsall about the start of their video shoot and the Covid realities that are stifling the arts.
It was a Saturday afternoon video shoot, imagery to complement a song about the hard road faced by those who refer to themselves as ghetto youths and their struggle to - as singer J Money puts it - "not get erased."
But he and his crew couldn't know that another struggle of ghetto youth life was headed straight at them, a run-in with the police.
Kayron Bennett, Manager/Songwriter
"Upon the time I started to film, because J Money said something to the officer, and the officer shubbed J money told them that you won't arrest me like this and then the stuff ensued."
It's a setback that the singer says hurt his pocket and ultimately left him in physical pain.
Joseph "J Money" Lopez, Musician
"The amount of money I had to pay for the cameraman, for the camera and for people to come and these things, you understand me, we know the social distance thing that's why we didn't have a lot of people there but they came and made it look like a lot of people were there but ask how much people they charged, 9 people, isn't it 10 that's the limit."
"If you watch the video two people were over there, two people were over there and I was way on the roof on the top. When we gone dah station they took me into a back room where six of them were and they just jumped me and then I had to cover my face cause I didn't want them to bruise my face and they kicked me, punched me and choked me in the back there."
Singer "6Frass" who's featured on the song says that he got a double charge of $1,000.00
Ryan "6Frass" Smith
"I was singing and I had my mask down so the man charged me a grand for social distance and not wearing a face mask properly. We are trying to put Belize on the map. We aren't any bad guys, we don't gang bang we're just trying to make music and hustle off our music."
And when JMoney's manager turns the camera on himself he speaks directly to Minister of Home Affairs Kareem Musa, a politician to whom these musicians only recently lent their talents, being featured on one of his campaign songs.
Echo Middleton, Artist/Producer
"In reality let's be real we influence the people the most when it comes to politics time, any artist could say right now the most they make money is when there's an election. Elections are coming up again and only then we will make money. Now the purpose of us doing the video right now everything is the digital age, and we can benefit from making a video we can actually sell the video, sell the music online but now if you're stopping us from shooting the video how are we supposed to make money? Then watch the SI the Si has nothing stated for any creative sector in this thing, none of us have anything in this it's like we don't even exist."
And with no provisions made for creative pursuits, the country's artists have been left having to explain their activities to cops who only see the world in black and white.
Joseph "J Money" Lopez, Musician
"It's not like we were out there shooting anybody, we weren't out there robbing anybody or anything, we weren't smoking or drinking up, nothing like that when they came, we were doing a music video when they came up with something positive with our lives."
"They police don't want to see the Ghetto youths do something better with their lives, when the ghetto youths are trying to do something better with their lives then they try bringing them down, try to disturb them, try to harass them, like they want them to do something wrong or out of the way. But we don't have time for those negative vibes you understand we're still gonna push music they can't stop us."
Can't stop them from creating music - which is often a coping mechanism. Kayron Bennet says that this music is for everyone even the police.
Kayron Bennett, Manager/Songwriter
"I hope that everybody all those officers listening because like what I said in that video you guys are the same officers when you're in your social life, partying, and hanging and drinking you guys listen to our music so just give us that respect bro that's all we're asking for."
"What we are asking from the public and we're asking for different people who are listening right now and even the higher-ups, we need something to make, we're already in COVID, were already in problems we're already in all of this, we just need that one positivity to make this thing happen. Because if you really understand this if you invest in us you will see the benefits back, you all are already talking about legalizing marijuana, start working on the artists."
"Put something in the S.I. for us so we can work and we will work with you."
JMoney 6Frass and the others are due in court on March 15th.
