And so while Mahler would like to spend the LIU money in different areas, tonight the men who worked in the program say they feel used and abandoned. The program was cut without giving them any formal notice; most heard about it through Facebook. Today we spoke to two of them about the effect that abruptly cutting off a social support system will have:
Daniel Cain - Former Supervisor, LIU
"Explain to me the despondency that it creates in young people when the only litte end that you were able to gel, got immediately cut off and da like, unu goh frahn ya. Yow, you put everybody's back against the wall you know? You just locked off a stipend from me that like, that was helping me to take care of my family, now my back is against the wall, because el don't know how I will take care of my family now. I can't go out there to get a job because they won't hire because I come from Pinks Alley. SO people watch me funny, they second guess me, they think I want to thief from them. They think I want to rob them, all kinds of things. It is a rippling effect and it is a dangerous rippling effect, we just pray that it does not lead back to crime. That da it right deh"
"The despondence when it left the youths with, but left them with their minds messed up mein, da like nobody cared about us. You know what I mean? We di try. You all asked us for something and we gave you what you sked for and now you just locked us off like, we da nobody like you used us, like you're using us."
Lane Grinage - Former Intern, LIU
"to me / think it was like more towards that end of month time, people have that end of month bill coming up, house rent coming up so to make them just lock it off like that, it really, everything, it rough, it rough."
"you see, yes, ok 523 man cut off the LIU program, 523 individuals had a card, but everywo weeks when that 343.00 dollars come in, than that 523 man have 523 different /amilles to go and feed off that money. So it is very essential to not just one man, its toa whole fmaily. So imagine how many families you are taking bread out of their mouth; 523 x's what? So it is a lot of people who are really losing off of this. And we are not necessarily bawling to push out back the money but it is about stregnteing back the program to where it is more efficient where people can actually see the work that is getting done."
"| wah ask Minister Henry Usher, Minister Gilroy Usher, Minister Mahler, Minister Hyde, Minister Musa, the 523 people come out of your constituencies. And you have other ministers too. From your constituencies those people came out of. You all know what the LIU program was doing in your constituency, you all know the dynamics of Belize City. We need to program back. Cause the program was working."
"So we need the program back beause it was working. A lot of youths will get wild. Men were occupied because they already know they had something to do every day. everything di goh up, so how are those 523 people living and shave the now? That is the questn now. How are they surviving now since they don't have that little stipend to take care of their families. What do they expect them to do?"
"The minute we start escalate crime back, I think that is the trigger that they want. We are brethren for different blocks and we are talking with each other stil negotiating between one another, thouah they have Locke doff the program, we are still talking with one another, making one another know: "bwai. hold it down. nobody try bust no shot. Try keep the peace. Try mek we talk it out if we can talk it out without reaching the level of violence because we can do it.""
"but the way how they cut off this program and just dash everybody on the side, it really could have a serious effect. And we really don't want to reach that point."
"One of the parts that really stick to me, we are in a group chat where bother are syaing bwai we are looking to turn it up. No bro. Mek we wait lee bout more. Because then at the ened of the day we can't be fools, if we strike up who will feel?So my call is for government, the LIU b body and the brothers in the streets. Government please push the resources to the different organziiaitons so that they could push it pon we, and bothers please let us hold it down. Please let's show thes people that we can do it."
"And everything da timing too, you now Jules? Everything you can't rush. Everything is not overnight. A baby doesn't learn to walk overnight. It takes its time."
