And Quixchan was in court for transporting illegal immigrants, one Belizean was having a tough time getting his passport from Immigration Department.
A video showed a man being boisterous towards a public officer went viral on social media with many condemning the man for being disrespectful. However, many others sided with him, knowing the frustration of dealing with any government office.
But while the court of public opinion debated whether he was right or wrong, Mark Reneau visited our studio today to give his side of the story. He explained that he'd been going to the department for the past two weeks, witnessing the frustration of others and the nonchalant attitude of some of the public officers. And after overhearing a conversation between an employee and a man who'd been labelled as a female on his passport, he hoped that he wouldn't have to go through the same.
Fast forward to today, and the same exact thing happened to him. And while he said he never meant to be rude, someone has to speak up against the mistreatment at government officers. Here's how he put it:
Mark Reneau, Filmed at Immigration Department
"I ask her, Ma'am, they gave me the wrong passport. She said what you mean by giving the wrong passport, she said to him it cannot be. He said they got me as a female and she is saying no it cannot be. He said look here and showed her the passport. So Miss Perez was being really disrespectful. She said to the gentleman, how come I know you are not a transvestite. I was like "wow". Thats deep, that's crazy. The gentleman asks when can he get his passport and she said come back Monday for his passport. Anyhow I went last week to get my passport 3-6 days. Now I went back this Thursday to get my passport and the same thing they have on my passport - female. So I got a little upset about it and so I ask them of something could be done about this, they told me come back the next day and said no I cannot spend no money to come up here again. So I went inside and said to Miss Perez, could I see you a minute and try to tell her about my passport and like she don't want to hear anything. I said what I'd like you to do is say the same thing that you said to the gentleman that maybe I'm a transvestite. First of all, I did not give them my paper, I gave them an expired passport and so right then and thee where is the mistake. I could understand maybe the birth paper have a mistake, but you have my original passport."
"Anyhow, everybody might see me acting the way I was acting, I act that way because to be honest I stood in the line for two and a half hours just to take a picture and the same thing again I had to raise my voice to ask them asking them how come only one person taking a picture and you have 150 people outside. It's not like II want to be a bully, but it's the truth. You go there, they talk to you any kind of way, act any kindf of way with you. You stand in line, it's like you don't exist, you try to ask questions, it's like some of them, I'm not saying all of them.. So I went back to the front and a gentleman came outside and said Mr. Reneau, wait one minute, you will get your passport, I said because I am not coming up here back tomorrow for my passport. Anyhow in 15-20 minutes time they gave me my passport with the correct information. Before you guys putting it on facebook, what you guys need to do is take out your camera and show the public with this passport issue. I see people come behind me, walk out, get their picture taken and walk go in and get their passport. What makes them better than me? because of the skin color maybe, because he is a Chinese, he is a white person or something like that. No, that's not right. It not about me being rude, its just I see the disrespect over the 2 weeks and to me some people posting negative concerns what I say. Listen to me, if bad man was a sport, you know how many people would have gold medals. To me, I don't care who want to say what they got to say. What I have done, I've not done anything wrong and I hope the whole public see what I did, it's for the benefit of them, not only the benefit of me."
Reneau also noted that while the form emphasised that it would cost $200 to get the passport in a timely manner, the public officers are actually charging $250, saying that the form has a mistake.
