Family Of Antanacio Gutierrez Celebrate His Life After Death
Three years ago on February 2nd 2009, the life of cane farmer Antanacio Gutierrez was cut short when he was shot to death by security forces as he participated in a protest at the Belize Sugar Industries Compound. It is a day that has gone down on the history book, one that will always be remembered as Black Tuesday. The father of six was shot after Prime Minister Dean Barrow instructed that armed forces use any means necessary to clear the northern highway which farmers had massed. Today marks the third anniversary of that tragedy. It is a sad one for the widow and children of Gutierrez who were left without the family breadwinner and without any answers or assistance from government despite numerous pleas for an inquiry and for financial assistance for the children. But while the Dean Barrow Administration has completely forgotten the debt they have with Gutierrez’s Family, the deceased common-law-wife, children, family and the P.U.P have not forgotten the man who fought for what he believed in. This morning our news team headed out to San Victor where the family and friends of Atanascio Gutierrez celebrated his life after death.
Carmelita Perez-Reporting
For the family of Antanacio Gutierrez February 2nd will for ever be remembered as Black Tuesday. It is the day when Benita Ewan lost her common-law-husband and the day when her six children lost their father.
Today, in honor of the man who fought for what he believed in, P.U.P Leader Honorable Francis Fonseca, Honorable Said Musa, Corozal P.U.P Standard Bearers along with party supporters and friends of Gutierrez, visited the home of Ewan to celebrate the life of her common-law-husband.
Honorable Francis Fonseca- PUP Leader
“We came here to pay tribute to our fallen brother Atanacio Gutierrez and this is not the first year that has been done our former leader John Briceno has come here on more than one occasion to pay tribute to the family and we came here as well to say to the family that it is so sad that the UDP government has completely ignored this family and other families, in fact there are other family that they have suffered as well and they have completely ignored these families, they have ignored their cried for justice, they have ignored their dried for compensation.”
Honorable Said Musa- Former Prime Minister of Belize
“This man gave his life for all of us because he was fighting against injustice of this UDP administration in the way they managed the cane industry, an innocent man was shot down by the administration of Dean Barrow, let us not mix words about it and we must never forget this, whether it was a police man or a BDF soldier they were doing it because of the instruction that were given to crush the people who were protesting.”
And while representatives of the P.U.P remembered Gutierrez for the man he was. His family honored him today by having a rosary in his memory. As you can see the altar was decorated with his favorite foods and drinks.
But despite the fact that three years has passed since Gutierrez’s senseless killing, Ewan’s wounds have not been able to heal.
Benita Ewan- Common-law-wife Antanasio Gutierrez
“Cuando yo miro a tanta gente así se me hace como si él está con nosotros otra vez yo así me siento.
Mi hija mayor rifa yo lo compro y si no lo gana entonces queda ese producto para nosotros pero cuando lo gana si lo vemos duro porque solo nosotros, ella rifa, mi hijo de vez en cuando viene y me dice mama solo esto gane y así estamos nosotros nada más y en veces mi hermanito me da algo, en veces la Asociación cien de mercancía pues son eso me sostengo aunque no muy bien pero, por ejemplo mis hijas necesitan zapatos no tienen pues ellas me comprenden que aunque es poquito pero aquí estamos.
Del Gobierno eso si nada, nada les pido como hasta ahorita, yo le mande mi carta y nunca me respondió y hasta ahorita, ninguna visita del no se dicen que él tiene miedo venir aquí no sé porque él tiene miedo, oigo decir Dean Barrow pero yo nunca lo he visto por persona. Yo lo único que pido, pues si no quiere pelear el caso pues que entregue el que lo hizo pues que les dé un a ayuda a los niños tan siquiera porque cuatro anos y nada pues tan siquiera que venga y diga pues esta esto mensual o anual y voy a ver que les importa y a mis hijos pero nada pues yo digo es un ministro que él no le importa a nadie a él lo único que le importa es su mujer y a sus hijos porque que yo diga a los niños no le ha dado ni un dulce nada le ha dado.”
As Ewan mentioned, she has not received any type of assistance from the Dean Barrow Administration. But today as she and her children celebrated Gutierrez’s life after death the P.U.P gave their commitment to assist the family as soon as they are elected into office.
Honorable Francis Fonseca- PUP Leader
“The Government has a responsibility to this family and we made it very clear to the family today that when w form the government of Belize in a few weeks time we will make sure that justice is done for this family, we will make sure that these children get a good education, we will make sure that this family is adequately compensated for their lost and that is the only good and right thing to do and so I wanted to come here personally to deliver that message to the family.”
Ramiro Ramirez- P.U.P Corozal South East Standard Bearer
“Nosotros comenzamos hacer esto, especialmente yo en un sentimiento cañero, lo que paso ese dos de Febrero del 2009 fue una lástima lo que paso con este cañero, como dice el UDP el no era cañero pero estuvo peleando por cada uno de nosotros y el que no salió siempre el peleo por ellos, los héroes hay que darles su día y este para mí es un héroe aunque otros digan oras cosas y para mi Atanasio seguirá el héroe de los cañeros por eso yo siempre le doy el homenaje con a gente y le agradezco a toda gente que sale apoyar esa causa y son bastante gente que creen en esa justicia, ahora lo que nosotros decimos como PUP, el partido PUP es de justicia y al ganar el siete de Marzo nosotros vamos a ver que se haga justicia para Atanasio Gutiérrez y el muchacho Coba.”
Ewan told us today that apart from receiving financial aid from her family, she is also receives a monthly assistance in the form of $100.00 worth in food items from the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association Corozal Branch.
Today while in the village of San Victor the P.U.P also took the opportunity to visit a number of residents and listened to their concerns.
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