Posted: Friday, August 26, 2016. 5:10 p.m. CST.
By Aaron Humes: Just around high noon, what had been a peaceful protest on the steps of the National Assembly descended into scenes of near-riot after a protestor began firing missiles toward the Assembly building. Police responded with live warning rounds fire over the protestors’ heads. One protestor was brought to Police Headquarters. 
President of COLA Geovannie Brackett, who co-signed the permit for today’s event, explained: I’m just trying to talk to the officer, trying to get an understanding what transpired. I know a couple of the people – I don’t know if they camped or came with us, I don’t know where the missiles came from, I don’t even know if it’s the Government paid people to aggravate (interruption). But what I know, we’ve been trying to work with the police from morning, we’ve been having a peaceful demonstration, a constructive revolution, so to speak.
The police is not our enemy out here, and we’re trying to work with the police. Our enemies are those who sit up there in the foothills. So I will try to talk with the police, I just want to say that we have made our point, and (interruption). But we believe in civil disobedience, I believe that some of our people got hyped up, but we’re trying to calm the crowd down and I know that the officers will release the individual and we are trying to work with them.”
Brackett was thereafter seen speaking with Assistant Commissioner of Police Russell Blackett and trying to calm the still riled-up crowd down. He appears to have succeeded, as this afternoon Officer in Charge of Belmopan Superintendent Howell Gillett told BBN that some persons were brought in to be “profiled” and spoken to but no charges were laid.
For his part, Brackett went on to say that Government is reaping the price for what he sees as attempts to silence the people’s voice.
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