Unprovoked Attacks on Women Expose Belize’s Mental Health Crisis

Just days before Christmas, Belizeans were shocked by disturbing footage circulating online, a man violently attacking two women in separate incidents on Belize City streets. One victim was struck so hard she fell unconscious near the Michael Finnegan Market; the other was assaulted along Orange Street. The attacker, now identified as Kareem Anderson, suffers from mental illness. His family says Kareem has struggled with mental health issues since his father’s death eight years ago, but was never formally diagnosed. They believe treatment he received back then may have made things worse. In court today, Anderson appeared confused about his own age, prompting the Chief Magistrate to halt his arraignment and order a psychiatric evaluation. His actions have reignited a difficult question: how do we protect the public while caring for those in crisis? Belize City has hundreds of mentally ill individuals living on the streets, many without access to treatment. So, what systems are in place to prevent these tragedies, and are they enough? Relatives insist this violent behavior is completely out of character and are pleading for help, not condemnation. Tonight, we take a closer look at the gaps in mental health care, the role of law enforcement, and what needs to change before another innocent life is put at risk. Here’s that story.

 

Britney Gordon, Reporting

What you’re looking at is a shocking scene, a woman knocked unconscious after a violent attack on West Canal Street. Police say the man responsible is twenty-seven-year-old Kareem Anderson, who has reportedly struggled with mental health issues since his late teens. It’s a disturbing incident that raises serious questions about mental health and public safety. According to his family, the issues began after his father passed and he fell into depression. His stepfather, Sheldon Dennison admits that what Anderson did was wrong; however, he believes there is a deeper issue at play.

 

Sheldon Dennison, Kareem Anderson’s Stepfather

“Weh happen di lee bwai da no wa normal individual, so people need fi stop have stigma bout this incident. Because nobody happy bout the incident weh happen. And people should realize that no everybody inn awa state ah mind weh ney could control neyslef so best we just leave natire to the force and mek we just see weh could be done about it. Da no somebody weh you could brag and boast. Da somebody weh have a mental issue. Ova eight years. So come on. The government shouldn’t have these type of individuals on the street. Ney should have a better security fi ney type ah people ney.”

 

The incident was entirely unprovoked and prompted passersby to immediately come to the victim’s aid. Joseph Castillo, an employee at a nearby meat shop, was among the first to spring into action. He says that the attack has left him shaken, as the victim could have been his wife, mother, or daughter.

 

Voice of: Joseph Castillo, Witness

“I was right here minding my own business when the lady was coming this way and I just see this crazy guy come and punch down the lady. So my thing is, I just assist the lady, cuz ney type ah thing you no do mama. It coulda mi be anyone ah my family, it could mi be serious. But weh I do da help the lady. But the government really need fi do something bout this. Get ney people off the street because ney could hurt innocent people.”

 

Kareem Anderson is charged with two counts of harm after attacking two women in Belize City, the second assault caught on video the same day. His actions show a troubling pattern of violence against women, sparking public outrage and calls for justice. But before sentencing, Anderson will undergo a psychiatric evaluation.

 

ASP Stacy Smith, Staff Officer

“Anderson reported to have assaulted two unsuspecting females by punching them, causing them to fall on the street. Mr. Anderson was detained and today he was taken before the magistrate court in Belize City where no plea was taken from him in relation to the offense charged.  He was remanded to the Belize Central Prison where he is expected to return at a later date pending a psychiatric evaluation.”

 

Anderson is back on the streets, fueling anxiety over his condition and the safety of others. He’s now among hundreds of mentally ill Belizeans left to wander the city. His sister, Monique Dennison, says the family once sought treatment for him, but claims it only made things worse.

 

Monique Dennison, Kareem Anderson’s Sister

“My ma ker he da di clinic pan Faber’s Road weh da mi di Port Loyola clinic weh part ney ker di mentally ill people ney. When she ker ah deh, she just ker ah and lef ah deh. Dey no run no kind of test pan this young bwai fi seh weh da di cause of the problem or why he down or nothing like that. Ney just give ah wa injection and from he get that injection. That just mess he up. He start do jumping jacks, he start do pushups and stuff like that. So fi be honest, anybody weh mi know my breda know he da mi wa nice person.”

 

How do we get people in crisis off the streets and into care? Kathy Esquivel, founder of the Mental Health Association of Belize, says the country urgently needs a system to remove those in acute mental distress from public spaces. Right now, psychiatric units don’t have the authority to intervene.

 

On the Phone: Kathy Esquivel, Founder, Mental Health Association of Belize

“We need a special, what they call forensic unit. That would just take people in a psychotic phase and it would be a very short detention to stabilize them and then to decide what happens where they need to go. There is a special unit at the prison for psych psychiatric patients and a psychiatrist does visit on a regular basis, but the answer is not just to lock people up.”

 

Places such as the Welcome Resource Center offer social support for homeless and mentally ill Belizeans with food, medication and hygiene facilities available for free. However, funding is limited and the volunteers can only offer care to those who show up to receive it. Castillo is one of many voices demanding that the government intervenes in these situations.

 

Voice of: Joseph Castillo

“I see him quite a while. He always de round pan this street ya.”

 

Britney Gordon

“And has aggressive things like this happened in the area?”

 

Voice of: Joseph Castillo

“Yeah people always stone people with bottle and cuss you out and thing like that so it no mek no sense fi keep ney people pan di street.”

 

Despite Anderson’s violent attacks, most mentally ill Belizeans, especially those living on the streets, are more likely to be victims than perpetrators. The Mental Health Association is urging the public to volunteer time and resources to help this vulnerable group. Meanwhile, many are calling on the government to act and get people in crisis off the streets before another tragedy occurs. Britney Gordon for News Five.