THE HYDESMAN POST

Due process is not merely what happens after a courtroom convenes. It is the principle that state power must be exercised through law at every stage, how custody is obtained, how liberty is restrained, and under what conditions a person is held. When the posture of state action resembles wartime force but proceeds under civilian criminal law, definitions matter. If words and actions diverge, legitimacy, not guilt, is what comes under scrutiny.

On September 21st, as Belize marked Independence Day, Guatemalan naval vessels intruded near Punta Gorda’s southern waters. For Peini, the Garifuna heart of Belize, this was more than geopolitics, it was a threat to living culture. From logwood dyes that once colored Europe’s fashions to Garifuna labor in mahogany camps, Belize has long fueled global luxury. Today, as designer and author-king, I argue fashion must defend the heritage it draws from, before conflict erases it.