Brian Walrond who said he was homeless but “at peace” at his “home” in the alley between Camp Street and Wellington Street was ‘evicted’ yesterday after a year of living in quiet bothered only by the infrequent visits of snakes, rats and a few domestic animals.
Life in the alley sometimes meant cold, wet nights and car horns at odd hours, but for Walrond it was the only life that made sense. As he prepared to leave his home in search of a day’s work yesterday, city council workers arrived to clean up the alley.
“Deh puttin me out and breakin me things up,” Walrond told Stabroek News, pointing to an old collection of cassettes and CDs. One of the cassettes, which he leaned over to pick up, said, ‘James Ingram’s Hits’.
Walrond fumbled with the cassette case for bit then threw it into a giant heap of things that were pulled from his alley home.
He then kicked a worn chair that was behind him and vented something under his breath.
A worker, who was sitting nearby, attempted to convince Walrond that the alley was not home and that he was clogging up the drains in the city, but he dismissed it as nothing but, “foolish talk”.
Walrond said that the alley was a quiet and comfortable place and that it was away from the obstacles in society; he would not elaborate on what those obstacles were.
He displayed a haversack on his back and told this newspaper that it was the only thing he considered valuable, adding that the city was free to take whatever it wanted. He said he was unhappy with the fact that they were taking his clothes and eventually started begging for them.
The men cleaning up the alley and dumping his belongings on a truck refused to listen to Walrond. One told him that he could follow them to the dumpsite and retrieve them if he so desired. When Stabroek News questioned why they were being so harsh, the worker reasoned: “He will move back in”.
Walrond said the story of his life was no different from that of any man who has come up against struggles. He is the father of two children who are now residing overseas with their mother — he is not in communication with them — following a separation more than a decade ago.
Just over three years ago, Walrond moved to the city from Linden and was unable to find work or a place to stay so he took up residence in the streets moving from one spot to the next though he recalled staying at a friend once. He eventually found the spot in the alley and moved in.
He said while the alley might not look like much to people, to him, it was a quiet and comfortable home, was tucked away from the rest of society — up until yesterday.