Dear Editor,
I have been living in Carmichael Street for the past 25 years. The only vehicular access to my home is through an alleyway which is shared with my neighbours to the north, a group of three families who occupy two container houses owned by the Roman Catholic Church. In efforts to be vexatious and provocative ‒ traits which colour the history of their interactions with me over the past 15 years since their relocation to the area ‒ these neighbours often seek to make difficult, and at times deny, my access to my home via the alleyway. During the past three months, several acts have been taken by members of this group, which has caused significant inconvenience to me.
The first was the installation of a gate to the alleyway, which was mounted on my fence without my knowledge or permission, requiring the exit of my vehicle in the lonely alleyway to open the gate before I can drive into my yard ‒ an act which causes me reasonable fear of being physically or otherwise attacked, in lthe light of the relationship with my neighbours.
The second act by some of the group, confirmed by an eyewitness’ account, was the dumping of a truckload of sand in front of my gate, blocking access to a car port I constructed just outside of my yard. As if this inconvenience wasn’t sufficiently aggravating, the third act entered a new realm of criminality.
On return from a trip abroad, I met my car port destroyed beyond salvage. Without being able to definitively establish at this point the culprits behind this act of vandalism, the obvious suspects can be inferred from the foregoing.
As a woman living on her own in Georgetown, I am often forced to defend my rights against those who seek to take advantage of perceived vulnerability. In the hope that a public shaming will dissuade some people from their endeavours, I write this letter to use the last means within my resources to achieve justice. This total disregard for law, order and rights by these neighbours speaks volumes of the disintegration of the morality of this society, in which a convoluted policing system buttresses the triumph of the ‘wrong and strong.’ Having filed a police report, and without much alternative, I sincerely hope that my case may now receive the necessary attention to bring a speedy resolution to my distress.
Yours faithfully,
Chandrowtie Dhanraj
