Faced with eviction, 17 families of Rosemary Lane (Tiger Bay) agreed voluntarily to move yesterday and their shacks were immediately dismantled and reduced to a pile of rubble.
Local businessman Paul James, acting with the court’s authority to evict the residents, said he acted accordingly and with the residents’ cooperation.
When Stabroek News arrived on the scene, residents were observed dismantling their homes and carrying their belongings to a truck.
Rights activist Mark Benschop, who intervened after James had moved to dislodge the residents on Wednesday, said the truck was provided by James. The decision was made after a meeting was organised by Benschop on Thursday. Benschop also said that settlements were reached at the meeting for the residents’ unexpected inconvenience.
This newspaper witnessed some residents receiving sums of money. One individual was paid $120,000, while another was given $220,000.
One resident, who asked not to be named said, “We ain’t got money to pay big time lawyer.”
The resident said thugs had threatened them with guns. “They even threaten the little chirren,” the resident added.
But James told this newspaper that he was unaware of any threats being made.
However, on Wednesday, Stabroek News had observed an associate of James who goes by the name ‘Otis’ threatening a cameraman. And while on Wednesday heavily armed police officers were present, there were none yesterday. James was alone.
“I met with the people on Thursday and everyone agreed and was happy with the outcome,” James said.
When Stabroek News spoke to the residents most of them said they were not satisfied with the money they received and questioned if it could buy a piece of land or put a roof over their heads.
Occupants in the area said they had pleaded with James at the meeting on Thursday to give them some more time to get their arrangements in order, but he was adamant and said he had already wasted a lot of money.
James told this newspaper that he had secured ownership of the land 12 years ago, but there was a court case and while he was overseas, the case was dismissed. The man said he had returned to reclaim his land and he was in his right. James offered to show Stabroek News the order he secured from court. He said too that he had a transport and could prove his ownership of the land.
Stabroek News had learned that a resident of Tiger Bay had filed for an injunction prohibiting James from destroying the shacks on the land. James admitted that this was indeed the case, but added that he had secured an order overruling that injunction.
Another resident, who also asked not to be named, told this newspaper that the residents were knowledgeable about James’s plan. The resident said she was taken to court and the judge gave her 3 months to move out, but she decided to move before her allotted time, so no further confrontation would’ve ensued.
Some of the residents told Stabroek News they had applied to the Housing Ministry for land since 2006, but were still waiting.
Meanwhile, Dennis Caldeira the only person whose house was destroyed on Wednesday said he had not recovered his $78,000 and 15 pennyweight gold chain that went missing after his house was shattered.
Caldeira told Stabroek News he had nowhere to sleep and that he slept in the rubble of his house, while his children slept with a neighbour in the area.
The man is still uncertain about his future, because he does not have the financial resources to find a house on such short notice.
Mohamed Yusuf Sheriff another resident who said he had built some of the houses in the area told Stabroek News he was deeply hurt and what James was doing to poor people was heartbreaking. The man broke down in tears when he spoke to this newspaper.
The man appealed to the government to grant the evicted residents some sort of assistance. He added that it’s not only the government that he wants to hear the cry of the people in Tiger Bay, but also the opposition. The man questioned the way Guyana is being governed and wanted to know why only Benschop was there listening to the residents.
The disgruntled residents then made their way to the Ministry of Housing in Benschop’s vehicle to speak with the Minister of Housing. However, the guard locked them out of the compound. They were told that the minister was unavailable. Benschop then asked to speak with someone in authority.
After a lengthy wait, Chief Executive Officer of the Central Housing and Planning Authority Myrna Pitt emerged, took the names of all the affected persons and set a meeting for 3 pm on Monday.
Benschop then returned to Tiger Bay and took the names of other persons interested in applying for house lots; a total of 25 people were on the list. He said the meeting with Pitt was favourable he was looking forward to Monday.
Later yesterday, Stabroek News observed a hymac clearing the debris and workers putting up a fence around the land, including the pavement.
