After being evicted by local businessman Paul James, former Tiger Bay residents are finding it difficult to transition into their new homes.
Eulanda Bowman, a single mother with five children, told Stabroek News the financial pressure she has to deal with is tough since her home was destroyed.
She is currently renting a house in Albouystown.
The woman said she now has added expenses since moving. Bowman said when she was resident in Tiger Bay her children’s school was nearby and they could’ve walked to school. Now finding transportation every day is a challenge.
Another resident who asked not to be named said she is now boarding with her family and feels like a burden to them because she is accustomed to being independent. “You feel bad, but you gah move,” the woman said dejectedly.
Kemp Beckles, a former Tiger Bay resident, says he is living with his sister and the transition is hard, because it feels like an invasion of her privacy. The man told Stabroek News when he lived in Tiger Bay he had a free lifestyle and now he has to comply with living in a household where he has to follow the rules of the house. Beckles said, “I ain’t feel no way, de man claim he place, show he papers.” James had obtained a court order that allowed him to evict the persons living on his land by October 24.
They complied with the order and dismantled their homes after he promised to pay them a sum of money and provided a vehicle for them to transport their belongings. This arrangement was put in place after activist Mark Benschop intervened. James wanted to evict the residents on October 22. Residents were shocked at the unexpectedness and asked for time to move out.
A meeting was then held on October 23 and an agreement was reached between both parties.
