Disgruntled residents of Hill Foot, Soesdyke Highway, whose homes were demolished following a court order, yesterday morning for a second time protested their removal and appealed for help form the government.
Court documents seen by Stabroek News show that the writ of possession in favour of Lawrence Al-Meen to remove was issued on April 3rd this year for proceedings which began in August last year.
The residents, who were initially removed from the road on Wednesday night returned with discarded materials blocking the flow of traffic from both sides of the public thoroughfare yesterday.
The residents lit the debris and as police sought quell the fire, tensions ran high resulting in a clash between the police and civilians.
The area was said to accommodate a large number of homes and about 40 were destroyed. The other residents begged the owner of the private property, Al-Meen, for some time to evacuate the homes and were given about three days to do so by the owner.
Residents of the affected houses were left counting their losses as items such as their home appliances and other belongings were destroyed in the eviction. Most of them had nowhere to go and had to sleep in their cars, a fowl pen, and at neighbours while some bedded down in the same demolished homes with their children.
Also, as a result of the demolitions, one woman was left nursing three pellet wounds to her hand and back as a result of the police allegedly firing to evict her from her home. Another person is in police custody after scuffling with the police to save his home.
When Stabroek News spoke to some of the residents at about 11.45 hours yesterday about the demolition of their homes, one family claimed that the owner of the private property made an agreement with them to pay monthly for the land and others said that the court order came as a shock to them as neither the police nor Al-Meen gave them any notice prior to the demolishing of the homes.
Stabroek News spoke to some squatters who were affected by the demolition of their homes.
Adreana Torres said that three families occupied a flat wooden home and on Wednesday at around 4 pm, her sister had to beg the police not to demolish the home with her inside because she is pregnant. Torres explained that Al-Meen also did not show them any documents that indicated ownership of the land.
She added that the week before this and in February, they went to the Ministry of Housing for a plot of land and were told that there was none available land in the area. They asked for other areas and were told that the ministry will get back to them. However, up to now they are waiting for a piece of land. She added that she asked the owner to give them some time to find a piece of land, but shockingly on Wednesday he came abruptly with the police and had the home demolished. Torres said she needs justice and need a home for her family because among them were a four-month-old baby and other children, and now that their homes have been demolished the families don’t have anywhere to go and they had no choice but to sleep in a fowl pen.
Alicia Reets, a 29-year-old single parent of two children said that she occupied the land for about eight years and that this is not the first time Al-Meen attempted to demolish homes in the area. He tried to do it last month but then the residents protested and he was unable to break down the rest of the homes in Hill Foot. She recalled that back in December, Al-Meen came to Hill Foot claiming he owned the land in the area but hadn’t shown them any documentation.
Reets declared that back in 2016, she tried applying for a house lot through the Ministry of Housing and was directed to Lands and Survey because where she wants the land is a sand pit. She said that back then she went back into Lands and Survey and was told that she has to reapply for land. She added that up to now the government hasn’t provided her a house lot to her but she heard that the Ministry of Housing would be visiting yesterday afternoon.
She told this newspaper that she needs the government to come in and help the residents in the area because they have nowhere to go, especially her. She said that she and her family had to sleep in their demolished home Wednesday night.
Reets added that she’s a family of four including two sons and if the government can come in and hear the residents out and put things in place so that she can make a down payment for a place to live, all will be good.
Radica Kamal, a single parent of two said that around 4 pm on Wednesday, the police and Al-Meen went to her home without a notice to demolish her home and she tried to stop them. Kamal said that the police used force against here and she suffered injuries.
Kamal explained that after she heard Al-Meen had won the case against them she never received any court order or notice saying that her home will be demolished. She added that she’s waiting for the Ministry to show up and hopes that she can get help with acquiring some land, as well as investigate if the land really belongs to Al-Meen. She noted that over one hundred homes occupied the area and about forty houses were destroyed. Other residents begged for some time to evacuate their home, and were given 48 hours to do so by the owner.
Dian Thomas, a 43-year old with a family of five, including a baby, explained that on Wednesday around 1 pm her neighbour told her that Al-Meen came around again claiming to own the land they occupy and the police had started demolishing from the front of Hill Foot heading to her home. She said that when Al-Meen took the residents to court recently, she didn’t get to hear the verdict, however when he showed up on Wednesday with the police to demolish their homes, they were all shocked.
She heard him saying that they were given notice about six years ago but Thomas refuted that claim. She argued that during the six years of living on the land, she hasn’t received any notice from him that her home would be demolished or produced any documents showing he owns the land. She said that she has been applying six years now for a house lot, but every time she goes in she’s unsuccessful. Thomas would like the government to assist her now to acquire a land as her home has been demolished and she doesn’t have anywhere to go with two children going to school. She said she had to beg her neighbour to sleep in her home on Wednesday night. She noted that she would like to see justice served in this matter as well as acquire a house lot because she doesn’t want to squat again.
Meanwhile, Gabriella Samuels, 22, said that her home was demolished around 1 pm on Wednesday. She tried to save her belongings but was unsuccessful. She too declared that the owner never gave her any notice that her house would be demolished. She said that on three occasions, he approached the residents claiming he owned a certain amount of acres of land. She too had applied to the Ministry of Housing for a house lot but was unsuccessful. She added that the government never helped them out with that even though she explained to them what was going on in her area. She related that before the eviction, she personally asked Al-Meen if she was on his land and he said no. Now she has been left to sleep in a car along with her family.
She said that the police assaulted her husband on Wednesday.
Meanwhile Ministry of Housing officials arrived at around 3:15 pm and residents who had never filled out a housing form before did so while others waited to hear from the officials.
Stabroek News contacted Thomas’ husband, Suruj Shanlall, yesterday evening to get a response in relation to what the Ministry of Housing was doing for the residents and he said that first applicants were given a form to full out to apply for a land. While those who had already applied didn’t have to do so, however all persons whose homes were demolished will be given first preference and are to go to the Ministry of Housing tomorrow to secure a house lot.
Also present was APNU Member of Parliament, Amanza Walton-Desir.
