Squatters block roadway, burn debris after court order enforced, houses demolished

…Govt refutes “blatantly false” claims of involvement by Opposition

Following a court order and the subsequent demolition of several homes at Hill Foot, Soesdyke, East Bank Demerara, owners of the demolished structures have been taking protest actions since Wednesday evening, blocking the roads with burning debris.

According to the Guyana Police Force, several persons armed themselves with missiles and offensive weapons before piling up and lighting debris and tyres across the Soesdyke-Linden Highway.
This publication understands that the owner of the property had moved to the courts in 2019 to have the squatters removed from the property, and a court ruling issued on the matter in April 2023 had stipulated that the squatters have to remove from the land, which is privately owned.
Law enforcement officials have noted that the fire set had been extinguished and debris was removed from the highway in the evening. However, protest actions intensified on Thursday morning, as the squatters persisted in protesting on the highway. At various sections of the road, they continued adding to the fire, causing vehicles to navigate on the road shoulders to pass through protest lines.

Maintain peace
Commander of Regional Police Division 4’B’, Senior Superintendent Mahendra Singh, who was on the scene with other joint services ranks, has maintained that they were on the ground to maintain peace.
“This which is happening here is not as a result of Police actions. Let’s be very clear…This happened as a result of private action in the court by the owner or supposed lawful owner of this property. It has nothing to do with the Police; the Police are here to maintain peace,” he explained.
According to the commander, no rounds were fired on Wednesday, nor were persons assaulted, as contended by residents.
“I will tell you that I do not know, or am aware, that same occurred. Three persons were arrested for disorderly behaviour and other offences. This which is happening here is tantamount to public terror,” said the commander.
According to details provided, residents were given notices to vacate the property prior to the demolition. While some got a chance to remove their items from the structures, others did not.
Clyde Williams, who has been residing in the village of Hill Foot for about seven years, shared that all of his belongings are now outside of the demolished building.
“Me just come in and just watching when they come in. I barely come in the same time everything going on. The same time they said ‘See what you got’ [in the house],” he noted.
Another man, who lived in a concrete house, stood next to the flattened structure with his belongings heaped in a corner. He told the media that he guarded all of the items throughout the night and sent his kids to sleep at a nearby resident.
“I didn’t sleep for the whole night. I had to watch everything. My friend over there, I send my kids there to sleep. Me don’t know what will be the next step here now. I does work, and I get a call that these people in here, so I left and come down. They started from there and coming through,” he gestured.
Another young man, whose father was arrested, explained that he slept in a section of the demolished house on Wednesday evening, since it started raining and he had nowhere to go.

No involvement
In the meantime, Government has dismissed what it deemed as “malicious attempts” to link its involvement in the demolition of property and eviction of squatters at Hill Foot.
A statement informed that there has been an ongoing dispute between squatters and the property owner. Following a civil court ruling, action was taken on May 31, 2023 by the landowner to demolish one of the structures on the land.
Two months ago, Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister, Kwame McCoy, met with the squatters and provided a commitment that the Government would fast-track existing land applications for those facing eviction.
“The Government has taken note of the spurious attempts by the PNC to attribute blame to the Government for the eviction of the squatters. This assertion is blatantly false, and is indicative of the modus operandi of a failing Opposition to fact-check national issues,” the administration responded.
In their haste to score political points, Government noted, PNC Parliamentarians “descended on the community, seeking to fuel antagonism and hatred to further advance the Opposition’s false narratives. This is an unconscionable approach by the Opposition, who continually seek to accumulate political dividends from tragic events at the expense of the pain and suffering of Guyanese. The Government continues to appeal to the residents affected by the eviction to conduct themselves civilly and desist from engaging in further illegal activities, such as blocking the Linden/Soesdyke highway,” the release ended.