Red Hills Rd residents upset at MP amid eviction order
An angry Tanesha Palmer stomps on a T-shirt bearing her MP’s image while a masked man looks on.
RESIDENTS of 85 Red Hills Road, St Andrew, faced with an eviction order, yesterday lashed out at Member of Parliament (MP) Karl Samuda who they allege has offered them no help.
The residents, who burned T-shirts bearing Samuda’s image in protest, said that their dwellings in the informal community were at risk of being demolished.
“The inspector from up a Constant Spring Police Station come wah day and tell wi seh him get orders fi come tell wi fi leave off di land. Dem come yesterday (Tuesday) again and say no longer than tomorrow (today) the bulldozer a come bulldoze down the whole place,” explained Karen Cohen, who has been living in the community for more than 40 years.
“Wi nuh know nothing, wi nuh hear nothing from nobody, no MP nuh come out here,” Cohen told the Jamaica Observer, yesterday.
She said had it not been for the media she and others would not have known that the land had been sold.
“Right now, wi want to talk to Samuda. From dis a gwaan all now Samuda don’t come represent nothing nor we. Dem nuh show wi nuh title, nothing seh people own the land,” Cohen fumed.
She said they learned, through the media, that a plaza is slated to be built on the land.
“Nobody nuh come seh nothing to wi all now seh where wi fi relocate, and if wi a go get back wi things dem. A just the police dem inna di brown suit wi see a come down here all the while,” Cohen added.
Theresa Smith, another irate resident, said that members of her family have been living in the community for decades and had been contributing to Operation Pride.
“Mi mother a 50-odd, mi grandfather dead inna him 70s, a yah him build up, and all these years nobody no come represent us,” she said.
“Tomorrow mawning (today) we nuh know what a go happen. Police come yah a tell we fi come off and go look place fi live ‘cause people want dem land. Mi want justice, mi have a bar and a shop and ah it mi use send mi pickney dem a school,” Smith said.
Yesterday several calls to Samuda’s cellphone went unanswered.
— Racquel Porter
:ngakak :ngakak :ngakak :ngakak :ngakak :ngakak
Now dem want see land title? “From wha day…” dem Neva go enquire what a gwan
Knowing me people “wha day” could all be 40 years ago! :ngakak Shop and bar pon people land :ngakak
Listen they got the same eviction notice 3 years ago and the person weh buy it never finish sort out the legal aspect,so they knew it was coming
The 40 years squatter really have a gall to be complaining.
LAWWWDDD AV MERCY CLEARLY THEM don’t want to move the tory on the radio its the property next door the govt buy 851/2 85 belongs to a private person dem say a family back an forth a court 3yrs and no one do nothing them say dem live thee ova 20odd yrs no rent or land tax no pay clearly what’s goin on here read between the lines puss an dog no got same luck
smfh, lol lol how u soo wicked y u laffin so hard. Jamaican people a the hardest set to deal wid, dem don’t want to move
Jamaica is known for this kind of scamming. Don’t buy any land that could be prime real estate. Very soon you will hear that you have to move .
Back in the 90s this happened regularly so hotels could go up.These people should be offered resettlement. I don’t see what people are finding funny.
Imagine losing your home?
I’ve lost my home in 2007 hurricane and along with others I still haven’t recovered.
anonymous 3:24 u sound stupid.. if you were reading the article it clearly states that they did not purchase any land or was paying any tax.. they are just squatters.. why other people have to work so hard to buy their homes and others should be able to just squat. kmt save me the bullsh*t. move up n guh find place guh, offer which settlement they shouldnt be there in the first place
@ anon 3:24 no one can put you off land that you own and have been paying taxes for. If a hotel want to come and build up then they have to pay you for it. Now back to the story…I cannot understand some Jamaicans sense of entitlement. So they have been living on stolen land for decades and believe that it should just be given to them. How?! What kills me even more if the people that are foolish enough to go and build solid infrastructure/investments on land that isnt there’s