JAMAICA | Residents of Old Hope, Little Bay, Brighton in Westmoreland restive over eviction notices

SAVANNA-LA-MAR,  Westmoreland, March 24, 2022 - Thousands of residents of the Brighton, Little Bay, Salmon Point and Old Hope districts in Western Westmoreland are restive over a fresh round of eviction notices that have been served on them by persons purporting to be the owners of the lands. A large percentage of  the residents have been living undisturbed on the land for in excess of fifty years.

Many of the residents, some as old as seventy years old, say they have been living there from when they were born and have never been told until recently that they need to vacate the lands.

The Municipal Councillor for the area, the PNP's Garfield James, has expressed grave concern for the plight of the people, noting that the situation continues to deteriorate.

He says the situation has been brought to the attention of the Westmoreland Municipal Corporation, the Westmoreland Police, as well as Opposition Leader Mark Golding, who has been asked to take this matter to the attention of the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation.

Councillor James said he would also be seeking the assistance of the Shadow Minister of Land Environment and Climate Change,Senator Sophia Frazer Binns, inviting her to tour the area  and  speak with the persons involved, with view to  formulating an approach that would be a win-win situation for all concerned.

Attorney at law the Reverend Ronald Thwaites who represents some of the residents, has confirmed the eviction notices. He has warned Kathleen Eugster, the purported owner of over 451 acres of lands in Old Hope, that any adverse action to remove occupants of the controversial property will be in contravention of their rights to the property by adverse possession.

Thwaites is representing several occupants of lands, located in Brighton and Little Bay, that are said to be owned by Eugstert. The residents have, for several decades, captured and lived on the land undisturbed.

The Reverend Mr. Thwaites, a  former government minister, said  there have been quite a number of applications for registered titles by adverse possession.

“I wish to point out that the persons I represent, and, to the best of my impressions of the other persons who lived on the property, they are not seeking to steal the land from anyone,” Thwaites said. “They want to buy the property.”

His comments follow a demonstration by affected residents, after an eviction notice by the owner was served last week for them to surrender possession.

The eviction notice ordered persons to immediately vacate the premises they now occupy ‘as squatters’, and that they will be ‘evicted without further notice’.

However, some residents, who have been living in the area for more than five decades and have nowhere to go, are hoping that an amicable solution can be arrived at in the shortest possible time.

“I have been paying tax on the land for about seven years now, so we are here because of the violation, where they want to move people and smash down our houses,” Richard Douglas McCloud, an affected resident, said.” They need to come in and give us the chance to buy the land on which we have been living all these years.”

But Suzan McKenzie, owner of Judy’s House, a  bed and breakfast operation, is worried that her investment will go down the drain, after she discovered three years ago that the person she purchased her land from is not the legitimate owner and is nowhere to be found.

McKenzie  who displayed the eviction notice that was erected on her property last week, told the Gleaner in an interview, that “everybody is terrified that we are going to hear the noise, in the night, of tractors coming to break down our places,” she said. “The land is where they keep their goats, the chicken; it’s where they go fishing from; it’s where their children have grown up; it’s an impossible situation.

“I just have to wait and see what the Government will do,” said McKenzie.

Thwaites also told The Gleaner that a letter seeking a workable solution between the parties has been dispatched to the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation.

“I have written to Minister (Robert) Montague and urged him to use his good office to step in and mediate a solution between those who live on the property, those who wish to buy, and the holders of the registered title.”

Thwaites said he will be writing to National Security Minister Dr Horace Chang, with a view to preventing any physical confrontation, should the owners persist in the current mode, which he described as frightening.

“If there is any attempt to bulldoze the place and to run off the people, I would be fearful in this time of escalated crime and distress in the community,” Thwaites warned. “I would be very fearful of what will take place, as more lives could be lost.”

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