This is BARBARIC. For the love or God, put yourself in the place of these families !! We must ensure this never ever happen again. If it is legal to demolished the homes of families with all their worldly possessions under the cover of night. These laws must be changed to ensure they are never misinterpreted again, to be used to repeat this ghastly act.

Martin Luther King Jr said “ Injustice anywhere is a threat to Justice everywhere”

May God have mercy on us
Sookram Ali
Ultimate Selector
Trinidad & Tobago



FULL STORY
Demolition crew evicts family
Land needed for Uriah interchange


Saturday, June 9th 2007 Trinidad Express

nothing left: Richard Daniel and his lawyer Annabelle Davis pick up the remaining clothing found at Daniel's home, after it was demolished yesterday. The Daniel family were awakened on Thursday night by a crew of armed policemen ready to destroy their Aranjuez homes to make way for the construction of the Uriah Butler Interchange. Accompanying the policemen was a Ministry of Works supervisor lll from the Caroni district, Rebecca Daniel said. The two concrete homes were demolished with everything family owned inside. One of the homes was a five-bedroom concrete house while the other had three bedrooms. They lost all they owned as everything was flattened to the ground. Plants from their nursery were wrapped in the wire fencing and concrete products were smashed and thrown aside. The main gate was crushed and thrown on the ground. All their personal items were gone. Rebecca Daniel, who was in denial about the family having to move on June 7, said the land was jointly owned by three family members people who she said did not sign anything to leave by June 7. "My family had no intention to stand in the way of the government , is just that we have to leave with nothing," Daniel said. Other activists from Bagatelle, Diego Martin and east Port of Spain are giving their full support and if they have to they intend to protest. Annabelle Davis, a conveyance lawyer who is representing Daniel's brother Richard in this matter, said, "My concern in the matter is the fact that there was no compensation for the land and I have copies of the letters from the Ministry asking for the evaluation and while the family was in the process of acquiring it the Ministry demolished their homes without any discussions for advance payments. "The land is freehold private land and I think they should be treated with some more respect. I want to know is this a new precedence for ejectment proceedings, at any hour to drag women and children out of their homes?"




2 homes bulldozed
By Malissa Lara
Newsday, Saturday, June 9 2007
click on pic to zoom in

Three sisters of the Daniel family stand near the remains of their homes which police demolished after their houses were destroyed on Thursday night. ... AFTER PLEADING for more time to be relocated, the Daniel family looked on in shock as their two houses were bulldozed on Thursday night. The family claimed that shortly after midnight, an estimated 30 police officers barged into their homes and dragged everyone outside.

The houses were located on lands in Aranjuez that have been earmarked for the construction of the Churchill Roosevelt Highway/Uriah Butler Interchange. Yesterday, members of the family stared at what remained of their homes.

The houses once stood off of the east bound lane of the Churchill Roosevelt Highway but they were flattened. Concrete pillars were crushed, and clothes were scattered among sheets of galvanise, wood and other debris. Two teenage girls said they were asleep in one of the houses when policemen dragged them out. The girls, Lisa, 17, and Ezra, 19, said the policemen pointed their firearms at them.

They said the police threatened to shoot their dog.

Another sister Sally claimed a policeman began to choke a male relative. Sally, who videotaped the event, claimed she was followed by the policeman.

Last September, the family received a notice that informed them that the Government had taken possession of the lands. However, the family said they were only able to get a valuator this week to get a proper estimate of the lands.