EDITORIAL: Disturbing situations emerge in shanty town crackdown

IN the aftermath of the swoop by immigration on the Kool Acres shanty town on Monday, The Tribune went to speak to residents there.

Now, some will not care to hear what shanty town residents have to say – or will say that the occupants of the shanty towns should not be there in the first place so they don’t have the right to complain.

But what the residents had to say was disturbing to say the least, possibly outrageous depending on how many of the allegations are true.

Some of the residents said that people were beaten and slapped during the raid.

Another said that officers used hammers to break into homes, while there were even allegations of money being taken from homes.

Worst of all was the 12-year-old boy left with his two siblings to care for themselves because his mother was detained by immigration.

Now, the detail of this is alarming in itself – but consider the bigger picture in this situation.

Realistically, these are people who do not have a lot of money. The little boy said he and his siblings have no money to pay for a bus to get to school or to get lunch. They are looking after themselves as best they can, but they need adults to care for them, to provide for them.

Others in the community included one woman whose property burned down in August, and who said she has no money to build her own home – and even if she had, the government has served notices to say they are going to break these buildings down.

These are not people who have first month, last month and deposit to pay for a rented property elsewhere – so where are they going to go?

Chances are, it will be to another shanty location – either already established or newly springing up.

Meanwhile, the people on this land say that they have been paying rent – a man comes around and takes their $50 or $20 or whatever they have. When asked his name, they did not know but just called him the man who likes money.

The man who likes money has long known these properties are there. It is impossible to imagine he does not know that the properties are irregular. Yet here he is, taking money from people to stay on land unlawfully in the government’s eyes.

When there is a clampdown on the residents of these properties, where is the clampdown on the landowners making money out of them to go with it?

The situation with shanty home construction has gone on for far too long – it is a public safety issue, it is a health issue, it is a situation that needs to be tackled.

But is swooping in, slapping a bunch of notices on walls and taking a number of detainees away really going to solve the bigger problem?

These people will live somewhere. Perhaps some will drift into crime with no money and nowhere to live. Children left unguarded may find themselves exploited – and even just being in a situation with no future, no school and such uncertainty is not going to see them protected in any way. These children have done no harm.

Recently, we saw the Christian Council rally in protest over LGBT issues – we hope the same energy is shown in stepping in to protect children in desperate need, to show the Christian drive to care for others, no matter who they are or where they come from.

Simply slapping a bunch of notices on properties will not solve our immigration issues or our housing issues.

What comes next? Where do these people go? And what will become of the children?

These are the questions that need to be considered when we look to find solutions. For those trying to fathom where they will be a month from now, there are few real solutions in sight.

Comments

birdiestrachan says...

Great what is the solution do you know perhaps the employers Lydford key and other up scale arrears can build homes on their properties for them the law should be for all as for money where does the money come from to pay the sumgelers

Posted 6 October 2023, 3:10 p.m. Suggest removal

stillwaters says...

I don't know the solution, but I know that it is not allowing these illegals to keep on building illegal structures and making so many babies in these communities.

Posted 6 October 2023, 3:35 p.m. Suggest removal

mandela says...

Either shantytowns stays or goes. I say they go, they are like a cancer, they start of small and grows to a deadly size that will become unstoppable and will destroy the affected area.

Posted 6 October 2023, 4:36 p.m. Suggest removal

ThisIsOurs says...

The solution is to stem the tide and send a strong message that we cannot sustain an open door immigration policy. The US with all the money, resources, jobs and land in the world cant do it how can we? **Parliament needs to invoke the clause in the constitution that allows them to change the *age 18 - right to apply* on national security grounds.The continuous influx of illegal immigrants from a country with a population 24 times our size is a clear and present danger to national security.** Does this immigration imbalance exist anywhere else?

The solution to Haiti is Haiti. We can only help with economic growth innovation and obliterating corruption. Right now we're on a sure path to becoming like Haiti.

I'm beginning to believe the reason this issue cant be fixed by any administration is because it's like the carnival pay to play. When you in charge you get the money when we in charge we get the money.

Posted 7 October 2023, 3:32 a.m. Suggest removal

Porcupine says...

I heard someone say this is a Christian nation.
Show me the evidence.

Posted 7 October 2023, 10:54 a.m. Suggest removal

ThisIsOurs says...

It's not a Christian nation. That's utter foolishness. It just sounds nice to say it. The bible talks about being "*in the world but not of the world*", to me that means be sensible but maintain your value system. It is not sensible to allow an open illegal migration flow from a poor nation with 12 million people to a poor nation with 450,000 people. We have an illusion of not being a poor nation that illusion is crumbling as food, housing and gas prices creep up. The question is what is the sensible alternative that would provide help.

Posted 7 October 2023, 6:01 p.m. Suggest removal

bobby2 says...

The solution for the future is to immediately stop any new non-compliance structures being built. This is totally Gov't fault for not taking this action in the past.

Posted 7 October 2023, 11:07 a.m. Suggest removal

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