Dear Editor,
I was watching the news on TV on November 20 where the plight of some of the residents of Damhead in St Catherine was highlighted - they were being forced out of their homes. They were kept at bay by the police as their homes were destroyed. A number of residents were seen showing receipts to the media as evidence that they were legitimately occupying the land.
It was very heart-breaking to see the residents forced from their homes with nowhere to go. What was even more alarming was the fact these residents were totally on their own, with no one to fight for them. Just a few weeks before Christmas they were losing a basic human right, the right to shelter - shelter that they claim to be rightfully theirs.
The residents reported that they had sought the court's intervention and were given a June 2013 hearing! It is appalling that they will have to wait six months to be heard. This is a matter that is affecting people's basic human rights
I am appealing to you, Madam Prime Minister, especially since your campaign was about helping the poor, to assist these people who are suffering. They really need your help. They do need an early day in court. Please show some compassion to the poor you care so much about. Instil in us a shred of hope that the basic rights of people who are struggling every day to make ends meet are just as important as the internal squabbles of the political elite.
Arnett Linton
arnettlin@gmail.com
Evicted residents need an earlier day in court
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I was watching the news on TV on November 20 where the plight of some of the residents of Damhead in St Catherine was highlighted - they were being forced out of their homes. They were kept at bay by the police as their homes were destroyed. A number of residents were seen showing receipts to the media as evidence that they were legitimately occupying the land.
It was very heart-breaking to see the residents forced from their homes with nowhere to go. What was even more alarming was the fact these residents were totally on their own, with no one to fight for them. Just a few weeks before Christmas they were losing a basic human right, the right to shelter - shelter that they claim to be rightfully theirs.
The residents reported that they had sought the court's intervention and were given a June 2013 hearing! It is appalling that they will have to wait six months to be heard. This is a matter that is affecting people's basic human rights
I am appealing to you, Madam Prime Minister, especially since your campaign was about helping the poor, to assist these people who are suffering. They really need your help. They do need an early day in court. Please show some compassion to the poor you care so much about. Instil in us a shred of hope that the basic rights of people who are struggling every day to make ends meet are just as important as the internal squabbles of the political elite.
Arnett Linton
arnettlin@gmail.com
Evicted residents need an earlier day in court
-->