Little Bay evictions will continue, says lawyer

The owners of a disputed 867-acre property in Little Bay and Brighton, Westmoreland, intend to press ahead with demolition plans in a bid to clear the land of squatters despite a protest that thwarted a planned exercise last week.

Kathleen Eugster has been fighting to regain control of the property for decades, even after losing her husband, John Eugster, who was murdered in 2004 after trying to reclaim the lands.

Despite court action and writs of possession being granted to Eugster, a United States citizen, she has been finding it difficult to remove the occupiers, who claim that they have a right to the land through adverse possession, having lived there for decades.

A planned demolition exercise was aborted last week after irate residents doused heavy-duty equipment with gasolene and threatened to light it.

The Little London police had to be called to intervene.

Eugster’s attorney, Alimi Banjoko, told The Gleaner, however, that there are no plans to give up the fight.

“Despite what happened, plans for demolition will resume shortly. We will continue with the clearing for maximum effect and minimum dislocation,” he said on the weekend.

The land has been earmarked for a multibillion-dollar investment, including two five-star hotels and PGA type golf-courses on the 360-degree sea-views section of the property.

The occupiers have, however, built homes and businesses on the property, including some advertised on popular vacation sites such as TripAdvisor. A government primary and infant school as well as churches and other facilities are also on the property.

Prohibitive price

The Government had previously been making moves to purchase a section of the property to relocate residents, but last week, Prime Minister Andrew Holness said that the asking price remains prohibitive. He said the Government was seeking to identify alternative state-owned lands to relocate residents, where possible, through a National Housing Trust-led initiative.

“The owner’s offer of 20 acres for resettlement has been on the table for years and it has not moved,” Banjoko said on Saturday.

Banjoko represents OPES LLC, a private equity firm based in the United States that is spearheading the development on the properties in Little Bay and Brighton. The project is currently being held up by the occupation.

Residents told The Gleaner on the weekend that in the run-up to the 2020 general election, they were encouraged to switch from their decadeslong support to the Opposition People’s National Party and former Westmoreland Western member of parliament, Dr Wykeham McNeill, to the Jamaica Labour Party with promises to have their tenure settled. McNeill, who had been serving as MP since 1997, lost the election.

They, however, did not say who had given such a commitment.

Efforts by The Gleaner to get a comment from Member of Parliament Moreland Wilson were unsuccessful.

“We feel let down, honest to God. I’m telling you. Where are we going to go? Everybody accept that the land is owned by somebody else, but many persons now living there buy it from somebody. People were selling it. They don’t have any title, but some people buy, and nuff people just capture it,” said a resident, who asked not to be named.

The resident expressed concern that more blood could be shed over the property.

erica.virtue@gleanerjm.com