The Tribune

By RICARDO WELLS

Tribune Staff Reporter

rwells@tribunemedia.net

POLICE were called to the scene of another fire in the Gamble Heights shanty town last night, the third blaze in the community since Sunday.

Police have said they suspect arson as the reason behind the first two fires.

Earlier yesterday, dozens of former residents of the shanty town spent the day sifting through rubble of the fire hit community, attempting to salvage what they could from the debris.

Residents of the community have expressed their frustration of now being “homeless” since the government began a demolition exercise for illegal structures on the expansive property last Friday.

Some have said they want answers and accountability from the property’s reported landowner, Patrick Charles.

Mr Charles, the reported owner of the six-acre property, has indicated that the community once housed more than 150 structures.

More than 20 homes have been destroyed as a result of the fires.

Last week he said the property had been in his family for generations and passed down to him, by which time elements of the problem were already flourishing.

Mr Charles said he had tried to collect rent but had failed, claiming having been given excuses by the residents.

Minister of Social Services Melanie Griffin has said that the Department of Social Services is providing help where necessary, but many of the residents are likely not to come forward to get access to government aid out of fear of arrest and deportation.

When asked about the legality of Mr Charles’ housing scheme, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration Fred Mitchell deferred questions to the Department of Environmental Health Services (DEHS).

DEHS was the government unit that selected homes to be demolished as a part of Friday’s exercise, however, the department has not given a report on why those homes were selected.

The DEHS could not be reached for comment up to press time.

Meanwhile, local human rights attorney Fred Smith, QC, has called on the government to release the selection process used to decide which homes would be taken down and what notices were given to those homeowners.

Mr Smith also lashed out at recent criticism from Progressive Liberal Party Chairman Bradley Roberts. Earlier this week, Mr Roberts suggested Mr Smith was stirring unrest after he criticised the government’s demolition, calling it an illegal move by a “dictatorship” government.

Mr Smith, who is president of the Grand Bahama Human Rights Association, criticised the entire Christie administration, accusing the regime of worshiping at the feet of the “rich white foreigners while poor black Bahamian citizens suffered in despair.”

“Mr Roberts wants to attack me personally; he wants to make this a you say, I say matter. When he speaks about the issues of shanty towns he does so not in the realm of sanitation or public health, he bases it all solely on immigration and illegal construction.”

Mr Smith questioned why “poor black” Bahamians and Haitians were being forced out of their homes, but the government is not aggressive about construction at Nygard’s Cay and Blackbeard’s Cay, which are the subject of court cases.

Environment and Housing Minister Ken Dorsett in September said the Christie administration would resume its crackdown on shanty towns, renewing notices for persons living in such communities to vacate.

Demolition efforts in the Gamble Heights shanty town continued yesterday.