Badman a badman

[Assasin]

CASE property under threat from squatters
published: Monday | May 5, 2008

Gareth Davis Sr, Gleaner Writer

Ivey
Property owned and occupied by the College of Agriculture, Science and [COLOR=orange! important][COLOR=orange! important]Education[/COLOR][/COLOR] (CASE) in Portland, is under threat from a group of squatters, who have 'captured' a substantial amount of its lands, despite a court ruling which went in favour of the institution.
President of CASE, Dr Paul Ivey, explained that after a long-standing court battle, the Court of Appeal in April 2007 awarded the property at Passley Gardens in the parish, which comprises approximately 850 acres, to CASE. The ruling, according to Ivey, paved the way for the institution to resume its operations, which were under threat from a family - claiming to be owners of the property.
"I am bewildered as to why the ruling of the Appeals Court is not being observed", he said. "Since they have refused to adhere to the court's decision, I believe it is a situation in which the police should execute their duty and for them [squatters] to be held in contempt of court, and for the necessary actions be taken against them."
Since the 'capture' of a section of land at CASE, administrators and [COLOR=orange! important][COLOR=orange! important]students[/COLOR][/COLOR] claim they have been forced to stay away from sections of the White Hall section of the property, as they have been threatened by the group of squatters. And in giving up the property against their will, administrators are alleging that they have been forced to abandon projects, including the production of breadfruit, bananas, citrus and vegetables.
Barred
Tensions were further compounded during a visit to CASE last Friday by Energy Minister Clive Mullings. Though the minister identified himself as a government official, he was barred from entering the White Hall property by a squatter manning the gate. Minister Mullings, who was obviously disturbed by the incident, gave the assurance that he would be discussing the squatters' issue with the prime minister and minister of agriculture.
'Bully attitude'
"This situation is unacceptable," said the minister. "Clearly, project operations at CASE have been severely disrupted as a result of the bully attitude from persons, who clearly have no respect for [COLOR=orange! important][COLOR=orange! important]law [COLOR=orange! important]and [/COLOR][COLOR=orange! important]order[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR].
"Such behaviour is unacceptable and will not be tolerated under this government."
Efforts by The Gleaner to speak to the squatters were futile, as they had padlocked the gate to the White Hall property, and are refusing to talk to anyone. The Gleaner saw a concrete structure being built on the White Hall property occupied by squatters.

[Lazie]

Sunday Herald Version





Energy Minister, Clive Mullings, on a tour of the College of Agriculture, Science and Education (CASE) in Passley Gardens, Portland on Friday, to look at energy research being done on the campus, was barred from seeing a section of the campus that is occupied by the Appleby family.
When Minister Mullings visited the area, the gate to that section of the campus was closed and a dreadlocksed man blocked his entry.
“I want to come through this section of the land,” the minister said.
“Me naw let nobody in,” the dreadlocksed man replied.
Minister Mullings identified himself, but the man insisted, “Mi seh me naaw let nobody in,” and walked away.
Indications were that the property in question was in dispute and president of the CASE, Dr. Paul Ivey, told Minister Mullings that the college had taken the matter to court. He said in the first instance, the Resident Magistrate court ruled against the squatters on the property, which they appealed against, but the appeal was thrown out.
Minister Mullings promised to bring the matter to the attention of his Cabinet colleagues.
Commenting on the situation, Minister Mullings said CASE was losing from the squatter problem, as the squatters and trespassers were reportedly selling the land.
“This is a case of a breakdown in law and order. The court has ruled, therefore the responsibility is for the government to ensure that CASE is able to enjoy the property,” Mullings argued.
According to Dr. Ivey, squatters continue to cut the fences to the pastures, resulting in cattle straying on the road and other areas of the school compound, disrupting classes in the process. Dr. Ivey said the intruders were building concrete structures and threatening students and staff members

[Mosiah]

It's hard to praise US law enforcement when so many times black people are gunned down and nothing comes out of it, but, if this was the case in the USA, those squatters would have been removed forthwith or before, no questions asked. Bulldozers would have moved in helped them with their moving concerns.

[Lazie]

It's hard to praise US law enforcement when so many times black people are gunned down and nothing comes out of it, but, if this was the case in the USA, those squatters would have been removed forthwith or before, no questions asked. Bulldozers would have moved in helped them with their moving concerns.

Didn't a former PM mek a speech back in the 90s that if yuh live pon the land fi a certain amount of time, you're entitled to purchase the land? Strange ... when I said at the time that such a speech was encouraging squatters mi start to hear one bag a argument bout poor people.

I wonder what would be the reaction if bulldozers had moved in?

[Bricktop]

Then yuh hear dat dem neva need fi destroy the house and how likkle Deshawn's schoolbooks were in there and now him caan go school and horse dead and cow fat

[Assasin]

Lazie that may not be a bad idea and Bruce Golding say pretty much, maybe in better words but there has to be an orderly process and you can't just take over private land that is not idle and expect to get it.

Right now Grays Inn Sugar factory land still not been used after 25 years, so if people take it over and willing to pay in an orderly fashion I have no problem but this is not what going on here.

[Mosiah]

I believe it is law that if you occupied land uniterrupted for 7 years then the owner just lost it. I don't believe the law mentions anything about purchasing. Maybe some lawyer can confirm?

Was that the situation with these squatters? I may have missed that.

Too much badman a yaad. That's why we need a good and clean police force to keep things in check.

[Lazie]

Lazie that may not be a bad idea and Bruce Golding say pretty much, maybe in better words but there has to be an orderly process and you can't just take over private land that is not idle and expect to get it.

Right now Grays Inn Sugar factory land still not been used after 25 years, so if people take it over and willing to pay in an orderly fashion I have no problem but this is not what going on here.

Madness! What about a private citizen that have him land there and when he is ready for it, mansions all over it? Yuh forgot what happened in Mammee Bay when land owner wanted his land?

[Mosiah]

Too freaking bad!

[Lazie]

Too freaking bad!

okay.

[Assasin]

Did he pay his taxes over the year? or did he just walk away from his land. If he had that land and cared about it the first place the first one would have to be gone.

Well Bruce say him a go save some a the money the people a go pay for it and give it to the owner if him show up. While I understand the owner's fustration poor people have to be able to pay and get a little piece a land. This is also a failure of the government to provide low income housing solution as well.

[Lazie]

Did he pay his taxes over the year? or did he just walk away from his land. If he had that land and cared about it the first place the first one would have to be gone.

Well Bruce say him a go save some a the money the people a go pay for it and give it to the owner if him show up. While I understand the owner's fustration poor people have to be able to pay and get a little piece a land. This is also a failure of the government to provide low income housing solution as well.

Suh how they got off the squatter and a hotel is now over there? Sass, when you find it, show me that article where the PM said that. Because it isn't fair fi a man buy him land fi guh home guh retire and when him turn up, people teif it.

I'm aware of this.

Minister of State in the Office of the Prime Minister, Robert Montague, said the government would be making titles available for 30,000 of the 300,000 untitled lots in Jamaica.
"Of that 300,000, approximately 30,000 are in the land settlement category. These would be properties people have paid for.land settlements dating from the 1930s and 1940s, and the original allottees have died," the State Minister said at a recent JIS 'Think Tank', held at the agency's head office at 58A Half-Way-Tree Road in Kingston.

[Assasin]

So wait they died, them nuh have no pickey?

Lazie he has said it, I will try and find it.

[Karl]

I believe it is law that if you occupied land uniterrupted for 7 years then the owner just lost it. I don't believe the law mentions anything about purchasing. Maybe some lawyer can confirm?

Was that the situation with these squatters? I may have missed that.

Too much badman a yaad. That's why we need a good and clean police force to keep things in check.

I think there is something about who has been paying the taxes.

I wonder how this affects developers and others who purchase land as investment on 'raw land'?

These persons buy and hold the land for years.

I think there is an investor/developer in the Florida panhandle who has held land (500,000 acres? Cannot remember the size...50,000 acres? ..not sure!) for 70 years and is just now 'thinking' of selling residential parcels.

There is a Jamaican who bought real property including 45 parcels of land ($500.00 per parcel) in Port St Lucie about 10 years past...and who held and sold, I think it was 20+ of the 45 parcels for $40,000.00+ and above 2 years ago. I think he told me the highest price he got was $65,000.00. Anyway he said he got more than $1,000,000.00. Fairly young guy - I would judge he was (when we spoke - 2 years ago) about 32-35 years old! Are we saying that if he were in JA, squatters could just come in and 'ole a piece'?

[Assasin]

Residents of informal settlements to get land titles soon - Chang
KERIL WRIGHT, Observer staff reporter kerilw@jamaicaobserver.com
Friday, February 01, 2008

Minister of Water and Housing and Member of Parliament for North West St James, Dr Horace Chang, addresses residents of the Red Dirt and Hog City areas of Flankers at a community mass meeting on Sunday. (Photo: Keril Wright)
MONTEGO BAY, St James - Minister of Water and Housing, Dr Horace Chang, has indicated that land titles for residents of informal settlements should be in their hands by the end of this financial year.
Acording to Chang, his ministry would be moving speedily to implement this as per a directive from Prime Minister Bruce Golding.
"...This financial year, we can begin to issue titles to people in Flankers," Chang told residents of the Red Dirt and Hog City areas of Flankers on Sunday at a mass meeting in Flankers on the weekend to update the community on the upcoming Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) community improvement project in the area.
He said the residents would benefit under a wider programme to issue titles to landowners in informal housing developments scattered across the island.
"We will be giving out titles to pretty much all of them very fast," he said.
"The documents are being prepared," he added, noting that these communities would be designated housing areas.
On Sunday, he told residents that their community was poised for transformation under the Innercity Basic Services Project, made possible through a US$29-million World Bank loan secured by JSIF to improve the infrastructure in 15 of the island's innercities.
"The money and the funds are available, all I need is your co-operation," he told the residents.
Residents of Flankers, a vast community that sits along the North Coast Highway and opposite the Sangster International Airport, is just one of two communities selected outside of the Corporate Area to benefit from the multimillion-dollar project.
The project includes, among other things, the construction of roads in the Red Dirt and Hog City areas of the community and road rehabilitation in other areas. The construction of a multi-purpose skills training centre, removal of zinc fences, the widening and paving of footpaths in the area and the rehabilitation of the existing drain, are also part of the programme.