Visit was a ‘goodwill gesture’

The Horticultural Services, who tends to the Queen’s Park Savannah under the Ministry of Agriculture, yesterday, defended their decision to attempt to move Erica and Wendell Joseph, a couple who has been living in the public park for about a month.

The Horticultural Services said the action they took was a “goodwill gesture.” According to the release, sent to the media yesterday, the Horticultural Services had been meeting with the couple for several days and their “visit” on Wednesday morning was done out of concern.

On Wednesday morning, director of Horticultural Services David Chadee led a team of officers on their “visit,” accompanied by police officers and medical professionals. The medics checked Erica’s vitals and offered to take her to the hospital. She refused, saying her husband had left to speak to a doctor with regard to her medical condition.

The release added that they offered to move the couple to better accommodations but the couple refused.

On Wednesday, witnesses said a contingent of police officers stood guard while a member of the Horticultural Society ripped down placards put up in protest of the couple’s displacement since 2008. When the officers of the Horticultural Services left, they took several personal items and a sheet of tarpaulin which the couple used to protect themselves from wind and rain while they made their home in the public park.

Erica told Newsday she and her husband had to sit in the rain and wind on Wednesday night after the “Goodwill gesture” made by the Horticultural Society left them with barely anything to call a home.

Erica told Newsday that, yesterday, good samaritans from Nelson Street came to their camp site and replaced the tarpaulin.

Harvey Borris, who has been trying to get a permanent home for the couple for a number of years, told Newsday, even though the intention and direction of the Ministry was that of goodwill, that was not how the officer operated.

“I believe the ministry should talk to that officer to make sure he treats people in a more dignified manner.” Borris said. “I have written letters to several bodies, including the Prime Minister for assistance for the couple. I truly hope this matter is resolved once and for all.”

Since the couple was made to leave their Nelson Street house in 2008, they have been struggling to find a place to call home. The couple have been in and out of homes provided by the Housing Development Company (HDC) for a number of years but, for one reason or another, they always seem to end up back on the streets.

The situation had gotten so bad that they had spent weeks living on the Brian Lara Promenade.

After Erica lost her second leg a month ago, the couple moved to the Savannah.

Erica said officers of the HDC visited the couple at the Savannah, yesterday, and promised they would make arrangements to get the couple a new home.