'Bulldoze me and kill me'

Horace Henry and his wife Beverly are uneasy as their home is situated in the zone earmarked for acquisition for the ANR Robinson International Airport expansion. PHOTO BY DAVID REID
Horace Henry and his wife Beverly are uneasy as their home is situated in the zone earmarked for acquisition for the ANR Robinson International Airport expansion. PHOTO BY DAVID REID

“I am prepared for the bulldozer to kill me in this house.”

Echoing the 2001 winning calypso from Denise Plummer, Nah Leaving, Store Bay Local Road resident Beverly Henry is firm in her stance that she will not budge to accommodate the expansion of the ANR Robinson International Airport terminal, scheduled to begin in November. Although she did not receive a Section Three notice as yet, Beverly's home is within the zone earmarked by the National Infrastructure Development Company Ltd (Nidco) for acquisition.

Speaking with Newsday on Monday as she and neighbours prepared placards for another protest today, Henry said she was not prepared to move by the November deadline.

“I prefer for the bulldozer to bulldoze and kill me in my house, and I am very serious about that. I am prepared for the bulldozer to kill me in this house," she declared.

Beverly told Newsday she thoroughly enjoys her current home and won't change it for the world.

“You are taking us from an environment where the breeze is cool, this kind of environment. You are taking that away from me and put me in a square box with a plot of land to build two houses, like how you build two houses like Laventille...Oh no, they have to be crazy. Something is not right,” she shouted angrily.

Her husband, Horace added: “As a homeowner, I intend not to leave my home, so I don’t have no further step (to take) because I not depending on them fellas...If this is the price for progress, well then them don’t have far to go.

“They don’t know the state of people’s mind... people laughing and talking, but their mind isn’t straight. Who could cope with this stress? Even if they thinking straight, there’s a better way to do things. What’s surprising is that they would want to walk into people’s homes to say vote... but what are you really voting for?”

Horace described the ongoing turmoil faced by the residents as a big puzzle.

“And it go unravel... Even though it takes us ten years, even though it takes us ten days, this puzzle will unravel. You know why it go unravel...we have elections around the corner.

“This puzzle so zig zag that name will start to call... where it plan, who plan it, where it come from and the who intend that it must happen. We will hear. Plenty of them will say that they didn’t know, but they all sign up for it. Even though you sign up and you realise the thing dangerous, come out.”

He said the situation has now reached a dangerous point, all because the residents are not being given adequate information.

“They are now driving people to a point of no return. They are driving residents to a point of no return, in the sense that people would do anything to survive. People would give up something for something, because trust me... you see the people who not saying anything, that is the dangerous people."

Horace said the politicians need to handle the situation with the required care such a sensitive situation deserves and not rush proceedings.

Horace recalled that he was visited by officials purporting to represent Nidco recently who requested a number of confidential documents, including his deed.

“How you could just come and ask for evidence? These people want evidence and documents which I still puzzled (about), them is confidential things. A man came and said he want my deed number; you know how much fraud it has in this country based on these very said items, so I don’t know how to address the situation.

"My lawyers have told me that they can’t do anything much unless certain process is initiated, and up to now they not initiating the process for people to move forward. I would really like this puzzle to unfold so that people could get down to serious business... They need the place, let's negotiate, and in good faith, it’s either they relocate us or you compensate us within the compensation package."

He added that he has no issue with the development of the island but feels he is coming out with the short end of the stick.

“It is for the good of the country but why I have to so sacrifice? I would sacrifice for my family – even for my friends – but the Government is the biggest pay master. I still don’t understand surveys to the extent that I see them around putting down markers. I don’t understand that because you can’t survey people place just like that without the relevant documents to assist.

“I think humanity is one of our greatest treasure. Humanisation is one of our greatest assets and if you have no regard for that, I don’t expect whoever doing this job to be living among human. It’s simple, because you cannot be living among humans and have no regard for human life. Is a puzzle for us because there is no way you could tell us in six months’ time we have to move."

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"‘Bulldoze me and kill me’"

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