Evicted from Petrotrin houses, families say: We are not squatters

ALMOST 20 families were evicted and their personal belongings thrown on the roadside in Clifton Hill, Point Fortin on Wednesday after they were deemed to be illegally occupying houses controlled by Trinidad Petroleum Holdings Ltd.

The now homeless families claimed they did nothing wrong and were not squatting as they paid rent to people who claimed they had permission to sub-let the houses.

When Newsday arrived at Clifton Hill, people were using tarpaulin and plastic sheets to cover their  household belongings, including appliances, computers, furniture, mattresses, books and clothing as dusk arrived.

They said that at 8 am, vanloads of police and army personnel stormed their homes with guns and told them they needed to pack up and leave. Photos and video recordings of personal belongings on the roadside outside the now locked houses were posted to social media.

There were claims the families were squatting in houses once occupied by Petrotrin workers which were left empty when the refinery was shuttered by government. A company – Trinidad Petroleum Holdings Ltd – was formed to manage legacy items belonging to Petrotrin including these houses.

Many said they now had nowhere to go and were prepared to sleep on top of their dumped l belongings to prevent them from being stolen.

Resident Franklyn Daniel, 39, said police stormed his apartment and pointed guns at him, his wife and their baby daughter. He said he had been living on the property for over two years and did not know what the real issues were behind the eviction.

"I lived here with my family and work as an IT technician. The police came in this morning and just kicked down my door. They did not identify themselves or asked anything. I am a disabled person and the police roughed me up. They took me to the police station and did not bother to give me the medication which I depend on.

“We cannot re-enter the premises and we have nowhere to go. We have to camp out on the streets with our families and belongings. We cannot leave because somebody might steal our things.”

Another resident, Avian Stuart, 37, said she had nowhere else to keep her family and that rent was already paid for the month.

“I paid my rent for my apartment. How could they just put people out on the street especially at a time like this? I have four children. What am I supposed to do now?"

Other displaced residents who asked not to be identified for fear of victimisation told Newsday they experienced brutality from the authorities.

A woman said police on several occasions gave documents to the man who rented a house to her family.

“We gave the landlord the letters and asked what was the matter. He assured us that everything would be taken care of and there was nothing to worry about.”

Other homeless residents said they could not substantiate claims that former Petrotrin employees had sub-let the properties unknown to Trinidad Petroleum Holdings Ltd. Newsday was told at least one person who had sub-let the properties was arrested.

Pt Fortin MP Kennedy Richards Jr told Newsday he was aware of the situation and said the families were evicted because they occupied the properties illegally.

"There are people there who were occupying former Petrotrin bungalows which were used to house some of the employees who were at managerial level."

“They would have gone into those houses when the company was restructured. It was aided and abetted by an individual who duped the families by claiming he had ownership of the land and properties. He started to have open houses for rent, leasing and sales. We ended up with a lot of people who are illegal tenants,” the MP said.

Similar acts have been committed in the past at several HDC (Housing Development Corporation) units across the country.

Officials from Trinidad Petroleum Holdings Ltd could not be reached for comment on Wednesday evening.