Last night we showed you the community of squatters off Faber's Road on the Western Highway. Their quest for land took them to the far edge of Lake Independence where government has been pushing out a new road for a bridge that will span the river and end up on Chetumal Street in the Belama area.
Once the road went through, Belizeans desperate for land followed. We aired their plight last night, and this morning, Police swept in and flushed all those squatters out.
We were there when it happened - here's how it went:
Jules Vasquez, Reporting
This morning senior police officers with a lands officer, as well as armed officers from the ADU descended on the community of squatters - giving them this paper which informs them that they have been encroaching on national lands.
ACP Elodio Aragon, Jr. - Officer Commanding, Eastern Division
"Today we just came as the police department to ensure that we move people away from squatting here which they are squatting on government land. Well, Jules, we are here to make sure that the government lands is not being squatted upon. I think the government has certain initiatives for this area and it is best that we are here today than to allow people to build and erect houses, then its more difficult. So we are here to do that and we will ensure that we will keep a presence out here to deter squatters from coming back in."
Jules Vasquez
"Now isn't it a little late however, a lot of these have been working here since the start of the year; since the dry season began and while you might not see a cement building; they have put in a yeoman's work."
ACP Elodio Aragon, Jr. - Officer Commanding, Eastern Division
"Well Jules if it's illegal it doesn't matter on the time."
And as the police swept the squatters out all the way back to the highway, they met no resistance other than a few hard words:
Jules Vasquez
"This letter says that you have been encroaching on national lands in the St. Martin De Porres area, were you aware that you were encroaching?"
Dimas Bowen
"I don't give a damn, B, because this is our side and nobody will move me from where I am. Nobody, not even the Prime Minister Dean Barrow, nobody will take me from where I am because this is my side. I don't worry about anything, I dint care about the police. Once I build there it will be problems."
Jason Gordon, Squatter
"As I was coming out of the bush the police man call me, they are chasing out everybody from the back."
Jules Vasquez
"How do you interpret this?"
Jason Gordon, Squatter
"I don't know what to say. It looks like they don't want us to own a piece of land, that's the only thing I can say."
Gilberto Carillo
"The officers just come today and tell us that we have to move."
Jules Vasquez
"How do you feel about that?"
Gilberto Carillo
"I just have to wait to see what will happen."
Jules Vasquez
"You feel you might lose everything?"
Gilberto Carillo
"Not really, I feel that they will have to give me a break to get my things outside."
Jules Vasquez
"So you feel it's just an interruption."
Gilberto Carillo
"Yes."
Voice Of: Squatter
"This morning I came back home after work I see three police vehicle came with officers telling us that we must cease what we are doing. They brought a paper from the Lands Department. As we speak there are more police coming. It's like we don't have any rights."
Jules Vasquez
"But at the same time you moved (in) without having any papers."
Voice Of: Squatter
"But everybody do that, that the only way you can own something in this country. You can't depend on the government to give you any land. Nobody will give us anything, we have to get up and work. Its only mostly black man out are out here fighting for a piece of land. It's black men who don't have anything. We are tired of paying rent."
But their plight mattered little to the district lands and survey officer:
Herman Castillo - District Lands and Survey Officer
"For your information all people who are chopping the area and falling bush are squatters illegal in the location. So therefore we are just enforcing the land policies and the law for people to desist in what they are doing and for them to vacate immediately because actually they are trespassing on government land."
Jules Vasquez
"Why do you all wait on so long? The activity have been happening here for months."
Herman Castillo - District Lands and Survey Officer
"We didn't wait too long because we have come in and verbally advise then about a month ago and apparently they don't want to listen and they are continuing doing the illegal squatting. But at the same time if you have been advised then, who can you blame? You can't even claim compensation because you were informed and you knew that you were doing wrong."
Jules Vasquez
"Is there any alternative remedy you would suggest to these people? They aren't back here because that are greedy, land barons, they are just really desperate."
Herman Castillo - District Lands and Survey Officer
"This time no. The ministry to my knowledge has not decided whether they will find another place to relocate people but I don't have any information as such."
Jules Vasquez
"So just for the avoidance of doubt. Irrevocably, irretrievably what they have done back here is gone. They won't be allowed back here anymore."
Herman Castillo - District Lands and Survey Officer
"Not anymore. From today's date no. The police officers will enforce the law and they will be doing patrol to evacuate everybody who comes back here."
It is a hard, now enforced fact and the squatters gathered names to form an association
Squatter
"We have a committee with 300 people already who sign and who live here for 5 years now so why the government want to move them just like that? This don't make any sense."
Squatter
"How do they expect the city to expand if they don't want to distribute land to the poorer class of people? People need a place to live. What happen to the younger generation that are coming up? Where are they to live? Unless they will cover the canal and allow them to live there."
Jules Vasquez
"But at the same time you know that if you work on land without paper you are running a risk. You know that."
Squatter
"But most of the time that is how you get land because when you go to the lands office to apply you don't get anything, so people have to squat and that is how they get land."
Squatter
"It is us who build the community. We are the people of this city, we build this city! How can they turn around and disrespect us like this. This is blatant disrespect."
Jules Vasquez
"So what will you guys do next?"
Squatter
"Well I am not looking to break any law, so if they take away my land, let them take it away. I abide by the law, I am a law abiding citizen."
Solomon Gabourel
"I can call on Harmonyville and Nigel Petillo and the entire crew to come and assist us and we will move forward from there because we will not give up. we have a lot of strong movements in this city, in this community, in Belize with voices that they can listen to, not only us."
Jules Vasquez
"Are you concerned that it could down the road as it becomes clear that they won't be allowed back onto the area. It could escalate into a security issue."
ACP Elodio Aragon, Jr. - Officer Commanding, Eastern Division
"Jules, everything is a security issue when it comes to dealing with lands and squatters."
And it has become a security situation. This afternoon - just as they said they would - the group of squatters hooked up with the Belizeans for Justice and went back to the area with their families determined to roll back in past the permanent police barricade and take back the lands they have been working on.
Just before newstime, with evening falling fast, police abandoned the barricade - and let the squatters back in. Our team is just back with footage of that moment:..
So the standoff has been stood down and at 6:30 the squatters - slash - settlers - were touring the area along with representatives of Belizeans for Justice, COLA and, we can confirm, a squadron of mosquitoes and sandflies. We'll see where this developing story goes tomorrow - but later on in this newscast we'll have an interview form Yolanda Schakron of Belizeans for Justice on what her group hopes to bring to the situation.
