A resident of Wagner's Lane called us today because she's having a snake issue inside her home.
Indeed, it is a tale as old as time, the snake and the woman, but this is no Garden of Eden - these are the wilds of Wagner's Lane - a depressed neighborhood on the Southside.
Tifarra Wallace explains that despite her many pleas for assistance to the Area Representative and the Belize City Council, she has gotten no assistance. She claims that every time they come to cut the yard, they miss the tree that is a home for snakes which are becoming a hazard for her grandchild.
Tifarra Wallace, Resident
"Alright, we have a big tree as you can see, and then the tree hangs over our house. Like literally over our house. Then we, couple times we take out snakes. Last two Sundays we kill a snake.One Monday before we kill a snake. And every time the people that come to clean the area, chop down trees, we ask them to please cut down the tree for us.But for some reason, they say they don't want to touch the tree, or they never come and do it.And then, we have neighbours weh live around the area, they have small kids. We neighbours over this side find snakes in our fi she house. You understand, they actually have small kids. Me, I don't have no small kids except for my grandson, I think. But they just, every time I ask them, they don't come and clean it. None at all. They don't even clean the area."
"The other day, city council, they had to clean the drain, they didn't even say clean down there, nothing. They didn't even come and check the tree, nothing, they didn't do. And like, you ask them, ask them, ask them, ask the area, right? They cut down a certain part, and then, that's it, they're not sitting here again. Then they come again, maybe they're on the wrong election time, they reach, because only then they're sitting over here."
Jaleeza Roberts:
"And how long have you guys been dealing with this situation?"
Tifarra Wallace, Resident
"I live around here since I was 18. And now I'm 39 or 40 and, ever since we have an issue, sometimes I would get the leave, you know, people would look for something to go up on my rooftop, try to cut the tree, but every time you cut it, the stumps then get bigger, weh they grow out, you understand?So, I can't do that every time, because then I'd try to help myself, but then they need to cut down the whole tree."
