Last night, we took you to Seine Bight for the latest stand-off between villagers and the management of Publics, the local supermarket chain which plans to build a gas station in the middle of the village.
As we showed you, yesterday, a number of residents were incensed when they realized that the next phase of the gas station's construction was about to commence.
Some residents are already upset because they think that the developers did not honor their promise to halt construction while the community gets a chance to speak their mind on the development. So, when the fuel tanks arrived yesterday, it caused some of the detractors to become enraged. We've since been provided with cell phone footage showing a stand-off between police, who were called in to keep the peace, and a group of those residents. Here's that moment from yesterday:
Alexander Williams - Resident, Seine Bight
"The police officers came in, they were supposed to be peace officers, but guns were cocked out here this morning. That's how people are frustrated and why, because of this development."
Arthur Roy Williams - Resident, Seine Bight
"We are peaceful. We are not arrogant people. Had we been arrogant, that project wouldn't be where it is today, because we see them working every day."
Juan Carlos Dussan - Shareholder/Representative for Developers
"Of course, they are protesting and manifesting, and they are raising their voices. That is okay, and that is their right, but they cannot become aggressive. "
Armis Hernandez Jr - Ops. Manager, Petroleum Equipment Services Ltd.
"We asked the police department to assist us in safeguarding the safety of my employees, my collaborators, and as well the community. We didn't want any confrontation with anyone. They told us to wait, we waited, when the authorities came by, they took over the situation and they advise us how to maneuver the installation of these tanks."
Of course, the residents say that police did not need to come armed with weapons to act as mediators. The contractor told us that he acted out of an abundance of caution when he asked for police assistance in the community. That commotion ended without incident, with the aggrieved villagers backing down and observed the installation from across the street. Police stayed n site until the contractor and his workers finished.
