Yesterday, we showed you the uproar near Krooman Lagoon after a landowner blocked in area residents when he erected boulders to block his property.
That property is the only easement residents have to get out to the main road - thus the flashpoint over private land rights, versus squatters' rights.
That's correct, the residents of this boxed in community are mostly squatters - and the private landowner is a businessman and large landowner in the area.
That's how the dispute was framed yesterday when Deputy Mayor Allan Pollard was not he way home - and saw the squatters calling out for help. He says he had to stop and try to help - which ended in him calling in a. City council crane to remove the boulders off private property. We asked him about that today:
Allan Pollard, Deputy Mayor
"It was a mess. When I arrived, I saw a lady and a man literally lifting a prom with a baby inside to get over to the next side and it was a horrible scene to see that we are in Belize. It was a matter of urgency and I then proceeded to get equipment to move the boulders out the way to get these families out. We have the footage whereby to show you how packed the cement were placed, not even a person could walk through, not even a kid could walk through."
Jules Vasquez
"The land owners this is I gave them notice, so my hands are clean, I gave them due notice."
Allan Pollard, Deputy Mayor
"How you will give somebody who lives there for 17 years, 7 days' to move. These are less fortunate we are talking about. You could give me Allan Pollard 7 days and I will find means. These people don't have means. Leaving it up to the family in that area to find something in 7 days is unreasonable."
Jules Vasquez
"The criticism against what you did is that you went on someone's private property and you basically you dismantled their fence."
Allan Pollard, Deputy Mayor
"That's not a fence, sir. Even that, there is a process to have a fence too. There is a form that you have to go to the city council and say that this is my property, declare your documents, this is my plan and I am asking permission to erect a fence. You can't just erect a fence in the city whether it's your property of not. There is a procedure for that as well and once that procedure was done our people would have done the due diligence to say alright this is the problem, so we would have been aware from the beginning. So whether he wants to say that I acted contrary to whatever, he himself acted contrary to what the laws provide at Belize city council."
Jules Vasquez
"Are you concern that your actions may have expose the council to liability?"
Allan Pollard, Deputy Mayor
"Listen, if that's the case, that's the case alright. But my actions is that Allan Pollard went out there to move the thing and not Belize city council."
Jules Vasquez
"But you used the council's equipment."
Allan Pollard, Deputy Mayor
"That's a matter of the equipment, but it's me and I told him that. This is me doing this. As the councilor I take full responsibility for that and if we have to go to court, we have to go. But somebody has to stand up for the small man like you said. This is one man and these are 200 people, 80 families. I can't stand up and watch something like that, better I don't put myself on ballot or want to represent people ever, if I find that acceptable."
Jules Vasquez
"So where do we go from here? Is there any dialogue?"
Allan Pollard, Deputy Mayor
"I am all for being civil. I want some kind of resolve. I spoke to the mayor this morning and I gave him a rundown of what transpired and he has the same position as myself. We don't condone squatting, we don't entertain squatting and I believe it's in our purview and in our best interest that we find some kind of resolve. Of course I can't do anything about it, the city council in itself can't do anything about it, but we have to rally the relevant stakeholders, you have to get the government involved. I would describe it as a standoff at this point. Unfortunately, the land owner he has his position and I understand. However, I may not agree and I have my position as well, the people in that area have their position as well."
Jules Vasquez
"But only one person has a title."
Allan Pollard, Deputy Mayor
"I agree, but at the end of the day there must be mediation, there must be someone to step in and say alright well this is the way forward."
