Everything is for a time.

I am 34yrs come from Kingsland terrace. i live a stone’s throw away from the Taylors residence and I’ve known them to be living at that address since i was an adolescent.I think it’s really unfair that they were treated this way,and to have the house dismantled before their eyes must have been painful to watch as they were now fixing it up after living in the original structure for over 30 years.I will miss that house when I’m passing the main road outside of Kingsland Terrace.

If this lady and her family was living on this land so so long the landlord should not have the right to just have them evicted. it should go to court if their have been paying ground rent. or at lease he should give the housing authority time to rehouse these people.  i know what it is like in Barbados lots of persons living on land for years that do not belong to them because no one knows or cannot find who owns the land.  i have always though Barbados was a going forward nation not going backwards.

the law in the caribbean is for the wealthy. the poor will always remain poor.  Where is the constituent representative when you need them.

It is extremely sad that this family has suffered this fate.  I cannot accept that the landlord could have taken such action without going through the correct legal channel. Whether we like it or not the owner has a right to his land for whatever reasons.  Six months’ notice was given, did the tenants take that notice seriously and if they were unable to find a ‘spot’ within that time, they should have asked for an extension.  Sometimes we have to be proactive.

If you live on land presumably rent free for all of your life, which in one case amounts to more than fifty years, should you not seek to acquire your own property?

I am at a loss to understand how the landlord can be criticised in this case. Over the years people have become lazy and far too dependent on government. But this monster has been created where the government is required to provide housing for all who are unwilling or unable to provide housing for themselves, and the rest of us will have to pay the cost.

MS. TAYLOR-HARRIS I’m sorry to hear of your plight. I can not be easy after living the same place for more than thirty year then to be suddenly uprooted. Recently I read an article in the press stating that Legislation was being enacted to protect tenants against unscrupulous landlords. I think there is a urgent need for legislation to protect people who have been living on the same piece of land from time immemorial.In such cases a balance need to be struck. Sometimes when people WILLED land to others, and they knew the problems it would cause, they would not leave it to the person.
I hope MS. TAYLOR-HARRIS will get the urgent help she needs.

We want to rest to much on the laurels of our fore parents. We are not to rest, we are to build on the foundation they created. How can modern people with a little more education than foreparents just be contented to sit on their fannies and rent somebody’s land all the time. How about ownership? People have a right to retrieve their land when they are ready for it. Many are fearful of losing it, but it is so inhumane to tear down and dump people’s property along side the road like carrion. Why not assist with storage until people can get on their feet again? Where are the social agencies and NHC with all the land it claims to have? Is it all for the foreign investors?

This is the most ridiculous piece of subjectivity and sensationalism I’ve ever seen. No journalistic skills were involved n the making of this piece… obviously.

There are so many things wrong with this piece on a journalistic level.

LACK OF OBJECTIVITY:

PICTURES: So there’s a huge emotional piece on the front page… immediately appealing to the sympathy in the reader… fine. Then there’s a picture of her house being carried away to add to this… fine. While there’s nothing wrong with appealing to the reader’s emotions, the reader should also have a choice of how to feel about the situation.

LANGUAGE: Words like ‘overturned’ are in no way objective. Again, subtle subjective language uses such as this one do not allow for the reader to see an unbiased story unfold. Let me make the decision that the woman’s life was overturned or put in quotations that she said that’s how she felt but don’t TELL ME what YOU THINK happened to her life.

EDITORIAL OR NEWS?: The last line I think is what really blew me over the edge. How on earth can you in all seriousness publish this piece of gossip-styled writing like although the landlord’s car was parked nearby. In case you didn’t realize, you are here again TELLING ME WHAT TO INFER. You think you’re smart with your conjunctions like ‘although’ but all words- even conjunctions- have meanings and unfortunately for you I’m smart enough to realize that. Just because you didn’t get in contact with the landlord doesn’t mean you ‘get back at him/her’ by trying to paint the most unflattering picture of all. That’s ridiculous. And that’s not journalism. LET ME THINK HE’S SHADY ALL ON MY OWN IF I WANT TO, DON’T TELL ME. You’re not this lady’s private reporter… you are supposed to be everybody’s news. What do you even call this kind of story? Cause it’s not news and it’s not human interest… it’s just he said, he said, we think!

MEDIA ILLITERATE READERS: Congrats to all the commenters so far. You have all succumbed to their plan to get you thinking what they want. Let me ask you something… if they printed another story tomorrow about the landlord and how the landlord’s daughter was recently diagnosed with some aggressive disease that required hundreds of thousands in medical bills and because of that they had to sell their own house/land/car and were forced to move back to this property… would that change your thinking of this woman as being ever so wronged? Would you still think the landlord is ‘so ruthless and ugly?!’ I’m sure it would change a lot for you.
Please, I implore you… be media literate. Don’t just soak up whatever they tell you… think for yourselves, ask questions! Demand more from your media… don’t let them control you like this. You think that you’re thinking for yourselves but you’re not.
“None are more enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free”

Disclaimer: I have nothing against this lady and I have no clue whatsoever who the landlord is/was or his/her situation. I’m merely concerned with the journalism- or lack thereof.

This has always been the case in Barbados because Barbados started as a company.  Barbados was a proprietary colony which meant it belonged to Lord Carlisle who in turn leased it to Lord Willoughby.  All these hundreds of years that formed the basis of the law system of Barbados.  The plantation aristocracy held all the rights and the poor whites, blacks, and even women had little to no rights at all.

These folks should give thanks for having a place to live while paying apittance for over 50 years.

I live in Totonto and I need to pay $400 per month in land taxes in addition to mortgage payment. If I can’t pay, i need to find somewhere esle to live.

If I was fortunate to pay a pittance for a life time would it be fair for me to claim the property or deny access to the owner from getting a better return from his/her investment.

To be fair, not all the facts may be available but as a land owner, one who sweat to get a piece of the rock what do these renters expect. 

I fail to believe that in 50 years there could not have been a joint effort to own a piece of the rock.

Enough said.

Is Barbados so hard that a family of several adults could not have own a piece of the rock by combining resources over the last 30 years ???

I have noticed other foreigners accomplished this feat in hard the time. Is it special skills needed or a special attitude ??

One wonders ?

@BAJANCONNECTION. Only you are smart and educated all the rest of us are IDIOTS AND CLOWNS. I pray that you will never ever find yourself in a bad situation.
Just remember life is a BITCH and then we all die.
What nonsense and crap you had the balls to write. Have a great weekend who ever you happen to be.

It is unfortunate but these people were given 6 months to vacate and not 30 days. This could have been done and no need for the drama with the marshall and the news. The property clearly were nto theirs and the owners wanted them off. Why is the article trying to make the owners out as bad guys. Time on property does not make it automatically theirs. They knew it was not. the owners were well within their rights. BTW they were way beyond age people living there as well. They can pool together resources and get a home. Too many grown ups in that house for this to happen after 6 months.

why bajans always want things to drop in their hands?
too much grown adults in that house to sit and cry for land…
i sure they could find somewhere easily..
my sympathy still goes out to them.

PPl in bim too damn laid back.Expect government to do everything for them while sitting on their backsides and waiting for the handouts.All them yrs and no effort to do anything for themselves.Jokes boy.Is the person’s land.The person has every right to do what they have done!

@BIM
Many Bajans have thier priorities askewed,that is why many of us are unable to achieve , what “forners” achieve in a comparatively short time. We are a nation of Big Rides, STV, MCTV, Blackberries,52"HD TV and every other gadget that Courts or the other Bridegtown merchant of Venice push at us.Not forgetting trips to Disneyland.
Things like land, house insurance ,are the Governments responsibility in providing us with.