SYLVIE?JOHNSON?and her son Cortez McCollin stood on the sidelines yesterday and helplessly watched as their home of 30 years was dismantled.
It was the culmination of a legal battle which saw the mother and son finally being evicted from the land at Flat Rock, St George, that they had rented for three decades.
Court marshals turned up at the house early yesterday morning to enforce the order from the court.
A sad Johnson, 59, choked back tears as clothes and household items were stacked at the side of the road.
She pointed out that she had nowhere to go and was desperately in need of land to resite the four-bedroom house.
“Since the landlord took us to court, I?have been to the National Housing Corporation on numerous occasions to see Minister Michael Lashley.
“The first time we went we were told that he could not meet with us and we were given a date to return.
“We went back on that date but he left without seeing us. I have been all over the place trying to find a piece of land to put the house on and now I don’t know what to do,” she stated.
But an agitated McCollin blamed landlord Charles Cheeseman for the loss of their home.
He stated that he was willing to purchase the land but charged that the landlord kept changing the price and it was out of their financial reach.
“The first time he told us that he was selling the land he mentioned a price of $150 000.
“Then he changed it to $100 000. I?told him that it was still too high and he came down to $80 000. I went to the bank to get a loan and they told me that the landlord would have to bring papers showing proof of ownership of the land, but he never gave me the papers.”
McCollin, who is a taxi driver, said his sister who lived next-door had purchased her land from the same landlord for $40 000 while another neighbour was given the same price.
“I thought it was unfair that he wanted to sell the land to us so high when he had sold it to the others for far less. This is hurtful because I built this house piece by piece from working as a taxi driver. My mother went all about for help but nobody has come to help us.”
However, Cheeseman, who was on location as the house was being removed, said he too was “hurting” at what had transpired, declaring he had no choice but to take legal action against his tenants.
“I gave them multiple chances to buy this land. I am not that kind of person.
“I?don’t like what is going on here but I?had no choice. I?have to get the land sold,” he stated.
Cheeseman has allowed the dismantled house to be stored for six weeks on another piece of land he owns.
“I don’t want their house to go to the dump, so I will allow them to put it on my land for six weeks, and I am hoping that Government gives them a spot by that time,” he said.
