~ Blockade removed at 1:00pm ~
MARIGOT–The Sandy Ground protest staged early Wednesday morning was organised by Movement for St. Martin People and reportedly inspired by the recent “gilets jaunes” protests in Paris, it emerged.
The Movement published a list of demands and issues that it wants addressed, prefacing its demands with “we are rising up against the oppression of the State and mobilizing against the harassment of the Collectivité via the bias of the State against St. Martiners.”
Some of the main issues and demands the Movement wants addressed are listed, but not limited to the following: demand for an acceleration of reconstruction; demand for decent housing and protection of houses in high risk areas; addressing land that it says has been “stolen” by the state because of not being able to justify title; the carbet situation of Pedro’s on Orient Beach; the Chez Raymond case in Baie Rouge; the demolition and expulsion of the Carti MacArthur house; violation of Larmonie family land in Cul-de-Sac; demand for clarity on the situation of social housing; demand for Semsamar to remain at the service of St. Martiners, and for St. Martiners to be favoured where it comes to acquisition of land and lodgings.
“This is organised by everybody in Sandy Ground,” a resident told The Daily Herald. “We’ve had enough of what’s going on. Here in Sandy Ground we have generations of people here going back 20, 40, 50 years ago. They’ve seen their kids born here and grand-children. There are people here who have lost everything in the hurricane as well as family members. We are still trying to get our lives back together and rebuild.
“But, you have all this bureaucracy and red tape. You can’t do this, you can’t do that. What do you expect the people to do? It’s not just about land but people are losing their livelihoods. The cost of living is one thing. Take this man here a grandfather. He has worked all his life with two or three jobs and made enough to build a house.
“Now 30 years later the government comes to him and says he doesn’t own it and he has no rights. Come on. These are people who have been here all their lives and it’s all they know. You can’t take it away from them. Their home is their life. We’ve been hearing about this regulation for titles forever, but nothing is happening.”
Another resident said: “If it’s for metropolitans in Orient Bay and opening their restaurants everything goes quickly, but Pedro’s and other local places can’t open back. Pedro’s has been on Orient Beach before everyone else and they can’t give him a spot. This b-s has to stop. Look at Sandy Ground from the bridge towards Baie Nettle there are still homes without roofs 15 months after [Hurricane] Irma. But everywhere else things are back on line. We pay taxes too so why are we not being looked after? I’m ashamed the protest has come to this but it is the reality.”
President Daniel Gibbs did visit Sandy Ground at around 8:00am to briefly talk to the people. He told IOTV he understood the complaints and assured the people of his support. He will be addressing the issues one by one.
There was no official response to the protest by the Collectivité on Wednesday, however, it was understood it will be responding in a communiqué on Thursday. One of the issues fuelling the ire of the Movement is a land issue in Oyster Pond where Conservatoire du Littoral reportedly has or is about to take away property from a local family living there for 30 years.
Sandy Ground District Council representative and spokesman for the Movement, Cédric Andre, was in the meeting with Préfète Sylvie Feucher, but the outcome of that meeting is not known. The Préfecture had not communicated on the matter up to press time and Cédric Andre could not be reached. The blockade was, nevertheless, removed at around 1:00pm on Wednesday with a return to normal traffic circulation.
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/83823-sandy-ground-protest-organised-by-st-martin-people-movement
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