NASSAU, BAHAMAS — A Bacardi Road shantytown resident yesterday claimed the land owner has received over a million dollars from residents over a 20-year period.

Matny Fren, a truck driver and father of three, told to Eyewitness News that the community stopped making payments in November last year when the alleged owner refused to give the residents a receipt of payment for rent.

According to Fren, the owner collected $800 from about 20 homes in the small community for over 20 years although some homes were not a part of her Crown land.

Matny Fren

He spoke to Eyewitness News following an attempted demolition exercise on Saturday when Coalition of Independents leader, Lincoln Bain, an alleged land owner Jestina Curry and supporters advised residents to leave their homes and began to place an X on the buildings. The group was stopped by police who requested Curry provide documentation that authorized the exercise.

During a Facebook live video, Curry said that she made reports to the police about the aggressive behavior of the residents. She claimed that the residents threatened her after a visit to the property.

Curry did not respond to calls placed yesterday.

Yesterday, Fren said: "We pay our land from Tina. Tina comes to collect her money from us every month. Her eye come open when we tell her we gonna stop paying until you give us our receipt because we need something if the government come in the back here."

"She say you need to go to the police to give us a receipt. She says she is the owner of the property. We don't live free here," he said.

Lincoln Bain leads a group of supporters and alleged land owner Justina Curry on a walkabout through the Bacardi Road shantytown on Saturday.

Sidoles Felix, a blind elderly resident, stated that the land his home sits on was built by the former owner, "Mr. Hanna", who is now deceased. He claimed the owner gifted the building to him.

Despite being unsure of the land debacle, Fren said residents have no intention to initiate violence but simply asked for more time to relocate after Bain and Curry gave the residents a few hours to leave their homes.

"I know this is not our land, this Bahamian land, but he can't just come in the back here and give the people eight hours. Nowhere in the world, you could find that," he said.

Felix claimed that during the campaign period, officials visited the community to garner votes from their Bahamian children, but after they gain power, they are forgotten.

"We need somebody to stand up for us because in The Bahamas 45 percent of people who live in this country is Haitian. They might change their name. So, every other five years they come and walk in the back here 'cause they need our support."

"I don't come to thief, I don't come to do violence, I don't come to do nothing wrong. I come to work," he said.

For his part, Fren said that Bain's motives on Saturday were an attempt to paint an angry picture of the small community, but the tactic was unsuccessful.

"Lincoln Bain is a man like everybody," Fren said.

"How he comes in and the Bahamians come in they ready to fight with us. So, they looking for something. They try to get Haitians to do something. To make us look bad. We don't look for this. All the police who come in the back here, they reasonable. They told me Lincoln Bain can't put y'all out in eight hours. That makes no sense in the world."

The truck driver claimed that over 90 percent of the residents had legal documentation but many were incapable of working due to their age and physical disability.

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