Before their homes were demolished by a work team, residents of Coopers Pen, Trelawny, were initially shocked when about 25 men in the community were taken from their homes by police early yesterday morning. Some 20 families have reportedly been left homeless by the subsequent demolition exercise. Curtis*, one of the men who said he was taken from his home about 3 a.m. and transported to the Falmouth Police Station, insisted he had done nothing wrong.  “Me never have nothing. Them search mi house and them never find nothing, throw me in the jeep carry mi down a Falmouth and nothing. Them just hold we down deh,” he told THE STAR. “A just take them come take wi out so them can mash down we place.” Another resident, Ben* said he was equally caught off guard during the pre-dawn operation. “Mi not even did know a police out deh. A come me come out go look through the back door. Them carry 20 or 30 ah wi in the truck and mi naa lie, dem nuh put dem hands on we. Dem say them a look fi gun but we a hardworking people,” he said. “A the last set a man dem carry down tell me say them a lick down everything.” He told THE STAR that he immediately returned to check on what was left of his one-bedroom home, which had a bathroom and kitchen. “Everything mashed up, mi washing machine, two fridge me have and them deh mash up. Mi TV deh deh. Mi camera pon the outside mash up, [and] mi electrical tool wah mi use to work,” he said.  The men expressed confusion as to why they were detained.  “Dem just take we name. Mi nuh see no processing gwaan. As dem mash down the place dem send we back a road. Mi never see nothing like this from I born,” Curtis explained. When he returned from the station in a taxi, the sense of relief that might have accompanied his release was instead replaced by pain and disbelief after seeing what was left of his home. “Honestly, mi traumatised. A three person in my house and mi have mi little three-year-old daughter,” he said, shaking his head in disbelief. He described the treatment as simply “inhumane”. “Wi know a nuh our land, enuh, but them could at least give us a notice and tell us take the thing dem. Them just come mash up everything, furniture, clothes. All mi bird gone.” “No justice nuh deh fi poor people. Them no respect poor people,” Ben said angrily. Ben alleged that the man they understood to be the owner of the land had previously been lenient but had since died. “Wi use to give a man money, give him money without no problem because wi know them have to pay tax so we never have no problem but look pon this now,” he said. Sandy*, whose babyfather was among those detained, told THE STAR that sometime after 4 a.m., after police had scooped up the men, residents saw other men in workers’ vests, with jack hammers and other tools breaking the grilles off of buildings. Sandy said residents pleaded with the demolition team to allow them to retrieve important belongings. But they weren’t able to grab much. “We have to run out because the tractor man start tear down everything. Fridge and TV mash up and wi have to move away and them a say dem give we warning how much years ago, but a bare new people deh ya,” she said. Sandy said although she was relatively new to the area compared with some of the other residents, they had paid to stay there, each amount dependent on the number of rooms. Moesha Richardson, whose bar was torn down, told THE STAR that the establishment had been a popular chill-out spot for residents. She said after closing the business shortly after 11 p.m. Monday, she had no idea that she would receive a call hours later about the demolition.  “Mi money gone, mi two poker box gone, everything and there is no update. When mi come, everything open up, mi top shelf liquor gone like Hennessy, Remy Martin, Tequila. Mi pack mi fridge, the two a dem, and those mi come see half,” she said. Richardson said she also had a dwelling on the property, which was also destroyed.  “Everything flat a ground, bed everything. Mi just build back from [Hurricane] Melissa and just finally get the chance to get over Melissa, and get the chance to get back on our foot and see we are right back to square one,” she said. Throughout the day, residents gathered beneath trees and near a corner shop, many staring silently at what remained of their homes while others expressed anger and disbelief. One man who was detained searched through the rubble in a vain attempt to recover whatever he could.  “Weh wi ago sleep tonight? Which part the old woman over desso ago sleep tonight eeh?” he asked. “How much young baby?. Unu nuh have no heart to poor people and unu would have to shoot me if I was here because look at this.”

*Names changed to protect identities.