People chased from homes

He was speaking yesterday at the Laventille Community Empowerment Symposium held at the Laventille Technology and Continuing Education Centre, Eastern Main Road, Laventille.

“You know that there are people chased out of their homes for years having worked hard, having struggled, having inherited it. Somebody just decide ‘I want your home’. In fact right now we are dealing with a situation where it is suggested that two young me lost their lives because somebody wanted their home,” he said.

Hinds was likely referring to the murder of brothers Dexter Williams and Lloyd Johnson who were shot dead near their La Pena, Laventille home early Friday morning.

Relatives have said the two brothers may have been murdered by persons who wanted to gain access to their house which was located in an area of Laventille being fought over by two rival criminal gangs.

Yesterday Hinds said he has seen people chased from their homes “time and time and time again” and described it as a “grievous act of indiscipline and a grievous act of selfishness”.

Continuing on the theme of selfishness in Laventille, he reported that he knew of two groups “that used the plight of the people of Laventille, going all over the place, including internationally, and talking about ‘poor people in Laventille and downtrodden and all of that and gaining benefits, material benefits, which Laventille never saw and if Laventille saw it, it saw minuscule amounts”.

He told the gathering that he would like to see a greater sense of community in the area.

Hinds said Laventille’s issues are not so much about infrastructure but culture, and by culture he meant the things we do and the way in which we do them. He explained he spends a lot of his time and energy on intangible issues, while he understood the importance of improved roads, schools and water access, these things do not make a community.

He said since starting public service in 1995 his theme has always been improving minds and hearts. “So that we can find a softer Laventille because this a tough place. Sometimes I think that there is no sense of community at all rather it’s about individuals and individualism and personal pursuits,” he added. He said in this country when people have issues they to come together and lobby government and they are heard but he has found over the years that “Laventille does not speak with voice”.

He added that because of this they are not respected as other groups and this was the real reason why more than 55 NGOs were invited to attend the forum. He said they want to hear their concerns but also called on them to organise into one representative group.

On the symposium, he said there were many government and non-government services and opportunities available to the people of Laventille which they were either not aware of or did not pursue with “robustness”.

Constituency coordinator Clay Thomas said the event featured a wide cross section of participating individuals and organisations as well as representatives from the Ministry of Community Development, Culture and the Arts and the Ministry of Labour and Small Enterprise Development