Dispute over fence at Tourism Village leads to gunplay

A legal dispute over a fence escalated to gun violence over the weekend at the Fort Street Tourism Village. According to court reports on Saturday, employees of the Ministry of Natural Resources were dispatched to the area along the Haulover Creek to dismantle the fence that separates the Village from the Harbour View Restaurant. We understand the Government has taken issue with the structure, stating that there is an agreement to allow the free flow of cruise passengers along the boardwalk. We understand Chief Engineer in the Ministry of Works Cadet Henderson showed up at the site on Saturday and informed Village officials that heavy equipment was on the way to remove the wall. Henderson left but apparently a crew remained at the site with a mandate to finish the job. It is alleged that the government employees then scaled the wall from the Harbour View side and began cutting the structure’s metal frames. A confrontation then ensued between the men and the Village’s security guards. The guards allege that they told the workers to cease and desist three times and when they didn’t, one of the watchmen pulled out his handgun and fired warning shots into the river. The police arrived a short time later and the situation remained tense until commanding officers were informed that an application for an injunction against the government has been before the court from the sixteenth of October. Legal counsel for the Fort Street Tourism Village, Dean Barrow appeared before Justice Troadio Gonzalez this morning and asked the court to treat his clients’ application for the injunction as urgent. Legal officer in the Ministry of Natural Resources Nicola Cho was unable to appear in court today so the matter has been adjourned until Friday. Until then, the government has agreed nothing will be done at the site.