Port Loyola mother of nine served eviction notice

By now most Belizeans realise that anything having to do with land or houses in Belize City is a complicated web of documents, arguments, and reality. But tonight there is a disturbing case emerging from Port Loyola involving the eviction notice served to the residents of a small house on Arlington Drive. They have no legal rights to the building or land, but trapped in the middle of this mess are nine innocent children. News Five’s Karla Heusner reports.

Lisa Neal, Facing Eviction
?They bring a paper saying that I have to come outta this house. Weh me and my nine children they going? I noh gat no way fi go.?

Karla Heusner, Reporting
Lisa Neal was with her youngest children at the place she?d called home for the last two years when police arrived this morning and told her to remove her things immediately. She sought help from Area Representative Anthony ?Boots? Martinez since he had been instrumental in putting her in the house.

Anthony ?Boots? Martinez, Area Rep., Port Loyola
?In 2003, April of 2003 I got a call from the Social Department that one Ms. Lisa Neal was living in St. Martins with eight children at the time, in a deplorable condition and as Ms. Lisa Neal is a resident, or registered in Port Loyola they asked if I could assist in finding her a reasonable place for her to stay. Moving around in the area, I met Ms. Baird, Ms. Allison Baird who at the time was the legal lessee for this place. Ms. Allison Baird signed a declaration form in my presence and giving Ms. Lisa Neal authority, and by extension myself, who find the seven thousand dollars to do the whole interior, put the septic tank, put some filling and everything, on a five year premise that she would be allowed to live here.?

?The legal lessee said, ?go true, fix up di place.? I have a declaration form where weh state everything in regards to what…and in real truth this is two months of salary for me.?

But Martinez says months after that agreement with Baird, Ambassador Dolores Balderamos Garcia made arrangements for Baird?s lease to be cancelled and transferred to one of her campaign workers, Jennifer Ariola. A legal battle ensued and after a lot of hauling and pulling, the Neal family says they got permission to stay in the house.

Lisa Neal
?As far as I concerned, it was being resolved, because I talk to she personally too, and she tell me that she and Mr Boots make arrangements. So like I straight, right? So I never got nothing fi worry bout.?

Karla Heusner
?So what are you going to do today??

Lisa Neal
?I don?t know what fi do. I noh know weh I wah do.?

Jennifer Ariola declined an on-camera interview with News Five today, but she insists she never told Neal or Martinez that the family could stay on Arlington Drive. She even produced a copy of a land title showing that both the house and lot are in her name.

This evening, Former Area Rep Dolores Balderamos Garcia maintains that Ariola was one of her most needy constituents and the building was handed over in a housing programme just before the 2003 general election.

But that?s when things get really complicated because Ariola didn?t move in, Baird didn?t move in, and the Neals needed somewhere to live. And as Ambassador Garcia maintains, everyone ?knew this day would come.?

Anthony ?Boots? Martinez
?We are trying to resolve this situation in regards to I am on the south side committee, so we can see how we can try to rectify this problem before the five years that Ms. Lisa Neal had permission to stay here?dah like they give you something and pull the rug from underneath you.?

Karla Heusner
?So what is the immediate plan for tonight??

Lisa Neal
?Well the immediate plan for tonight, cause be what it may, we don?t have no other immediate plan but to try to move back the people inside a di house. So I don?t see no other immediate plan for today. What wah happen now, we going to lef them out yah mek dem dead? I don?t see any immediate plan for today!?

Karla Heusner for News Five.

Late this evening we have been informed that efforts are being coordinated between the office of the Area Representative for Port Loyola and the Ministry of National Development to determine a permanent housing arrangement for the Neal family.