BVI News

Festival Fiasco: Residents furious after man evicted

Dozens of residents expressed outrage after a homeless man who reportedly sought refuge at the Road Town festival grounds was asked to leave sometime yesterday.

The man who occupied the ticket booth at the festival grounds was evicted after a resident accused the homeless man of squatting illegally at the ticket booth and shared photos and videos of the man’s misfortune.

In the Facebook post, which has since been deleted, residents accused the poster of invading the other man’s privacy and blasted him for not ‘minding his own business’. The poster also drew criticism for trying to shame the occupant of the ticket booth.

Another Facebook post, which was also removed, stated that the 21-year-old homeless man who had been evicted from the concrete structure at the festival grounds had nowhere else to go.

“I understand that a certain individual went and put his stuff on the outside and changed the locks,” the new poster alleged. “Yes, he is wrong for squatting there without permission, but still this is sad.”

The new poster said he spoke with the homeless man and explained that the two planned to visit the Ministry of Health to extend the man’s stay at the hut. He claimed that the homeless man is working, and is also looking for an affordable apartment within his budget.

“He just called and said the police came to him,” the Facebook poster explained.

He urged community members to come together and raise funds to help the homeless man.

But even as some expressed disbelief, anger and despair at the man’s eviction, the post also unleashed a wave of compassion from residents.

Many posted sympathetic responses to the man’s plight, with several offering assistance and extending various gestures of kindness, such as food and temporary lodging in some cases.

“This makes me angry beyond angry. This is not how you handle situations and whomever did this is WRONG. When we turn around in a few years and wonder why we see homelessness, this should be a key reference of the non-sympathetic individuals here in the BVI. I am pissed. Send me the individual’s contact details, please. I’ll be doing something about this,” one person wrote.

The poster later noted that persons reached out to assist the homeless man and suggested that he had found shelter for the evening.

The homeless man’s plight further underscores broader reports of homelessness facing some residents that was brought to light by Sixth District Representative Myron Walwyn last year.

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24 Comments

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  1. Capitol says:

    DW was dead wrong for what he did. He had no right to go there by himself and without the person present to remove their belongings. He should have handed this over to the appropriate authorities for handling. What is worse is that he felt the need to throw out the person’s things and then make a post on Facebook with the pictures trying to show himself off as some action person with his # energy. This shows me someone drunk with power who does not understand governmental procedures. I am deeply disappointed in DW. It shows how immature he really is.

    Like 35
    Dislike 2
  2. Hmm says:

    I mean what the f.ck have we become as a society buddy. It’s Government land it can’t be the man’s home. Why don’t they chastise his family for having him sleeping there and being a nuisance in town.

    Like 27
    Dislike 5
    • jim says:

      Exactly.

      This person was squatting. All those whiners complaining about this. Ok put up or shut up. Put that man in YOUR HOME! Oh wait a minute…

      How silly of you

      Like 4
      Dislike 1
    • @Hmm says:

      Listen to me you prick. The young dude is not a nuisance to you or anyone else. He have a low paying job and fell on hard times. The person referred to in the post is NOT SONNIEL!!!! I HOPE YOU AND OTHERS WHO ARE ON HERE THROWING DARTS FALL ON YOU ALL FACES. STOP KICKING PEOPLE WHEN THEYRE DOWN.

  3. Really?? says:

    Ok, well if it’s okay to just pull up and find a spot to squat…..then, hey, why not let everyone do that???

    Like 21
    Dislike 4
  4. I NEVA HEAR WUSS says:

    AYO SERIOUS? AYO REALLY THINK DAT MAN SHOUDDA STEY DEH?

    Like 12
  5. let us see says:

    We have now earned the energy to go around the BVI and do some social welfare humanitarian work. There are alot of people out there who find shelter in the still of the night all over the place. Because of wicked people, they prefer sleep under a bridge than to ask any of us for help. They get a bottle of water and bathe themselves through the bush and no one really knows they are homeless. Let us now go around the country and help people. Youall keep asking for prayer. Prayer is good, but prayer without works is useless

    Like 17
    Dislike 1
    • Karnage says:

      Why are they here? How are they here? Who brought them here? Yall got this thing for a joke.

      Like 4
      Dislike 1
      • Tall boy says:

        Is this person a local ? If not what hus status in the bvi ? We done have alot of illegal immigrants living amoung us . Not trying to sound heartless but you all think the bvi is a clown land or something i am so sorry this happen to him but how can he go in a place without permission. If he a local where his family .. i am willing to help but i need to know his status .

  6. Rubbish says:

    Nobody is furious about the guy being removed, people are furious about the immature individual that felt the need to brag and boast about kicking a struggling person out of a unit! All they had to do was handle the matter privately and leave it alone, no reason to gloat and boast and now he won’t keep off social media trying to explain himself since the stunt backfired. The place is a ticket booth, not an apartment so nobody expected them to let the person stay there. But what is achieved by bragging and posting on the web? The initial person that noticed someone living there is just as bad and just want atention. This matter shouldn’t have seen the light of day and could’ve been handled/managed by the relevant authorities swiftly and without drama. But what is BVI without drama? Meanwhile families are without food, schools are in shambles but look at what they are interested in. A bunch of sick sad f**king people pretending to be happy because they hold a little government post.

    Like 30
    Dislike 3
  7. Susan says:

    He is wrong for being there but how it wasn’t the other person’s place to post it on Facebook. Mama said today for you tomorrow for me. Karma is a Bitch.

    Like 5
    Dislike 1
  8. 2 wrongs don't make it right says:

    that’s all i have to say

  9. Ausar says:

    Thus is indicative of what we have become as as a society!

    Affordable housing, is almost nonexistent, and our representatives have offered little, to no solutions, to the problem!

    And you know, if this situation continues, in the not so distant future, expect to see many more persons, finding themselves in these types of situations!

    Where is the Compassion?
    Where is the Humanity?

  10. House in long bush says:

    Why the government don’t give him one of those empty houses up long bush!

    Like 7
    Dislike 1
  11. Yo says:

    Being a man is hard enough when some people think your the next super predator for no reason except being male.

    I just hope he has a support network. If he is working and motivated that is what matters most.

    See this is why you all kicked and screamed when people got grants in Covid. Every single business that applied except a few were given a grant. Farmers and fishers given a grant. All they remember is the farmers and fishers every business silent. We have become inhumane and nasty with this capitalist competition.

    Oh he has housing and I have to shack up with GF boohoo
    He get grant after humbling to apply and I didn’t apply after they asked for more applicants so My business didn’t get boohoo. Typical modern mentality.

    If I see a man in a place like that and have a girlfriend back home with a tv and such I’ll count my blessings.

    This the type of person to call police in the states when homeless go dumpster diving. What are you doing with your life?

  12. ok says:

    And to think, a poster tried to blast me for saying we have squatters in B.V.I, I said that because I know for a fact that we have squatters here, I’ve been to one, she wanted an internet fight but we too old for that so I just let her rant.

  13. Jus Say'n says:

    There’s Plenty of space on the hillside photo of this news article. Let him stay there for a bit until he can find somewhere affordable to love.

  14. Bush Idi o ms says:

    Typical Natures Secret” mentality. Complicity with crime is how they do but complain about unsolved murders. See them on their knees on Sundays and the spewing the Biblical quotes as evidence of their demon Righteousness.

    Hiding and abettjng the drug pushers,trespassers,squatters,thieves along with the escaped convicts and murderers.

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