WATCH: 20 families homeless after early morning demolition in Trelawny
TRELAWNY, Jamaica — Some 20 families in Coopers Pen, Trelawny, have been left homeless after a demolition team reportedly tore down about 20 housing units in an early-morning operation Tuesday.
The residents say they have been before the courts since 2009 for the parcel of land that some say they have occupied for more than three decades.
Residents said the demolition crew arrived on the parcel of land shortly after 3:30 am, catching them off guard and leaving little time to save their belongings.
The team reportedly arrived with two excavators, sledgehammers, pickaxes and other equipment, and was accompanied by a strong contingent of police personnel.
Residents said they received no prior warning before the demolition began.
They also claimed that, before leaving the area, members of the demolition team warned that they would return in the coming weeks to continue the operation.
