The Tribune

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

AUTHORITIES are likely to seal off shanty town sites before future demolitions after a confrontation at Montgomery Village left the chairman of the Unregulated Communities Action Task Force injured, Works and Family Island Affairs Minister Clay Sweeting said yesterday.

Mr Sweeting said officials had assessed the breakdown during the demolition exercise and would probably clear residents from similar sites before crews moved in.

Government crews demolished 64 of 67 structures in the Montgomery community off Cowpen Road earlier this month.

During the operation, a resident allegedly assaulted task force chairman Superintendent Stephen Carey, leaving him with injuries that required three stitches.

Mr Carey alleged at the time that the confrontation began after the resident threatened a Royal Bahamas Defence Force officer.

The man was arrested on suspicion of threats of harm and disorderly behaviour. While officers escorted him to a bus, he allegedly attacked Superintendent Carey. He is expected to face charges.

Mr Sweeting called the incident unfortunate and said it erupted after some residents refused to leave despite receiving extensive notice.

He said the Montgomery operation differed from earlier demolitions because residents remained on the property until the last moment.

“The difference with that shanty town, that was different from others in the past, is that people did not heed the warning,” Mr Sweeting said.

“In all the shanty towns, people moved out and found other accommodations. But in this situation, I guess people didn't think that it would be demolished, so they provided them with some leeway in regards to collecting the items, and during that, that did become an altercation.”

Mr Sweeting defended the government’s handling of the demolition, saying residents had been given more than a year to prepare and were granted additional time while officials assessed those living in the community.

“The task force did their due diligence,” he said. “They even provided them with some extra time to assess the persons in there.”

Mr Sweeting said only eight Bahamians were living in the community when crews moved in and more than 60 structures were torn down.

He insisted that dismantling unregulated communities remained a government priority.

“It is imperative that the government of The Bahamas deals with shanty towns,” he said. “They are unsafe, they are unhealthy, and they do not fall in line with what we want the future of The Bahamas to look like.”

Mr Sweeting said the government offers assistance to Bahamians and legal residents displaced by demolitions, although some do not accept it.

He said permit holders are also expected to help workers living under their sponsorship secure accommodation.

The task force has continued its enforcement drive beyond New Providence.

Mr Sweeting said officers were in North Andros yesterday assessing structures and issuing the required 30-day notices under the Building Control Act.

“Today, the task force is in North Andros, assessing the structures there and providing the shanty town there with notices regarding their 30 days, which is required by the Building Control Act,” he said.

The Montgomery demolition marked the latest phase of the Davis administration’s campaign against unregulated communities.

Officials have said residents were first served eviction notices in February 2025 and repeatedly warned that their homes would be demolished if they failed to leave.

The operation left several residents uncertain about where they would live. Some said they had struggled to find affordable housing despite searching for alternative accommodation, while others said language barriers complicated their efforts.