Our next story is about a property dispute involving two brothers who also happen to be neighbors in the Port Loyola Area.
Abdalla Bishop and Frederick Vernon say that their neighbor Joel Bishop is surveying what used to be a basketball court in the Old College area. The court - of what remains of it - falls between all three properties: Joel's, Abdalla's and Vernon's. They say this land should be kept public, and explained why:...
Frederick Vernon - Property Owner
"When I came in from work this morning, I met six survey persons under the house and I asked them what they were doing here. They told me that they were working for Mr. Bishop, Joel Bishop. They said that this property will soon be his. They said it is not his yet but the government intends to give him it as some sort of settlement. I don't know settlement for what but as you can see this is the only recreational spot we have in this part of Port Loyola. I don't think Boots or even the government has the right to just give away this as a settlement. This is the only spot; this was a functional basketball court. What happened is that hurricane came and silted up the area and it was neglected from then. I'm asking the government to please reconsider this. This is the only spot, we need it. The children have nowhere else to go. The government is against crime, they say and they are into providing recreational activities for the children, well this is it."
Adel Mohammed Abdullah - Area resident
"I want him to understand that we don't want problem. We know this is a government basketball field, we know it's for the people this. Boots can't give him this and he can't come like a mad-man and say he is surveying and paying for the survey to do want he want in our land."
This evening Joel Bishop told us that he doesn't know anything about a property dispute; he only knows that licensed surveyor is working in the area. When we asked if he is the owner of the new property, he said, "God owns it." As for the basketball court, he says that hasn't been in use for 20 years, so he doesn't know what they're talking about a public space. Boots Martinez told us that he doesn't know anything about it either.
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