The illegal structures erected by businessman Anthony “One Foot” Knights of Oropune Gardens in Piarco which housed his hardware and commercial shop were dismantled yesterday by a demolition crew hired by the Housing Development Corporation (HDC).
The HDC, however, assured that the move was not a “fight down” but just the beginning of an exercise where they were going to all HDC communities and removing all illegal structures that were in breach of its respective contracts.
An emotional Knights, whilst admitting that he was wrong in breaching his HDC contract, was determined to see other businesses in the community demolished just like his.
“What’s good for one should be and is good for all,” he said.
He even carried some members of the media on a tour around the community and pointed out businesses that he said were operating in breach.
Guardian Media was told that the HDC had identified four other businesses and was expected to swoop down on them soon.
Knights is an amputee, having lost one of his legs during a robbery several years ago in which he was a victim. He was shot in the leg and doctors could not save it.
In 2011, Knights and his family became homeless when their home at Trou Macaque, Laventille, was destroyed by fire. They were subsequently relocated to an apartment in Oropune at Building 3A. Two years ago, he lost one of his four children to crime. His son, Keston, 24, was killed as he was attempting to quell a domestic fight in early August 2017.
HDC’s demolition crew moved in on Knights’ Singles Construction Hardware at about 9 am where they broke down several illegal structures that were erected in front of Building 3A and in front of Knights’ apartment. They also removed stockpiles of sand and other aggregates that were being kept on HDC land on the opposite side. That parcel of land had several shipping containers used for storage and also illegal structures that were being occupied by Knights for his business.
Speaking with Guardian Media yesterday, Knights described the demolition as “sad” but added that he strongly believed that he was doing a good for his children and his community.
“I have three children, boy children. When I decide to put things in place so they can be kept on that straight and narrow road, I opened a little hardware.
“I had a little business where I was selling things. When they come from school they can keep themselves occupied by doing something constructive and not be in any gang thing. Go in the hardware and do what you have to do instead of going about the place and getting yourselves in problems.
“I provided these things for my children. Now, to see that these people are here destroying all of that, it is hard and sad. What am I going to do now?” Knights lamented.
He claimed that he had a verbal agreement with HDC’s managing director Brent Lyons and another official and their attorney recently. He also admitted that he received several warnings from the HDC about the breaches as well as an eviction letter.
“I want to be honest, they sent a letter saying what you doing is not in the contract and it’s supposed to be that I notify them before anything. And they would be coming to break down my place. So I sent back a letter stating I wanted to meet with them.
I went in the office, we all had a discussion about the structures,” Knights said.
He claimed that he was given time and promised a place in another street to operate his business.
HDC said in a release yesterday that it was during a visit to the area on Saturday by Lyons and executives that they saw and confirmed the existence of reported homeowner infractions and breaches.
During their visit the HDC team spoke directly with the residents who were in breach of the homeowners’ rules and advised them “to treat with the situation before the HDC had to resort to its final position of demolition and/or eviction.”
Over the past year, the HDC said, it had observed and had been taking note of the major breaches made in this community and hadurged all those who are in breach and those who would have previously received correspondence from the HDC, to do the right thing and remedy the situation before the HDC took further action.