“You Can Hide, But You Can’t Run”

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NASSAU, BAHAMAS – A South New Providence shantytown was the scene of a pre-demolition exercise this morning.

What started as the removal of doors from unregulated structures, turned into the demolition of more than half a dozen illegal structures. Officials say it is a warning to residents still living there of things to come.

Residents looking on as officials from the Ministry Of Works, Royal Bahamas Police Force, and Defense Force, descended on the illegal community.

This resident carried a stove, the last item she was able to move from her home. But others weren’t so lucky as their homes were torn down with everything they owned inside.

But what exactly is a pre-demolition? Officer-in-charge of the Unregulated Action Task Force, Superintendent Stephen Carey explains that it is a soft demolition, by removing doors and demolishing some of the buildings.

And that’s just what happened. A pile of doors that were taken off hinges earlier, sitting at the entrance of the shantytown.

But residents were in for a surprise, this tractor rolled in ready to tear down the first structure.

It’s the latest unregulated community to be demolished in recent months. Officials in the Ministry of Works say, it serves as a warning.