MP Tova Hamilton and ODPEM Respond as Mayor Gager Clarifies Cooper’s Pen Evictions Followed Private Court Dispute
Jamaica Live News Desk– | Aug 12, 2026
TRELAWNY, Jamaica — Member of Parliament Tova Hamilton, in conjunction with the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), moved on Wednesday to respond to the plight of residents of Cooper’s Pen, Trelawny, who were displaced after being evicted from property by a private developer following a longstanding court dispute.
The intervention comes amid growing public concern and conflicting narratives surrounding the demolition exercise, which left several residents saying they were suddenly homeless.
Videos and accounts from affected residents quickly circulated on social media, with some claims attempting to link the demolition to the Trelawny Municipal Corporation and local government authorities.
However, Mayor of Falmouth Collen Gager has firmly rejected those claims, maintaining that the Municipal Corporation was not responsible for carrying out the demolition.
According to Gager, the exercise was undertaken by a private developer following a court ruling concerning the occupation of the property.
The Trelawny Municipal Corporation has also formally distanced itself from the operation, making it clear that the demolition was not a municipal exercise.
Residents Tell a Different Side of the Story
While the authorities have clarified who carried out the eviction, affected residents are disputing aspects of the circumstances surrounding their removal.
Some residents say they and their families have occupied the parcel of land for more than 30 years and argue that the dispute over the property is far from new.
They further claim that matters relating to the land have been before the courts since 2009, raising questions about the history of the property dispute, the legal process leading to the latest action and the circumstances under which the eviction was ultimately executed.
Their claims have added another dimension to the controversy, as families now grapple with the immediate consequences of displacement while maintaining that their connection to the property stretches back decades.
At least 20 to 25 houses were reduced to ruins. The demolition team warned that they plan to return to clear an additional 40 homes still standing on the property.
Dozens of residents, including a widow who lived there for decades and a three-day-old infant, were left sleeping on the roadside and in local bus stops with their salvaged belongings.
Tova Hamilton and ODPEM Move to Assist Residents
Against that backdrop, MP Tova Hamilton, working in conjunction with ODPEM, moved to respond to the immediate plight of the affected residents.
The intervention shifts attention from the political arguments surrounding responsibility for the demolition to the urgent humanitarian situation facing families who say they have been left without homes.
While the legal ownership and occupation of the property are matters determined through the courts, the displacement of residents — including people who say they have lived there for decades — has created an immediate need for assistance.
Mayor Gager has also expressed sympathy for those affected despite making it clear that the Municipal Corporation was not responsible for their eviction.
He said he hopes the private developer and residents can engage in discussions and ultimately arrive at an amicable resolution.
Separating the Political Narrative From the Facts
The Cooper’s Pen controversy has quickly become politically charged, but the distinction between the legal dispute, the private developer and the Municipal Corporation remains important.
Based on the account provided by Mayor Gager, the demolition was not ordered or conducted by the Trelawny Municipal Corporation. It followed a court dispute involving a private developer and persons occupying the property.
At the same time, residents maintain that they have occupied the land for more than three decades and that litigation surrounding the property dates back to 2009.
Those competing accounts make it important that the full history of the dispute, the relevant court decisions, the notice given to residents and the circumstances surrounding the execution of the eviction are clearly established.
What is clear at this stage is that families have been displaced, the Municipal Corporation denies carrying out the demolition, the action has been attributed to a private developer following a court ruling, and MP Tova Hamilton and ODPEM have now moved to address the immediate needs of the affected residents.