CURB: Tucker’s Point SDO a Slap In The Face

February 10, 2011

Citizens Uprooting Racism in Bermuda [CURB] have strongly condemned the proposed Special Development Order for Tucker’s Point Hotel saying: “Once the home for centuries to a majority of Black Bermudians, and which was forcibly taken away from them, will be the scene of money-making activity yet again, with 78 residences (starting at $3.2M) and 70 hotel rooms being build across the 240-acre site.

“CURB views this proposed SDO as a slap in the face to the original residents and their descendants… they were made to give up their land and homes all those years ago so someone else could make money and exploit their property; and they and all Bermudians are being told it will have to be given up once again for the same reason.”

Almost 100 years ago, the Government of the day ordered a compulsory purchase, or otherwise acquired, a large portion of land in Tucker’s Town, which resulted in numerous people having to leave the area. The majority of the families forced to sell were black Bermudians. The family of well known singing group the Talbot Brothers were amongst the many families who had to relocate from the area.

According to the book “Another World, Bermuda and the Rise of Modern Tourism” – the last lone holdout Dinna Smith refused to sell and the Police entered the property and  physically removed her.

The book said: “Finally late in 1923 the Police were called. Her possessions were put in the road, and she was carried out. Her home was boarded up, and old Tucker’s Town ceased to exist. Smith remained bitter for the rest of her life. After this event she used to spend her time sitting on an orange crate smoking a pipe, whenever anyone passed she would recite this little poem. ‘Goodwin Gosling is a thief and everyone knows it. He carries a whistle, and Stanley Spurling blows it.”

The full statement from CURB is below:

CURB wishes to collaborate and lend their voices to those already raised against the Tuckers Points Special Development Order which will be discussed in the House tomorrow. This matter is URGENT with the Government already having granted the SDO in principle, but under the new transparency regulations it will be debated in the House of Assembly tomorrow before it goes to the Department of Planning for final approval.

We are aware of the many residents in the East End of the island who are upset that this SDO might go ahead; that this area, once the home for centuries to a majority of Black Bermudians, and which was forcibly taken away from them, will be the scene of money-making activity yet again, with 78 residences (starting at $3.2M) and 70 hotel rooms being build across the 240-acre site.

CURB views this proposed SDO as a slap in the face to the original residents and their descendants… they were made to give up their land and homes all those years ago so someone else could make money and exploit their property; and they and all Bermudians are being told it will have to be given up once again for the same reason.

The reason given by Tuckers Point for the SDO, and for the probable loss of this exquisite and historic land to yet more concrete, is that it is ‘critical to the financial viability’ of the hotel and will help repay their bank loan. The Government’s reason for allowing the SDO is that it “responds to strategic, national issues and the development needs of the day.”

Once again for short term gains for the few, there will be long term permanent loss for all the people of Bermuda, our children, our history and our environment.

We applaud the Tuckers Town Historical Society for their stand in protecting this historic legacy for our children; and the Bermuda National Trust for their stand against the SDO on both historic and environmental issues. We lend our voices to those of conservationist David Wingate, the Bermuda Audubon society and the many other individuals whose voices have already been raised, and those historical organizations that are planning on raising their voices against this Special Development Order.

We urge Government to remember Dr. Martin Luther King’s word ““The time is always right to do what is right” and give more time for the people to express their concerns and wishes before this land once again becomes carved up and lost to Bermudians forever. And we urge the people to URGENTLY contact their MPs, Government officials, and the press and to use the social media to “Share” this email to everyone on their email/Facebook/Twitter contact lists in order to express their concerns about this proposed development. Or contact CURB at curb@northrock.bm

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Comments (29)

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  1. Pete says:

    It surpises me that the residents in Tuckers Town aren’t kickin sh!t out the SDO.

    • Bottom Line says:

      I think even CURB now understands that the PLP have out UBP’ed the UBP.

      • itwasn'tme says:

        maybe you and every other skeptic would prefer we go the way of Zimbabwe and Magabe…..give the land back to the people and decendants that once owned it????? Listen, the property belongs to Tuckers Point. They want to develop it and sell the homes for at least 3M…..How the hell is this gonna affect the middle class homeowner? IT WON’T……who cares if we have 75 new wealthy residents in Tuckers Town anyway.

  2. jason says:

    guess the current government cant force them into selling now..like they done 100 years ago..& now we wonder why majority of blacks are in a housing crisis..hmm, makes me wonder how much other land they stole from blacks, which now has a stupid value on the land to keep black from buying it..smfh @ you in denial white ppl

    • Go forth and multiply says:

      I don’t think the majority of Blacks are in a Housing crisis. And there is also not anyone alive from 100 years ago, so who would be the white people be in denial? Especially when something is in the hands of an essentially all black government, who has been stealing from the people for a decade now. Let’s face it, there has never been any morality in Bermuda’s politics and there certainly is not any now, despite race.

      FYI, Tuckers point is one of the only Hotels open at the moment! If we want our economy to recover then we should do our best to keep it open. If we keep up the hostility towards our Hotel operators and International business by playing the Race card and slamming them with legacy issues that they themselves did not create! Guess what, Bermuda will be a poverty stricken Hell hole in a couple years. But at least we can say we got back at the whitey!

      • Nicki says:

        You sure about that comment? What rock have you been living under? It doesn’t matter if no one is alive from then, it’s well documented and a fact. White people of today are in denial about it. They want blacks to just get over it and like jason said you wonder why black Bermudians are in the state/situation they are now.

        • Go forth and multiply says:

          Are black people in the state that they are in because Tuckers point want to develop their Hotel? Which has been authorised by an all black government.

        • LOL (original) says:

          Sorry but I think black people are as in denial as whites. A minority of people on this island are hard done by not the majority. If it was the other way around the crime on this rock would dwarf what is going on now. Point blank.

          LOL

        • Tired of nonsense says:

          So i guess the Portuguese families (like mine) who were also forced to move should be in the state that you state black Bermudians are in now?

          What state would that be by the way? The majority of black Bermudians that I know are well adjusted, hard working and family oriented people.

          Are you stating that the minority of thugs and trouble makers within the black community are the best representatives of the community as a whole?

          I thought it was only white people that only tended to look at the negatives of the black community?

          • Nicki says:

            You must be living under the rock next to that person. I didn’t say they weren’t hard working and family oriented. I also didn’t say anything about crime or thugs. Yes many/most black Bermudians are hard working and family oriented and still don’t have anything to their name. A majority of this country is black yet white people own the majority and are higher up in the income bracket. Passed down through generations after blacks were robbed. Maybe you should learn how to read and comprehend and look up Bermuda history. Michael Dunkleys family aren’t struggling, Grant Gibbons family aren’t struggling but that black family that works for those families are struggling to pay for a 2 bedroom apartment that costs $3000 a month.

            • Tired of nonsense says:

              And for some reason you think that all white people are either Gibbons, Dunkleys, Triminghams etc??

              You need to get out more and mingle with the people that you are stereotyping…

              • LOL (original) says:

                For real, Nicki you are living under the rock do you need help to get from under it?

                LOL Ps I am in a two bed room apt. and have to pay 4,000 a month w/ a family of four wtf are you blind as well as delusional. Do you even know any white people?

      • Sara says:

        I’m pretty sure that Fairmont Hamilton and Fairmont Southampton Princesses are both open. Pretty sure The Reefs is open. Pretty sure Coco Reef is open. Even Newstead is still OPEN.

        • Go forth and multiply says:

          “one of the only hotels”, why don’t you ask all the others how their occupancy rates are?

    • Tired of nonsense says:

      Actually from statistics I have seen it is black Bermudians that own the majority of the island’s housing stock…

      I know for a fact that this white boy owns no property and rents from a black Bermudian that owns multiple properties…

      But I know that doesn’t jive with your racist arguments…so lets make up facts as we go to justify our hatred for others…

  3. What it was... says:

    Lets get this straight before all the history revisionists start up again.
    It was a Government compulsory purchase order to buy the property at market value.
    It was NOT forceably TAKEN from them as in ‘stolen’. Admittedly , I’m glad I wasn’t there then but the gov’t of today can STILL and still does exercise compulsory purchase orders.

    It was what kick started Bermuda into the tourism industry proper. Something which pretty much all Bermudians benefitted from up until the dominance of IB

    Besides , people love to believe that it was only blacks who lived in Tucker’s Town back then …. there were many whites affected by the buyout as well.

    And lastly , how great are the chances that Tucker’s Town would look anything like it does today if nothing had changed back then in the way it did ?

    Now .. flame away !

    • Tired of nonsense says:

      “It was NOT forceably TAKEN from them as in ’stolen’”

      “Besides , people love to believe that it was only blacks who lived in Tucker’s Town back then …. there were many whites affected by the buyout as well.”

      It is funny how some conveniently forget such facts when spouting their racist nonsense. Actually one of my ancestors was affected by this compulsory purchase.

      You guys need to learn your history instead of the revisionist history that so many in this island like to spew.

  4. REALIST!! says:

    Since you ALL went there, the same people running the government THEN are the same people running the government NOW!! Not the actual people but the same bloodlines and people with the same interest. Where do you think the government gets MONEY? The HSBC’S of the world and the rest of the BILLIONAIRES that want to turn Bermuda into their personal “COUNTRY CLUB”!! Don’t even be so naïve and stupid about the past and say “oh they did for the betterment of Bermuda” you sound so dopey!! Educate yourselves and don’t bring that BS over here, tell that to ALL the other brainwashed, dumbed down sheeple!! Nothing they do is for the people of Bermuda, only to quench their thirst for total power and wealth!! The average Bermudian can’t even ever afford to stay in their “Luxury” hotels. 3.2 million dollars for a summer home, GTFOH!!!

    • Go forth and multiply says:

      I think your right! I think that the millionares should all leave and so should all the white people along with them. Bermuda will be better off in the long run as an exclusively black country with no foreign money invested what so ever. According to your comments it only did this country wrong anyway. Just imagine how great this tiny Island would be.

      How would we eat??? Fishing and Farming?

      Bermuda is not big enough to have a domestic tourism market. If you can understand what I am saying, since your sooooo educated. I can see that education just oooozing out of your comments. PS: Bermuda is not the real world, but it sure as hell relies on it to make ends meet.

  5. Andrew H says:

    This has nothing to do with Race. It is simple Economics. If Tuckers Point can not build they can not surrvive! If they close it will detract further development, and drive us deeper into a recession. HSBC will then be forced to forclose on Bermudians houses and then forceably take their homes, not buy them at market value. Who has the power now? Lets get real, we need to work on attracting more International Business and Tourism NOW! In order to stimulate our dying economy or we will become a third world country.

    • S Brown says:

      I agree, nothing to do with race, but rather economics.. CURB is reaching.

      Fact of the matter is, Bermuda has been trying to sustain itself at a level which is too high for most. It will come crashing down very soon, I am convinced.

      In all honesty, there is only so much Bermuda can do to attract IB without exploiting itself. The work permit argument is BS… ANY IB exec, chartered accountant, underwriter etc.. has no problems getting their work permit renewed.. it there was an issue it was due to the company’s HR Dept making a mistake.

      IB has their own reasons for going to different domiciles, which is probably out of Bermuda’s control.

      as for Tourism.. I recently came back from a short trip to one of our neighbors down south, Bermuda has a looooooong way to go when it comes to tourism. I am not even talking about hotels either.

  6. JimmyJohn says:

    Well said “What is was..” I still don’t know how CURB can state ” all Bermudians are being told it will have to be given up once again for the same reason.” Give what up??? That land does NOT belong to the public now and never has. If they don’t grant the SDO CURB makes it sound like it will still belong to the Bermudian public which it does NOT! It is privately owned, not publically owned.

    • Jean Foggo Simon says:

      Yes privately owned NOW by earlier theft and destruction of families you probably don’t even know still exist!! You are an idiot.

      • JimmyJohn says:

        Thank you for your respectful reply you close minded fool! We are debating about who owns the land NOW!! Your ancestors do not own the land NOW and I am sure who owns it NOW did not remove your ancestors from their homes. Also, by the way, I am pretty sure there were not BULLDOZERS 100 years ago. What was done 100 years ago was WRONG but that does not deter from the fact that it is private property NOT public property!!

        • Jean Foggo Simon says:

          Another non-Bermudian speaks! You are not debating anything. You are commenting on a newspaper article. So fool, go home where you belong and stay out of Bermudians’ history and business. I know my ancestors history by researching the facts and handed down documents. I don’t waste my time with fools like you either. If you had any connections, you would not speak like you do. You would be more respectful of Bermudians feelings and their attachment to the land – not money as you seem to be entrenched in.

  7. Winnie says:

    The more things change, the more they remain the same, enough said.

  8. Jean Foggo Simon says:

    Well, well, well….here we go again – saying and thinking that “they” are all dead who inhabited that land centuries ago. Yes, my ancesters are gone, some buried at Tucker’s Town even, But, ever heard of “descendants” – well we are still ALIVE and when something like this rises in our faces, we have to do something about it – even if it means nothing to you. it is a matter of principal.

    I give my support to CURB because I, and many of the descendants, have an historical connection to this land. This is not for the “good of the country” as we were told in the early 1900′s when we were forced from our homes. One relative was picked up while making bread. She refused to move from her home.She was lifted up, bread bowl in her hand, and forced from her home to make way for the bulldozer – have any of you ever experiences “removal by force”. Until you know the true story – say something that makes sense and that is not financially related.
    Bermuda is on its way to being the playground for the rich and famous! It is being destroyed piece by piece. Hamilton looks like a mini-Chicago, USA – building beautiful now, but when all those companies close down, what do you think will happen to those beautiful buildings??? Disrepair, rusted metal, falling concrete, now turned into a ghetto. – The same for Tucker’s Town – who can afford to live there? Any of you? It is not for the average Bermudian. The area is one of the most naturally beautiful places in Bermuda. Why do you think the rich want it? Plants, flowers, blue waters, views to the ocean – how long before another hotel is put up there and take away all the beauty that remains? It has more to do with economics than race – but then again economics plays a large part in keeping the “Poor in their place”. To even gain entry to Tucker’s Town, one has to go through a gate. What does that tell you. These people do not have any history in their bones. I am concerned that some of my ancestors bones will be disturbed by removal and pouring concrete over them. My great grandparents moved from Tucker’s Town to Cooper’s Island or were forced to move. The home that my grandfather grew up in still stands there, owned by the Government – fenced in. We were not given much to relocate. I remember living in a wooden shack that the Government built for our families while they built “small” houses for us in payment for taking our land. Try that on for size – it is not a pleasant memory. As soon as this hotel is paid for, something else will be requested. When does it all stop? Open your eyes – remember Hong Kong and the destruction that took place there with all the building and then those who did the destroying left Hong Kong and where did they relocate????? I think you know. Even the Mayor of New York lives there. That ought to tell you something. OPEN YOUR EYES!!!!

    • mixitup says:

      Well put! Further more, why didn’t tucker point original plan work? They were given the SDO to complete what they have there today, who did that business plan and marketed it? Why would gobbling up the finest remaining woodlands fix it now?

    • Nicki says:

      Exactly!