For months we've been telling you about the conflict in the village of Duck Run 3. It's a small immigrant village that sits southwest of Spanish Lookout. In May we first heard Villagers saying that they are being pushed off their farms to make way for a cemetery.
They claimed that the area rep, Orlando Habet, has been trying to run them off of the land that they developed over many years. In June, Habet backed off, and agreed to leave the squatters there.
But today, when surveyors appeared in the area - the villagers saw red and put up a fierce fight to block them. Here's the story:
The warning came from Duck Run 3 in a defiant voice note this morning.
Rose Letkeman, Resident, Duck Run 3
"We will do what what we have to do to protect our lands, our houses, our families."
"If the Prime Minister and Cordel Hyde don't move these police in our area, if they don't move Landy to come and threaten our lands, this will be a mess."
"We are tired and we want you to know that we are not scared. If they don't move them, we will do justice in our own hands."
And as this live Facebook post showed Letkeman and two of her neighbores were ready to defy police who showed up in force and with a high powered rifle.
They were determined to block the work of the surveyor who was mapping the area leading to a standoff with police. They were undaunted by his very big weapon.
The standoff at the survey peg lasted for as long as it could, before police arrested them.
Maria Guardado and Rosa Letkeman were handcuffed together and then her husband Luis Guardado was also arrested.
George Guardado, Parents arrested
"It saddens me that today my dad and my mom were arrested along with Ms Letkeman just for holing their foot over a peg trying to avoid having the surveyors get the coordinates to have the land surveyed."
Letkeman called on Nancy Marin for assistance, she led the villagers to remove the survey markers:
Nancy Marin, Family Friend
"It is illogical, it is unacceptable to displace living human being, families, to accommodate the dead."
"So they removed her form the way thinking that th
e will. Weaken the group, but we are removing the pegs and we won't allow them to go in."
Marin explained to the villagers that she had previously interceded on their behalf with the Prime Minister - and that there would be no more problems.
But, here they area again - in the teeth of a land dispute:
Nancy Marin
"From the time the problem the families have contacted me and asked me to help them to c communicate to the Prime Minister and to the media, to try to help them get assistance. The Prime Minister had promised us that he was going to speak to Landy and it seems that he has not been successful, in that Minister Habet does not listen to reason."
The official position is that these residents have only been squatting here for five to six years and thus have no claim to the land which is earmarked as a cemetery:
Nancy Marin
"We have a few families that have been living in this aerator over 36 years some of them, some of. Them later, but Minister Habet in coming into power decided that he's going to build a cemetery or that's the excuse he's using to build a cemetery in the area where these people are living and farming. Hew is trying to displace families, elderly people children, single mothers to build a cemetery in this area."
George Guardado, Parents arrested
"We have lived in this land for 15 years, we have tried to apply for it, but according to the system, our applciaiton is blocked. Where it got blocked? It got blocked from the Minister."
Nancy Marin
"These people have applied for the land, some of them actually have lease for these lands and he's not respecting any of that , ah, so this is the,I don't know how many times since he's been elected, that he's sent police, he's sent surveyors and we keep removing the pegs."
So, the dispute stands, the government side is determined, while the villagers are militant and asking for urgent intervention:
Jessica Escobar, Area Resident
"I am one of the many neighbors that is being affected by the situation that's happening. I happen to be a single mother who has had to leave her job in order too come, due to the problem that's happening. It has been happening for many years now and many of us would like it to come to an end."
"I had to see my neighbor get arrested and it has to have an end to it at some point."
Marin tells us that the survey work continued after they left - so the villagers intend to go back tomorrow to once again, block the survey. We'll let you know how it goes.
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