Guayaquil Ecuador: Police bulldoze slum, leaves families without anywhere to go

Panamapost.com / Rebeca Morla reported Ecuadorian police destroyed the houses of 40 families in Isla Trinitaria, a deprived neighborhood in the port city of Guayaquil, on Friday citing environmental protection reasons.

On March 27, over 200 officers from the irregular housing prevention agency STPAHI arrived at the squatter settlement on the shores of the Estero Salado, an estuary that flows through the city which the government of President Rafael Correa has declared a protected area.

Amid clashes with residents, the officials used heavy machinery to tear down the houses, mostly made of wood and improvised materials. STPAHI chief Julio César Quiñónez argued that the eviction notice had been issued 20 days earlier, with the agency warning the inhabitants that they had to leave the area within 48 hours on March 5. However, it later decided to extend the period by three weeks, giving residents more time to relocate. Read Article

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