Former Africville residents and their descendants are rallying behind longtime protester Eddie Carvery.
Carvery’s grandson, Eddie Carvery III, says watching his grandfather get threatened with eviction after living on the old Africville site for years is frustrating.
“I can’t find the words to justify how I feel because I saw my grandfather and I’ve only seen him defeated like that one time before, and that’s when his other protest site was demolished after he had a major heart attack,” he said.
“Why come for this man when he’s at his lowest? It shouldn’t be, right? It’s heartbreaking.”
The elder Carvery has been protesting on the site where the community used to stand since 1970, and has been issued various eviction notices during his time.
Most recently, he was issued a parking ticket on July 14 after the Africville Museum requested it be issued — saying his trailer has been on their property for four years.
Carvery III says it’s really impacted his grandfather, especially given his recent medical diagnosis.
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“That’s very sad for somebody who spent 50 plus years by himself fighting for the people,” he said.
‘It’s like he was defeated.”
While it’s only a parking ticket, for the organizer of Monday’s rally, there’s more to it.
“Essentially, it is an eviction notice, although a lot of people will tell you that it’s semantics,” said Stephanie Daye, an elder and land rights advocate.
“But I think that it was a very sneaky and underhanded way to address what they see as a problem.”
As of Monday morning, the municipality cancelled the ticket and informed the museum it was working on letting Carvery know.
A spokesperson for Halifax Regional Municipality told Global News that due to a lack of identification number and inspection sticker, the trailer could not legally be tied to Carvery.
As for Carvery, he says he’s determined to keep fighting for Africville.
“I’m here. I’m not going to quit,” he said, adding he’s looking for reparations and the land of Africville to be returned to the community.
“I’m not going away. And I’m not going to allow them to take my shell. Providing they do that, they’re going to have to put me in jail.”
Carrie Toussaint-Hill, the chair of the board for the Africville Heritage Trust, spoke with Global News on July 29 and added that a final notice was issued to Carvery from the Heritage Trust earlier in the month.
“We wish Mr. Carvery the best, we’re not trying to impede his protest in any way, shape or form, it’s just unfortunately that his trailer in that part, you know, can’t remain,” says Toussaint-Hill.
She says with more visitors coming to the site and the museum looking to expand, Carvery will not be able to stay – due to the liability of his trailer being on their property and the plans the Trust has in place for the future.
For more on this story, watch the video above.
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