It was a mixture of grief and hopelessness as Liberian business owners and residents of what is known as JR. Beach, near Coconut Plantation in Mamba Point, stood by and watched men hired by the Liberia Land Authority, LLA, hammered down their structures.

With a huge police presence, the LLA men, without any remorse of conscience, broke down some of the structures even, while some of the owners were nowhere around.

As the walls of the demolished structures were falling to the ground and the victims pulling out their belongings, by-standards also pulled out their smartphones and videotaped every moment of the scene.

The victims, including the children of a sick man, Thomas Koenig, Jr., in whose honor the Beach is named, begged LLA authorities on the scene for mercy, but the authorities gave death ears and continued the demolition, while the old man, who suffers a minor stroke had not been taken out of the building.

“Please, our dad is sick and has nowhere to go,” one of the children fruitlessly pleaded with the authorities, while the loud sounds of falling walls echoed through the air.

Resistance put up by some residents and the business owners to stop the breakage of their structures did not yield the desire outcome due to the huge presence of police armed with firearms and teargas.

The Land Authority on April 16 this year marked the structures for demolition and warned the residents and business people to move or be removed.

An LLA official recently said the Government has ordered the demolition for development purposes, while unverified reports say the demolition was influenced by Lebanese businessman, Wahee Eid, who, it is alleged, has over the years, claimed ownership of the beach.

When this Paper contacted Mr. Eid by telephone, he declined to speak on the matter.