Tracy Panton and Alliance Attempt Takeover of UDP Headquarters

With no one at the headquarters to put up a fight against the take-over, it was pretty much free reins for Panton and the alliance; that is, until the Police showed up.  Panton was able to gain access to the lower flat but they were blocked from occupying the upstairs.  When asked about the way she now chooses to evict Barrow, she rejected the narrative, saying that this is not an eviction but rather her taking, what she deems, as her rightful place in the party as the interim leader.

Tracy Panton, Leader of Alliance for Democracy: “The people have spoken man. The people have spoken and I cannot say that enough. 66% of our delegates is an overwhelming mandate. And they have spoken. We are not trying to oust him out of the party. We’re not trying to eject him out of the party. There is a new party leader. I will lead the mandate, I will take up the mandate and I will lead the mandate of the people. He is free to run in Mesop as a standard bearer for the United Democratic Party in Mesop.”

Reporter: Do you plan to stay here the entire day until the police leave or for how long ? 

Tracy Panton, Leader of Alliance for Democracy: “We will stay as long as it’s necessary.”

Reporter: So if word comes back that the police say you don’t have authority to go inside what happens then ? 

Tracy Panton, Leader of Alliance for Democracy: “We have the authority.”

Reporter: What if the police say you can’t go in ?

Tracy Panton, Leader of Alliance for Democracy: “We have the authority to enter this building because there is one trustee for this building and the trustee has given us the right to occupy this building. If something changes we’ll take it one step at a time.”

Reporter: We see locks being changed already.

Tracy Panton, Leader of Alliance for Democracy: “Yes we have taken occupation of the building, that is correct.”

Reporter: After this once you gain entry upstairs you will call the police on him ? 

Tracy Panton, Leader of Alliance for Democracy: “Absolutely. There will be no trespassing. We have the authority to enter this building and that is exactly what we will do.”

Reporter: What do you make of the argument that the convention was not authorized, it was unconstitutional, so basically what’s taking place after that everything else was not valid ?

Tracy Panton, Leader of Alliance for Democracy: “That’s a pile of hogwash. You need to stop repeating it. 66% of the delegates of this party spoke, they spoke loudly, they spoke clearly, they gave us a clear mandate and we’re acting on that mandate. Anything else, is as far as I’m concerned unconstitutional.”

Reporter: And to clarify you only came here with a court server not with police ?

Tracy Panton, Leader of Alliance for Democracy: “We came here with a court server and our attorney.”

As Panton occupied the lower flat, Sheena Pitts who the alliance has dubbed as the interim Chairman attempted to go upstairs.  She made it as far as the stairs as she was not given access.  She spoke with the media explaining that they came equipped with documents giving them the right to take over the headquarters.

Sheena Pitts, Chairwoman, Alliance for Democracy: “We’re saying that these premises, properly assets of the United Democratic Party are for the use and benefit of the United Democratic Party, are for the use and benefit of the United Democratic Party’s leadership, supporters and officials. And we’re all here to use the space. It is a matter of recognizing that there is a new and different leadership team that they need to make to share the space with so that that leadership team discharges the business of the opposition. We’re not evicting anybody. We’re not kicking out anybody. I need to belabor the point because at the end of the day all of us are UDPs.”

Reporter: But you will agree, I don’t want to be someone that the argument will be made though you may feel it illegitimate that these people already got expelled and they can’t come to UDP. I understand you reject it or you don’t associate yourself with it but you understand you can’t just forcibly take the building when there are matters of fact which are not universally agreed on.

Sheena Pitts, Chairwoman, Alliance for Democracy: “In relation to the assets of the building this property it is properly for the institution. There is no one person that has proprietary right over the institution or its assets. In relation to our authorization to be here it is the identified trustee on the documents that is authorizing us and that in itself grounds the reason why we’re here. And so for me to respond to you based on your premise would be for me to not adhere to what obtains.”

Fortunately, today’s tension did not escalate to physical violence, but it did get tempestuous when UDP’s Allan Kelly got into a one on one with the Alliance’s Brian Yellowman Audinett.  Profanity dominated that exchange until Police moved Kelly from the area.  One man who stood his ground was Ian Jones.  Jones was at the office at the time of the take-over.  He was told to leave the building but he refused.  A few hours later he gave the media an interview on what transpired and how he feels about the state of the UDP.

Ian Jones, Coordinator ,UDP: “I actually locked the door because I have the keys for the compound and I locked the door and I went back to the back and then I don’t know how they opened it because I have the only key. So they actually I would say forcefully barged their way into the place. They are saying they didn’t do that but I don’t know under how else you could describe it you know ? And then they went in there and started to proceed to change all of the locks. Then they went upstairs and started to break out the locks until the police arrived and stopped them. If they had the legal authority to do anything in this building the police would not have stopped them from the begging. The police are here for a reason. I know I locked the lock. I locked the door and they tried to serve some papers to the secretary general and I said I can’t receive no documents on behalf of the secretary general and so then I locked the door and I went to the back. Next thing I see they came in. I don’t know how they came in, how they entered but I know I had the only keys and then they proceeded from there to continue to change the locks.”

Reporter: Did they break the locks though ? 

Ian Jones, Coordinator ,UDP: “No lock was broken, they started to screw out the….if you notice that door you could actually reach your had in and screw out the lock is that’s what you need to do. The lock wasn’t physically damaged but it was removed. It was completely removed. The one upstairs was physically damaged tho, you can’t even get upstairs.”

Reporter: I can imagine you may have been in contact with Mr.Barrow. What has her relayed to you if anything at all ? 

Ian Jones, Coordinator ,UDP: “Nothing actually. I have not been having any conversation about what has been going on here. He was busy doing the party’s work and he said he would come down when he was finished and that’s that. Yes it was the police who contacted me to ask me what’s going on out there and I said I don’t even know. And then the police showed up here and they did what they had to do. Like I said earlier if they had any legal authority to the building I don’t think the police could have prevented them from entering. The police are here for a reason.”