Their occupation is over. The 60-year-old couple who accessed a house in the Los Geranios neighborhood, in Arrecife, have already abandoned it. An eviction order has ended the occupation of Antonio Medina Cabrera and Olegaria Rodríguez, 63 and 59 years old, respectively. The children of the owner of the house, who is hospitalized in the Insular Hospital and whose husband passed away, reported this appropriation to the courts. Justice has ruled and the couple has had to leave the house.
The couple left the house in Los Geranios last Wednesday, January 27. A few days before, agents of the Local Police appeared at the door of the house, located at Peñas de Espino street number 2. They notified Antonio of this eviction order. "They told me that in five days I had to leave the house," this man tells La Voz.
Águeda Delgado, the daughter of the owner, is satisfied with the "speed" with which Justice has acted. "It has been much faster than I thought and that is why I am happy, but it offends me that they have invaded a private space and that, in addition, they have made it public. It bothers me that they have spoken badly of my family and my father, may he rest in peace."
This story, however, does not end here. Águeda assures that belongings are missing in the house and that her parents' house furniture is "destroyed". Last Friday she went to the house with agents of the Local Police to make an inventory of damages. "I have taken the document to the courts because they have a list of belongings there that I gave them when I found out that the house was occupied. They will tell me if I can sue or not," says this woman, who is considering suing this couple for leaving the house "disgusting". "Everything is full of filth, the furniture is broken...? The police have made a count of the things destroyed."
Will not occupy more houses
Antonio and his wife now live on the charity of their friends and children. "One sleeps in one house, another in another, like dogs, we go," he laments. However, he is not considering trying to occupy a new house, with this experience he has had "enough". "The judge told me not to try it again, that it would be recurring, and those are bigger things. Also, I was able to speak with Inés Rojas (Minister of Social Affairs of the Government of the Canary Islands) and she asked me not to do it again, that it would be worse for me," says Antonio.
This man is only considering waiting for "at some point" to be able to access a social rental housing. "I need them to give me something, but I'm not going to occupy more houses," says Antonio. "We'll have to endure," he says.
For her part, Águeda sighs, as she knows that the "nightmare" has ended. She also asks families who are in a difficult situation to go to social services to help them, but "do not think of occupying houses." "Respect private property," she demands.