The Central Kingstown Development Organization (CKDO) is currently locked in a tense standoff with the Ministry of Social Welfare over the management and occupancy of the Redemption Sharpes Community Centre.
Leroy Rock, the president of the CKDO, reports that his organization has been effectively shut out of the facility they have utilized for nearly twenty years.
This displacement has left approximately EC$50,000 worth of assets, including desktop computers, musical instruments, and community records, trapped inside the building without a clear path for recovery.
The dispute intensified following the November 2025 general elections, which saw a change in government. On December 2, 2025, Rock was summoned by the Criminal Investigations Department and instructed to hand over the keys to the centre.
Although Rock maintained that the keys were held through official ministry channels, police officers escorted him to his home to retrieve them. Since that day, the CKDO claims they have been denied access to the building, despite reports that other community members and political groups have been seen entering and exiting the premises.
The impact of this lockout has been felt most directly by the local youth. The organization’s annual summer program, which historically accommodated 50 children over a two-week period, was forced to scale down to only 15 children for a single week.
Rock noted that the program also faced a total loss of government funding under the new administration, whereas the previous government had provided EC$1,500 for food and supplies.
Minister of Social Welfare Shevorn John has defended the government’s actions, stating that the ministry owns the building and requires it to be vacated for necessary repairs.
The Minister described the facility as being in a condition unfit for children’s programs and expressed frustration with Rock’s frequent requests for specific items from the building. John asserted that her officers cannot visit the centre weekly to satisfy individual requests and that the organization needs to make arrangements to remove all their belongings at once.
Rock remains adamant that the CKDO should not be forced to vacate, citing the organization’s significant investment in the building’s development. He highlighted that while the government built the ground floor, the top floor—which houses a library and computer lab—was funded through a project initiated by local groups and financed by the Social Investment Fund.
Rock also claims that the ministry has not conducted a proper verification process for the inventory and has only allowed the organization to retrieve items selectively rather than what was requested. As both sides remain firm in their positions, the future of the community centre and the assets held within remains uncertain.
