Liberia: Court-Ordered Eviction Forces More Than Me Students Out of Class Amid Heavy Rain

MONROVIA — Rain and tears marked a chaotic morning at More Than Me Academy on Tuesday as a court-ordered eviction forced hundreds of students out of their classrooms at the all-girls school on Ashmun Street in central Monrovia.

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By J.H. Webster Clayeh, websterclayeh@frontpageafricaonline.com

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The eviction came amid a heavy downpour, disrupting classes as students were reportedly ordered to gather their books and leave the premises shortly after arriving for the school day.

Teachers had not yet begun classes, while students had little time to collect their belongings before being forced to vacate the building. The development is the latest turn in a long-running legal dispute over ownership of the property, which has been occupied by More Than Me Academy for years.

A court sheriff reportedly arrived at the school with an order directing the institution to vacate the premises. Police subsequently barricaded the entrance, preventing students from re-entering the building as the eviction exercise unfolded.

The property is claimed by the Montgomery family, which says it has been denied access to the premises for more than 15 years.

Speaking on behalf of the family, Erica Davis said the family recently obtained a favorable ruling from the Supreme Court, which it believes paved the way for enforcement of the court’s decision.

Davis described the eviction as the culmination of a legal battle that the family had pursued for more than a decade.

“I told them that they suppose to move. I got my documentation. It has been 15 years on this case. They got to go today and we are not going to be nice to them and say let’s talk about it later, no, we gave them time, we gave them 15 years to talk but they called me crazy woman, she is not the property owner. And so, we are not sorry for them l, they need to go,” the Montgomery family spokesperson says.

Davis further questioned why students were present at the property despite the ongoing legal dispute.

“Let the children go home, they can’t use the children of Liberia. Why they had the children out here when they know they are going through court issues.”

School Blames Government

The school’s administration, however, said it does not blame the Montgomery family for the eviction, instead accusing the Liberian government of failing to adequately communicate the status and outcome of the legal proceedings.

According to officials of the school, More Than Me Academy had been occupying the premises under government instruction and expected government officials to keep the institution informed as the legal case progressed.

School authorities said they received no subsequent information about the status of the case, describing the sudden eviction as a betrayal and arguing that the government’s responsibility should have included protecting the interests of students whose education has now been disrupted.

“We do not blame the Montgomery family, but the government failed us,” an official of the school said.

The school said it was particularly disappointed that it was not informed whether the government had prevailed or lost the case, arguing that either outcome should have been communicated to the institution before enforcement of the ruling reached its doors.

With the academic year already underway, the eviction has left hundreds of students without access to their classrooms.

School administrators are now reportedly exploring alternative arrangements to ensure that students can continue their education.

The institution is also said to be attempting to negotiate with the private property owners in the hope of finding a temporary or long-term arrangement that would allow classes to continue and prevent students from losing additional instructional time.