Family of activist Eddie Carvery angered after removal of his trailer from Africville

A famous trailer at the edge of Africville, N.S., has been removed.

For 55 years, Eddie Carvery’s trailer stood as a symbol.

It’s where he led Canada’s longest recorded protest, but for his niece Tinesha Carvery, it’s also the place she feels the most connected to her uncle.

“He’s very much my father figure. He’s raised me from the time that he taught me how to swim in the Halifax Harbour, taught me how to drive a bike in the Commons, taught me how to break down firewood during the protests,” she says.

Eddie Carvery camped out at Africville’s historic site, believing it would eventually give the community justice after the city bulldozed it in the 1960s.

His family hoped the trailer would stand the test of time even after his passing in February.

“His trailer was a revolving door, and that’s what people do not understand. He had coffee made. He would have a conversation. He understood how connection with people made a difference. And that’s the impact that he’s made on me and my cousins,” Tinesha Carvery says.

Her family was disappointed when they showed up Monday morning to find the trailer gone.

“We’re all spending our Easter weekend with our families. This is something that we didn’t expect because we all came down here to see the trailer and connect with my Uncle Eddie on another level. Regardless wherever he’s at spiritually, we were coming to connect with him and that’s how we found a bare land. No trailer,” says Carvery.

“It’s almost like I want to say a slap in the face. It’s almost disgust that I feel and sadness, not even just for the situation, but sadness that they would reach this level with no communication.”

The Africville Heritage Trust confirmed they facilitated its removal and claim Eddie Carvery and his family knew it would eventually be removed.

“Mr. Carvery himself was notified in November that the trailer would be removed. The company that removed the trailer spoke to Mr. Carvery themselves and they actually offered him an option. They said, ‘If you have a place that you would like it to go, we would rather take it there than take it to a towing yard,’” says Juanita Peters, executive director of the Africville Museum and a member of the Africville Heritage Trust.

“They gave him a few weeks to think about it, and then they called him back and said, ‘Well, maybe one of your family members would like to have it.’ And that turned out to be not so.

“He said no. He just wanted it to stay here. And of course, it can’t stay here.”

Peters says the trailer became a safety issue, but wouldn’t specify how.

She says the current police presence on site is to ensure the safety of the museum and those inside.

“Mr. Carvery only passed away in February. I’m sure that people are still feeling the grief of that. I would never want to interfere with people getting out what they need to get out. But we have a job to do as well. The board of the Africville Heritage Trust has made it very clear that that trailer was a safety issue for us.”

Peters says the museum has plans to honour his protest with a monument that will soon be revealed at the park.

“We created a monument, it’s quite large, that tells Mr. Carvery’s story. This was something that he saw before it was actually fully created, and was a part of the making of,” she says.

Carvery’s family says they’re committed to bringing his trailer back to what they believe is its rightful place.

“The anger is almost boiling in my soul, but I know that I have to take that energy and put it somewhere else to be more progressive for our community,” says Tinesha Carvery.

“We won’t let this die. We will never let this die. This is our heritage and will forever fight for it. And we will go to war for it. We’ll make sure our message is out there that the protest isn’t over.”

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