Activist blames white expats for pricing locals out of land market

Community activist Kishma Penn has targeted white expatriates working in real estate, saying they are inflating land and housing costs to levels most BVIslanders cannot afford, and has called on the government to intervene.

During a Facebook Live discussion, Penn stated: "All these white expatriates who running all these real estate companies, they're pricing the rent and the land out of the hands of the locals." She directed her main criticism at government, asking: "What is your government doing to look out for its people and fix it?"

Penn outlined a legislative approach: requiring developers to set aside property for locals when subdividing five acres or more. She suggested reserving 20 to 25 percent of such developments at below-market rates. "We can't buy the land because they price all the pretty land them out of our hands," she said.

The former civil servant also addressed what she sees as misplaced anger within the community. Many BVIslanders, Penn argued, direct resentment toward expatriate workers of colour in construction and corporate settings, especially when those workers gain status and build homes, while overlooking white expatriates who benefit from rising property values.

Penn said: "You're watching the wrong set of people as per usual." She distinguished between expatriates she opposes and those she views as contributing positively, noting she supports those "who understand that they don't own our place and come to make it better."

She challenged residents to take action, saying: "Get out of your houses and learn to march and protest, and sign the petitions when they are going around. This is your country." Penn also posed a broader question: what concrete benefits does citizenship offer locals compared to expatriates in accessing land and economic opportunity?

Her comments reflect growing community debate on social media as an election approaches.