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Vendors divided on downtown clean-up
Published: Friday | October 15, 2010 0 Comments and 0 Reactions
A vendor screams her disgust with the actions of the security forces during activities on West Queen Street, downtown Kingston, yesterday morning. - photos by Norman Grindley/Chief Photographer
A vendor tries to save her scallion in anticipation of the police as they clear stalls on Heywood Street, downtown Kingston, yesterday. - Ricardo Makyn/staff photographer
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Arthur Hall, Senior Staff Reporter There was mixed reaction to the decision of the police to clear the streets of downtown Kingston yesterday.
While the most vocal of the vendors voiced their opposition to the move, the quiet minority endorsed the action of the police.
"Me support the police dem and me glad how the place look," one vendor on Heywood Street told The Gleaner before she was aware that she was being overheard by her neighbour.
"The police dem just wicked and a fight poor people," she shouted as soon as she found out that her neighbour had heard her earlier comment.
"The police say me can sell on the sidewalk as long as me not in the road and me can deal with that," said a vendor who identified herself as Yevonne.
No problem
She said she has been selling on Heywood Street for several years and had no problem with the decision of the authorities to clear persons selling in the middle of the road.
"Me willing to move off the roadside but tell me where me must sell. You need to take a look in the market. In there stink and when it rain, it flooded. In that market (Jubilee) is not rat running from you, is you running from the rat them," one female vendor said.
Other vendors also expressed a willingness to move into the markets but argued that the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation had failed to maintain these facilities at an acceptable level.
But at the other end of the spectrum were vendors dead set against any plan to move them off the streets and determined to return.
"This is where me sell for more than 20 years and me must come back out here," one woman said as she pointed to a space in front of the Ward Theatre.
"Me go through this over the years and me know the police dem soon gone and me soon set up back," the vendor said.
Other vendors were livid as they charged that the police had destroyed goods valued at hundreds of thousands of dollars.
"We heard that notices were given out but none was given to us, and even in the early morning when me try get me goods, the police them run me," one vendor said.
"This is more than wickedness. The police dem no have no mother," said another.
arthur.hall@gleanerjm.com
Published: Friday | October 15, 2010 0 Comments and 0 Reactions
A vendor screams her disgust with the actions of the security forces during activities on West Queen Street, downtown Kingston, yesterday morning. - photos by Norman Grindley/Chief Photographer
A vendor tries to save her scallion in anticipation of the police as they clear stalls on Heywood Street, downtown Kingston, yesterday. - Ricardo Makyn/staff photographer
1 2 >
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Arthur Hall, Senior Staff Reporter There was mixed reaction to the decision of the police to clear the streets of downtown Kingston yesterday.
While the most vocal of the vendors voiced their opposition to the move, the quiet minority endorsed the action of the police.
"Me support the police dem and me glad how the place look," one vendor on Heywood Street told The Gleaner before she was aware that she was being overheard by her neighbour.
"The police dem just wicked and a fight poor people," she shouted as soon as she found out that her neighbour had heard her earlier comment.
"The police say me can sell on the sidewalk as long as me not in the road and me can deal with that," said a vendor who identified herself as Yevonne.
No problem
She said she has been selling on Heywood Street for several years and had no problem with the decision of the authorities to clear persons selling in the middle of the road.
"Me willing to move off the roadside but tell me where me must sell. You need to take a look in the market. In there stink and when it rain, it flooded. In that market (Jubilee) is not rat running from you, is you running from the rat them," one female vendor said.
Other vendors also expressed a willingness to move into the markets but argued that the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation had failed to maintain these facilities at an acceptable level.
But at the other end of the spectrum were vendors dead set against any plan to move them off the streets and determined to return.
"This is where me sell for more than 20 years and me must come back out here," one woman said as she pointed to a space in front of the Ward Theatre.
"Me go through this over the years and me know the police dem soon gone and me soon set up back," the vendor said.
Other vendors were livid as they charged that the police had destroyed goods valued at hundreds of thousands of dollars.
"We heard that notices were given out but none was given to us, and even in the early morning when me try get me goods, the police them run me," one vendor said.
"This is more than wickedness. The police dem no have no mother," said another.
arthur.hall@gleanerjm.com
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