Dear Editor,
Only recently, I penned a letter about the vendors’ (mainly water, juice and drinks) plight and asked that some sort of leniency or agreement be made with the vendors and the City Council. Not a word was uttered, except about the skullduggery being committed by Royston King, and that City Police (market constables) continue to ‘shake down’ the vendors daily.
On Wednesday, October 9, the City Police collected three vendors who were about to start plying their trade. They handcuffed them and forced them to walk to Regent Street Constabulary office. According to one of the vendors, they told him they were arresting him for “obstruction of traffic”.
I find disgusting, and also amusing, the treatment meted out against these people who are trying to make an honest living.
One of the vendors ply his trade between the Routes 45 (Lamaha/Hosp) and 41 (Norton Street/South) parks, and his cart would be stationed besides a light post, which is not a hindrance to any traffic from any of the routes’ vehicles. Meanwhile, all the routes have buses parking in all sorts of manner, causing traffic congestion all over, and this cannot be dealt with.
At the Constabulary, Editor, the three vendors where given a very meticulous search, and the order to post an eight-thousand-dollar bail. At no time was any charge written out, or were they asked to give any statement, or told anything, except being ordered to sign the bail receipt and told they have to attend court on the 18th. Immediately upon hearing this, I assume some sort of dishonesty had been involved, because why would they assign a date so far away and not same, next, or a closer date? I hope someone shows a little interest into this matter, because only recently the Chief Constable was blubbering about the glorious plans for the Stabroek area, and instead I am seeing serious ‘shakedowns’ and robberies being committed, among other crimes.
Finally Editor, I’ve always supported utilising local products, and this particular season, there’s a wide variety of fruits available; and through strong determination and creativity of many young people, all the fruits are being used to produce local fruit drinks, some even blended/mixed together, and they are even making lime juice (swank) and adding green colouring to it, and it is selling.
Admirably, the various vendors could be seen with their white hats and clothes vending. They are worth praising, because many people are supporting them, even tourists. I’ve had over eight juice for the week, and they vary between the cherries, sorrel, guava and passion fruit.
Why are they given a fight down instead of being helped? Had this sort of fight down occurred under the PPP/C, we would have been hearing of discrimination, but now we are seeing brothers fighting down brothers. Such is ‘A GOOD LIFE FOR ALL’.
Take a walk at Stabroek area, spend time, and you will see drugs being utilised openly; touts cursing, tugging, pushing and abusing passengers; people being robbed in bright daylight, and vendors crying because their honest hustle is too much for the City Constable, even though many of these constables bumming vendors for passage to go home when they finish working.
Yours respectfully,
Sahadeo Bates
