There is a lot wrong at Stabroek Market Square

Oct 13, 2018 Letters

Dear Editor,
Only recently l penned a letter about the vendors’ (mainly water, juice and drinks) plight and asked that some sort of leniency or agreement could be made with the vendors and the City Council. Not a word was uttered except about the skullduggery being committed by Royston and some council member. Services by the City police (market constables) continues to ‘shakedown’ the vendors daily.
On Wednesday, the City police collected three vendors who were about to start plying their trade and handcuffed them. They then forced them to walk to Regent Street Constabulary office. According to one of the vendors, they told him they are arresting him for ‘obstruction of traffic’.
I find it disgusting at the treatment against these people who are trying to make an honest living, and also amusing. One of the vendors plies his trade between the route 45 (Lamaha/Hospital) and 41 (Norton Street/South) and his cart would be stationed alongside the 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 sort of manner causing traffic congestion all over. They cannot be dealt with.
At the Constabulary, the three vendors where given a very meticulous search and the order to post an eight thousand dollars bail. At no time were any charge written out or were they asked to give any statement or told anything, except ordered to sign the bail receipt and told that they have to attend court on October 18.
Immediately upon hearing this, I assumed some sort of dishonesty 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.
Only recently the Chief Constable was blubbering about the glorious plans for the Stabroek area and instead I am seeing serious ‘shakedown’, and robberies being committed.
Finally, I’ve always been supportive of utilising local products. 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 are even blended/mixed together and they even making lime juice (swank) and adding green coloring to it and 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 juices for the week. They vary between the cherries, sorrel, guava and passion fruit. Take a walk at Stabroek Area, spend time and you will see drugs being used 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 them are vendors for passage to go home when they finish working.
Sahadeo Bates

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