‘We ain’t got nowhere to go’ – City pavement vendors say move to evict them unconscionable

Feb 01, 2024 News

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Kaieteur News – The Mayor and City Council (M&CC) will be in ‘for a long haul’ when it comes to the removal of vendors from along the pavements of city stores and popular businesses.

This was the overall sentiment expressed by vendors who have spent almost their entire lives eeking out a living via Bank’s DIH’s Demico House at the Stabroek Market Square.

Kaieteur News spoke to the vendors in wake of impending court action geared towards clearing the area of vending. Chairman and Managing Director of Banks DIH, Clifford Reis announced on Saturday that after failed efforts with the Georgetown City Council to remove vendors from outside Demico, Stabroek, the company would be moving to the High Court to seek redress.

The announcement came even as Muneshwers another established city enterprise secured a Court order which saw vendors being removed from the pavements close to its Water Street stores. But vendors like Kevin [only name given] are adamant that in order for the vendors to move the Council must find feasible alternatives for them play their trade. “We can’t fight the system. It is up to the Mayor and the court but the council does collect a fee from us if its $1500 a week to use the pavement so they will have to make a place for us,” the father of three who is stationed outside of Demico for the past 15 years selling phone accessories told this publication.

He noted that it would be a hard task for the Council to now attempt to curb a culture they encouraged to develop without a proper alternative. “You think anybody want to be out here but we out here because we got family to mine and children to feed. Suh even if the constable move we tomorrow we coming back next day cause we ain’t got nowhere to go,” he added.

Linden Benjamin who set a tent adjoining the pavement at Demico, where he sells household articles admitted that the announcement by the Managing Director of Banks DIH has been him a bit uncomfortable.

“I can’t understand how they could decide to remove people from earning an honest living.  We pay the council every week, a lady does come around with she book and collect we money so is how they really removing we cause we having kids and we having bills. This is something that the council to need to look at.”

The vendor lamented that the neither council nor businesses have approached the vendors about finding suitable alternatives for them to continue to ply their trade. “I believe the council and the vendors and businesses could come to an understanding of how they should sell because everybody got to live.  They should not have a hard approach to removing the vendors from the paves,” he explained.

Rose [only name given] a female vendor told this publication that she has been stationed outside Demico for over 30 years. “I does sell food and the same banks drinks, and beers so, me ain’t understand that I buying from you and you looking to kill me business. This thing doesn’t work suh!” she asserted. According to the woman, the vendors at Demico will not take the actions to remove as easy at the vendors who were removed from Muneshwers. “We aint taking things suh easy, we paying the council. So they got to look after we,” she added.

Similarly, Sean Cummings said “I out here since I went in school, I sell and go to school, these stand I set up help pay for everything I get.  I pay look after my children, pay my mortgage, buy my vehicle from what I does do so I can’t see the council will move just suh we aint moving!”  According to the move by Banks DIH would face resistance from the pave site sellers.

“This is about over twenty persons and their families to be affected. We don’t see an alternative.”

Last year Chief Justice Roxane George-Wiltshire ordered the City Engineer to enforce the city bylaw by removing anything whatsoever left, placed or stored such as to encumber the pavement or pavements and street or streets situated around Muneshwer’s property situated at Lots 9-10 Water, Commerce and Longden Streets.

However, the order was not so easily complied with as the Mayor and City Council were tasked with removing the more than 30 vendors who had been selling clothing, food, and other items on the pavement and hanging some of their items on the building. On Sunday vendors, the remaining stalls outside Muneshwer’s Store on Water Street, Stabroek were demolished and taken away in keeping with a High Court said. At the time, City Mayor Alfred Mentore noted, “Many vendors had already vacated the area but others that remained were notified of the administration’s intended action.” Mentore later softened his approach towards the court order.  “At the end of the day,” he said, “the streets are somewhere that we have to monitor and regulate… It’s difficult for the judge to say you can’t use your streets in whatever fashion or form.”

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• court action, Demico, long haul, M&CC, removal of vendors

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