By Adrian Frater, News Editor
Angry placard-bearing vendors protesting yesterday outside the
St. James Parish Council building, Montego Bay.
WESTERN BUREAU:
SCORES OF angry, placard-bearing market vendors who claimed they were roughed up by the police who fired teargas at them and took away their goods on the weekend, staged a noisy demonstration yesterday outside the St. James Parish Council building, Montego Bay.
"The police them beat us up, teargas us and then take away our things because we were selling at Market Circle and that is not right," said Marcia Adams, who claimed that the police were acting on the instruction of the St. James Parish Council. "We want the Parish Council to tell them to leave us alone," she said. Market Circle is a network of roadways outside the Charles Gordon Market, Montego Bay.
The vendors were particularly peeved by what some described as the "extreme cruelty" of the police in destroying the food they seized from them. According to the vendors, the food taken away was eventually dumped.
"It is all wickedness, look how many hungry people inna Jamaica and dem a dash weh good food," said an elderly Viola Campbell, as she angrily waved her placard, which read, "Too old to run from police".
While acknowledging that it was wrong to sell on the streets, the vendors contended that the Market Circle area, because of its nearness to the market, should not be classified as a normal road and should be deemed a "vending area" on weekends. According to them, that would be ideal as there is not enough space in the market to accommodate all the vendors.
"The 14 parishes meet at the market on the weekends so it is impossible for it to hold all of us," said Icyline Kentish, who complained that some sections of the market were filthy. "There is a section in the market called 'Gun Court' which is dark, filthy and infested with rats. Nobody wants to stay in that section."
Kevin Campbell, who has been selling at the market for over 11 years, said the action of the police had left him particularly angry and frustrated. According to him, he borrowed $15,000 from a relative and bought ground provisions in St .Elizabeth, but before he was able to sell one item, the police took away his cart with every thing.
"Right now I don't have a dollar in my pocket and me have me children them to feed and send to school." Campbell is adamant that Market Circle should not be classified as a normal road. "It is wicked thing for me to be right next to the market."
When the Parish Council was contacted for a comment on the incident, an officer said a delegation representing the vendors had met with Christopher Powell, the Council's secretary, but he was not privy to what was discussed. Mr. Powell was not available for a comment.
A member of the police squad which gathered at the scene of the demonstration, said the police were given strict orders to move vendors from all the streets in Montego Bay. According to him, unless the instruction was withdrawn, they would continue to remove the vendors from the streets.
