Dear Editor,
The recent attempt by Royston King and his city constables to harass, bully and prevent hardworking farmers, gardeners and wholesale produce vendors from vending their produce on the Merriman Mall is a most callous and self-serving act.
All over the world there are farmers’ markets where citizens are given the opportunity to purchase fresh produce on specific days at special prices, and this is what happens two days a week on the Merriman Mall. His lame excuse that they are not meeting the high standards of excellence expected of them by the council is laughable. How does he then explain all the other hundreds of vendors in the downtown area and around the city, who do not meet these lofty standards but who are not being moved?
It is clear that Mr King and company have their eyes set on acquiring the mall for their own purposes as this action comes on the heels of similar attempts to remove the Pan African Movement from the same area.
The vendors should not sit back and believe that the battle has been won, as they were only allowed to return to the area based on the intervention of the President and not on the goodwill or good sense of Mr King or the council.
What are these honest, hardworking rural agri producers expected to do for a living?
Are Mr King and company not aware of how pervasive the crime situation is in this country? They should use the constables to make the city safer not to pester small business persons.
Yours faithfully,
Nadine Jerrick
