LAST Friday’s clampdown on illegal sidewalk vending in Half-Way-Tree, St Andrew, unearthed a number of items that surprised Kingston and St Andrew Corporation (KSAC) officials and workers.
“Among some of the items seized from structures that these vendors have erected on the sidewalks were gas cylinders, stoves and, in some cases, bed structures,” City Inspector Alrick Francis told the Jamaica Observer.
The early-morning raid was conducted a day after a similar operation in downtown Kingston.
Francis said that the household items were posing a danger to the public, making it difficult for people to walk on the sidewalks, and were attracting rodents.
But the operation, in which stalls were demolished, left several of the vendors fuming.
“Imagine, I am paying to sell at the location and this is how they come and treat me; this is unfair,” said one irate vendor, who claimed she had spent close to $30,000 to erect her stall on the sidewalk.
Francis, however, said that the KSAC held several meetings with the vendors to outline what sort of stalls were allowed in designated vending areas.
He also said that several warnings were issued to the vendors but they chose to continue to ignore the KSAC officials.
According to Francis, several other operations will be carried out in the next few days.
Dis is why jamaica have so much crime cause when people try fe mek a honest living de government stop it,it better to have people selling on the sidewalk than robbing and stealing.
I personally do not like sidewalk vending, it is unsafe, it forces you to walk on the road and jossling with handcart vendors and motor vehicles. The sidewalk is there for walkers not vendors, if they need to vend then it should in no way impact the ability of walkers to be able to walk freely. More than once I have seen ppl accidentally step on their goods and it was not pretty di verbal abuse they laced the ppl wid and threat of bodily violence.
Den all bed and stove eena di stall dem :malu2 Di stove can’t be safe fi dem nor di public doe… :berduka
A lot of things sell out those stall. Crack cocaine and holding other people guns. Tear down them rass. Law and orda mi seh.