A day after a violent confrontation between vendors and police over a decision by Port of Spain Mayor Louis Lee Sing to clear a busy city street of vendors the mayor has back down.
Lee had asked police to clear the street but when they went in the vendors resisted, saying they had traditionally used the area and that the mayor was being unfair to them and depriving them of an opportunity to earn a living during the Christmas season.
A small riot broke out Monday when police called in reinforcements. The vendors pledged to keep up their fight and the mayor held his position saying he would not allow anyone to "bully" him.
Read the story: Riot breaks out in POS as city tries to remove vendors from Charlotte Street
On Tuesday, Lee Sing held an emergency meeting at which the city agreed to leave the vendors alone for one week.
"One of the really important things that facilitated the decision was the fact that unfortunately, the vendors had already invested in their goods, and we decided to lean on the side of leniency," Lee Sing told the media.
He added that he had spoken with Gregory Aboud, President of the Downtown Merchants Association, about it and asked him to communicate the changes to his members.
The Charlotte Street vendors had taken their concerns to Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley and their Member of Parliament, Marlene McDonald.
Rowley told reporters after the meeting that while he appreciates the concerns of the the vendors, he had no control of the situation since that responsibility is with the mayor's office. The city corporation is controlled by the PNM and Lee Sing is a prominent member of the party.
Rowley said, "The vendors...acknowledged that Charlotte Street is an area of interest to more than the vending population. There are businessmen, there are consumers who come there, and we acknowledge that the commerce on Charlotte Street is integral to the life of Port of Spain."
A spokesperson for the vendors said she is still unhappy what the compromise. "We think this a wicked action on the part of the Mayor. He is trying to victimise vendors. We already lost three days, we will have to pack up our goods on Sunday, skip Monday and then come back on Tuesday. That not making no sense," Melba Boxhill told reporters.
She apologised for the clash between vendors and the police on Monday and said several people who were involved in the incident were not members of her association or vendors.
Lee had asked police to clear the street but when they went in the vendors resisted, saying they had traditionally used the area and that the mayor was being unfair to them and depriving them of an opportunity to earn a living during the Christmas season.
A small riot broke out Monday when police called in reinforcements. The vendors pledged to keep up their fight and the mayor held his position saying he would not allow anyone to "bully" him.
Read the story: Riot breaks out in POS as city tries to remove vendors from Charlotte Street
On Tuesday, Lee Sing held an emergency meeting at which the city agreed to leave the vendors alone for one week.
"One of the really important things that facilitated the decision was the fact that unfortunately, the vendors had already invested in their goods, and we decided to lean on the side of leniency," Lee Sing told the media.
He added that he had spoken with Gregory Aboud, President of the Downtown Merchants Association, about it and asked him to communicate the changes to his members.
The Charlotte Street vendors had taken their concerns to Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley and their Member of Parliament, Marlene McDonald.
Rowley told reporters after the meeting that while he appreciates the concerns of the the vendors, he had no control of the situation since that responsibility is with the mayor's office. The city corporation is controlled by the PNM and Lee Sing is a prominent member of the party.
Rowley said, "The vendors...acknowledged that Charlotte Street is an area of interest to more than the vending population. There are businessmen, there are consumers who come there, and we acknowledge that the commerce on Charlotte Street is integral to the life of Port of Spain."
A spokesperson for the vendors said she is still unhappy what the compromise. "We think this a wicked action on the part of the Mayor. He is trying to victimise vendors. We already lost three days, we will have to pack up our goods on Sunday, skip Monday and then come back on Tuesday. That not making no sense," Melba Boxhill told reporters.
She apologised for the clash between vendors and the police on Monday and said several people who were involved in the incident were not members of her association or vendors.
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