00:00Vendors at the Queen's Park Savanna have been told to close up shop and clear the space
00:04of all vehicles, tents, stalls and other items from midnight on November 3rd to 4pm on November
00:1210th.
00:13That's based on a letter dated October 22nd issued by the Agriculture Ministry to President
00:19of the Association of Local Culinary Ambassadors Michael Williams.
00:23The document cites rehearsals and the military parade set to commence and end at the Savanna
00:29as part of the Remembrance Day and Wreath Laying Ceremony at Memorial Park on November
00:3410th.
00:35Williams, who says that the association usually gives way for events like Independence Day,
00:41rejects the order to close.
00:43When it comes to a time where you have a clear-cut case of bullying, political bullying, of telling
00:51me as a president to tell my members they mustn't vent for a week because you having
00:56a ceremony Sunday morning for several hours and you want us to stay home a week prior
01:04to that.
01:05I have a problem with that.
01:06According to ALCA, it is not in keeping with their usual mode of operation in preparation
01:12for that event.
01:13The day of the ceremony, the night before we normally cease vending, we clear the area,
01:19we wash down the area, we sweep up and everything and we give way for the ceremony, for them
01:24to have their parade on Sunday morning.
01:27It doesn't affect us because our vending starts at evening 5.30 p.m.
01:32Right?
01:33And I find this is unreasonable.
01:35It's an evil, wicked, bullying kind of attitude they have recently of trying to bully poor
01:42people.
01:43Shada Daniel owns BNF The Juice Oasis.
01:47The single mother of four is expressing concern over how the situation stands to impact her
01:52and by extension, her children.
01:54I get help now and then, but at the same time I still have to provide for them.
01:59So all these days they want us to not be in Savannah to do anything.
02:04I'll just be at home.
02:05My kids will be at home.
02:06They'll cannot even go to school because I won't be making money.
02:09So that will affect us very bad.
02:11So I'm hoping that this situation could be resolved as soon as possible and that they
02:15will have an understanding and things could go back to normal.
02:20Williams claims that he visited the Agriculture Ministry to voice his objection.
02:25What they said to me is that a few members in the panel that were planning this said
02:33that we should stay home.
02:35That is not acceptable.
02:36So what are you doing in the interim leading up to Sunday?
02:39To Sunday?
02:40We are going to continue doing what we are accustomed to doing.
02:42We are going to continue doing what we said in the Memorandum of Understanding.
02:45Right?
02:46We are going to continue vending each day.
02:50From Sunday go right back to the next Sunday.
02:53Each night from 5.30 to 12 in the night we are going to continue vending.
02:59That is our legal rights as an organization.
03:04That is our rights.
03:05No one is going to take that right away from us.
03:09Alka tells us if the government persists with the closure, the association will be forced
03:14to take further action.
03:16Any agreement to stop the vending at the Queen's Park Savannah in the designated area is going
03:22to be met with serious legal challenges.
03:26We are going to sue for compensation for each member and their employees.
03:34We are talking about close to 200 people.
03:37Alka represents 62 vendors at the Savannah.
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