7 News Belize

Vendors Complain
posted (December 31, 2010)
This morning there was a commotion again near the Queen's Square Market but this time it was with the farmers from Belize Rural North. While the Michael Finnegan Market is open for business, the farmers told us that they have been denied space there and from very early this morning police made three trips to move them from along the canal and sidewalks. Why are they refusing to move? Well, they told us why:

Lincoln Herbert, Rock Stone Pond Farmer
"We donty have an area to sell because they are moving us about. We come down here like sometimes 2 times for the week, like Saturdays and Tuesdays. You see where we are seling right now, we cant go inside the market."

Andrea Polanco
"So why you can't go in the market?"

Lincoln Herbert, Rock Stone Pond Farmer
"Well according to them - we will destroy the areas or something like that."

Andrea Polanco
"You contacted the City Council already and ask for a space?"

Lincoln Herbert, Rock Stone Pond Farmer
"I did that already. They are pushing down so, we didn't go as a crew to the City Council, but they are pushing down this street but the entire street is full."

Andrea Polanco
"Down so as in on the street, not in the market?"

Lincoln Herbert, Rock Stone Pond Farmer
"Yes."

Andrea Polanco
"You all will stay out here for the rest of the day? Or you all are not sure what will happen yet."

Loretta Carter, Maskall Village Farmer
"Well miss we will stay right here until they find somewhere to put us, we don't have anywhere to go, we will stay right here. We are not going anywhere. Next week will come and we will be right here again, we are not going anywhere until they find somewhere suitable to put us."

Andrea Polanco
"So the area that they say they are putting you, you are not finding it suitable at all."

Loretta Carter, Maskall Village Farmer
"Well no because first of all they don't have any bathroom or anything around those areas where they will put us. Right in here there is one that is not functioning but at least we could run cross to Novelos'. So until they come with somewhere suitable then we will agree to move if not we will stood our grounds as farmers together."

Andrea Polanco
"You have any plans to maybe move in the market or so. You all express any interest in moving over there?"

Floyd Herbert, Rock Stone Pond Farmer
"Well what we explain to them if they don't want us outside here right at least they have a lot of wasted space in the market, we are poor people, we can't pay for one of those stall that they are charging for the month. They have a lot of wasted space in there. At least agree for some of us to go in there that are selling on the sidewalk right here."

Andrea Polanco
"So what they tell you about that?"

Floyd Herbert, Rock Stone Pond Farmer
"They say nobody can't go in there because we will compete against the ones that are paying $250.00 or $400.00 in there."

Nelda Scott, Bomba Village Farmer
"I am selling at the market for 33 years. I was selling at the Court House Warf, they move us from there. They bring us and they take us to Belcan then they took us back here at the back of the market. We went this side, they move us from here, and now they don't out us anywhere, we have to fight for our living. We need to live, we need to eat."

Robert Lighburn, Lords Bank-Ladyville Farmer
"We are not asking government for no hands out, we are doing our own farming. Ok they built a nice market it looks very nice but somewhere we are not communicating, we need to communicate with the authorities for them to realize, they have nice space in there, I understand that they are saying that we are going to break up the stuff, if you take your tarpaulin and your little things to sell I don't see how that will affect it. so we are saying if you don't want us on the sidewalk, please go inside and sell."

We contacted Kevin Singh, Councilor responsible for the market and he told us that he would stop by to talk about it but he never showed up….

We did reach Deputy Mayor Philip Willoughby who seems to have been appointed point man on this thorny issue. He told us that there will be an official meeting early next week of wholesalers, market occupants and the farmers who sell retail. He said the consultation will be held with a view to establishing laws to regulate garbage, noise, safety and security and the traffic congestion.

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