Erica Virtue, Staff Reporter
IT WAS business as usual in downtown Kingston yesterday, especially in the West Parade area, just hours before the Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation (KSAC) were scheduled to clear the area of stalls and other paraphernalia set up by vendors to sell goods.
Adults and children peddled their wares all over the city. The air was filled with the sounds of Saturday excitement.
Orange Street, in the vicinity of the Parade, teemed with vendors, shoppers and pedestrians. A range of goods, mainly non-perishable items, from clothing to agricultural produce, were available. Beckford Street, was rendered impassable to vehicular traffic.
There, vendors used huge metal drums to erect stalls in the roadway, providing only a small space for shoppers' use. There were also wooden stalls present but these were movable.
King Street also had a heavy turnout of Saturday vendors and shoppers. Higglers were seated in front of business places on the street facing the sea, near the Kingston Parish Church.
A strong police presence was evident in front of the church where less than a month ago, the KSAC dismantled stalls erected there by vendors.
Agents of the KSAC, along with members of the security forces and Metropolitan Parks and Markets (MPM) officials, were scheduled to clear the area last night.
The business community has complained bitterly that the city is ugly and dirty as vendors are allowed a free-for-all in the area.
