PIGEON POINT VENDORS EVICTED

Some street vendors in Tobago are upset, after authorities swooped down, on Friday, to stop them from vending.

Transcript

00:00Some street vendors in Tobago are upset tonight after authorities swooped down

00:05on Friday to stop them from vending. It happened near the Pigeon Point area and

00:11tonight vendors are left with questions for the authorities.

00:15They came this morning and they broke down our shed. What we were asking, for the years that we've been here,

00:22knowing that school is just right around the corner, rent which at the end of the

00:27month is also right around the corner. We obeyed, we broke it down. Under what

00:34grounds? I need to know. And what are you planning on doing with us after all these years?

00:39Only one day come down and find out what really taking place, what

00:47really taking place, because at the end of the day all they want is best water, front water, best, best, best, best.

00:52When tourists come here by the grace of God, they don't want to elevate anything here.

00:56Tonight, THA Chief Secretary Farley Augustin is saying the vendors near

01:01Pigeon Point were removed for alleged illegal vending. He says the vendors were

01:06consulted about the area being cleaned and made more suitable for vending.

01:12We're not crazy, we didn't just send police to break them down and they

01:19weren't aware that that was happening. No, conversations were happening for a

01:24very long time. Augustin says the vendors will be temporarily accommodated

01:30with pop-up tents. The pop-up tents are those tents that can easily be opened up

01:37by pushing up one and out one, and they'll be given folding tables, pop-up

01:43folding tables, and those selling food will be given access to running water so

01:49that they can safely vend, while at the same time we look to make their vending

01:56a lot more aesthetically pleasing.