A legal and administrative confrontation is unfolding in Georgetown, Guyana, as City Mayor Alfred Mentore prepares to challenge a High Court order mandating the removal of street vendors operating outside Yhip’s Bakery at the intersection of Robb and Alexander Streets. The dispute centers on a February 2025 letter from Attorney Dexter Smartt, representing bakery beneficiary Troy Yhip, which appeals for a six-month extension allowing vendors—described as “persons of little means”—to relocate. Smartt argued that his client had originally permitted the vendors to operate there and that not all property beneficiaries were aware of the initial court proceedings.
Town Clerk Candace Nelson, however, maintains that the Mayor’s position is legally untenable. She emphasized that the mandamus order—issued by Justice Priya Sewnarine-Beharry in November 2024 and served in December—cannot be superseded by a letter submitted months after the ruling. Nelson revealed that Mayor Mentore had promised to contest the order in court but has yet to do so.
The conflict intensified when municipal workers aborted a planned eviction operation on Sunday following a meeting between the Mayor and vendors. This inaction has prompted contempt proceedings filed by Suzanne Pemberton, who holds power-of-attorney for property owner Albert Yhip. Pemberton’s application, now before Justice Fidela Corbin-Lincoln, seeks the imprisonment of Nelson and City Engineer Colvern Venture for “wilful disobedience” of the court order.
The case highlights tensions between local government authority and judicial oversight, with a hearing on the contempt motion scheduled for January 9, 2026.