A sudden policy reversal on street vendor evictions in St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ capital Kingstown has sparked sharp political disagreement, just days after the controversial proposal caught vendors and residents entirely off guard.
The chaos began on September 10, when the Kingstown Town Board (KTB) announced via social media that all street vending activities on two of Kingstown’s busiest central streets — Bedford and Bay streets — would be banned starting just three days later, on September 12. The abrupt three-day notice contradicted the governing New Democratic Party (NDP)’s own stated policy, which Prime Minister Godwin Friday reaffirmed just 100 days after the party took office, back in March. The surprise announcement left vending operators and the general public shocked, prompting widespread pushback that forced the KTB to reverse course just two days later, on September 12. The board announced via the same social media platform that the planned removal would be “stayed until further notice.”
Deputy Prime Minister St. Clair Leacock, who also serves as the Member of Parliament for Central Kingstown (the constituency that includes the capital city), weighed in on the reversal on Facebook, writing that the move was “a firm Halt awaiting our comprehensive plan for [the] remaining [work on] refurbishing of Kingstown.”
On September 16, both Local Government Minister Laverne Gibson-Velox and Opposition Leader Ralph Gonsalves shared their takes on the botched policy rollout, offering contrasting perspectives that aligned on only one core point: the original removal order, as written, never should have been issued.
In a conciliatory video statement released through the state-owned Agency for Public Information, Gibson-Velox framed street vending in Kingstown as a deeply sensitive issue that parallels similar debates across Caribbean countries and around the world. She argued that the government must strike a practical balance between competing stakeholder needs, noting that street vending plays a dual role: it provides critical livelihoods for thousands of working vendors while offering convenient, quick shopping options for consumers.
At the same time, Gibson-Velox acknowledged widespread public frustration with unregulated street vending, with many residents viewing it as a public nuisance that should be removed. She pointed out that the government has already invested significant public funds to develop three dedicated market locations for vendors in Kingstown, though low occupancy at these sites makes clear that many vendors do not find the alternative locations suitable for their work.
The minister confirmed that the government endorses the KTB’s decision to pause the planned removal, in response to widespread public concerns. She also announced plans for broad public consultation to develop a long-term plan for revitalizing Kingstown, saying, “We will open a process of stronger public engagement on the overall reimagining of Kingstown, with a view to undertaking the upliftment of the conditions, appearance, and operations of our capital city.” She urged residents to share their ideas with the Ministry of Urban Development and the Ministry of Local Government, noting that Minister Andrew John’s team is already developing a beautification plan for parts of the capital. “Citizens as stakeholders should have an input in arriving at an amicable solution for improving the aesthetic value of the City of Arches,” she added.
Gonsalves, the former prime minister and current opposition leader, took a far more critical stance, slamming the original removal notice issued by acting KTB Warden Noel Dickson as a clear failure of common sense. “How could this pass anybody with common sense?” Gonsalves asked during a radio address Monday. He argued that street vending is an inevitable, longstanding part of urban life — even in modern economies — and that governments’ role is not to ban it outright, but to create fair, reasonable regulations and adequate facilities for vendors.
Gonsalves, who himself deployed heavy-handed tactics to relocate vendors during his time in office, noted that Dickson — a former public servant who ran unsuccessfully as an NDP candidate — is a new appointee to the role, mockingly referring to him as “a new sheriff in town,” a phrase he attributed to Leacock. He dismissed the government’s reversal as a “mealy-mouthed retreat,” questioning why the proposal was ever brought forward without full cabinet consideration, noting that Prime Minister Friday was out of town when the original announcement was made. He also pointed out that Leacock was the only senior government figure to publicly clarify that the move was a full halt, not just a temporary pause, and said it remains unclear whether the removal plan will be revisited in the future. Of Gibson-Velox, Gonsalves said, “I don’t know, Laverne — if she hide, she run for cover.”