The Dominica Police Department, in collaboration with the Dominica Festival Committee, says it will clamp down on vendors who choose to set up shop within 200 yards of the World Creole Music Festival venue.
“Persons have a tendency to vend around this area (the WCMF venue). This year is there is a zero tolerance level,” said Superintendent Ainsworth Irish.
For the past years, vendors who haven’t registered with the DFC to do business have illegally planted themselves outside the venue, taking away business from those that have registered.
Superintendent Irish said: “There are approved areas for vending. We have discussed the matter and decided to support each other in that regard.”
Newly appointed Superintendent in charge of the Central Division and Operations, David Andrew, said the vending areas would be highlighted on a visual venue layout that would be available shortly.
“There will be demarcations where vendors will be allowed to set up and areas that will be restricted,” Andrew said.
DFC Events Director Natalie Clarke said: “The event is controlled by sponsorship. There are vendors and service providers who have paid their money to vend within the perimeter therefore, for the 14th year, we are just reiterating that people cannot be outside the perimeter and decide that they want to sell. That is not how it works.”
The police, DFC and City Council will partner on the subject.
Vending will be permitted some 200 yards outside the venue at a cost to the vendors. Police officers will inspect these stands to make sure the vending fee has been paid and in areas where it has not, they will give the stall owners a chance to do so on the spot.
Therefore the only way to be fear with venders who cheat and dont want to pay is to put a radious outside the venue where they can sell for free so the public can have a choice to buy inside or outside.
If the venders outside enter the radious they should pay the same as those inside and this would be fair compitition to support the venue inside.as much is involved to make it a success.
People in Dominica should stop crying Poor and use this excuse to abuse those who are trying to make ends meet.
The world is full of poor people,so what?
is the PM, and other following the country rules
@hmmm: Just check your name.You ever heard of extraplotation? I guess you’ve not. Some butt -heads, just cannot shut the Fire Under Coffee Kettle up eh!Some times hummm you must just read think what you want and don’t comment.Okay! Moron just paix bouche ou sacway- sort.
@ STUPID.SHOULD THE PATRONS NOT PAY TO PARK TOO???.DOMINICANS ARE CLEARLY NO LONGER ONE FAMILY.UPPER CLASS AND LOWER CLASS .VAMPIRES AND VICTIMS.BUT WE THE GHETTO PEOPLE WILL PREVAIL MISERABLE EDUCATED FOOLS.AND THEY ARE USEING THE POLICE TO OPPRESS THE POOR.PLEASE LET US LIVE. AND LET US HAVE OUR SAY.
Boy ! that is sure a hot topic.The http://www.is such a catchy thing,one can say and do so many things that it is amazing how people can react so quickly to certain things that are said that affect so many people lives.I think everyone involve, including the ones that are planning to vend around the stadium should come together and discuss whatever there is about the fees.We have to understand that things on a whole are very rough in Dominica and that everyone wants to make a dollar some way some how.I don’t blame them at all.If you are arguing the barbequing and roasting of fish and chicken in the immediate vicinity i would agree 100% to move these vendors in another location,but then, when you look at it, not only the prices,but the amount that you are being served, one would rather stretch their dollars and look to patronize the vendors outside.
I also want to respond to a comment made by an ex police officer wanting to assist the local law enforcement in providing assistance in apprehending drug dealers and drug smokers ,i would like to ask if the local law enforcement are not able to do the job they are paid for.If they are so concerned why did they leave in the first place.
@my 10 cents: read before you comment. what you are suggesting is exactly what they are saying, but some people want to sell and dont pay. that is the issue
@Tom Tom: they did not say anything about price. please understand what the lady is saying. people pay to vend outside, however there are some people who vend outside and do not pay. that is what they want to stop
@fire: are you really that stupid? that has nothing to do with people who cant go inside. they talking about vendors who are outside and don’t pay to be vending there. your damn stupid ignorant fool. english will kill you
@Muslim_Always,CROCKS. THAT NAME TOO NICE FOR THEM.
Dominicans complain for everything. You all need to leave Dominica for one to see how other places sidewalks are so neat and organize. Roseau and all along the coast is an eye sore. Any person who sell any form of food should be able to provide rest room (toilet and face basin) facilities. If they cannot provide these important services, they should be bared from of selling anything WAKE UP DOMINICANS, YOU ALL ARE JUST BEING IGNORANT, IF YOU WANT TO MAKE MONEIES, YOU MUST SPEND SOME MONEY.
Everybody knows when they go to the airport is arm and leg they paying for food right??? so what do we do, we fork out the money or we eat before we travel. When you go to an event, take in the US for example, a baseball game, football, concert, you already know is money that spending…..
I am not surprised at all that vendors have to pay or that prices inside the stadium are higher…..if you dont want to pay …eat your pelau and drink two kubuli at home before you go stadium…
@john bess: Excuse you, it was private citizens like Eddie Toulon and Gordon Henderson that started WCMF, so check yourself….
Did you read the issue at hand? Stick to the facts!
The festival is an income generator. Every year we barely make any profits and when the committee cannot contract the bands we would like for lack of funds, we are so quick to complain! There’s a cost to everything. Yes it may be steep, but you want to partake as vendor, then there’s a price to pay. Maybe some vendors can go into a joint venture – but then again we don’t know how to act like that, we love moving selfishly. Comply with the rules, and maybe, just maybe, the DFC will earn some profits. We too like freeness, everything has a price.
i didn’t bother to read the article the heading alone told it all to me.
I don’t know where all of all you grow up but the dominica i grow
up in, i like to pass by my street vendors and get my food and drinks.
Show my support so i don’t care if they put it 300yrs i chippin back and forth
there. As if the $250 WCMF IS NOT enough, give the poor people a break.
How are they going to benefit from that, all you going to see is alot of chineese
line up that have all the money, pae boi daw
200 yards? who’s going to measure? and I suppose it’s o.k. to set up at 201 yards!!!???
The rich gets richer and the poor gets poorer in this country. The rule of law is a cover up for the rich to continue to capitalize on the poor. Dominicans don’t open your eyes and you will see.
Don’t fight for your rights. People are economically oppress yet they can’t see; just like the slaves, when one or two would escape and would fight the oppression, the same blacks would betray their brothers and sisters. It seems to me Dominica was the country with the most crooks amongst the slaves in the caribbean. I’ve never seen that in my life.
Skerrit promised that the VAT is supposed to reduce the price of goods, kee ca?
CAHUR used to protest against high utility rates, where dem?
Even the college students protesting better than our adults. We have too many dumb people here who are unaware of what’s going on or they are too wicked.
In my opinion that rule of law needs revision. It is unfair, it needs to be more flexible to incorporate more people so many persons can feed their children. All you capitalists too wicked in Dominica, too mor-dah-rah.
OBEY THE RULES !!!! D/CANS HAS A PROBLEM WITH OBEYING RULES IN D/CA…..
D/cans stop the fuss obey the rules. It is time we stop trying to get everything free. I am not a fan of the corrupt DLP administration however i dont understand how Skerrit is to be blamed. Let us all be supportive of what is right inspite of party politics.Vendors are not deprived they are just restricted.
I disagree with the point made by the police that vendor fees will be collected from those who choose to pay on site. I know of tax revenue collection officers who take bribe during festivals. Officers take food, drinks and cash. Vendors saying ” I doh make nothing yet check me later nor”
This is buisness and vendors should pay period. If the festival organization dont make money they still have to pay the bills. So should the vendors.
we all have to eat but the price to venders inside very expensive .. they should make them boot so u can sell inside and outside to make bake they money
So poor people ain’t allowed to make an honest living anymore?
So these people going to chant down a granny trying to sell some icepops and peanuts to make a 25 cents to buy two bread next day?
Boy, so Dominica come?….
if the ppl could afford the drinks inside then there would be no need to go outside. I just dont think that vending outside should be illegal. What they can probably do is ask those vendors to pay a small fee. The outside vendors have children to feed as well and they need to make money too
@diaspora:
That is not the point whether patrons decide to go outside the venue to buy, the issue is, to sell your goods as a vendor outside the WCMF you must pay the DCF a registration fee. Please read before making these comments
@diaspora: Steel Pulse price alone is equivalent to 2 of the three night gate receipts.So they are hoping the bars will have them break even or buffer some of the expected loss.Ask Depota dupex lab (CEO hahahah) Ask young Bull. Now ms Nathalie Clark-White going to get some D/can bouche lashing after the financial deliberation before or after independence.Sobers you & the other partner will not escape D/can fire either.mark my words.No the point is the drinks and eat going to be so high priced one would think that bakes and acra is a Dominican delicacy as one bake and acra might cost $10.00 EC sorrel with that $20.00 EC one kubuli $15.00 where one can by 3 beers out side for that price.
go back to trinidad … please send her back to trinidad.. give the poor people a chance to make some money
what about the people that has their home100yards from the event ,are you trying to say they have to pay a fee to the festival for selling a chicken leg on their steps.and who is going to pay them for taking 3nights of loud music we need some balance and fearness.
Great idea long over due cause this sort of idea people in our lovely island think they can do as they wish with blatant disregard for the rule of law must be stop and stop immidiately we have to show would be law breakers that we mean business and business as usual is a thing of the past. warn who ever have the idea to break the law that they should think twice and discourage friends and family from doing the same. I would like to suggest that the police department to deploy under cover police officers throught the venue of the festivities to deter those drug dealers who think its ok to come to the venue to peddle and smoke their drugs in the mist of people who pay their money to enjoy the festivities. Let it be known to the police Department we stand ready as former officers to pitch in whenever and where ever we are needed to assist in added man power in a period when our other brothers and sisters are busy taking care of more pressing matters. I am calling on my former mentor the commissonier and his Deputy look into the logistics of the possibilities of having former police officers who will be returning home for the festivities to assist our fellow officers to keep things under control just as it was when those killers shot constable Lugay in Fond Cole the same thing happened during the attempted Coup and the assult on police HeadQuarters .
please give the poeple a chance all shall eat from time vendors have set up shop outside an event it is’nt the vendors fault why people leave inside to go outside to buy it is because the prizes at the bars inside are to high trust me they can put them by the bay front i will find them they to are dominicans give them a brake
Illegal vending my foot,things so tight everybody trying to make a living,all those so called official are the ones who get all the big cash in their pockets.So much big money is been spent to bring all kinds of artist,some of which cannot even say hi in creole.I live in the states and i cannot even listen to the fest again,it was skeriitt who cut the brodcast off,he must and all other laborites remember that it was the u.w.p ,that started the world creole festival.All of them fighting to be in charge and talking about illegal vending,its they who are the illegal squatters.
This kind of law is a good idea, and it should be instituted, not only for special occasions, but for everyday vending activities. It is difficult for me to believe that those eye-bleeding sights, of vendors blocking the sidewalks of Roseau, are all paying for a permit to do their vending activities in those areas.
IS IT ALL ABOUT THE $$$$$$$ NATALIE???? THE PEOPLE OUTSIDE ARE PEOPLE WHO CAN’T AFFORD TO BUY A TICKET TO GO IN.THE LITTLE MONEY THEY SPEND TO BUY TWO BAKES,YOU TAKING THAT FROM THE VENDERS???????????? IS THAT A LOCKS YOU GROWING,AND YOU FIGHTING POOR PEOPLE WITH POLICE ???????????? WOMAN!!!!!!