Political commentator, Rev Dr Garnett Roper, writes: In order to set the record straight in response to a letter titled ‘Shame on Samuels for misguiding shoemaker’, written by Glenn Tucker, I insert myself into the story because I have always been involved in the Constant Spring Market tragedy. I met with the vendors in February 2018, who were being forced out to allow for demolition and the realignment of Constant Spring Road, and convinced Bert Samuels to advocate on their behalf. Bert Samuels not only did so but did so pro bono.
Finally, when Lloyd Livingston indicated that he had refused the ‘relocation grant’ on the basis that it bore no relationship to his loss of income or the value of his assets, I once again directed him to Mr Samuels, who has sought to plead with the deaf ears of the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC) on behalf of Mr Livingston.
There is no shame on Bert Samuels for seeking a just and better outcome for a citizen whose right to earn a living has been trampled upon. There is no shame in advocacy or the pursuit of social justice. What shame there is in the matter of the displacement of the Constant Spring vendor is on the Government and, in particular, on the KSAMC