Pop-up park vendors slam “unfathomable” shutdown

Pop-up park vendors slam “unfathomable” shutdown
The New Duff, a pop-up park at the Dundas Centre for Performing Arts.

COP says vendors’ license allow them to operate business from home, not pop-up market 

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — One of the principals of the Tin Ferl pop-up park on Mackey Street said yesterday it is “unfathomable” that police had forced the operation to shut down, telling Eyewitness News that some 90 families would be impacted.

Brandon Kemp said: “It’s hard to say what’s going on because we are still not quite sure.

“The reason the police were called we don’t really know. A far as we are aware we have been fully compliant and we have all of our licenses to be here.

“Now we are being told that our licenses are no longer sufficient and we need a different license.

“The issue with that is the license we have now is the one they told us we needed to have to operate as street vendors at a pop up park.

“This is a surprise to us because we have been operating for the past six months with the same licenses and suddenly they are no longer compliant.

“That is what one police department said. When we went to police headquarters they weren’t sure as to why we had been shut down.

“They are now asking for documents that aren’t really applicable to us.”

The pop-up park for food trucks and vendors at the Dundas Centre for the Performing Arts launched in March.

According to Kemp as many as 30 unique vendors operate at the park.

“People need to realize that there are 90 families that benefit from this event,” said Kemp, noting that he hopes the issue will be resolved.

“That means that hundreds of Bahamians are able to keep food on the table at a time when so many people are struggling.

“We created an opportunity that is outdoors and COVID safe.”

Police Commissioner Paul Rolle told Eyewitness News that vendors’ licenses allow them to operate their businesses from home.

But he said operating a pop-up market is considered gathering during the pandemic, which he can not approve.

He noted that the operators had been informed of this prior but still returned.

1 comments

The COP needs to held in account for outright lying to the public. The operators were not “informed” and he is vilifying and defaming them with assertions that “they still returned.” They have a lease to operate at The Dundas.

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