It's Christmas time again and front seats are available to view our annual stall removal and destruction ritual. Stalls are being destroyed and people are frantically trying to rescue zinc and board as Caesar's men follow orders to clear the streets.

For the person who may be sojourning to Jamaica for the first time, this may seem shocking and very disturbing, but for Jamaicans who live on the rock, this is an annual ritual that we all have to endure. But do we really have to ?

Law and order

I am for law and order and I have observed that many of our towns across Jamaica have become places of disorder that breed and nurture criminality. What puzzles me, though, is how generally ineffective our security forces are in dealing with this. It puzzles me why the security forces have to wait for 20 stalls to be erected before they take action? Isn't it easier and more prudent to prevent one stall from going up than to try to take down 20? Is it the drama that we relish?

I am tired of this ritual. We seem to enjoy having vendors beg for mercy as we employ brutal force to remove them from 'backra massa' roadside. It doesn't have to be like this. Too much frustration and anger result.

I encourage the police to be more vigilant in preventing persons from engaging in these illegal activities and I encourage the authorities to be more caring and make every effort to make those who trade as comfortable as possible. Let us change the ritual.

I am, etc.,

PASTOR NOTICE

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