The Tribune

By JADE RUSSELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

jrussell@tribunemedia.net

A REGULAR morning turned into dismay for straw vendors at Fort Charlotte yesterday when they opened their tent stalls to find them ransacked and stripped of merchandise worth thousands of dollars just weeks before Christmas.

The scene was grim as vendors surveyed their losses. One said the “heart-aching” discovery left some so emotionally overwhelmed they went home because they could not bear to work. Others trudged through the rain, trying to salvage the day by approaching tourists directly to make up for their losses.

Margarette Rahming-Jones, visibly shaken, said nearly $30,000 worth of inventory was stolen from her stall, including jewellery, bags, sweatshirts, stuffed animals, customised souvenirs, and other goods. A long-time vendor who once operated at Fort Fincastle, she said petty thefts have been happening for months, but this time the burglary was extensive.

“They been tiefing long time since we move here,” she said. “It’s over $30,000 worth of stuff they steal last night my stall alone.”

She said only one security officer patrols the area.

Vendors said they have complained repeatedly to the Antiquities, Monuments and Museums Corporation (AMMC) and the Straw Market Authority about inadequate security, mould growing in the temporary tents, and flooding when it rains. Ms Rahming-Jones said conditions are so poor that the tents fill with water when the weather turns. “The water was all the way to my ankle when it rained, and they still didn’t do nothing,” she said, noting she has spent more than 35 years in the straw industry.

Their relocation to Fort Charlotte was meant to be temporary. In March, the government closed Fort Fincastle for four months to restore the water tower, displacing the vendors. That four-month timeline has long passed. AMMC announced last week that the Fort Fincastle water tower and Queen’s Staircase were expected to be handed back during the first week of December, signalling near-completion of the $3m restoration. But vendors have remained stuck at Fort Charlotte, facing hardship and insecurity.

Ms Rahming-Jones said vendors have reached their breaking point. She acknowledged the government allowed the tents to be rented free but insisted they are unsafe for long-term business. She described being relocated as vendors being treated “like a piece of garbage”.

“I’ve been on Fort Fincastle from 2016 and I would not lie on the government or nobody, I’ve never had a break-in,” she said. She has since reported the theft to police.

Another vendor, Sonia Murphy, said about $2,700 worth of merchandise was taken from her stall. Ms Murphy said vendors have been left in temporary conditions for far too long and want to return to a stable site.

Free National Movement Fort Charlotte candidate and Deputy Chairman Travis Robinson was at the scene, hearing concerns.

He said vendors have shown patience, but the government must address relocation delays, mould problems, and safety risks. He said he has been in discussions with the security firm responsible for the Fort Charlotte site about adding manpower, and noted that his team will also be dispatching security.

The $3m contract awarded to SJK Construction in May 2024 covers interior and exterior work to address structural issues at the long-inactive water tower, a project whose delays continue to take a heavy toll on vendors displaced in the interim.