Stand in solidarity against Nazi-style tactics

IT is hard to express my utter disgust for the metro’s latest crackdown on street vendors in 8th Ave, Walmer, and confiscation of their goods. This level of high-handed, inhumane, Nazi-style leadership is abhorrent and unacceptable.

There are so many more urgent issues to resolve in the metro, but they hit on the soft targets who are doing no harm, and render hardworking, honest people incapable of supporting themselves and their families . . . cruel and short-sighted stupidity!

The self-righteous justification is that bylaws are being enforced here.

Taxi drivers, human traffickers, drug dealers, all doing way more harm, are also non-compliant. Do we see them being targeted? Of course not!

Why were alternatives not put in place first? Sorry, but you can’t defend the indefensible. The metro wants to follow the letter of the law, but let’s face it, there is always room for discretion and humanity.

Alternative trading venues and structures with formal access, ablutions etc. need to be provided. By putting the cart before the horse, and enforcing the letter of the law in a draconian fashion, before first supplying the alternatives, the metro is showing a heartless (and who knows, perhaps even xenophobic) disregard for the lives of its residents.

First provide viable alternative options for these honest people to make a living. Then yes, I agree, start enforcing the bylaws.

Apart from being inhumane, this action taken by the metro is also shortsighted. When honest people have no means of earning, what option do they have but to turn to crime or begging? So the stupidity is that they are nitpicking on one bylaw, in order to create a far bigger problem.

Let’s all stand in solidarity with these vendors. Let’s make sure the goods were, in fact, legally impounded, rather than “confiscated”, which would be illegal. Let’s make sure they are all properly and legally handled and accounted for.

And when they come up for auction, let’s go, keep the bids as low as possible, and buy the goods back for the vendors concerned.

The autocratic and heartless decision-makers behind this decision need a strong message that they may not deprive people of making an honest living in our name.