‘Disgusting and unpleasant’ - Filthy act leads to closure of ‘Crab Circle’

With tears streaming down her face, a crab vendor from National Heroes Circle in Kingston wondered aloud what the future holds for her after health officials on Thursday shut down the popular streetside block of food stalls for sanitary reasons.

The vendor, who is a mother of two, said she depends on 'Crab Circle' to provide for her family, which includes a two-year-old child.

"Mi nuh know [what me a guh do] and mi have mi baby fi send gah school," the woman said.

Health officials shut down the stalls after a video surfaced on social media of a vendor defecating in her area and cleaning herself with toilet paper which she casually disposes in a bucket. Chief Public Health Inspector Grayson Hutchinson described the vendor's action as "a disgusting and unpleasant act".

"We're expecting that vendors should operate in accordance with the public health food handler's regulations and that kind of activity is certainly unacceptable. As a matter fact it's despicable," Hutchinson said.

The National Heroes Circle location is known for serving up street food such as cooked crabs, roasted and boiled corn, roasted yam, roasted saltfish and soup. It was renovated by J. Wray and Nephew, in collaboration with the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development and the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation in 2022.

Hutchinson said that the stalls, which are located about one mile from his office, lacked the necessary facilities for food to be papered safely, thus presenting a risk to the public.

"There is no sanitary facility, or toilet, or hand-washing facilities here. There is a challenge as it relates to water... As a matter of fact they are expected to set up and have water at their individual stalls or stations, and based on the report I have received, that is not the case," Hutchinson said.

The public health chief said some of the vendors were operating without valid food handlers permits.

"There are a number of other breaches which have been committed and hence we thought that it is best that the facility be closed temporarily so that they can correct the breaches," he said.

Thursday, as the health officials went about shutting down the stalls, some of the vendors directed their fury to one of their number, who they accuse of making the now viral video. They claim that their livelihood would not have been placed in limbo if the act was not made public.

"Mi kinda feel a way because dem seh everything affi tek up....Mi nuh know, mi just feel sad. I'm very sad," a crab and corn vendor of 30 years said.

She admitted using nearby bushes to relieve herself on multiple occasions because of the absence of toilet facilities.

"I use the open land. Before it was an open land people did live in there, and I use the toilet there, but dem mash it down. I still go over there and pee-pee," the woman said. She, however, said that she goes home to defecate if she feels the urge to pass stool.

Another told THE WEEKEND STAR that she does not believe the health department is wrong for shutting down the stalls.

"Wah happen today this a totally right," she said, while adding that there is the need for sanitary conveniences at the location. She made an appeal for members of the public to assist vendors to be back in business soon.

"Somebody! Anybody! Help the people dem that dem can come out back 'cause Christmas a come right round the corna, enuh, and dem have dem loans and dem bills," the vendor said.