The lead story in THE WEEKEND STAR was quite frightening to say the least.

But while the story was frightening and disturbing, it was a true reflection of the level of criminality and corruption that is rampant in our society.

The story revealed that Coronation market vendors in downtown Kingston, are forced to give their goods free of cost to thugs from nearby communities. The story revealed that the men, in some cases, even had enough audacity to place advanced orders with the vendors and then pass by to pick up their goods later.

In times such as these, where every dollar matters, it is hard enough to make a living. We can therefore only imagine the strain this 'arrangement' puts on the finances of these vendors, who, in most instances, are not very wealthy to begin with.

Perhaps the most disturbing part of the story however is the fact that the police can do very little as they say they have not received any reports from the vendors. This is however no surprise as these thugs have driven so much fear in the vendors that none of them would be willing to talk about the ordeal. In that part of town, the motto is simply 'cooperate or face the punishment.' So, the obvious choice for many is to simply co-operate.

Even though the police have not received reports however, it is no secret that this practice exists. They therefore need to step up patrols in the area and maintain a presence there so these hoodlums can stop living off the hard work of law-abiding citizens.