OWNER OF Fitted Kings Clothing & Shoe Store, Renaldo White, is crying “harassment” and believes some members of the Royal Barbados Police Force have something personal against him and his business.
On Friday, January 14, White was arrested and taken away when he refused to remove items on display outside of the Swan Street Store.
Yesterday around 2 p.m., the store was the centre of attention once again. When police officers asked employees of the store to remove shoes on display outside of the store, they refused to carry out the order.
Employee Shane Daisley was taken to Central Police Station and warned of intended prosecution for obstructing the police when they were performing their duties.
Manager of the store, Roland Lovell, told the SATURDAY SUN he and other employees ignored the police’s request “because we went through this already and we are aware that displaying our shoes outside is not illegal”.
“There were about 20 police out here like we are drug dealers. They started taking down the shoes, flinging shoes on the ground. I don’t understand because it aint like we selling the shoes on the ground, the shoes are above the ground. If the shoes were touching the ground they would have taken down the whole rack and not just the shoes which they took to the station,” he said.
“Why them ain’t went around to the other stores and tell them to remove their displays?”
Meanwhile, White who was away when police visited the store, asked why “the Government of Barbados keep saying that they want more entrepreneurs and young business people [are] constantly being harassed and fight down by many internal forces?
“This is the second time I had an encounter like this with the law and I do not sell on Swan Street, I just display my merchandise on the building that I am renting and it is not illegal. They are making it very hard for honest business people to make a living.
“Things like these which are happening to people like me cause many young men to resort to selling drugs, robbing people and committing criminal offences. You could imagine I was in the bank and an officer came into the store asking for Renaldo White?”
Police public relations officer, Inspector David Welch, said: “From my investigations, there was no complaint from the proprietor. Shane Daisley was warned of intended prosecution for obstructing the police when they were performing their duty.”
White reported that about an hour after the confiscation the shoes were returned to the store yesterday afternoon by members of the Police Force.
