The US Presidency’s security detail lands in Kingston

U.S. President Barack Obama will touch down in Kingston today for a quick visit. By all accounts (I am not in JA), the roads he will travel on have been paved and lines repainted; trash collected, mosquito fog sprayed and the city has been cleaned up in general. Including those pesky human beings who live and work on the streets. Apparently, some vendors who have populated a street near Heroes Circle have had their stalls demolished. And the squeegee boys have been cleared out from main intersections. I wonder where these people went? How will they make their living for these few days? How will they find money to buy food to eat? How will they rebuild their stalls? Why was it necessary to do this? Surely the President is aware of the phenomenon of poverty. Surely he would not be offended by the reality of urban Kingston. And surely those vendors will rebuild their stalls as soon as the President has left. I wonder what all these people were told when they were told to leave. Especially the young boys who hustle the streets- I don’t imagine they are overly obedient. In any case, the city will be locked down later today and tomorrow and then life will get back to normal.