Chicken vendor is deep fried about City Council’s stop order

Paul Ferguson

It is not over yet for Paul Ferguson, the fried chicken vendor who was removed from in front of Femina Store on Albert Street by Special Constable Selbert Butler on Tuesday. He was arrested, charged and taken to court on Wednesday when he pleaded guilty for insulting Butler. With that matter completed, Ferguson was right back at his stand on Albert Street, where he has been selling his fried chicken for over a year. But even after complying with requests to relocate to the Battlefield Park, he is not yet out of the woods. Just after two this afternoon, Ferguson was served with a stop order by the City Council saying that he is not allowed to sell fry chicken without a trade license with immediate effect. Faced with this new dilemma, Ferguson told News Five that he doesn’t need a trade license because he doesn’t own a business.

Paul Ferguson, Peddler

“It’s very stressful; I tired. Noh tired ah them. I noh wah give up. I still wah fight this to the bitter end. They just issue me wah stop order in a Paul Ferguson’s name. Paul Ferguson doesn’t own a business; doesn’t own a fry chicken business. If y’all can look at it, a summons in Paul Ferguson name. Paul Ferguson doesn’t own a business. I doesn’t own this fry chicken business. So they issued me an order to stop sell chicken on Albert Street. Yes Paul Ferguson will stop sell chicken, but chicken will continue sell on Albert Street. Like I explained to you all before, it is something personal; it is something personal between me and Mister Butler. Mister Butler don’t want me to sell chicken on Albert Street because it hurts his business in the commercial center. If you go down Albert Street and look at all these people selling stuff on Albert Street, none of these people have trade license. So why they want me to get a trade license? This is called peddling; we are all peddlers. But now I realize that it is something personal and direct—that they want to remove me from this area.  The stop order was handed to me a few minutes ago. They tried to locate me yesterday, but they couldn’t find me yesterday so they went to update it and brought the summons for me today.”

Duane Moody

“But didn’t they say when the issue first came to light that they wouldn’t have a problem if you moved from that location into the battlefield Park. Now you’re here and there is still a problem with you being out here selling?”

Paul Ferguson

“And that was from out of the mayor’s mouth. Mayor Bradley said that we don’t have a problem with the man relocating. We offered him several times to go to the battlefield Park. Now I am here at the Battlefield Park and now you don’t want me to sell in Battlefield Park. But like I said before, Paul Ferguson doesn’t own a business. This stop order was issued to Paul Ferguson, so they can’t stop the fry chicken from selling on Albert Street. The fry chicken will continue to sell on Albert Street.”

Ferguson says that he will turn up the heat by seeking legal advice.