Port-of-Spain Mayor Raymond Tim Kee says he will support Woodbrook residents if they decide to take legal action against the Socadrome organisers. Tim Kee said that yesterday during the Port-of-Spain Corporation’s monthly statutory meeting at City Hall. He was responding to a petition sent to him by residents of Woodbrook demanding that the Socadrome initiative be stopped.
The initiative will see five large Carnival bands passing through the area and using the Jean Pierre Complex for a stage. “This thing about anything goes for Carnival cannot be accepted,” said Tim Kee. He added that the community of Woodbrook should not be inconvenienced for the sake of masqueraders. He said: “If people want to play mas, let them endure whatever inconveniences they need to endure. Innocent people should not be inconvenienced. “The concept was ill-conceived. They were looking to an alternative to jamming up the route but instead they are affecting an entire community who now have concerns about security and access to emergency services.”
Tim Kee said he had absolutely nothing to do with approvals given to the Socadrome. “If Woodbrook residents decide to take legal action, I will stand with them. Whatever support I can offer, I will,” he added. He said he suggested that on Ash Wednesday, the relevant agencies needed to meet to iron out the details for Carnival 2015 so that there would not be confusion next year. “There should be one permanent route so that next year we don’t have this situation. It’s the only sensible thing to do,” he said. The Socadrome initiative was meant to alleviate congestion on the parade route on Carnival Tuesday. Its organisers, in an interview with the T&T Guardian, said they were trying to address the issues raised by residents in Woodbrook. In an interview earlier this week, Tribe bandleader Dean Akin said the bands involved would provide increased security to ensure the security of the route as well as the Socadrome venue.