Queenie defends Alice
Days after Alice Waugh's dramatic return to Crab Circle, social media personality and dancehall entertainer Queenie showed up to publicly embrace and empower the embattled crab vendor.
"Mi represent fi girl power and unity. Unity is strength, united we stand, divided we fall, and no one is perfect," Queenie told THE WEEKEND STAR.
"As a woman weh have experience and guh through so much bashing, sometimes wi duh things and dem catch back pan wi. Mi nuh stereotype people. Mi get a lot of bashing suh mi think it was a girl power moment fi hug har," she added.
Waugh, who was previously banned from vending at Crab Circle for unsanitary practices, was fined $250,000 in court and disappeared from the scene for months. Her recent reappearance has stirred national debate and prompted an official investigation by the health department. But Queenie said she saw no reason not to support her.
"Mi buy har crab too, enuh, and har crab was really nice and clean. She clean up har crab properly," she said.
"Everybody deserve a second chance, so I embrace har as a strong character as the queen, and as mi seh, woman empowerment, girl power. Suh mi just empower har."
She also expressed the belief that Waugh's past should not define her.
"A nuff people s**t and dem (the public) nuh see it. Nuff people duh horrible things behind closed doors. It don't mek it right, but we are all not perfect," she said
"That's the moral of the story--she supposed to learn from that, because yuh can see it in Alice as well. She embarrassed to a level, like she even think before she embrace mi. And mi seh, 'Alice, mi defend yuh, enuh.' Suh yuh afi learn from yuh mistake because none of us don't born big," Queenie added.
However, Queenie made it clear that her support is personal and not an endorsement for everyone to follow.
"Where Alice is concerned, each to their own. People aguh embrace har according to how them think of her. So it's up to their conscience because mi cannot tell someone that because Queenie accept Alice and eat har crab, they're to do the same. But at the same time, yuh know how much people message mi and seh mi wah Alice dutty crab because people like disgrace and duty things," she said.
"We Jamaicans--we nuh attracted to nothing unless it bagga, passa, disgrace. Two, three years ago I was trending like crazy - weeks pan top a weeks pan top a months because a disgrace. Now mi calm, nuhbaddy nah pay mi nuh mind. Mi afi a pay myself mind, suh people stem off a negativity," she added.
When THE WEEKEND STAR visited Crab Circle on Thursday afternoon, three customers were present. One was at Waugh's stall purchasing crabs while another was parked, waiting to be served.
Attorney-at-law Bert Samuels told the news team that Waugh's return is legally sound, once she meets the requirements for vending.
"Under our legal system, a person who has done wrong [and been] punished is now able to move on without any follow-up or things being held against them, and therefore, this lady has a right to continue as any other Jamaican citizen once she passes the food handler's permit test," he said. Samuels also explained that once there is no court order being disobeyed, Waugh is free to earn her living.
When THE WEEKEND STAR contacted the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions to ask whether any law allows for a vendor like Waugh to be permanently barred from the area, public relations officer Shannon Bailey said the office had no comment.
"We have no comment on the matter as it doesn't fall within our remit. Please take note that the matter concerning this woman was made the subject of criminal proceedings. A court of competent jurisdiction heard the case, convicted her and a penalty was imposed."