Liberia: Enough is Enough at Marshall Junction!

By Rufus S. Berry II, MBA

When the members of the Marshall Family (a local workout and community empowerment group of professionals and homeowners) decided to clean and reclaim the community park at the Boystown junction, it was a safe place for our children (the future of our beloved republic) of the Marshall/Boystown Community to play at, but no more.

The marketeers, pem-pem, Keh-keh and taxi drivers have invaded and disgracefully destroyed what was meant to be a safe place for the children by turning it into a dumpsite. This hasn’t only destroyed the face of Marshall but our beloved country. It’s also a major concern for the health of the children who continue to play in the park. The smell is unbearable, the area reeks and we cannot sit outside our house or even open doors and windows. This is both a national disgrace and a health hazard to our community.

We have raised the issue with the local authority, Marshall Commissioner Anthony D Brown. Regrettably, he’s part of the problem. I don’t have any evidence to support this hypothesis, but we were informed by some vendors that he took money from them and they were given the green light to erect containers on private properties at the front view of our community. Perhaps, he doesn’t have that deep love and concern for our community, because he lives in Duazohn and not Marshall.

Note, the marketeers have the constitutional right to earn an honest living. They have the right to participate in commercial activities — selling their goods and items, etc. However, we will not accept the argument that any city — our beloved Marshall — must allow these our beloved and hardworking marketers to construct markets stalls/tables (even a small one) in our park, the sidewalks or on the roads, as is happening currently at the Boystown Junction in Marshall and other places.

It’s clearly evident that this is an election year; however, the government and our elected representatives should not be intimidated by the marketeers. Note, for every 10 marketeers that are allowed to illegally sell on the streets and sidewalks, you have about 100 plus angry homeowners. The last I checked, homeowners do vote and they vote consistently.

Under his extremely terrible leadership, land invaders started erecting shacks next to the community park, the front view of our beautiful Marshall Road and Boystown Junction and later, more came and erected their shacks in the park itself. Perhaps, this might be the time to have Commissioner Brown replaced with a more transformational and effective leader. 

Our children are saying this was their beloved Boystown Junction Park and they really enjoyed playing there. They’re crying to the President of our beloved republic to reclaim their beloved park, because the hypothesis has long been established that the time spent outside leads to higher levels of physical activity in children.