Skip to Content
Featured

Decriminalize Street Food…Again: 100 L.A Street Vendors March for Their Right to Earn

5:37 PM PDT on June 23, 2020

[dropcap size=big]M[/dropcap]ore than two dozen hot dogs buns filled with citations were presented in front of the County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health’s headquarters in Baldwin Park yesterday morning as a form of protest against the continued criminalization of street vendors in the county. 
The community action was organized by Vendedores en Accion (VEA), Community Power Collective, and The Los Angeles Street Vendor Campaign. It attracted street vendors from all corners of the county to take part in the demonstration, from Hollywood to the Valley to Boyle Heights to MacArthur Park. Powerful signs in both English and Spanish were painted with sayings such as “MIS ATOLES Y TAMALES NO MATAN” (“My atoles and tamales do not kill”) to “CESEN LA CRIMINALIZACION: SOLO QUEREMOS GANARNOS LA VIDA HONRADAMENTE” (Stop the criminalization: We just want to earn an honest living).

This protest demanding the right to work without fear of being penalized by L.A.’s street vendors is the latest action in almost a month of nonstop civil unrest all over Los Angeles county. It is the result of what the majority of street vendors in Los Angeles argue to be an unfair policing system that prevents them from earning money since the start of the coronavirus shelter-in-place law. 

Street vendors asking to a meaningful investment in their future. For years they’ve been pushed to this side. They are not being included in recovery efforts. @CPColectivo @PublicCounsel @InclusivAction pic.twitter.com/iEfBYh2Bum

— Rudy (@MrDOLPH) June 22, 2020

Yesterday’s event in Baldwin Park was a response to Mayor Garcetti’s initial exclusion of street vendor flexibilities in his “LA Al Fresco” temporary program to allow the city’s eating and drinking establishments from opening again, while some were granted to the restaurant’s brick and mortar restaurants. That decision drew criticism from the street vendor community and its advocates, especially since many street vendors had already purchased the controversially priced permit to legally vend in the city starting this year. 

READ: A HUNDRED BLACK HORSE RIDERS SHOWED UP TO SUPPORT THE COMPTON COWBOYS PEACE RIDE FOR BLACK LIVES MATTER

As a result of this public scrutiny,  Los Angeles city councilmember Monica Rodriguez drafted an “emergency” $5 million fund to directly help street vendors, as reported by Eater LA. Forcing Garcetti to also address the issue and announce “relaxed enforcement” of street vending-based violations. 

Nonetheless, the street vendors present on Monday’s protest say they are tired of being pushed to the sidelines and hope city officials recognize their struggles as entrepreneurs in Los Angeles’ informal economy.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from L.A. TACO

L.A. Spent Over $1.73 Million on These Controversial ‘Anti-Homeless’ Signs. Do They Actually Work?

Earlier this month, a leaked memo from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) suggested that these 41.18 zones rarely led to unhoused people being moved into interim shelter or permanent housing. After being cleared, most 41.18 zones quickly became repopulated.

March 27, 2024

Two New Lowrider-Inspired and Dodger-Blue L.A. TACO Hats Are Now Available!

Wear your L.A. TACO swag and support our inclusive, street-level community journalism!

March 27, 2024

A Morning-Only Taco Pop-Up in Northridge Is Making the Biggest Breakfast Burritos in the San Fernando Valley

What does it take to stand out in Los Angeles's saturated taco climate? Focus on San Fernando Valley-style loaded breakfast tacos, "breakfast quesadillas" with crispy cheese skirts, and the beefiest breakfast burritos Balboa Boulevard has ever seen.

March 26, 2024

The Second Round of TACO MADNESS 2024 Is Now Open for Voting! Meet ‘L.A.’s Sweet 16’ That Advanced

Save the date! Our 15th annual taco tournament is taking place on April 13th at La Plaza de Cultura y Artes near Olvera Street. Pre-sale tickets are now available. Our online tournament starts on Monday. Check out this year's contenders!

March 26, 2024

Meet L.A.’s Queen of Carnitas Succeeding In a Male-Dominated Taco Style

Her Michoacán-style carnitas are so tender, crispy, and sticky, that she's known to sell more than 1,200 pounds on Sundays alone. What sets her apart from other carnitas stars in L.A. is her commitment to making handmade corn tortillas, too. Her story of resilience is the stuff of taquera legends.

March 25, 2024
See all posts