Central Los Angeles : Vendors Stage Protest Outside Police Station
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A dozen street vendors staged a protest in front of the Hollenbeck Division police station in Boyle Heights Friday, accusing officers of harassing them and confiscating their goods.
Vendors say that since the Los Angeles City Council passed an ordinance legalizing vending in a special zone in MacArthur Park, police have been cracking down heavily on any vendors who are not part of the vending district.
“We are not harassing them,” said Sgt. Alex Salazar, Hollenbeck’s watch commander. “We are just responding to the licensed merchants’ demands. All we do is apply the law which forbids sidewalk sales without a license.”
Vendors contend that the ordinance is grossly inadequate because only 38 were able to qualify for the vending district.
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