Around 116 street vendors rallied in San Francisco’s Mission District Wednesday, pushing back on the city’s plans to implement a vending ban on Mission Street next Monday.
The city says the ban is in response to a flood of violence, crime and the market for stolen items in the district.
Many of the street vendors at the rally, held on 24th and Mission streets, said they’ve seen — and even been victims of — the violence that the city is worried about. So the move left them confused why the city is sweeping them out of Mission Street along with the illicit vendors.
“We want to be able to walk safely, everybody does,” said Mission Vendor’s Association Spokesperson Jon Jacobo. “But this is not a Mission problem. This is a problem throughout the country, in every major city. And it is not fair to punch down on people who you think don’t have the ability to defend themselves.”
Mission District Supervisor Hilary Ronen has been unresponsive to their concerns, according to the group.
Some vendors said that they were okay with a ban, but would like a guarantee that they would be able to return to their usual spots when it expires. Others want the city to delay the ban or offer some compensation since they’ll be forced to relocate during the busy holiday season.
Mission Street has become a hotspot where unpermitted vendors sell often stolen goods. In addition, a deadly shooting last month has added some urgency to the city’s response.
“This is an emergency,” said Santiago Lederma, an aid to Supervisor Hilary Ronen. “That’s why we’re doing it.”
In an effort to allow some of the permitted vendors to stay in the immediate neighborhood, the city rented an abandoned furniture store which can accommodate up to 40 vendors. In addition, there are also two other spots which will accommodate a few more.
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Vendors will still be allowed to set up on any other street in the area.
But come Monday, anyone selling on Mission Street will be told they can’t be there. While people violating the orders can’t be arrested under state law, they can face other consequences like having their merchandise confiscated.
The street vendor’s association said they were weighing their options, including consulting with an attorney for possible legal action.
