andROM early in the morning late at night, food sellers feed the people of Los Angeles. It provides almost anything-tamales, fried fish, crunchy taco sandwiches, mole, PUPUSAS, fresh fruits, hot dogs covered with angelenos while starting to move or head to the home after closing bars.
Taco trucks and dining sellers are a vital part of the famous cooking scene in the city, as it was attacked this summer, as Donald Trump requested mass migration raids throughout the city.
Shannon Kamacho, a great colleague of politics in A comprehensive work of the cityA non -profit organization in the Boyle Heights neighborhood, which focuses on societal economic development, says that many street vendors have a painful account between the risk of losing the income that affects or detention by imposing immigration and customs (ICE).
“The sellers are in a particularly weak position, given that they have to work in the open air,” Kamacho said. “They depend on foot. They depend on the crowded neighborhoods and streets … This was intended that the Ministry of Internal Security was doing it – targeting the sellers who were abroad, and they understand that many of them are immigrants and many of them are not documented.”
Los Angeles Street campaign, which It includes comprehensive work and three other organizationsHe was defending the rights of sellers before this summer for a long time. LASVC has led the efforts to create a state level policy criminalizing the street throughout the state. Recently, it raised about $ 100,000 of direct cash assistance to street sellers throughout the Los Angeles Province.
However, Kamacho says more.
“There are thousands and thousands of sellers in the streets, even in the city of Los Angeles,” Kamchu said. “This does not include even other parts of southern California. We don’t have enough to support everyone.”
The Guardian spoke to three food business owners in Los Angeles around the summer of ice, and how they affected their families and companies.
Juan Carlos Joa, Tuwaia Frontra
It’s Los Angeles … You are driving anywhere on the street, you will see the popup. You will see street sellers. But it seemed to be a ghost city during that time. No one was outside the street.
I would open the new Silver Lake in Taqueria Frontra at the beginning of June. Then the raids occurred. It does not seem to have a large celebration or opening.
I arrived at Javier Kabral from [the hyperlocal news site] No Taco, I told him, “I want to try to help. Whatever I can do. Do you know a good organization?” He said: “Oh, yes. Cielo It is a great organization. “
I spoke to someone in Cielo, Comunidades Indígenas En Liderazgo (indigenous leadership communities). You are like: “Taco Tuesday is usually something [taco] – What is most of what we sell – it will be donated to collect donations to Cello so that they can help immigrant families during this time? “
We did Taco on Tuesday with a goal, and we ended up collecting $ 4,000 from selling Trombo on that day alone.
Everyone was very supportive on this topic. And not only on that day – many people will come only to verify us, on my employees, see how they do, how they feel. There is no way you can live in Los Angeles without being affected by this. Many of my customers were like: “I can’t believe this is happening.” Who does not have a friend, family member, or workshop not documented here in Los Angeles?
The sellers have now returned to the streets and more people out of eating. But I think he is still at the back of their minds. Can this happen anytime again? It is now very calm, but what happens a month from now if they decide to do it again?
Palmeno, street seller
When we started working, there were not many jobs there. We knew how to make Tamalis, which we sell. Because of the lack of jobs and opportunities, we decided to do what we know how to do. From there, the business slept and we started getting more customers, little by little. It is our only source of income.
Because of the raids, everything stopped. We stopped selling for about a month, without work or anything. We started working again a little more than two weeks ago. Many people do not go out to buy things anymore because they are afraid. Sales fell a lot due to raids. More than half of the clients we did not return to buy anything because of the fear that continues.
We did not have phone orders, too. We bring the offer a day, sometimes we go home with Tamales or with ATOL that has not sold. He will not be the same as it was before the raids.
My wife, and another employee – three of us depend on work. There is nothing we can do, we have to continue working. We need to pay the rent and bills, although we go out with fear. There is no other way. The rent will not wait. The bills, and the food we need to buy, will not wait either.
Alejandra Rodriguez, Alex Fods and Metas Poplana
Many of our customers have stopped coming. They were afraid because many of them are Latin. Even in local restaurants in West Hollywood, [the workers] Get their visas to be here, but they were still afraid because of everything that was happening. They used to say that even if you had a visa, even if you have permission to get here, everyone was still going out. Our sales decreased more than 70 %.
Even on the street, no one was walking, no one is coming. It took a very big negative … the locals working in restaurants, chefs, servers, or maid maids did not come to work.
We closed for about 10 days because it was not useful to go out here. Fortunately, we had a little money and saved. Usually, when we leave on trips, customers will continue to call us to submit applications. But no, for 10 days we went, we did not go to work. We did not receive any calls or people asked us when we were going back.
I had to let one of my employees go. I can no longer bear it. We were climbing slowly. We have customers of local car wash, and told us that ICE has already reached the car wash and took about four people. People still realize. People are still afraid. At any time they see a police officer who passes, or a honest division or someone only, they will swing.
People only try to reach work and return. I know they were able to get away, perhaps for a few weeks, but everyone should pay the rent.