Street vendors outside Los Angeles Community College Swap Meet were shocked Wednesday morning when they showed up to their usual vending spot on Vermont Avenue and Monroe Street only to find fencing going up with green signs that read: “Street and Sidewalk Sale of Goods Prohibited.”
“We were confused,” said Sandra Escalante, a merchandise vendor who sells outside the swapmeet. “There was no mention of fences going up, and usually, the city does give a notice. The signs also didn’t look right to us.”
Escalante is one of a handful of street vendors who sell twice a week outside the swap meet. In the past, she and other vendors have accused LACC’s new owner Phillip Dane of harassment and discrimination against street vendors. Some of the actions vendors have recorded in the past include the owner setting up random no-parking signs, turning sprinklers on while vendors set up their stands, and verbal harassment towards vendors outside.
This is why they weren't surprised to find out that it was not the city that requested the fencing to go up but something that Dane himself decided to do. The fencing that went up extended from Vermont Avenue through Monroe and Marathon Street. “Nos bloquearon todo,” “they blocked everything,” said Escalante, who says that in the past has been verbally harassed by Dane.
After noticing the fencing, vendors quickly organized it on Wednesday and called the offices of District 13 to figure out the reasoning behind the fencing. They also reached out to the school to which they were told they had no idea who authorized the fencing to go up. A representative from councilmember Mitch O’Farrel was also present with vendors yesterday and told vendors that the fencing was not put up by their office.