Mission District street vendors rally against ban

Ella Sogomonian
·2 min read

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — Vendors who have been banned from selling in the Mission District rallied Friday, asking the city to let them continue to work at 24th and Mission streets. One of the vendors told KRON 4 he has lost so much income since the ban that he is now homeless.

That vendor broke down in tears, saying he couldn’t make rent because of the ban that went into effect this month.

The vendor, Luis Ledesma, says he is now forced to spend the holidays living in a shelter with his wife and 2-year-old child after the ban on street vending in the Mission District. On Friday, he joined the rally at 24th and Mission to call on San Francisco city leaders to continue to allow him to legally sell merchandise where he has done so for 20 years.

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“These past few weeks have been terrible for me. Sales have dropped, and now I am living in a shelter through a program, and it’s all thanks to Hilary,” Ledesma said.

Supervisor Hilary Ronen, who oversees the Mission District, did not respond for comment about the ban. But on Thursday, Mayor London Breed told KRON 4 that the reason for the ban is to put a stop to people who have been selling stolen property on the sidewalks. She added that she doesn’t want legally permitted vendors to suffer.

“We want to make sure that our various job training programs and other things that we have to offer, that we are extending that to them as well as an opportunity, because we don’t want them to be penalized financially because of all the other stuff that’s going on,” Breed said.

The Mission Street Vendors Association reports many members anticipated $300-$600 dollars this month in daily revenue in the Mission District. Since they’ve been forced to move locations, they’re averaging about $10 a day. Many argue the Mission is home to the Latino community, with this corridor giving access to more foot traffic and potential customers.

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“We belong to this neighborhood; we don’t belong to Chinatown. This is the Latino district, and we belong to the Latino district,” said street vendor Rodrigo Lopez.

Lopez went on to say they are not criminals and don’t want handouts and that all they are asking for is to go back to work in the Mission District where many like him have done so for decades.

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