Stand by for some fireworks in Guadalajara city center next Tuesday.
This is the day municipal authorities have set aside to expel the hundreds of ambulant vendors who hawk their wares on sidewalks, pedestrian walkways and sunny plazas.
Dozens of police officers are expected to accompany city officials to ensure the evictions are carried out without any disorder.
A census taken by local government has revealed that 1,114 street vendors work in the city center – 70 percent without permits.
The vendors won’t be hung out to dry, Mayor Enrique Alfaro has vowed. “Street vendors are not criminals; these are people who want to support their families,” he said Thursday.
Vendors who register with authorities will be given four alternatives, Alfaro says.
Around 110 can be rehoused in municipal markets, 400 vacancies are open in city hall’s job bank, while a new temporary employment program is ready to hire 150 new employees. In addition, city hall will allow 109 vendors to remain in the downtown core, although how they will be selected or where they will be located is yet to be determined. Those that do stay will be strictly regulated to ensure they are not selling counterfeit goods, such as DVDs, sunglasses, apparel and the like. Alfaro said he is prepared for “resistance” and “turbulence” but stressed “there is no going back.”
A spokesperson for the Guadalajara Chamber of Commerce said the decision to remove the vendors and enforce city regualtions was an important step and would encourage to new investment in the city center.