KTLA

7 Arrested as Street Vending Advocates Protest in Downtown L.A.

Leaders of the L.A. Street Vendor Campaign block Main Street near Los Angeles City Hall on March 9, 2018. (Credit: Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

About half a dozen protesters were arrested Friday in downtown Los Angeles after they blocked traffic as part of a demonstration against proposed street vending rules.

Several hundred demonstrators took over Main Street near City Hall shortly after 10 a.m. to protest a vending proposal that they say favors businesses over local vendors. The group shouted “Si se puede” — “Yes we can” — and carried signs that read “Opportunity, Dignity and Safety.”

Police arrested seven people who refused to leave after a dispersal order, said LAPD Officer Rosario Herrera.

The L.A. City Council is crafting new rules for the thousands of unlicensed street vendors who sell fruit, clothing and CDs on the city’s sidewalks.

Read the full story on LATimes.com.

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