Chicago Rallies To Support Street Vendors Impacted By ICE: \u2018The Backbone Of Our Neighborhoods\u2019<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\nAll purchases are considered funds for vendors and not donations since Cycling x Solidarity\u2019s work is not tax-deductible, said Rick Rosales, a community organizer with Cycling x Solidarity.<\/p>\n
The Saturday ride is an extension of an initiative that started last month when the group decided to collect funds to buy out vendors in Pilsen and Little Village so vulnerable residents could pack up early and avoid federal agents. Riders paid the vendors in cash and then passed out the food to people in need throughout Chicago, Rosales said.<\/p>\n
Cycling x Solidarity\u2019s rides benefit vendors of all types, including those who sell tamales, elotes and tortas throughout Pilsen, Hermosa and Little Village.<\/p>\n
The group has organized similar events like Burrito Brigade, where cyclists deliver burritos to Chicagoans living in encampments and shelters, and an unemployment support group that provides resume help, networking and a place to air out job search frustrations.<\/p>\n
Rosales hopes to make the Saturday vendor tour part of a series, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re providing an opportunity to support vendors and hearing their stories, to make this so it\u2019s not just transactional,\u201d he said, adding that the group is always looking for translators who can help. \u201cThey\u2019re gonna introduce themselves so we can support them in that way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rosales lived in Indianapolis for 12 years, and he saw virtually no street vendors, he said. But in Chicago, where street vendors are a common sight, they stir \u201cliterally warm and figuratively warm\u201d feelings in him.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo me, it embodies what it means to be an American,\u201d he said. \u201cMy fondest memories are them handing these warm tamales for a reasonable price and being able to support them and their hustle. I think a lot of Chicagoans have a similar feeling toward them. They cherish the vendors in their neighborhood.\u201d<\/p>\n
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As immigration enforcement operations have ramped up in Chicago, food vendors have retreated from their usual spots in Pilsen, Little Village and other neighborhoods out of fear of being targeted by federal agents. Credit: Rita Oceguera \/ The Trace<\/p>\n
The tense political climate has pushed many vendors into the shadows, said Maria Orozco, development manager and outreach coordinator with the nonprofit Street Vendors Association of Chicago. The organization helps street vendors obtain insurance, licenses and Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been really tough on them. And then the people that have the opportunity to go out and sell or just risk it, they\u2019re not getting as much sales as they used to,\u201d Orozco said. \u201cSo it\u2019s something very traumatizing for people to see. \u2026 It\u2019s very unexpected. I think COVID wasn\u2019t even this bad.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Orozco, the impact on street vendors is personal. Her family of four, including Orozco\u2019s sister, began selling tamales, elotes and chicharrones about a decade ago on the corner of 79th Street and Pulaski Road in Ashburn. Both her parents still work as vendors, but her mother hasn\u2019t ventured out for fear of ICE, nor have they gone to the church where they once set up shop, Orozco said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe always used to complain that we can\u2019t have family Funday Sunday, and now we haven\u2019t worked in weeks,\u201d Orozco said, adding that her sister does the grocery shopping so her mother can stay home. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t feel real, what\u2019s going on.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Cycling x Solidarity rides take cyclists to Chicago neighborhoods to buy out street vendors and pass out their food to people in need. Credit: Instagram\/Cycling x Solidarity<\/p>\n
In spite of the bleak mood weighing over many Chicagoans since the Trump administration launched Operation Midway Blitz, Cycling x Solidarity\u2019s initiative has inspired other cyclists to embark on their own vendor buyouts. Humboldt Park resident Stephanie Reid wasn\u2019t able to attend one of Rosales\u2019 recent rides but still wanted to help.<\/p>\n
\u201cI stole Rick\u2019s idea,\u201d Reid joked. \u201cWhen all the ICE activity increased, I said, \u2018I have a pretty generous network of friends. Let me go buy out some vendors on my own.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Reid posted on Facebook that she wanted to raise a few hundred bucks to buy out local street vendors. She received donations from all around the United States via Zelle and Venmo, she said. She drove around West Town, Logan Square and Humboldt Park with her husband and 14-year-old, buying out $200 worth of tacos from one vendor and $120 worth of tamales from another vendor so they could return to their homes.<\/p>\n
The outing turned into a teachable moment for Reid, showing her teen the importance of helping her neighbors, she said. She was also surprised to learn that not only could her teen use the Spanish they learned in school to translate conversations with vendors, but her husband knew Spanish too.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re just a fixture on our streets, and it\u2019s awesome what they\u2019re doing,\u201d Reid said of the vendors. \u201cPersonally, I\u2019m a huge fan of Claudio, who goes around and sells his tamales at all the bars. They\u2019re just hardworking people trying to make a living and supporting their families.\u201d<\/p>\n
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