City Dismisses Citations Against Nearly 20 Street Vendors After Crackdown On Downtown Peddling

LITTLE VILLAGE — Downtown street vendor Leydy Murillo appeared in court Thursday afternoon a little more than a month after getting arrested for allegedly selling fruit from a cart in a prohibited area without a license.

At the request of a city attorney, Cook County Judge Joseph Gump dismissed Murillo’s case, along with citations against at least 18 other vendors.

The wave of dismissals comes as the city has been cracking down on unlicensed street vendors in Downtown’s high-traffic tourist area, going so far as to arrest people on city ordinance violations.

In recent weeks, many vendors have been ticketed, arrested or have had their carts and other belongings taken away by Chicago police officers and city workers. The immigrant vendors then have been forced to show up to court, increasing their chances of getting arrested by immigration authorities.

Federal immigration agents continue to target courthouses in violation of state law and due process rights, according to advocates. Last month, Norma Salazar Perdomo was ticketed on suspicion of selling fruit in Millennium Park without a license, then detained by federal agents while leaving the courthouse. 

Perdomo’s arrest had a ripple effect, leaving other vendors afraid, anxious and nervous to attend their court dates.

“It’s an awful feeling – we’ve seen other vendors taken by ICE and we had that fear. We’re always afraid we’ll be taken, either by police or immigration agents,” said Marlene, a Downtown street vendor. 

Marlene asked only to use her first name for fear of retaliation from police or immigration authorities. 

Even after cases were dismissed Thursday, several vendors said they’re afraid they’ll continue to be arrested when selling or walking Downtown.

Threats to call immigration authorities on them are common, with both neighbors and city officials making comments or laughing at them, the vendors said. 

Still, many continue to sell because they have no other employment options and “are working to make a living and provide for their families,” said Murillo, whose sister also was caught up in the recent wave of citations and had her cased dismissed Thursday.

“It makes me feel angry and powerless,” Murillo said in Spanish. “We’re working, we’re not stealing or taking from anyone.” 

Murillo was among a half-dozen vendors who gathered in the Street Vendors Association of Chicago office in Little Village for an online court hearing Thursday. The nonprofit group has been supporting vendors, accompanying them to in-person court hearings, arranging for rapid responders to join them or helping them attend virtual hearings. 

That support was key as vendors had a hard time understanding Gump and other officials, who initially called their names and gave out instructions in English. 

“I could probably use a Spanish interpreter. I literally don’t know whether they’re even understanding what I’m saying,” Gump said during the hearing.

During the court hearing, city Assistant Corporation Counsel Marianna Kiselev explained to each vendor that they aren’t permitted to peddle in certain areas, including the Central Business District and Millennium Park, under city ordinance.

But vendors said these areas are where vendors sell enough to make a living. Some have tried to sell goods in permitted areas, only to return home with almost all their products, even though they lowered their prices hoping to appeal to customers, vendors said. 

Vendors were relieved their cases were dismissed, but said in interviews with Block Club that they’re afraid they’ll continue to be targeted. They’re also struggling to pay city fines. 

Murillo’s husband, Alexander Gonzalez, for example, owes more than $1,800 in city fines after being ticketed on three separate occasions since March, according to copies of tickets shared with Block Club.

A defense attorney in court on Thursday said the Cook County Public Defender’s Office is preparing “inventory release forms” so vendors can get their carts and other property back now that their cases have been dismissed. 

After her cart was confiscated, Murillo said she spent about $500 to replace it. She said she didn’t tell her daughters, ages 9 and 14, that she was arrested, but her 14-year-old daughter eventually found out.

“I told them I was working and took longer,” she said. 

Gonzalez said one city official has repeatedly targeted him, but he hasn’t been able to identify him. Many of the vendors whose cases were dismissed on Thursday were arrested or cited by the same Chicago police officer from the Central District.

In some cases, Gonzalez said he received tickets for walking through the park, on his way to a different destination and not selling, he said. 

“When police arrested me, [the city official] laughed,” he said. 

For others, the arrests upended their lives.

Salazar Perdomo remains in the custody of immigration authorities, away from her husband and children, said Juan Gama with the Street Vendors Association of Chicago. Salazar Perdomo is expected to be deported to Ecuador this week. 

Her nephew, Fabian Cocha Toapanta, who was also arrested as he took her to court, was deported to Ecuador last week, leaving behind his wife and baby, Gama said. 

Neither Chicago police nor the city Law Department responded to requests for comment.