The leaders of the Triqui Merchant Guild said they are organizing to demand their rights, and the reimbursement of damages
About 50 merchants protest on Francisco I. Madero avenue after the stall and its merchandise was seized. Credit: Jazmín Stengel.
Jazmín Stengel (Chapala).– Street merchants were evicted, and their merchandise confiscated by the Department of Regulations, Registration and Licenses, near the recently restored area of the Chapala boardwalk. They protested on Francisco I. Madero Avenue, at the intersection with Hidalgo, on Saturday, April 2.
The Triqui merchants are from Oaxaca. After having been relocated several times in the last month by the authorities (due to restoration of green space, and new urban image policies going into effect) they refused to move again. They had been asked to relocate to the east side of the boardwalk, in the parking lot of the restaurant area known as La Rampa. They were joined by ten other local merchants.
As a result, agents of the Department of Regulations, Registration and Licenses immediately confiscated a street stall on the Chapala boardwalk, using public security personnel; they denounced the Oaxaca Triqui merchants in the area.
On Monday, April 4, a dialogue was scheduled with the authorities during working hours. Up to that time ten stalls had been allowed to continue working in the locations already registered, since the owners had a valid commercial permit. However, on Saturday, April 2, shortly after noon, inspectors accompanied by public security came to confiscate the merchandise from the first street stall, without having given prior official written notice, according to testimonies of the indigenous merchants. The stall had been there for thirty years.
Merchants and municipal authorities struggled during the seizure of merchandise. Credit: Special.
The agents involved refused to identify themselves, answering «oi este wey (I heard this guy).» As they moved on to other stalls, merchants struggled to defend their product and labor rights. One video of such an interaction went viral on social networks. «They take things away like vile thieves,» said one of the affected merchants on the video. In one of the multiple videos published by the Triqui Merchant Guild of Oaxaca, one can observe the struggle between merchants, officials, and public security. «Three men pulled me,» said a minor involved. A Triqui woman was bruised after the struggle.
The aggressions on both sides escalated when the merchants demanded that a count of the confiscated merchandise be made public. However, the product was taken to City Hall facilities, resulting in a blockade by about fifty protesters at the intersection of Francisco I. Madero Avenue and Hidalgo Avenue. The Triqui Merchant Guild said they are organizing to demand their human rights, labor rights, and the reimbursement of the affected merchandise. They have multiple options including a human rights complaint, a legal claim, or a commercial injunction to avoid being removed and discriminated against.
As of the closing of this edition, the affected parties were attended by the municipal president, and were informed that the count of the merchandise was finished. However, municipal president Alejandro Aguirre asked those present to keep the boardwalk free of street commerce during the upcoming Holy Week and Easter vacations. This does not solve the relocation problem for the indigenous merchants.
Translated by Amy Esperanto
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