The City Legislature was debating a ban street peddlers who carry their activities in public spaces «for mere survival. Earlier the Legislature passed a law that seeks to regulate the activity of parking thugs by creating a registry in which those over 18 and lacking enough funds to attend their needs and those of their families must be enrolled, in order to control the parking of cars in public spaces.
The bill, which has to be approved by the Executive branch, was the opposition’s counterproposal to block Pro’s draft bill that seeked to ban parking thugs and those people who clean car windows in public spaces, and looked to arrest those who carried out those types of activities.
Lawmakers passed the law with 31 votes in favour and 29 against. Lawmakers from Pro, Federal Union and Encuentro porteño voted against the law.
Thus, the “Car caretaker registry” was created and it was decided that any compensation the car caretaker is to receive will be always voluntary
The City Legislature was debating a controversial ban on parking thugs and street peddlers who carry their activities in public spaces «for mere survival”. Before the debate began, dozens of street sellers were protesting outside the building, claiming for their rights.
The conflict between Florida street store owners and street peddlers is long standing and made a turn for the worse in the last few weeks, when angry store owners staged multiple roadblocks and protests downtown, urging the Macri administration to remove them from the area.
Earlier today, PRO bloc leader Cristian Ritondo confirmed that the debate would take place and said his party and the opposition reached a deal to penalize street peddlers, but seemed discouraged with the bill that seeks to ban parking thugs.
“We are moving towards regulating the activity. We will remove article 83 of the Infringement Code and we suggest the creation of street fairs so that peddlers can settle there,” Ritondo explained, and added that that bill is being “discussed” with the opposition.
The article mentioned by Ritondo is the one that says that street peddlers are not in contravention. It is ultimately the article that allows the use of public space for profit and mere survival.
A street peddler named Marisa Bonini complained for the lack of dialogue on the City Government’s part, which insists on saying all street peddlers “are racketeers.”
“We have always been here and always will be. They could regulate the activity and bring order to the streets,” she said.
Another street peddler said that “today they will abolish a law that enables us to work on the street. They are transforming humble workers into criminals. We understand store owners when they plead unfair competition, but the City Government has the tools to solve this problem. Buenos Aires will be the only city in the world in which this type of work will be banned.”
buenosairesherald.com