CHICAGO– “The prevailing reaction we get from street vendors when we buy out their entire supply is, ‘Are you sure?’” said Erin Ludwig, a member of Cycling x Solidarity, to the crowd of cyclists during a recent Saturday morning ride. “When we get three dozen tamales in, they’re like, ‘Are you sure you want all of this?’”
Ludwig was one of over 40 cyclists gathered at Queen’s Landing, across from Buckingham Fountain, for a bike ride to Little Village this October to buy out street vendors’ inventory there.
The bike ride, a Street Vendor Tour of Little Village, had cyclists stop at three prearranged vendor stops along their 15-mile route. Participants bought elotes, raspados, donuts, and tamales, bringing Tupperware to carry leftovers home.
The streets of Little Village, a hub of Mexican culture in Chicago, have been quieter since the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement began mass arrests targeting Latino communities in September.
Cycling x Solidarity community organizer, Rick Rosales, reached out to the Street Vendors Association of Chicago to identify and coordinate with Little Village street vendors who have been unable to sell.
When the cyclists got their fill, representatives from Cycling x Solidarity bought the rest of the vendor’s supply to distribute to encampments in Pilsen and Little Village, using money from individual contributions to the group.
Photo Credit: Instagram/cyclingxsolidarity
Rosales said the mission is beyond food.
“We see on the news how ICE is targeting street vendors,” he said. “We not only want to ride around and buy out street vendors, but we also pass out Know Your Rights flyers and whistles. I want people to associate us and our rides with solidarity.”
Diana Camarillo, a first-time Cycling x Solidarity rider, said she was looking for ways to support the immigrant community when she learned about the rides.
“Sometimes we think that standing up and giving back is such a big deal. Like you have to do something huge. And it doesn’t have to be huge,” said Camarillo, zipping her leftover sesame almonds and Mexican candy into her backpack.
For street vendors like Gabriela Chavez, the impact of the event was significant.
“Right now, with raids and ICE, I haven’t been able to go out for a month because of fear. People I know have been detained,” she said in Spanish, speaking through an interpreter.
Chavez started her roadside stand 19 years ago, when she transitioned from factory work to street vending so she could watch her children while working. Today she sells foods like elotes, Mexican candies, peanuts, and other packaged goods. Chavez’s stand was the first stop of the bicycle tour.
“I was very happy to see people buy everything out. My fear was that my products would spoil before anyone bought them,” she continued.
The fear street vendors face hits close to home for Maria Orozco, the development manager and outreach organizer at the Street Vendors Association of Chicago, whose parents have operated a street vendor stand in Scottsdale for 10 years.
“Many street vendors cannot leave their homes because of fear. If they do come out and sell, they do not see the support,” said Orozco.
Orozco opened an SVAC GoFundMe page in September.
“We saw how everyone, even members at the organization [SVAC], were struggling. So I did some research and came across this GoFundMe in Los Angeles by a street vendor association that reached $200,000. I brought the idea to the table, and was like ‘hey, we really should do this.’” said Orozco.
SVAC’s GoFundMe has now raised over $300,000 to benefit street vendors across Chicago.
“The vendors did not expect that. In the past week alone, we raised $100,000,” she continued.
Rosales plans to continue collaborating with SVAC to organize weekly street vendor tours in other Chicago neighborhoods. He welcomes other Chicagoans to join the group.
“Some people have donated funds, others work with translation. I want people to feel empowered to contribute.” said Rosales.
Caroline Prewitt is a graduate student at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, specializing in magazine writing.
Photo Credit: Instagram/cyclingxsolidarity