Did you have a good weekend? Fruteros and flower vendors in San Bernardino, California didn’t. The San Bernardino Police Department spent its weekend shutting down street vendors throughout the city. After posting photos of the crackdown on its official Twitter, the department began getting more attention than it bargained for.
Here are some “community policing specialists” removing vendors from their spot…
Community policing specialists crackdown on illegal street vendors pic.twitter.com/iNv0cEAKwl
— San Bernardino PD (@SanBernardinoPD) August 15, 2015
Credit: @SanBernardinoPD / Twitter
A truck bed full of confiscated flowers…
Outstanding job supporting our community by cracking down on illegal businesses. pic.twitter.com/HU3xWllG9k
— San Bernardino PD (@SanBernardinoPD) August 15, 2015
Credit: @SanBernardinoPD / Twitter
A frutero having his fruit taken away…
Another illegal street vendor taken off the street pic.twitter.com/GDLk7sPzUs
— San Bernardino PD (@SanBernardinoPD) August 15, 2015
Credit: @SanBernardinoPD / Twitter
READ: Was It Murder? Video of Police Shooting an Unarmed Latino Man Sparks Debate
And some more flowers…
Another great job by our community policing specialists. pic.twitter.com/LWTDihQ11K
— San Bernardino PD (@SanBernardinoPD) August 15, 2015
Credit: @SanBernardinoPD / Twitter
The SBPD’s social media strategy led to lots of sarcastic applause:
“@SanBernardinoPD: Another great job by our community policing specialists. pic.twitter.com/r4OEI6Tgnt”????✊✊???
— Super Predator (@ALLISEEISG0ALS) August 16, 2015
Credit: @iWreck_Weaves / Twitter
*Slow clap*
Thank god, someone might have made an independent living selling fresh food. Good work. https://t.co/gGFYgHF7k8
— Adam Jacobi (@Adam_Jacobi) August 16, 2015
Credit: @Adam_Jacobi / Twitter
Others were a little more direct:
Confiscating flowers from ppl just trying to feed their families/selves is a fucked up way to help the community. https://t.co/pSZHu7AYpq
— lil blood diamond (@riclaflare) August 16, 2015
Credit: @riclaflare / Twitter
Jason Gomez captured one of the “crackdowns” on video and posted it to his Facebook.
Credit: Jason Gomez / Facebook
Gomez wrote: “Some fucked up shit that I seen like 20 mins ago. the city took this hard working man just trying to make some money for his family fruit away why can’t they just let him be or tell him to go home or something instead of taking his stuff away. San Bernardino is so fucked up, there’s other bad situations going on in the city and they decide to do this.”
Gomez then vocalized what many people felt:
Credit: Jason Gomez / Facebook
Credit: Jason Gomez / Facebook
Credit: Jason Gomez / Facebook
Throughout the video, Gomez expresses his frustration to the police, who say they are only confiscating the vendor’s fruit, not his cart. Gomez wonders why the San Bernardino PD are spending resources on street vendors instead of serious crime.
According to the Los Angeles Times, San Bernardino is the “poorest city of its size” in California (population 213, 708).
