Beach Vendors Provoke Jurisdiction Debate
(Acapulco, ElSur 13 July) Acapulco’s director of Public Roads, José Luis Flores Vinalay, told the press that enforcing the prohibition against the beach vendors is not a job that falls to the municipality of Acapulco. “Because the beaches are in a federal zone,” he said, “the organization responsible for the beach vendros is Profepa.” Profepa is the special federal prosecutor for protection of the environment. The city official did admit that two specific vendors are “tolerated” in the area of the large flag pole across from the main entrance to Parque Papagayo (as they are handicapped), and that during vacation periods, two inspectors are posted there to prevent other vendors from having access to the sidewalk.
The local representative of Profepa, Joel Tacuba García, is said to be meeting with the city’s Director of Public Roads this week to coordinate a plan concerning this high summer vacation season.
Flores Vinalay was aware, of course, that sidewalk congestion from unlicensed and unregulated vendors is far less of a bother than the swarms of them on the beach. He said that he has posted inspectors at the main entrance streets to the beach, to turn away vendors as they arrive. The vendors, naturally, know that they must now enter the beaches by the less known access points; however, once they are on the beach, they can walk up and down it, from Icacos to Caletilla, to their hearts’ content, as the City feels it has no jurisdiction over them.
Just as city inspectors try to close off vendors’ access to the beach, they seek to prevent jugglers and vendors from blocking streets at red lights and at areas of tourist activity like La Quebrada and La Condesa. From the visible effects of this activity, it appears that there are far more jugglers and vendors than there are inspectors.
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The real deal
If the Municipal police do not have jurisdiction on the beaches of Acapulco then why are they the only police that patrol the beaches in Acapulco?
They drive down the beaches on ATV's provided by the Municipal Police Department to do exactly that - Monitor the beaches.
The resistance comes from the Junk Cartel Mafia. Knock off items enter the Acapulco port at an alarming rate and make their way to the Junk Cartels. They in turn provide credit to beach vendors who sell the fake Dolce & Gabbana sunglasses and all other fake / knockoff items.
Many of the beach vendors have become virtual slaves to this deplorable system and usually manage to earn enough to cover the cost of a 25 peso plate of tacos.
I feel badly for the beach vendors. I also feel badly for people who spent several grand to enjoy the beaches only to be disturbed non stop by begging vendors.
The Secretary of tourism is as delusional as Manuel Anorve if they believe the number one complaint is beach vendors. The number one complaint by locals is the corrupt police departments and drug dealers on the beaches.
Give the another way to survive.
If these vendors (licensed or unlicensed)are stopped from working on the beaches of Acapulco, then they must be given another avenue of survival. these people have families to feed and bills to pay. it is very insensitive of those politics to approve a law without a solution to the real problem which is jobs for these people, and a way to make decent money to feed their families and pay their bills.
All of those politicians who are looking to just fill their own pockets should start caring for the families who are trying to make a decent living and feed their children.
When was the last time that any of these politicians gave a solution to the real problem of ambulant vendors? Never!
So, let me say, F.U until you present the real solution to the real problem, and stop just filling your own pockets.
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