For the first time in decades, street vendors are not selling food, shirts and other game-day items outside of Turner Field. WABE's John Lorinc reports the vendors are now fighting back against a new policy that forbids them from peddling their wares.
Larry Miller, the president of the newly-formed Atlanta Vendors Association, has sold items outside of Turner Field for 30 years.
But, for now, that has come to an end, and Miller says Mayor Kasim Reed is to blame.
“You put all of us out of business. Why? Mayor Reed, why? Why did you put us out of business? Where are you? Speak to this matter.”
Miller doesn’t understand why Reed and other city officials have a new policy that prevents vendors from peddling their wares on city property outside of events like Braves games, and the upcoming Final Four.
“They need to stop hating on us, we’re not robbing anybody,” says Miller.
Mayor Reed’s senior policy adviser David Bennett says the reason is, right now, the city of Atlanta has no legal system for regulating vending.
That’s due to a December court order that voided the city’s contract with a private firm to manage vending on city property.
“At this point, all options are on the table, including possible litigation,” says Robert Frommer, an attorney with the advocacy group, Institute for Justice, a group that has joined forces with the Atlanta Vendors Association.
Bennett says the vendors can still sell items on private property if they can make deals with the property owners.
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