Cancun, Q.R. — A large group of street vendors invaded the Cancun City Hall building Tuesday morning. The group said they want permission to work on municipal beaches without being harassed.
Approximately 150 artisans and informal traders made their way into the Municipal Palace of Cancun Tuesday demanding an end to arbitrary arrests and undue charges, abuses they claim by security authorities.
In response to the building breach, dozens of Municipal and State Police as well as members of the Navy were on hand. They arrived to find the building corridors filled with protesters with banners who expressed their indignation at alleged acts of extortion committed by police in the Cancun Hotel Zone.
The street vendors, who belong to the Confederation of Workers and Peasants ( CTC ) demanded permits to sell their products on the hotel zone beaches. They protested that not being able to see on Cancun beaches is a job opportunity loss and has become a point of dispute.
Elvia Antonio Luciano, a representative of the CTC said “we want them to be allowed to work and enough of the harassment by the Tourist Police, the National Guard and the Navy. We appreciate the presence of the elements on the beaches because they are there to protect the citizens, but they should not go against us.”
Federal and municipal laws prohibit vending on public beaches since the beaches are a federal zone and under the jurisdiction of federal corporations such as the Tourist Police, the National Guard and the Navy.
A five-person commission, including the leader of the CTC, held a meeting with representatives of the municipality and the Human Rights Commission to find a solution.
Five representatives of the group of protesters met with the Cancun Municipal Secretary, Pablo Gutiérrez Fernández, to find a way to allow merchants to return to their work spaces, respecting current regulations.
As a result of the negotiations, the protesters withdrew at around 12:55 p.m., after agreeing to a new meeting between members of the CTC and the authorities for February 27 to work on an agreement to allow the reintegration of vendors, despite their informality, in authorized locations in the city without violating federal laws.
