The Condition between the Authorities and the street vendors today in Avenida Once, Buenos Aires .

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It is exactly seven days when different security Organisations in the city of Buenos Aires embarked in dismantling the activities of the street vendors for the reasons best known to them. Let take a close look on how it all started and aftermath, the struggling of commoners to make both ends meet.

Street vendors in the Buenos Aires neighbourhood of Once have reacted against an eviction operation that has been taking place since this morning.

 
Vendedores informales de Argentina fueron desalojados por la policía de Buenos Aires de la
 estación  de trenes de Once.

 Efectivos de la Policía Metropolitana continuaron esta mañana con los operativos de requisa de depósitos
 y levantamiento de puestos callejeros en los barrios de Retiro, Flores, Caballito y Once, acción que fue repudiada por los integrantes de la asociación de Vendedores Libres de la ciudad de Buenos Aires.


 

Chaos has broken out in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of Once following a city government 

operation to remove manteros’ vending posts from the streets. Manteros are informal street vendors

 who get their name from the mats (mantos) they traditionally use to display their wares.

This morning, at around 2am, Buenos Aires City police descended on Pueyrredón Ave. and

 Bartolomé Mitre Street during the Ministry of Public Space’s operation to dismantle the numerous

 vending posts, which are usually seen lining the sidewalk near the train station.

However, by 11.30am, more than 100 people had gathered in protest at Avenida Rivadavia and
Pueyrredón, blocking the streets and demanding to meet with the governor of the City of Buenos Aires,
Horacio Rodríguez Larreta.

For the last few hours, the police and mantero protesters have been at a stalemate. It has been reported
 that pieces of rock were thrown at police officers and fires started in the middle of the street. Police
 resorted to rubber bullets, pepper spray and a water cannon to remove protesters. Three injuries and
at least two arrests have been reported.

Shops and other businesses in the area have remained closed for the day and traffic has had
to be diverted from Rivadavia, which is a key avenue in terms of transit for the City.

Protesters hurled rocks and other missiles at the police. Photo via Telám

Things were looking messy this morning when the Buenos Aires Police Commissioner told the press 

“the situation is semi-under control” – not exactly the kind of statement known to boost confidence –

 but a meeting has now been arranged for 4pm between the manteros and Government representatives

 to try and find a solution. One spokesperson for the group of manteros announced to the press that 

they “will be deciding as a group” whether they will continue blocking the streets and an agreement has 

now been reached to “free up half of the street.”

In the face of today’s conflict, Clara Muzzio, the deputy minister for the Use of the Public Space in the 

City, has proposed to Once’s manteros that they register in Perón street to sell their products within

 a building. However, she made it clear that the Government would not be open to dialogue 

with “organizations” nor with “violent people”. The proposal has not yet been accepted.

The operation that took place this morning,10th Jan. 2017, is part of the Government’s latest crackdown
on 

unregistered work in Argentina (aka working “in black”). This kind of informal employment, which 

saw a massive increase after the 2001 crisis, is thought to represent over a third of the country’s 

economy, rising to 37.9 per cent in Gran Buenos Aires and a huge 44.8 per cent in the northern 

province of Salta.

However, the President’s administration is now facing pressure from both investors outside the county 

and policy makers within Argentina to cut down on the numbers of people working informally in an 

attempt to strengthen the official economy.

 On the otherhand, the unregistered workers plead with the government to give them the opportunity
to register in order to work legal at the street of Once. The Government granted them the request to register
 but within the time frame of registration with the representatives from the certified authoritatives;
the exercise ended in futility.

This kind of government activity had been executed in some areas like Retiro, Corrientes and provincial

 in the passed but such unwanted action to many did not deter the street vendors to return to their area

 of work to make a livelihood. This is important to all and sundry because such situation of terminating 

a legal means of livelihood among tax payers can lead to increase in social vices.

  
The opinion of the people is that the governmnent should address the situation promptly by 

providing alternative place of work with incentives or should withdraw its foot soldiers from the frontline, 

that is Once, to enable normalcy return the place in no distance time.

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