A video surfaced on Saturday of a UC Berkley police officer citing Juan, a hot dog vendor, for not having a permit, then Officer Sean Aranas rifled through the vendor’s wallet and took out all the cash inside before seizing it.
UC Berkeley alum Martin Flores captured the scene, and as Aranas pulled the cash from Juan’s wallet, Flores repeatedly asked him why he had to take his money: “People can drink on campus [at] football games and no tickets, but a hardworking man selling hot dogs earning a living gets his money taken and a ticket?” The alumn asked.
“He doesn’t have a permit,” the officer responded. “This is law and order in action.” A UC Berkeley police official confirmed that officers can look through someone’s wallet and confiscate money if there is an arrest or citation. In this case, the vendor’s money was seized as evidence, the station reported.
The amount confiscated in the seizure was $60, and Police confirmed they are investigating the incident, which took place as officers cracked down on street vending violations, according to multiple news outlets.
According to Flores, there were other people selling items outside the game as well as attendees openly drinking alcohol in public who were being ignored by law enforcement.
Meanwhile, almost 20,000 people have signed a petition calling for Aranas’ removal as of Monday afternoon. UC Berkeley spokesman Dan Mogulof offered a brief statement Sunday evening: “We are aware of the incident. The officer was tasked with enforcing violations related to vending without a permit on campus. UCPD is looking into the matter.”
Flores created the GoFundMe page Sunday, as he sought justice for Juan and attempted to locate him, which he successfully did, according to an update on said page. As of Monday afternoon, the campaign had raised more than $40,000; the funds will be utilized to help cover the vendor’s legal costs and financial losses, as well as helping other vendors in the area.
Under a controversial law enforcement practice known as civil asset forfeiture, police are allowed to seize property and cash from anyone they merely suspect is involved in criminal activity. Even if suspects are proven innocent, the process to get their money back is time consuming and even more costly that the confiscated amount.
Martin Flores said in an interview: “If he’s really about law and order there’s really so many other things he could’ve stopped,” he continued: “I totally recognize that people have to have permits. But this wasn’t about that. This was about identifying one vendor.”
Check out the now viral video below!