Claudia is 62 years old. She was born in Mexico, but came to the United States in 1995. Since 2003, she has supported her three children by owning and operating a food cart in Little Village.
The catch? Claudia’s business is illegal, because Chicago bans street vending.
People want to buy Claudia’s food. At one point, Claudia had five carts and a handful of employees, but because of steady police harassment she has had to cut back. If nothing changes, Claudia and other vendors will continue to operate in fear. They could be stripped of their livelihoods at any moment at the whim of the police and City Hall.
“Domain: The taking of Bryn Mawr Avenue”
Northeastern Illinois University, a state college, has its eyes set on a strip of West Bryn Mawr Avenue as the site for a new dormitory development.
The school has filed a lawsuit to seize the property on this block by invoking eminent domain, but the community is fighting back.
Property rights are too important to be sacrificed at the whim of a grand government plan.
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