Life is hard for some; it is much harder trying to survive in a world that really does not give a hoot about them.
Out here is Southwest Houston, you see them. the street vendors, pushing their little carts around. I recently talked to one of them that was leveling out a volley ball field in Braeburn Glen Park. He looked too old to play so I asked him if he played volleyball.
He told me that he wants it to be ready so that people use it in the evenings and weekends to play volleyball, as that is when he brings his little food cart to sell and make a living.
These are not the people who will go to meetings and voice their concerns. They can’t vote as most, if not all, are not citizens. But they have to survive. Imagine what it would be like to have to live like they do rather than risk being deported back to their home country.
You see them outside the school when the bell rings, sending the children home. My wife often returned with snacks from one of the vendors after picking up our grandson.
Add the homeless, who are everywhere, and we have an area that is certainly different than the Mayberry I grew up watching.
Mayor Whitmire;
At a recent City Council meeting, Mayor John Whitmire said he is not interested in taking a heavy-handed approach.
“So many of them are desperate. This is their only income. So, we’ve got to be considerate,” Whitmire said.
Addressing City Council earlier this month, Whitmire said he hoped to craft a compromise that avoids a harsh crackdown.
“It’s really kind of exciting, but for the hardship it places on traffic and property owners. But the native food and clothing is something I want to show my grandkids, but we need to do it right,” he said. Source
The Mayor surprised me with what he said; maybe underneath, there is a heart of gold.
District J Council Member Ed Pollard;
Some council members are calling on the city to do more. District J Councilmember Edward Pollard, who has represented the area since a redistricting went into effect at the start of the year, said at the Feb. 7 meeting he wanted the city to craft a strategy for the police department.
The issue is not confined to a three-block stretch of one street, Pollard said, adding he increasingly is hearing about vendors setting up shop in southwest Houston in neighborhoods including Alief, Westwood, Gulfton, Westpark and Braeburn.
“We have to find a way to educate them on the proper way to get a permit and to sell items in an appropriate manner,” Pollard said. “But it brings down the quality of life and the aesthetics of the area. And It’s something that if we don’t get in front of, we will start to see it popping up on more and more streets.” Source
