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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by High School Student from Franklin Delano Roosevelt High School
4:04:35
·
116 sec
A high school student and child of street vendors testified in support of Intro 431 and Intro 408. She shared her parents' struggles as street vendors and emphasized how these bills would provide legitimacy and better treatment for vendors.
- Intro 431 would expand access to vending permits, offering legitimacy to vendors.
- Intro 408 would shift oversight from law enforcement to a dedicated agency, replacing intimidation with understanding.
- The speaker urged the City Council to pass these bills as part of the street vendor reform package.
UKNOWN
4:04:35
Good afternoon.
4:04:36
Thank you chair Menon and members of the consumer and worker protection committee for the opportunity to testify in support of intro four thirty one and four zero eight.
4:04:45
My name is Pomega Francolara and I'm a learning student from Franklin Delano Roosevelt High School as part of the Chinese American Planning Council.
4:04:53
Both my mother and father are street vendors and I carry this truth not with shame but with unwavering pride.
4:04:59
My father who cannot read or write and my mother whose English is limited endured daily acts of quiet cruelty to avert discrimination as they try to make a living and support my family.
4:05:09
I stand here today not just as a first generation child of Mexican parents but as an embodiment of their sacrifices as they made in order to provide me with a better future.
4:05:19
Interest four thirty one and four zero eight do not merely represent policy changes.
4:05:24
They bring recognition to the lives that have long existed within these margins.
4:05:27
If enacted fully, these reforms would lift the veil of anxiety that shadows every workday for my parents and many others.
4:05:34
Intros four thirty one expand access to vermin vending permits offering legitimacy as well as adjusted of belonging to those who have felt alienated due to harmful stereotypes.
4:05:44
In addition, Intro's four zero eight focuses on shifting oversight away from law enforcement, transferring responsibility to a dedicated agency that understands the complexities of street vending.
4:05:55
This replaces responsibility to this replaces intimidation with understanding and punishment with guidance.
4:06:02
These actions acknowledge the struggles of those who worked tirelessly to survive, treating them not as criminals but as workers with their own stories deserving of respect and protection, a natural right many take for granted.
4:06:13
Thank you for accepting my testimony today.
4:06:15
I urge the city council to take crucial steps of passing intros four thirty one and four zero eight as part of the street vendor reform package.
4:06:22
I speak not only for myself, but for my parents whose strength is a reminder that dignity, respect, and projection should never be privileges but rights.