LA PAZ — The arrest of a street vendor selling elotes along the city’s waterfront has set off a wave of public criticism in La Paz, reopening a long-running debate over how municipal authorities treat informal workers in one of the city’s most visible public spaces.
The incident, which took place near the downtown boardwalk, drew sharp reactions on Facebook, where many residents accused the La Paz Municipal Police of using excessive force and criticized Mayor Milena Quiroga Romero’s administration for what they viewed as a heavy-handed response toward a vendor trying to make a living.
City officials, however, said the case must be understood within the framework of local regulations governing street commerce.
Jennifer Romero, director of the city’s Commerce Department, said La Paz has had rules on public street vending in place since 1995. The municipal ordinance recognizes two types of vendors: mobile vendors and semi-permanent vendors.
But neither category, Romero said, is allowed to operate within the city’s downtown core, an area that stretches from Paseo Álvaro Obregón — the boardwalk — to Ignacio Altamirano Street, and from 5 de Febrero Street to Morelos Street.
Romero said the restriction is not new and has been enforced as part of an effort to maintain public order in the city’s central area, a key zone for tourism, local businesses and pedestrian traffic.
Mobile vendors may sell their products in other parts of La Paz as long as they have the proper permit, she said. Semi-permanent vendors, meanwhile, must follow the schedule listed on their permit and remove their stands or equipment at the end of each workday.
“Within the downtown core, the type of commerce that is allowed is established business activity on private property,” Romero said, adding that local tax law also allows some businesses to extend their operations onto public sidewalks under specific regulations.
City Treasurer Jassiel Enríquez Varela said only about 10 to 12 mobile vendors are currently registered with the city. He said officials plan to hold meetings in the coming days to begin registering more vendors who want to formalize their work.
Enríquez rejected the idea that the city is targeting street vendors for revenue. He said the fees are minimal, noting that vendors pay less than 100 pesos for roughly 20 days of work.
“This is not about collecting money,” he said. “It is about order and safety.”
Still, the city’s explanation has done little to calm the public response. Online, critics questioned whether police intervention was necessary and called on local authorities to show more sensitivity toward people who depend on daily street sales to support themselves.
For many residents, the arrest of the elotero has become a symbol of what they see as an administration willing to enforce regulations against vulnerable workers while failing to address broader concerns about inequality and economic hardship.
Others argue that street vending needs clear rules, particularly in heavily visited areas such as the boardwalk, where tourism, public safety and business interests often collide.
The La Paz city government said it remains open to dialogue with vendors who want to regularize their activity. But the controversy has left City Hall facing a larger question: how to enforce the law without losing sight of the human realities behind informal work.
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