Berkeley Hot Dog Vendor Busted By Police Gets $87,000 On GoFundMe

click to expand

BERKELEY (AP) -- A street vendor who had his money confiscated for selling bacon hot dogs on a Berkeley sidewalk without a permit has received more than $87,000 raised by supporters.

The East Bay Times reports Rigoberto Matias on Saturday received a check for $87,921 from Martin Flores, who recorded a video of the Sept. 9 event that went viral and sparked an online outcry and a fundraising campaign.

In the video clip Flores posted on his Twitter account, he questions a University of California, Berkeley police officer's decision to confiscate Matias' money as unfair.

UCPD Officer Sean Aranas removes money from the wallet of a hot dog vendor. (Martin Flores)

Flores, a UC Berkeley alum, also kicked off a GoFundMe campaign to help Matias, a construction worker who sells hot dogs on weekends to earn extra money.