Chicago street vendors fined, merchandise confiscated amid CPD crackdown in Loop

New videos show street vendors being escorted away from their carts in the Loop—facing fines, citations, and possible arrest.

Experts say this is something that's happening more and more recently and is renewing conversations about the legality of vending in the city's most popular areas.

Typically, around Michigan Avenue, vendors line that part of Millennium Park, but as of Monday, the majority of those vendors were missing. Those who were there shared videos showing their fellow vendors being whisked away by Chicago police.

In one video, a child can be seen crying as their guardian is escorted away by officers. In another video, one watches as two officers load a fruit stand onto an awaiting van. A red cart along Michigan can be found down the street from where the video was taken.

"There's not much places to stay wheres theres lots of tourists," said street vendor Bakhtiyar Tulegenov.

He has been selling vintage newspaper photographs for about a year. He says they received tickets from $250 to $500. 

Tulegenov was giving two tickets on Sunday while working on the street. He says he has a peddlers' licence, which is $100 for a two-year term, and is valid only in areas where peddling is legal. For about a decade, peddling has been technically prohibited in the Loop.

"One ticket is maybe alright, but like the police are strict now—every week, every Saturday and Sunday they come," he says.

Marlen Romero is also a street vendor selling fruit.

"Because we have needs, we have to support a family, I have four children here," she said.

Her husband had to run and rotate locations to avoid being seen by the police.

"Meantime, we're looking to sell. I know there are laws here, I know is prohibited, but we're not hurting anyone, and sometimes they treat us like thieves," she said. 

Chicago police told CBS News Chicago that they've not received a specific directive to clear vendors, but still, one expert says there seems to be an uptick in enforcement, whereas usually vendors were mostly left alone.

"It's something that we didn't think was going to happen, but I guess they are coming at them really hard now," said Maria Orozco, outreach organizer with the Street Vendors Association of Chicago.

Orozco advocates on behalf of street vendors in Chicago. She says she has no idea where vendors' belongings are taken when they're confiscated.

"If they could get them back, they said no. The fruit normally gets thrown away, but the souvenirs we're not sure where they go or who they go to," she said. "We come out here to try to make a living and for them to just get fined what they're going to make in a day or two days, it's kind of tough on them."

Chicago police could not provide any details about the videos. They also could not confirm if any arrests were made. CBS News Chicago asked them about confiscated items. They said each individual will be given specific instructions on where to pick up thier belongings, with the closest police station being the most likely.

Over at city hall, there's been some push to expand the parameters around peddling to make it legal in the Loop, but the push doesn't have enough aldermanic support.