Hundreds queue to buy from ‘embarrassed’ street vendor whose cart was pushed over by city worker

People are rallying round in support of a street vendor after his hot dog cart was knocked to the ground in an altercation with a city worker.

Earlier this month (1 October), a video of a San Francisco street inspector pushing over a hot dog vendor's cart went viral.

People flocked to social media in outrage and they've since taken to the streets to queue up for Juan Carlos Ramirez's hot dogs.

If you needed a boost to start believing in humanity again, then this is it:

Ramirez was left feeling 'frightened,' 'embarrassed' and 'helpless' after the street inspector chased him and knocked his cart over.

The street inspector's actions follow San Francisco cracking down on making sure street vendors have permits - Ramirez' cart later confiscated by authorities.

The hot dog vendor told CBS News: "I do this to pay the bills and to feed my family. I'm trying to get a permit but it's hard right now. So I do whatever it takes to feed my family."

Many flooded to TikTok in support of Ramirez. One user said: "He was literally walking away."

"This is what the city is focusing!????!? how about everyone getting their cars broken into," another added.

A third commented: "This is the opposite of 'Public Works'. Abhorrent behavior by someone who is paid by the city and is given a title to be a representative of the City."

Thankfully, as well as people speaking out on social media in defense of Ramirez and to condemn the street inspector's actions, many also flooded to the streets in support of the food vendor in a rally organized by the Union of Vendors Association's vice president, Alex Enamorado.

Borrowing a food cart from a friend, Ramirez was flooded with customers on Saturday (7 October) - with people coming to his stall from locations as far away as Rancho Cucamonga.

The vendor sold around 250 hot dogs and made roughly $3,000 in just three hours - enough money for a new cart.

A GoFundMe - set up by Ramirez's wife - has also seen over $5,000 raised for Ramirez.

Ramirez told CBS News: [Translated] "I appreciate all the love and support. This is amazing. This is going to get me up on my toes."

The community came out to support the hot dog vendor seen in a widely-shared video showing a @sfpublicworks employee running after and knocking over Juan Carlos Ramirez’s cart.

The San Jose resident and father of 3 thanked the community for its support. https://t.co/j8EE1WzJtT pic.twitter.com/w60i4luvUH

— Betty Yu (@bett_yu) October 8, 2023

People have called for the inspector to be fired for his conduct.

Enamorado said: "The public humiliation that Juan Carlos faced is the reason why we all get together for him to let him know we don't condone that behavior.

"It would have been different had he just given him a citation in a professional manner, instead of just destroying his property."

A Public Works spokesperson told CBS News: "While we are still looking into what led up to that moment and the events that preceded, we strive to treat members of the public with respect during permit enforcement operations.

"We train our employees in de-escalation techniques with the goal of diffusing tense situations. In this circumstance, we did not meet that threshold and we apologize."

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available through Mental Health America. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. You can also reach Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.

You can also call 1-800-985-5990 or text “TalkWithUs” to 66746 at the SAMHSA Disaster Distress Helpline.