A young man selling bread in Veracruz city was violently restrained and had his belongings confiscated by a police officer and city workers in a video that was recorded in July but only recently went viral on social media.
According to a city press release, the workers involved were dismissed after the incident.
In the video, the bread vendor, who appeared to have a visual impairment, was on the city’s boardwalk when he was approached by the police officer and government workers, the latter employed by the municipal office regulating commerce.
They surrounded him and the officer threatened to restrain him if he did not leave the area.
The man did not move or look at the officer and just held on to his basket of bread.
After a moment, the officer grabbed the man’s arms and wrestled him to the ground as the city workers took the bread basket and a base the man had to support it, breaking the base in the process.
The city administration admitted misconduct in a press release this week, saying that the workers involved were dismissed at the time of the incident. Mayor Fernando Yunes Márquez said the man’s confiscated product was replaced and that he was offered the option to sell at another site with the appropriate permits.
“I reiterate the commitment of my government to respect human rights and not tolerate a single action against them,” he said. “Similarly, I reiterate that we will continue with the rules for street vendors in our city, always prioritizing that they have the opportunity to work in an orderly fashion for their own benefit and for the benefit of commerce in our city.”
With reports from Milenio
