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Essays

The Toll On LA's Street Vendors

Hot dog vendor Chela says she plans to keep serving food on the streets of Boyle Heights. (Erick Galindo/Chava Sanchez for LAist)
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All the street vendors that usually bring Boyle Heights sidewalks to life are gone.

It doesn't feel good. For a second, I can't breathe and I wonder if I got it. I woke up feeling what I assume or hope is a cold. Maybe allergies. Maybe it's just paranoia.

But for a moment, I'm drowning. My lungs stick together and I'm sure I have coronavirus. Then tears start coming out of me.

And I realize, it's not COVID-19. It's despair. It just hurts to see Los Angeles this way.

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