There are multiple reasons food vendors might be unable to operate at special events. It might be due to improper temperatures, lack of licensing, and so on. Typically, vendors get issued a ticket or get told to leave if they’re putting the general public at risk. One city worker in Colorado took matters into their own hands when she came across a food vendor violation. Instead of getting in touch with the right people, her choice of weapon was bleach.
Posted by TikToker Zoomie: a city worker approaches a vendor stand, then starts pouring bleach into each tub of food after a food violation is discovered. It’s unclear as to what that violation was, only that the Tacolorado food vendor had set up for a nearby event. More importantly, using bleach to make the food inedible is a wild move. Why not write out a ticket or tell them they have to go to these lengths? As Zoomie says, what the city worker did was a “next level overreach.”
As she’s pouring bleach into each container, she looks completely nonchalant about it, too. Another follows behind, watching enticing vats of food, like pickled onions, guacamole, and limes, being completely wasted. One commenter pointed out that not even the family can eat the leftovers: “So now the vendor can’t take it home to family.”
And if the vendors are well off enough, they don’t need it. What if some donate to the needy? It’s an anti-homeless tactic, just like benches with strange armrests in the middle to prevent people from sleeping. Pour bleach onto the food, and the homeless can’t eat it, right?
The initial video was posted by Brenda Melendez, according to Zoomie, who said it fell under the radar and didn’t gain much traction. But Zoomie claims this isn’t an “isolated incident” involving Denver city officials. Apparently, they come after vendors frequently.
“No way I could just stand there and let her pour bleach into food,” another commented. It’s a shame, too, considering millions of Americans are losing their food stamps, according to Politico. That kind of destruction, especially for a food vendor, can quite literally mean the difference between their rent and living on the streets and getting in scuffles with Denver police.
