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Berkeley vendor cited over permit gets $87,000 in donations, will launch food truck

September 26, 2017

A Berkeley, California hot dog vendor received $87,000 in donations, which he will use to start a food truck, after a campus police officer cited him and took money from him for operating without a permit, according to Eater San Francisco.

A university alumnus was buying a hot dog from the vendor when the police officer made the citation. The alumnus, Martin Flores, captured the citation on video and organized a fundraiser for him to help cover his losses from the citation.

With a windfall of $87,000 in donations, the vendor, Juan Macias, now has enough money to invest in a food truck and pay off his expenses. He received the check this weekend in front of the UC Berkeley Center for Latino Policy Research, as he and his family cooked bacon-wrapped hot dogs.

UC Berkeley police said the money was taken as evidence of "suspected proceeds." A campus representative said police give citations to unpermitted vendors out of health and safety concerns.