When her temporary contracting company learned that one of their employees had attacked a street seller in Watts over the weekend, they let her go. Yusen Logistics America, based in New Jersey, stated Wednesday morning that it had ended its temporary assignment of a lady from Carson, California’s Simplified Labor Staff Solutions. The company did not want the woman to be recognized.
In a statement, Yusen said it “does not condone violence of any kind.” “We were alerted to an online video of a temporary worker whom her employer had assigned to work at one of our warehouses,” the statement read. “This person is no longer assigned to work at our company and will not be allowed to return to any of our facilities.”
Renee Latrice Hines, 36, was named by Los Angeles police on Wednesday. On Sunday night, a woman driving a pink 2007 Lexus sped up to the Tacos Ortiz stand near Grandee Avenue and E. 103rd Street in Watts and attacked street seller Joana Vasquez.
When Vasquez “asked the suspect to pay for the tacos she had consumed,” Hines “punched and pepper sprayed” her, according to a police press release issued at 6:35 p.m. The incident was captured on camera by Tacos Ortiz employees and uploaded to Instagram on a Monday.
The tweet below verifies the news:
A woman is fired from her job after video of attack on Watts street vendor is seen by her boss https://t.co/blJbwYu2d9 via @Yahoo
— Mivia (@Mivia1) August 10, 2023
A video shows the woman getting out of her car and confronting the vendors, at one point attempting to throw a bottle at the male proprietor of the stall. She then dives at a table and tries to take Vasquez away from the stage by her shirt.
According to the footage, she yanks Vasquez with her right arm while punching the much smaller vendor with her left arm and yelling profanities for almost 15 seconds before stopping. The vendor then goes after the woman to get her license plate number, and the woman responds by taking the sign from the vendor’s stand and throwing it at him.
As someone else drives off, she continues to hurl obscenities from the passenger side of the car. Street vendor cart overturning suspect loses job near SoFi Stadium There was a delay in getting back to us when we called Tacos Ortiz. A report of an attack with a deadly weapon was made with the Los Angeles Police Department, the department stated. There have been no reported arrests.
If you want to stay on top of everything happening in California, read the California Examiner:
- Covered California Health Insurance Premiums to Increase Amid Concerns of Rising Costs
- A California Couple’s Homeowners Insurance Was Cancelled After They Drained Their Pool to Conserve Water
The taco business posted a video to Instagram with the warning, “be careful with these types of people,” written in Spanish captions. When it comes time to pay for their dinner, they act like this when they get here. Yusen was alerted by street vendor activist Edin Alex Enamorado, according to a business representative.
Enamorado was told of the event on the same day since he facilitates a regular group conversation among numerous South Los Angeles street sellers. Enamorado stated that the woman had dined “at least two times before” at Tacos Ortiz but had never paid their bill. Employees at Tacos Ortiz decided to film her return on Sunday, which Enamorado claims led to the assault.
Several factors, he added, have combined to increase violence against street vendors recently. Learn more about the daily struggles of the city’s iconic street sellers here. “It’s a perfect storm between racism, the economy and the stigma of people thinking that sellers don’t want to obtain permits,” Enamorado said.
The California Examiner is a must-read for anybody interested in the state’s current events:
- Covered California Health Insurance Premiums to Increase Amid Concerns of Rising Costs
- A California Couple’s Homeowners Insurance Was Cancelled After They Drained Their Pool to Conserve Water
“There’s a pettiness and hatred that builds up for street vendors that leads to hatred.” According to an Instagram post featuring Simplified Labor CEO Ashi Wahi, the company engaged Tacos Ortiz to cater a Yusen office lunch on Friday thanks to the efforts of Enamorado.
“We really like to support our community,” Wahi said in the video while speaking with Enamorado. “Thank you for the cause that you believe in that we also believe in because the right thing needs to be done.” Subscribe to Essential California for your daily dose of Golden State news, opinion, and culture.
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