| Salt Lake City |
 |
 |
| GER |
12 |
16 |
7 |
35 |
 |
| USA |
10 |
13 |
11 |
34 |
|
| NOR |
11 |
7 |
6 |
24 |
|
| CAN |
6 |
3 |
8 |
17 |
|
| RUS |
6 |
6 |
4 |
16 |
|
| AUT |
2 |
4 |
10 |
16 |
|
| ITA |
4 |
4 |
4 |
12 |
|
| FRA |
4 |
5 |
2 |
11 |
|
| SUI |
3 |
2 |
6 |
11 |
|
| NED |
3 |
5 |
0 |
8 |
|
|
|
|
S.L. targets illegal vending
By Laura Hancock
Deseret News staff writer
Twelve enforcers for Salt Lake City's business license administration are on the streets, cracking down on solicitors.
Monday afternoon, the enforcers confronted solicitors on the northeast corner of 200 South and Main Street. The solicitors are highly concentrated at the location, in front of the the Walker Center, which houses the Olympic Collectors Fair and Salt Lake City Ticket Exchange on the first floor.
"You're going to ruin the Olympics for everyone," one man who was trading Olympic pins said to enforcers. "This is part of the fun." He was displaying more than 100 pins.
The man, who didn't want to name himself because he was afraid of being the future target of enforcers, said he planned to close his operation for the rest of Monday. He may return Tuesday, but if enforcement continues to be heavy, he said, he will go home.
He said he has traded pins in seven other Olympic host cities "and never have I had anybody tell me I can't trade. It's part of the tradition. Now we've got the 'Trading Pin Police.' Isn't that wonderful."
He was given a verbal warning. In fact, enforcers have only written eight tickets, said Edna Drake of the administration. The tickets are class B misdemeanor citations, which means a convicted violator can be fined up to $850 or receive up to six months in jail.
To legitimately sell merchandise or food on the street, an individual needs a business license, which costs $770 and an additional $60 per employee, Drake said. But there's a moratorium on solicitor licenses for street vending in the downtown area through the Games.
"The city felt there were enough people out there on the city streets," Drake said. "They did not want to make it more congested by having more solicitors out there."
After Kyle Brown of Kansas City. Mo., learned of the process to get a license to sell tickets he decided against it. "There's not enough money to be made after paying all their fees," he said.
But several people on Main Street found loopholes in licensing rules.
People can't get cited unless they sell more than six tickets. And only individuals who sell tickets are cited, not those who seek them.
Nick Cava, Toronto, was standing outside the Walker Center with a sign stating he wanted to buy tickets — but only tickets to hot competitions such as hockey, figure skating and the closing ceremonies. After he purchases tickets, he sells them to his "clients," who he said are others from Toronto staying in local hotels. Typically he makes 20 percent on each sale.
"They don't bother me for buying tickets," he said. "And they don't know my clients."
E-MAIL: lhancock@desnews.com
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February 12, 2002
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