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A video has surfaced showing a security guard kicking and knocking over a street vendor’s crates of strawberries outside a Home Depot in San Jose. The incident, recorded by the vendor last week, captures the confrontation in the parking lot on Story Road.
The footage shows two security guards approaching the vendor, with one saying, “If you don’t leave, I’ll put you under arrest.” Despite posted signs indicating the area is private property, it’s a common spot for day workers and vendors to gather.
One guard is seen kicking over the strawberries while the other calls the police. “They’re ganged up and refusing to leave and they’re calling their friends for help,” the guard is heard saying, adding that the vendor and his friend could have hidden weapons.
Street vendor advocate Edin Enamorado criticized the guards’ actions, calling them unacceptable. “These two security guards not only kicking the fruit down to the floor was unacceptable, but just the taunting, the false accusations could have gotten, not only the street vendor hurt, but the day laborers,” he said. Enamorado frequently posts videos on TikTok and Instagram of street vendors he believes are being harassed, with many going viral.
Home Depot issued a statement saying they contacted their third-party security company, and the guards involved are no longer employed. San Jose police responded to the scene, took a report on behalf of the vendor, and expect it to reach the district attorney’s office for possible prosecution.
Advocates report a 300% increase in street vendor harassment over the past decade. Leticia Magana, a street vendor with proper permits, shared that she often faces harassment and is told to leave the sidewalk and return to her country.
