Farmers' market vendors and Baltimore's homeless population vie for space beneath JFX highway
BALTIMORE -- Vendors who set up makeshift shops at the farmers' market under Baltimore's Jones Falls Expressway every weekend were surprised to find homeless people camped out in their spaces on Sunday.
About a third of the vendors lost their space, which they pay money to retain, according to some of the people present at the farmers' market.
An advocate for the city's homeless population said homeless people need help and the conflict was avoidable.
"We have to be mindful as a society that we do have homeless individuals in our city that is going disengaged that is going unserviced," homeless advocate Christina Flowers said.
The homeless camp has been occupying the space since Wednesday..
Vendor Mitchell Salland described the clash for space to set up pup tents and sell pastries as "terrible" and "unfair."
"I understand that they need a place but we pay rent," Salland said. "We pay a lot of rent to be here. I've been here 20 years and Mark was here 40 years already. People deserve a safe place to shop."