Berkeley street hot dog vendor cited by police gets $87K

BERKELEY, Calif. – A California street vendor who had his money confiscated for selling bacon hot dogs on a Berkeley sidewalk without a permit has received more than $87,000 raised by supporters.

The East Bay Times (http://bayareane.ws/2xGbYre ) reports Rigoberto Matias on Saturday received a check for $87,921 from Martin Flores, who recorded a video of the Sept. 9 event that went viral and sparked an online outcry and a fundraising campaign.

In the video clip Flores posted on his Twitter account, he questions a University of California, Berkeley police officer’s decision to confiscate Matias’ money as unfair.

Flores, a UC Berkeley alum, also kicked off a GoFundMe campaign to help Matias, a construction worker who sells hot dogs on weekends to earn extra money.

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Information from: East Bay Times, http://www.eastbaytimes.com