This is an example of what is known as racial profiling. Rather than seeing persons of a particular nationality as individuals, he sees them all as criminals or potential criminals. But the Mell-ites have manufactured a big lie. The ordinance, they say, is about sanitation, and they've manipulated the health department into getting stuck in this racist crock. Vendors have a vested interest in the health of their regular base of customers, and unlike at a restaurant, their customers see the food prepared right before their eyes.
Accountability is built-in.
They honestly don't see the racism. If we set aside for a moment grand conspiracies to blanketly drive out Latinos, at its most basic and banal its about Mell responding to the complaints of a small number of active residents over litter and noise. Many would see this as innocent enough and legitimate. They lay the blame for all their peeves at the feet of the vendors. We thought we could score a point because squirrels will cart off corn cobs that are left on the ground, but before we could make that argument a opponent told us indeed that squirrels carry away the cobs.