On Feb. 14, two students who attend CSUSM were captured in a video that showed them harassing a street vendor selling hotdogs. The video first went viral on TikTok where it gathered attention and then was shared on other social media platforms.

CSUSM is still deciding whether or not the students should face any penalties for their actions, but it’s obvious to see why they should when watching their actions in the video.

The harassment of street vendors that are predominantly Hispanic/Latino, isn’t something new. This problem has been around for a while and in most incidents occurred in L.A. It isn’t until recently that awareness has been brought to this issue.

The students in the video should face consequences because they can be used as an example to other students that harassment is unacceptable especially when you are representing an entire school. The students only seemed to be sorry and apologize after they were affected.

We live in an age of culture where people lose their jobs and are publicly shamed online, so the students were aware that their actions could lead to harsh consequences. Although the incident didn’t happen on school grounds the students represent their campus.

The vendor has received a lot of support from the Hispanic/Chicano community in San Diego. A vendor buyout was organized by local groups to help the vendor financially and bring awareness to his situation.