I've always found it odd that it's so easy to buy a counterfeit DVD here in Los Angeles -- the home of the entertainment biz. You'd think Jack Valenti's goons would be policing Hollywood's own backyard extra hard.
Instead, take a trip down to Santee Alley and the fashion district, and you'll literally trip over the sea of DVD peddlers. I haven't been downtown recently, but I'm sure soon-to-be-released flicks like "Collateral" are already on the streets. (Several months ago I wrote about how the DVD peddlers would quickly hide their wares as I approached them. Apparently I looked like I coulda been part of the Valenti Army.)
But according to the L.A. Downtown News, a crackdown is afoot. Writes the paper:
In the past two months, police have seized 9,000 illegal DVDs and 70 unlicensed food carts on the streets of the Industrial and Fashion districts. The move is part of a new, aggressive push by local authorities to shut down illegal vending in Downtown.
The crackdown follows the establishment of a taskforce to combat the area's thriving black market. The group, which consists of the Los Angeles Police Department, several business improvement districts (BIDs) and city and county departments, is targeting merchants operating without licenses, regardless of the product they're selling. Even illegal hot dog vendors, a longtime presence in the neighborhoods, are being shut down.
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