Uptown vendors are ‘collateral damage’ with curfew in place, council member says
Charlotte City Council member Dimple Ajmera has asked police to provide data supporting their decision to restrict uptown food vendors from operating after midnight, questioning whether the policy is reducing violent crime.
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Ajmera also requested alternatives that could address public safety without imposing what she called unnecessary harm on small businesses.
“If the problem is crime, then let’s target crime,” she said at a City Council business meeting Monday. “I’m not convinced that a small business or a few small businesses should be collateral damage, and that’s what’s happening right now.”
The comments came after uptown food vendors were temporarily restricted from operating after midnight in June following an increase in late-night violence, CharlotteFive reported. The restriction is part of the uptown vendor program, which is managed by Charlotte Center City Partners in partnership with CMPD.
The change has had a significant financial impact on at least one vendor.
Wais Mayar, manager of Halal Food Cart, previously told CharlotteFive that the business has seen a “tremendous drop” in sales since the restriction took effect and has cut labor and made other changes to absorb the loss.
Charlotte Center City Partners CEO Michael Smith told CharlotteFive in an emailed statement that the change was made at the request of CMPD and has had a “positive impact,” citing a double-digit drop in violent crime over the last six to nine months.
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Ajmera wasn’t the only council member to question whether additional restrictions are the right approach.
Council member JD Mazuera-Arias cautioned against expanding restrictions on food trucks and street vendors, saying those activities are not inherently problematic or in need of regulation.
“I think we need to tread lightly whenever we expand government control into our communities,” Mazuera-Arias said.
He said a “lively” nightlife is part of a growing city’s culture, and public safety measures should not come at the expense of what makes Charlotte feel like a major urban center.
“Of course, we have a responsibility to keep people safe, but we can make Charlotte safer without shutting Charlotte down,” he said. “So I don’t believe more restrictions should always be our first answer.”
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This story was originally published August 25, 2026 at 10:46 AM.
