Libra's Black Market

All over campus, during lunch, passing periods, and class hours the Black Market makes a move at Libra Academy. Supervisors and staff are always on the lookout for when student vendors make a move, but what they don’t know is why they do it.

Working under the radar, student vendors are under the pressure of getting caught, but even so they keep on doing it. Funyuns’ seller shares, “The reason we sell is because sports cost a lot of money. We need money in order to buy our things.” Funyuns states that vendors don’t sell because they like to break the rules, but for needs they face economically. Selling inside school property is a serious crime. If they are ever caught they can be fined huge amounts of money. Yet, they still sell, and students still buy.

The Black Market sells food products that most students purchase like tortas and chips.

Doritos’ student buyer said, “The only reason I buy chips is because I’m hungry, it’s cheap, it’s good, school lunch sucks, the only reason this is banned is because the school is turning on themselves, don’t blame it on LAUSD. I should have the right to buy food. If a head is cut off, two more will take its place!” The sharp ends of Doritos buyer is strongly against the banning to purchase food during school hours. LAUSD school food just isn't what students want. Buying chips is a contribution to the rebellion of school food.

This moves them to buy food sold by the black market. Ely Mendez says, “ I am a proud consumer of chips. The market is good because students get hungry in class and we need food in order to focus. I also buy chips all the time because school food just sucks.” Ely is a proud buyer and supporter for the movement of the Black Market. Even HPIAM contributes to this movement. An HPIAM Tortas vendor shared, “I’m selling because students like tortas, and I need money. It’s a good contribution within students.” Tortas vendor is pro on selling what students want.

It’s a complicated system where only very minimum can be said. One tactic they use is to work as another looks out. The student buying chips inspects his or her surroundings for staff as the vendor reaches to provide the bag of chips or tortas. This provides the system to stay under the radar of the school searching for them whenever they make their move.

They are undetectable under the school's radar. Vendors are moved by reasons that, in the eyes of the students, only help each other.

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