Juixxe the viral TikToker takes on street vendor rights and dreams

Jesús Morales, a.k.a. Juixxe on TikTok with millions of followers, has showered day laborers and street vendors with donations of cash and trips to Disneyland. Those viral outings and social media acclaim ended up giving him unique access to the systemic barriers immigrant entrepreneurs face.

“We never really take things seriously, but then we do get serious,” said Morales, referring to the behind-the-scenes conversations he has with his subjects. “They’ll start really speaking about their struggles and their journey.”

Morales has become widely known by his social media name Juixxe— pronounced like “juice.” He’s a 27-year-old TikTok sensation with more than 5 million followers and the Latino creator has made a name for himself by soliciting donations for street vendors and day laborers, usually surprising them with trips to Disneyland, tickets to soccer matches or hundreds of dollars in cash.

Morales’ videos recently led to a Premios Juventud nomination in the “Creator con Causa” category, which recognizes creators who make videos highlighting important social issues. He did not win but Morales’ work is still beloved by many on social media, as evidenced by the hundreds of comments lauding him for his work.

Throughout his four-year social media career, Morales estimates that $700,000 has been donated to vendors and day laborers. Despite his impressive fundraising efforts, Morales says that raising money alone isn’t enough.

“I wanted to do something for the community, but over time, I’ve noticed that’s just a Band-Aid to the wound,” Morales said. “I’ve been trying, obviously more so recently than ever, to do more to educate not only myself but the individuals that I help.”

He cited a video he made with rising musical star DannyLux as one of the first eye-opening experiences that pushed him to find longer-term solutions for undocumented laborers.

His social media followers raised more than $97,000 on the fundraising platform GoFundMe for an elderly fruit vendor in L.A. named Doña Pilar. However, Morales couldn’t give her the funds until she opened a bank account.

“It took us about four or five months to be able to set up a bank account because she did not have papers,” Morales said. “I’m surprised we were able to make it happen. It took a lot of loopholes.”

Morales then pointed out other issues he’s learned about during filming, such as roadblocks to employment and crackdowns on street vendors due to a lack of permits.

It’s these issues that have historically shut out low-income entrepreneurs in Los Angeles County, according to Doug Smith of the nonprofit Inclusive Action for the City.

“Just six years ago, street vending was completely illegal in virtually all of California,” said Smith, who has worked with the organization to provide legal support to the street merchants in the region for more than a decade.

The landscape has changed since then, Smith added, as street vendors have united to push for the legalization of their work. This year, the city also drastically lowered the cost of the annual permit required to sell in public spaces from $541 to $27.51.

More recently, Los Angeles settled a lawsuit with street vendors, setting the stage to repeal selling restrictions in various zones and cancel citations given to merchants in those areas, according to Sergio Jimenez, an organizer with solidarity group Community Power Collective.

Jimenez said the settlement isn’t finalized until the L.A. City Council and Mayor Karen Bass approve the decision. However, he expressed relief for the planned dismantling of the “no-vending zones.”

“I personally see it as long overdue,” Jimenez said.

Jimenez and Smith say that more can be done to create opportunities for immigrant entrepreneurs.

“If you are a vendor who sells food, you not only need to pay for a permit from the city of Los Angeles, you also need to go to the L.A. County Department of Public Health,” Smith said. “That process, depending on what you sell, can be extremely complicated.”

Morales has learned about these challenges through his social media career and it is motivating him to establish a nonprofit to offer longer-term solutions. He mainly wants to help guide people through the permitting process, teach good business practices and help secure more financial opportunities for street vendors.

He wants to theme the nonprofit around the phrase “Echándole Ganas.” In some of Morales’ recent videos, day laborers are filmed wearing T-shirts with the phrase as he believes it encapsulates the essence of the working-class Latino mentality.

“It’s such a simple phrase with such a deep meaning behind it,” Morales said. “These people really are giving it their best, doing whatever they can to stay afloat.”

Social media followers are already asking to volunteer, Morales said, and he hopes the nonprofit would allow his community to continue empowering vendors on a larger scale.

For now, he recommends small and continued financial support from those who have been moved by his videos.

“It’s as simple,” Morales said, “as just going and buying a raspado.”