Following a loss to Penn State on Saturday, Northwestern football fans are not the only ones worried about the rest of the season. The peddlers at Ryan Field came close to losing their jobs last week, when the Northwestern University Police Department attempted to ban them from selling food, beverages and merchandise at Wildcat games for security reasons.

At a meeting on Oct. 26, the Evanston City Council tabled an ordinance brought by the Northwestern and Evanston Police Departments earlier in October that aimed to ban all peddlers, including those with permits, from Northwestern sporting events.

Although it has not registered any accidents, NUPD said that peddlers cause a safety hazard and that the ordinance is intended to prevent future problems. But according to Eric Palmer, community information coordinator of the Evanston City Council, the council decided that NUPD should resolve the safety issue within the current ordinances. The council added that that there was not enough concern or evidence at this point to make a decision.

The NUPD plans to pursue the issue and does not believe that the existing ordinance is sufficient, said Daniel McAleer, Deputy Chief of Police at Northwestern University.

“We need to do some more work to demonstrate the safety issue…we will continue to gather information to help the council make a decision one way or another,” McAleer said.

The ordinance was first discussed at the Evanston City Council meeting on Sept. 29 and then again on Oct. 12. In addition to safety, the ordinance also addresses the issue of ticket scalping that occurs outside the stadium. During the discussions, longtime peddlers pointed out that there was a difference between peddlers with permits and ticket scalpers, most of whom do not have licenses.

“To create the impression that it is a big problem, they tried to lump peddlers with ticket scalpers. It is not the same thing,” said Maurice Kelly, who said he has worked in the souvenir business for more than 15 years. He presented the peddlers’ concerns at a council meeting on Oct. 12.

Kelly added that the ordinance is not about safety, but rather a ploy by the official Northwestern concession stands to make more money.

“[They] had to create a reason to eliminate competition,” Kelly said. “[The peddlers] are a scapegoat, because the attendance to games has been worse than it has ever been.”

Daniel McAleer, Deputy Chief of Police at Northwestern, declined to comment on this issue, but said that the NUPD’s “main concern is the safety hazard.”

“We support the Northwestern and Evanston police to make it a safe environment,” said David Gaborek, the owner of “Let’s Tailgate,” a company that owns some of the official concession stands. He was unaware of the ordinance against peddlers until he was approached by the council to speak at the council meeting on Oct. 19.

To peddlers themselves, the outcome of the ordinance comes down to a matter of livelihood.

“We are independent small business persons who are honest,” said Paul White, a part-time CTA bus operator in Chicago who has been a peddler for 15 years. “We have children who are in college. At least mine are; I need to give them an education.”

Other peddlers are preparing for the worst. “We have a lot of inventory and merchandise, we are cutting down on buying in case [the ordinance] does go into effect,” said David Klemp, a peddler who also works for the local school district as support staff.