Pushed Around

"Everyone agrees it could be a plus for downtown," Bell says. "If you limited the boundaries, I don't think it would be too hard to do."

Only blocks from Lynch's cart rises the pale-teal steel of the baseball stadium project. Lynch sees the future in the crowds heading to games there: the hot-dog consumers. He would like to see an ordinance that would allow him to have five or ten carts staffed by homeless men or military veterans in key zones such as around the stadium.

"I really can't give up. I put all my time and my money into it. I put a lot of effort into it," Lynch says. "I'm not out to hurt anybody. I'm not out causing any trouble. I just want the chance to run my own business.