Sorry, Man. Keep it Movin'

When friends ask me about downtown Livermore I usually fall back on this go-to description: charming.

And when my friends visit I often hear the ladies say, "Oh, it's cute here!"

Downtown Livermore: charming and cute. Sounds like a keeper.

While the word "cute" isn't something I regularly throw out, I'm sure it's not my first choice to describe a man selling used DVDs at a downtown intersection. Not cute, bro. Nor charming.

But don't tell Derek Ott that.

The 35-year-old Livermore resident received a warning from police for doing just that — trying to sell used DVDs Thursday afternoon at the intersection of First and South K streets, just outside .

At around 2:40 p.m. the Navy vet who said he was on permanent disability began unloading about 20 DVDs on the ground, near the crosswalk that leads to the .

And oh, can't forget about the "DVDs For Sale" cardboard sign he placed on the intersection light post.

Ott then sat on a garden- or beach-like chair with an American flag and waited for customers.

Some of the titles he had for sale included Mamma Mia!, Hart's War featuring Bruce Willis, and Happy Gilmore — a personal favorite of mine.

"They're all good. I just seen them all," Ott said of his DVDs, which he was selling for around $5 each. "I'm just trying to make a few bucks to pay my light bill."

However, his makeshift DVD shop was short lived.

Within five minutes a officer came by after the department received a complaint from someone in the area.

Ott, who didn't make a sale, was given a warning from the officer and then packed up his belongings.

"He told me what I was doing was illegal and that I needed a permit," Ott said of the police warning. "I can't find a job. I can't make a buck off the street?"

You can. Just not here and in that fashion.

I'm not trying to knock Ott's hustle or any person trying to make a few extra dollars to pay bills. Times are tough — I know. But there's a time and a place. Hello, Craigslist?

All I know is if I start to see more street sales while hangin' around downtown, I'm going to have to find another go-to description.

Stay charming, Livermore.

OK, fine. Stay cute too.