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Biswajit Dey (left) looks pretty happy in this photo, but don’t let the smile fool you. Last summer, he got 4 tickets in one day at his fruit vending stand on DeKalb Avenue in Brooklyn. He received one of them, for $300, because flies had landed on his mangoes. Are you serious? The man vends outside, where flies do occasionally fly. And sometimes they land. Until you develop a fly force field for Biswajit to use at his fruit cart, Department of Health, please stop ticketing vendors for ridiculous things like this. $300 is a lot of money for Biswajit. Here’s the actual ticket.
BTW, even if you don’t care about Biswajit, doesn’t this kind of action undermine the city’s efforts to increase the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables in NYC?
The NYC Department of Health has passed a bunch of new rules to make it harder on street food vendors — the most shocking of which is a complete ban on fish and seafood sold from carts and trucks, effective as of January 1, 2010! SVP testified against the proposal, in October 2008, but this fish ban is news to us.
A relatively small number of vendors sell fish, but this is how the Bloomberg administration gradually makes living here a less authentic, more prepackaged experienced. Luckily Zach Brooks at Midtown Lunch is all over this – maybe something can be done? Fish fry in front of the Department of Health, anyone? Please drop us a line if you are interested in working on this issue, as we are very short-staffed right now, especially during the holidays.
UPDATE: DOH now says the ban on fish and seafood was “unintentional.” Interesting. We will count this as a victory, however small, thank you very much.
Did you know that no vending license is required to sell ”coniferous trees” on the sidewalk in New York during the month of December? Its true, although you do need the permission of the adjoining property owner. According to §19-136 of the NYC Admin Code, you may also sell palm branches, myrtle branches, willow branches, and citron (presumably for sukkot) during September and October.
This law creates a wonderful Christmasy tradition, even though sometimes you have to squeeze down a path between a small forest of Douglas firs. So how about a similar licensing exemption for fruit vendors during the summer months? At least strawberries during strawberry season? Or it is only wholesome families from places like Vermont that get those kinds of breaks?
Looking for something to get your favorite street vendor for the holiday? Check out this little flip-type camera available at Ecamerafilms.com for 29 bucks! Ideal for documenting police encounters. Only 113 left!
No street vendor would be surprised to learn that subway musicians are being targeted in an NYPD ticket blitz — there are just too many similarities between the two groups. We missed the AMNY story last month, but our friends at City Lore are on it. They also wrote a great legal guide for subway musicians a few years ago. Maybe we need a subway musician committee at SVP?
Good news for our compañeros and compañeras in Bolivia — Evo Morales has easily been re-elected President. As street vendor Julia Ferndandez said, shortly after voting, “Brother Morales is working for the poorest people, for the people that are fighting for their survival.” You want change? Look at what is happening in La Paz. Here’s an article in Spanish. Felicidades!
And they love him, apparently. Anyone who has every been around vendors knows how extremely generous and kind-hearted they are. We’ve turned down hundreds of free meals (and maybe even accepted a few!) over the years. But doesn’t this story by Colin Powell (page to the second paragraph from the bottom) sound a little canned to you?
Ok, we’ll admit it. SVP gets a LOT of inquiries from student journalists who are interested in vendors and their issues. And sometimes we are not as patient with them as we should be. For all those times, we are sorry. Especially because students sometimes produce very nice videos like this, by CUNY’s Aisha Al-Muslim, which we can use to educate the world about our issues. Or thorough articles like this one, by Lecia Bushak at NYU.
While State Senator Dan Squadron is now coordinating meetings between vendors and brick-and-mortar establishments (thanks, Senator Squadron!) anyone who still wants vendors fingerprinted for parking their cart an inch too close to the crosswalk should consider Murat Celebi-Ariner. The popular San Francisco quiche and muffin vendor (left) was arrested by immigration authorities and quickly deported this month, even though he is married to a US citizen. You see? Draconian laws have consequences, and sometimes they are extremely unfair. We support you from NYC, Murat!
In the suburbs, people have garage or yard sales to get rid of old stuff they have lying around the house. Especially when times are tough, like now. In New York, if you’re lucky enough to have a stoop, you can have a stoop sale. But in LA, poor people have to sell their junk on the sidewalk. Then the police come and take it away. Or so reports the LA Times, in this recent article about vendors, professional and ameteur, around Echo Park. Our LA correspondent Rocky Ramirez wrote in with a similarly heartbreaking report (complete with photos) from LA’s Koreatown, where he lives. Thanks for getting involved, Rocky!
