The Street Vendor Project

SVP members got fed up waiting for more than a year for a hearing on the two bills to lower the fines. So we did a press conference at City Hall with other vendor groups and supportive City Council Members. Coverage here.

no images were found

We did the first-ever Philadelphia Vendy Awards in July. In case you weren’t counting, that would make New York, LA and Philadelphia. Congrats and thanks to everyone on a great event. Here’s a partial recap.

no images were found

On March 8, 2011, SVP members held a vigil to remember Mohamed Bouazizi, the Tunisian street vendor whose martyrdom started a revolution in his own country and around the world. The Daily News covered the vigil here.

no images were found

In June, 2010, SVP hosted our first-ever street fair, which we called the Pushcart Market. It was run by and for SVP members, and unlike any of the countless corporate-run fairs in NYC each summer. Crains wrote about it here.

no images were found

In May, 2010, SVP celebrated our merger with Esperanza Del Barrio with a Cinco de Mayo party in the East Village. We gave an service award to Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito for all her support for vendors and other working people. We also recognized Alioune Niass, one of the vendors who discovered the Times Square bomber.

[Show as slideshow]

In April 2010, a big SVP group attended the rally against the Parks Departments’ new rules severely limiting the number of art vendors in Union Square, Battery and Central Park. Watch our videos here and here.

[Show as slideshow]

Volunteer lawyer Matt Shapiro confronted a couple DOH inspectors about SVP member Mohammed Shafiqul Islam, whose cart they said (video here) was excessively dirty, giving him two tickets, $300 each. Matt took these photos at the same time. Where’s the dirt? They wouldn’t tell Matt, and the cart looks pretty good to us.

[Show as slideshow]