There are nearly 2,000 US military veterans working on the streets of New York City, all thanks to a 1894 state law recognizing that those who defend our country should at least get to put a 6-foot table on the public sidewalk. News flash: many vets are losing their livelihoods due to $1,000 tickets imposed by the Bloomberg administration. Maybe every Council Member not supporting the bills should have to tell SVP board member Bernard Haynes (pictured here, from his days in Korea) why the $1,000 tickets he got for vending on a subway grate are fair compensation for his heroic service.

UPDATE: With OWS, we just launched a web platform to buy food for the protestors from local vendors who have been negatively affected by the presence of the protests. Please visit http://streetvendor.org/ows

There will never be a lack of brick-and-mortar businesses complaining about “unfair competition” from street vendors. Whether its Korean green grocers in the outer boroughs or Business Improvement Districts in Washington Heights, store-based merchants love to use their power against their less-developed neighbors selling from tables, carts or trucks.

But you know what? We’re sick of it. They can make any claim they want, but every bit of research shows that vendors do not compete with brick-and-mortar merchants. From now on, any journalist that presents the tired, “store owners said this, vendors said that” story without citing the available research on the matter is not doing their job. So, here it is: scholarly proof that vendors do not compete with brick-and-mortar merchants. The vendors rest. Thank you.

While there are only (!) about ten thousand street vendors in New York City, there are millions around the world.  SVP plays a role in the worldwide vendors’ movement through our proud affiliation with StreetNet International.

And we don’t stop there.  Last week, we held a vigil at City Hall to honor Mohamed Bouazizi, the Tunisian fruit vendor whose reponse to police abuse was tragic — he set himself on fire.  His martyrdom led to revolution in the Middle East and made him a hero around the world. 

Standing around a fruit cart, SVP members held candles and gave moving tributes to Bouazizi, punctuated by shouts of “Vendor Power” in various languages. As if on cue, a Tunisian tourist walked up and spoke. It was a poignant tribute. Look at the pictures here and read the Daily News article here.

Oh and did you hear? We’re taking the Vendys to Philadelphia next year!

Until now, there hasn’t been much we can do — we don’t know anybody in Minneapolis! But, on May 14 and 15th, SVP is co-sponsoring “Contesting the Streets” the first-ever vendor conference in the U.S., at UCLA. We’re trying to find  vendor groups around the country to attend. Here’s a flyer in English and Spanish. Please help circulate!

UPDATE: Here’s an interesting article on the Street Vendors Association of Chicago. We’re hoping they can send someone to the conference.

In 1905, Rev. Bernardino Polizzo (member of the Mayor’s Pushcart Commission) said, “I think it would be a great advantage to all the peddlers to have a translated copy of the license issued. As it is, some of the Italians cannot understand the regulations of the road and the ordinances of the City. If it were printed in English…in Yiddish…in Greek, Italian and Syrian for the others it would prove to be a great aid to them.”

SVP did something about this problem last year, with the 5-language Vendor Power guide (which will be showcased at the Cooper Hewitt Design Triennial opening May 15th. ) So why does Consumer Affairs still pass out a thick photocopy of the vending rules in no language but English? Do they want to be upstaged by D.C., which is now publishing its vending rules in Amharic, the official language of Ethiopia?