STREET VENDORS STAND UP FOR THEIR RIGHTS
Oct. 15, 2015
“Open the streets!”
“What do we want?”
“Permits!”
In Washington Heights on Thursday afternoon, around 30 street vendors and their supporters gathered to protest what they say is unfair treatment by the city.
Demonstrators stood at the intersection of 183rd St. and Broadway across the street from the 34th precinct chanting in Spanish while holding signs with messages like “VENDORS FEED NYC.” Many wore yellow “Vendor Power!” t-shirts and one man on a motorbike served sausage to protesters. The group then marched downtown holding a banner made from hundreds of pink violation slips taped together.
“We don’t want much, just to be treated like normal people doing our job,” said Lei Bai, an artist from Coney Island who sells her work in Times Square and says she has already been ticketed seven times this year.
“I want them to know we’re not criminals,” said Bai. “We’re small business owners.”
Bai, 45, has also served for nine years as a board member of The Street Vendor Project, a non-profit organization of almost 2,000 street vendors that teaches these merchants about their rights, organizes events, files lawsuits and helps vendors grow their businesses. It is part of the Urban Justice Center that advocates for underrepresented groups in New York City.
The Street Vendor Project organized this protest in response to the Department of Health ticketing Hector Palaguachi’s juice cart on Oct. 7 at the same intersection, said Senior Organizer Elise Goldin.
“It’s a way for vendors who are silenced and live in the shadows to have a voice and demand more dignity and respect,” said Goldin about the protest.
The group is also active on social media, using the hashtag #LiftTheCaps to urge City Council members to raise the limit on the number of permits that can be issued.
Palaguachi, 50, said that his cart had just won the Best Juice Uptown award at the 11th annual Vendy Awards, a street food contest that took place last month on Governor’s Island. The Department of Health issued the Ecuador-native, now-Inwood-resident, two $1,000 tickets, one for not having a permit and one for operating with an expired license.
The Health Department requires vendors to get a license, as well as a permit to operate in New York City. Applying for a license is currently limited only to previous card holders or military veterans and their spouses, according to the city, but no permits at all have been issued since 1984, said Goldin.
“We want more permits, licenses and open streets,” she said. “There is no limit on the number of restaurants that can be in the city, so why should they cap the number of street vendors?”
“We’re evaluating this issue with stakeholders,” said Christopher Miller, spokesperson for the Department of Health. He also said that the Health Department issues 5,100 year-round mobile food vending permits and that the City Council must legislate to change this number.
The 34th Street Partnership, a business improvement district group, has been vocal for years about the unattractive nature of food carts on sidewalks.
“The existing policies need to be changed,” said spokesperson Joe Carrera.
Frankie Cruz, the manager at La Casa Del Mofongo restaurant in Washington Heights, said that he has no problem with street vendors as long as the Health Department regulates sellers’ carts and stalls with the same degree of scrutiny as they do brick-and-mortar restaurants. “They’re tough,” the 51-year-old Riverdale resident said about the Health Department, “really, really tough.”
Palaguachi is back on the street with his cart today and said that he has renewed his license. He knows that he will not be able to get a valid permit because of the wait but said that he will continue to operate illegally until the city decides to allow him to lawfully get a permit.
“We have no choice to stay home,” said Palaguachi. “We have a family to feed and shoes to buy for our kids at home.”