Street vendors are small business owners. It’s time we start treating them with the fairness they deserve.
By: Carlina Rivera
Tags: New York City, Street Vendors, New York City Council, NYC, Immigrant Justice

Photo by John McCarten

Street vendors are small business owners. It’s time we start treating them with the fairness they deserve.

Why I’m pushing for the Council to pass Intro 1116 and bring justice to the people who feed New York City Carlina Rivera Dec 23, 2020·3 min read

No one should wake up every morning afraid of going to work, yet this is the experience of so many street vendors in New York City, most of whom are immigrants just working to give their families a dignified life.

Of course, the obstacles they face haven’t been made any easier by the COVID-19 pandemic in which countless small businesses are struggling to stay afloat. But, while brick and mortar small businesses are at least given protections and resources, street vendors are very much on their own—and fighting an uphill battle just to legally do their jobs. At a time marked by such dire financial uncertainty, being penalized for selling food on our streets has increasingly devastating effects on a community already living and working at the margins.

For too long, street vendors have been harassed, fined by city agencies, and ignored in their greatest hour of need. So first, let’s set the record straight:

Street vendors are small business owners, and they deserve the resources and protections we would want for any brick and mortar shop during this pandemic.

But as we know, street vendors have been underserved and ignored for many years, even before COVID. The police have continued conducting sweeps despite the Mayor’s announcement that such behavior would be halted, and all it does is further harm vendors just trying to make a living.

Photo by John McCarten

There’s no question: We have to help them. Street vendors feed our communities, contribute to our local economy, and enrich the culture of our city. They’ve been ineligible for federal aid in this crisis, and many of them have had to choose between their health and income as a result. It’s worth noting that our street vendors live and work in the communities that have been hardest hit by COVID, leaving them at a higher risk for contracting the virus.

So, how do we help? We can pass a piece of legislation in the Council, Intro 1116. The goals of the bill are pretty simple:

1. Increase and ensure access to permits

Increasing the number of permits distributed would allow for easier access and help end the unfair black market that exists around the limited number of permits that exist today. The ability to more easily obtain a permit would be a major legal protection for vendors who are at the mercy of painfully unclear and arbitrary enforcement.

2. Create a Street Vendor Advisory Board and an Office of Street Vendor Enforcement

This advisory board would include vendors, brick and mortar small businesses, neighborhood organizations, labor unions, and more to ensure vendors have direct input in examining rules and regulations, while also providing space for community members to discuss issues and challenges regarding issues related to vending.

So what do we do now?

The good news is that we can make all of this happen if we pass Intro 1116. Unfortunately, there’s some opposition from folks who think this would cause problems with enforcement, or take away from other small businesses.

But here’s the thing: We have plenty of land, and we have plenty of opportunity to go around. Street vendors can coexist with the business community, because they’re an integral part of it. Street vendors help boost the economic vitality of a neighborhood. Street vendors are small business owners.

Ultimately, this is about ensuring fairness and dignity for the essential workers who take to the streets every day to feed their fellow New Yorkers, even during a pandemic. It’s only right that they’re treated with the respect and protections they deserve.

It’s time to bring justice to our street vendors. It’s time for the Council to pass Intro 1116.