But, in the early 1980s, when the City arbitrarily froze the number of permits (which are renewable every two years for $200—a fraction of their actual value), it unwittingly created a shadow market in which vending licenses have been leased by speculators to street cart operators seeking a lawful way to operate. (This dynamic mimics the price gouging practiced by holders of taxi medallions, another unintentionally created industry that came to serve wealthy investors, rather than individual proprietors of modest means.) Because of the high demand for these credentials, the holders of street vending permits were illegally subletting them for upwards of $35,000, as newcomers languished for a decade or longer on the City’s waiting list. In the meantime, people wishing to sell food in the streets, but unable to pay such a prices, have for generations been forced to risk heavy fines, seizure of their property, and the possibility of arrest.
“Street vending has been an economic platform for thousands of immigrants to survive and thrive in New York for centuries,” said Mohamed Attia, director of the Street Vendor Project of the Urban Justice Center, based in the Financial District. Mr. Attia, an immigrant from Egypt, who worked for nearly a decade selling hot dogs, halal chicken with rice, and smoothies from a street cart, reflected that, “ninety percent of the Street Vendor Project’s members are low-wage immigrant workers who rely on busy streets in order to survive day to day. Without a safety net to fall back on, they are forced to continue to work, risking their health and well-being in the process.”
Mr. Attia also observed that, “as primarily immigrant small business owners and workers, street vendors are ineligible for government support, such as paid sick leave, unemployment insurance, or even most loans and grants offered to small businesses, making an already-dire situation critical.” With the onset of the pandemic coronavirus, he noted, “many have been left with fear and confusion as to how they will support themselves and their families in the coming days.”
The passage of Ms. Chin’s bill follows another victory, last June, in which the Street Vendor Project (with Ms. Chin’s support) lobbied the administration of Mayor Bill de Blasio to remove street vendors from the jurisdiction of the NYPD, as a means of furthering social justice.
In addition to the creation of a new enforcement agency, Ms. Chin’s bill will require the City to issue as many as 400 new street vendor licenses per year, starting in 2022, for a decade.
Matthew Fenton
