We Need More Volunteers! Interested in social justice? Help the Street Vendor Project as a volunteer.
Vendor Voices Listen to the voices of real vendors speaking out about their everyday conditions and concerns.
Stop the Illegal Increase of Fines! Read about the Project's activism to stop the creeping rise of fines against streetvendors. Find out what you can do. NEW! Watch the short slideshow we prepared to highlight this problem.
People sometimes laugh when we tell them that the NYPD still has an official "Peddler Squad" that roams the city stamping out all vendor infractions. The old-fashioned term "peddler" has a nice ring to it, until you realize that it only used today in a derogatory manner by people who want to remove vendors from the streets. Like here and here. Are we being too politically correct? Or should we request the NYPD to change the name of their infamous squad? At very least they should update their Patrol Guide entry.
By all accounts, Los Angeles is the second most important vending city in the U.S. of A. But you would think those progressive Californians would have learned from NYC's mistakes. Instead, they are cracking down on their famous taco trucks and throwing vendors in jail for selling bacon-wrapped hot dogs. This video will blow you away: thanks to Mike at Reason TV for sending it along. This bacon-dog fiasco is virtually exactly what happened with knishes (our own trademark street cuisine) in New York a few years ago. Just what are all these health inspectors "protecting" us from?
Six Cedar Street vendors (left) spoke eloquently against their pending eviction at last night's Community Board 1 meeting. And they scored at least a partial victory! The Board approved the Greenmarket but "strongly urged" that it be moved to the north side of the plaza, where it will not displace the vendors. Read the resolution here. The Greenmarket itself wants to be on the north side, and the Department of Transportation wants them there, too. The problem? Brookfield properties, one of the largest commercial real estate companies in North America.
Yes, illegal vending happens every day in NYC, in broad daylight, and the police do nothing about it. Only the perps are not who you might think. Corporate and government entities have found that they can make a quick buck selling their merchandise on our city streets. License? Who needs one! A quick walk to Grand Central and Ground Zero today found that this practice is quite widespread. Click here to see photos of the criminals at work. Please send along other examples you may find.
The NY Times magazine had a big article this weekend about how celebrities can be effective advocates for social causes. Know any celebs who would be willing to stand up for vendors' rights? Shouldn't be so hard; Brangelina was spotting chomping down hot dogs last summer, and Sarah Jessica Parker famously declared that she would "eat anything off a cart." And Jerry Seinfeld was even a vendor himself after college. If Natalie Portman really supports micro-businesses, maybe she'll be a judge for this year's Vendy Awards. Get in touch, Natalie!
Anyone want to curate a photo exhibit about vendors? The starting point should be this excellent work by Jocelyn Baun, (click on portfolios/street food), whose photos scream "authentic New York City" like few we have seen. They are up at Cafe Sutra in the South Slope through the end of February, and Jocelyn is going to be working with SVP in 2008 to take photos of our members, so keep an eye out for more. At least it should be warm inside the cafe: its cold out there for vendors, as AM New York noted yesterday with some interesting profiles.
The Green Carts proposal got a cold review at City Hall last week, mostly by Council Members who claimed that people in low-income neigbhorhoods don't like fruits and vegetables -- guess they didn't watch our video. In fact, the proposal doesn't go far enough to make it easy for vendors to carry out the program's noble mission -- as we explained in our testimony here. The Sun had an baffling article that seemed to argue for the free market but against the Green Carts, which makes no sense -- the only thing limiting competition now is the permit cap, imposed in 1983 by the same business interests who flooded the hearing last week.
New Yorkers celebrated the Giants victory last week, but vendors who tried to capitalize on the parade-day crowds did not get far. We got a few calls that vendors were being arrested for having "unauthorized" Giants merchandise. Andy Martino, a journalism student at Columbia, did a very nice job of describing how the $1,000 fines are leaving many vendors to cherry pick on big days like this, and take their chances.
A funny thing happend in Park Slope recently. As the Brooklyn Paper discussed, the Department of Sanitation issued a flurry of $100 tickets to shopkeepers for placing sandwhich-style signs on the sidewalk, which is clearly illegal under Section 16-118(2) of the NYC Administrative Code. Council Member David Yassky received some complaints, leaned on the Sanitation Commissioner, and the policy was suddenly reversed. Good result? Yes, this is a silly law that the DOS should have never enforced. But neither should the city treat one class of business-people differently than another. Which Council Member will ask for leniency for vendors? When should we expect a memo from the Police Department that they will no longer issue $1,000 tickets to street vendors for having a cooler on the sidewalk next to their pushcart?
This silent video, taken on the Lower East Side in 1903, is one of the most amazing historical artifacts we've ever seen. It is one thing to read about how similar (and different) things were back then, but quite another to watch it on video. Similarities? These vendors are bothering no one, blocking no traffic, serving the community, and the police intimidate them into moving along. The difference? These days, instead of just asking you to leave, the police are just as likely to take your stuff or arrest you if you are a vendor.
People sometimes laugh when we tell them that the NYPD still has an official "Peddler Squad" that roams the city stamping out all vendor infractions. The old-fashioned term "peddler" has a nice ring to it, until you realize that it only used today in a derogatory manner by people who want to remove vendors from the streets. Like 
By all accounts, Los Angeles is the second most important vending city in the U.S. of A. But you would think those progressive Californians would have learned from NYC's mistakes. Instead, they are cracking down on their famous 
Six Cedar Street vendors (left) 
Yes, illegal vending happens every day in NYC, in broad daylight, and the police do nothing about it. Only the perps are not who you might think. Corporate and government entities have found that they can make a quick buck selling their merchandise on our city streets. License? Who needs one! A quick walk to Grand Central and Ground Zero today found that this practice is quite widespread. Click 
The NY Times magazine had a 
Anyone want to curate a photo exhibit about vendors? The starting point should be this excellent work by 
The Green Carts proposal got a 
New Yorkers celebrated the Giants victory last week, but vendors who tried to capitalize on the parade-day crowds did not get far. We got a few calls that vendors were being arrested for having "unauthorized" Giants merchandise. Andy Martino, a journalism student at Columbia, did a 
A funny thing happend in Park Slope recently. As 
This silent 