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As many as 20,000 street vendors work in NYC, from street artists to hot dog vendors to fancy food trucks, predominantly immigrants and people of color. Similar to the restaurant industry, COVID-19 continues to bring major economic losses for these workers.
1/ https://twitter.com/EconOfNYC/status/1355138519929389058
As many as 20,000 street vendors work in NYC, from street artists to hot dog vendors to fancy food trucks, predominantly immigrants and people of color. Similar to the restaurant industry, COVID-19 continues to bring major economic losses for these workers.
1/ https://twitter.com/EconOfNYC/status/1355138519929389058
Historically, street vendors have seen high scrutiny and regulation, enforced by the NYPD for infractions like vending too close to a crosswalk. The 2,800 cap on available permits set in 1980 has only since grown to 5,000, despite a much larger growth in potential vendors.
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This permit shortage has led to an underground market where permits are sold for up to $25,000, compared to a legal permit costing $200. This past Thursday, the NYC City Council voted to lift the cap.
https://bit.ly/36oquV7
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https://bit.ly/36oquV7
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Not only would this legislation bring the city 3.21 million in increased legal permit fees and sales tax revenue, but it would also offer vendors entree into the formal economy, which could make them eligible for assistance from other city programs.
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The Street Vendors Project, a collective of 2,000 vendor members working together towards recognition, rights, and education, has immensely helped this legislation come to fruition through teaching other vendors about legal rights and responsibilities.
https://bit.ly/3osOyfv
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https://bit.ly/3osOyfv
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Street vendors should not be put at odds with restaurant workers. Both feed New Yorkers, employ people, stimulate the local economy, and face similar COVID lockdown problems. The enemy of a restaurant is not a halal cart, it is the bankruptcy of commercial rent.
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