A group of street vendors met on October 3 at City Hall Park to protest for better working conditions.
About 100 vendors demonstrated against the increase in fines set by the city's Environmental Control Board (ECB) at $1,000 in February of this year.
“We've come to tell the Mayor that a $1,000 dollar ticket is an injustice,” said Teresa González, who sells costume jewelry at the corner of Broadway and Fulton Street in Lower Manhattan. “We are poor people, and we support our families doing this work.”
According to a report published yesterday by the nonprofit organization, Urban Justice, on its street vendor project, the average annual wages for a street vendor are $7,500. Urban Justice represents some 3,000 vendors.
The report also says that in 88 percent of the cases, the vendor is the sole support of a family, and that 60 percent lack health insurance.
The law set by the City of New York establishes a scale of fines. The first is set at $50, the second at $100, the third at $250, the fourth at $500, the fifth at $750, and from the sixth fine on, at $1,000.
According to González, another problem is that when goes to court to appeal the fines, the judge does not understand her and she does not understand the judge.
For Angelo Vega, who sells food at Park Avenue and 42nd Street, the biggest problem is the harassment by police officers.
“I am legal, and they come around to bother me,” said Vega. “They don't know the laws, so they write me a ticket. I lose a whole day going to court to explain it to the judge, and then they throw the ticket out.”
Ronald Atkina, who sells sunglasses and jewelry on Sixth Avenue between 23rd and 33rd Streets, said that the $1,000 fine is too high a punishment for minor infractions like being in a wrong location by a few inches.
According to the [Urban Justice] report, the greatest number of fines are for being too far from the edge of the sidewalk (22 percent), being on a restricted street (16 percent), or for being too close to a store (15 percent). Only 8 percent are for selling without a license.
Ian Michaels, a spokesperson for the Department of Environmental Protection, that includes the ECB, explained that it is the Police Department, the Department of Health, and other departments that hand out the fines. The ECB only judges, he said.
“The Environmental Control Board does not proceed with a hearing until it is certain that the defense understands the proceedings,” said Michaels with respect to the request by the vendors for interpreters.
James Williams, a member of the street vendors project, called on City Council Speaker Christine Quinn to pass proposed bills 64A and 66A, which would empower judges to reduce the penalties when appropriate, such as when a vendor has his or her license in a pocket instead of hanging around his or her neck.
After protesting in front of City Hall, the group of vendors went to the city's Environmental Control office to deliver the report. A contingent of ten representatives went up to the offices while the rest remained below with their placards, shouting “Vendor Power!” in several languages.
González said that they waited and had not been received. Michaels, who was present, claimed that the office had received the report.
