1. The Injustice of Street
Vending
By: Justin Valentin
LLS-100
Latina/os and Justice in New York
S

2. S
In New York City there are about Twenty
Thousand street vendors located in all
different boroughs, who have been a part of
the society for two hundred years.
S
Vendors sell everything they get their hands
on. For instance, hot dogs, phone cases,
bags, glasses, and many more items.
S
People see vendors as small business
people, who are trying to make a living by
selling on the street trying to make ends
meet.
S
According to the Urban Justice Center
community, street vendors are mostly
composed of immigrants and people of
color.

3. If you decide to start vending on the
streets you must have General Vendor
License. This license gives you the
permission to sell/lease goods in public
places that is not considered a store. The
only times that you do not need a General
Vendor License is when you are selling
anything that is considered a; written
matter, piece of art, food (requires a
license from the Department of Health
and Mental Hygiene), sell on a private
property, or sell from a stand. To apply for
the General Vendor License you must fill
out the application, need eligibility to
apply, need a passport, and a certificate
of authority. Moreover you need vendor
residence form, proof of home address,
and proof of your tax clearance.

4. S
Ever since street vendors hit our societies, they have been known to be
victimized by the government and by the New York Police Department. The
city is finding every possible way to make street vending illegal which
becomes an injustice.
S
These vendors have been denied their access to receive their vending
licenses for many reasons. For example, being an immigrant. If the street
vendor is an immigrant, and is street vending, he/she would most likely be
deported since they have no papers. Vendors that are immigrants have a
hard time with Police officers because of the language barrier.
S
Another example of the city finding an end to street vending is by if you not
having a license then you will be automatically arrested, and your
merchandise will be taken by the officers. All of a sudden it becomes a
criminal act.
S
Pursuing this further, another injustice that street vendors face today is how
they are unreasonably harassed by New York police officers, and how their
property is being seized illegally.

5. S
The Street Vendor Project works to improve and correct the
social injustices faced by the vendors on the street.
S
One way they reach out to the sellers are by holding clinic to
educate them about vendor rights.
S
Vendors are taught to be respectful to the authority, no matter
how much they are harassed. They are also taught to take down
the badge numbers and file complaints against offensive officers.
S
Moreover, The Street Vendor Project arranges for the street
vendors to participate in political events that can better their
future.
S
They hold campaigns to endure the public and the policy makers
to understand the importance of street vendors and the role that
they play in our life.
S
Last but not least, they are 1,500 members strong just on active
vendors alone.

6.  In 2006 the Bloomberg administration
decided to quadruple the penalties on licensed
street vendors, from two hundred and fifty
dollars to one thousand dollars per ticket.
These infractions can be consisted of
forgetting to show their license or being to
close to the curb. The Street Vendor Project
(SVP) turned it all around after filing two law
suits which came to a conclusion (two bills
were passed) that the maximum ticket a
vendor can get is two hundred and fifty dollars,
and the second is that the only way a fine can
escalate is by the vendor repeating the same
violation.
 The SVP started a collaboration named the
Push Cart Fund. This fund will make loans up
to two thousand dollars to give to New York
City Street Vendors so they can pay off fines
that they received and/or to help their
businesses grow. Some vendors need it to buy
new equipment, and products. Others need it
to pay off tickets, or to renew their license.
Additionally, this collaboration is trying to raise
thirty thousand dollars to give to the vendors
which can provide to fifteen to twenty members
that are in need of help.

7. S
This topic of Street Vendors can relate
to the class because a large
population of street vendors are
Hispanic, some being immigrants.
S
Many of the Hispanic people do face
injustices when it comes down to
Street Vending.
S
Many immigrants cannot get a real job
because of they do not have papers.
Therefore, they start selling on the
streets day and night to make some
money in harsh conditions.

8. “I think they are trying to
make money which is good for
them but they are doing it
illegally.”
“Street vendors are bad for
business because most of the
stuff that is being sold is not
real.”
“The music and movie
industry is being hurt the
most.”
“Child labor.”

9. Market Size:
Billions
Geographic Market
Distribution
Market Forecast:
Billions

10. S http://www.flickr.com/photos/109041546@N07/
S http://www.slideshare.net/justinvalentin7737
S https://twitter.com/jay_valentin24

11. Citations
Gold, J (n.d). Home. The Street Vendor Project. Retrieved December 4, 2013, from http:/streetvendor.org
Monynihan, C. (2013, October 2). Street Vendors Protest Treatment by Police. New York Times. Retrieved December 4, 2013 from
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/03/nyrevendors-protest-treatment-by-police.html?_r=0
Skillings, P. (n.d). Get a New York Street Fair Vendor License. About.com Manhattan, NY. Retrieved December 4, 2013, from
http://manhattan.about.com/od/careersjol
Smiley, T. (2012, February 16). I Was Treated Better When I Sold Drugs. Urban Injustice. Retrieved December 4, 2013,
from http://www.urbanjustice.org/pdf/press/cbslocal_16feb12.pdf
Urban Justice - Projects - Street Vendor. Retrieved December 4, 2013, from http://www.urbanjustice.org/ujc/projects/street.html