Residents gripe about illegal vendors
Unlicensed street vendors fl ood Kingsbridge; create ‘quality of life’ issues
BY JASON COHEN
When Mayor Bill de
Blasio axed police enforcement
of street vendors
in June, many
have been popping up
throughout the borough,
including on Fordham
Road and in front of the
Kingsbridge Armory.
Director of the Bronx
Chamber of Commerce
Lisa Sorin told the Bronx
Times that street vendors,
politicians and the
Street Vendor Project
want the cap extended on
the amount of street vendors
permitted. However,
she stressed that even if
this occurs, there still
needs to be some type
of oversight.
As indoor dining at
restaurants is set to reopen
this week, Sorin
asked how having illegal
vendors up and down
streets of the Bronx
and other boroughs
affects them.
Dan Williams, 64, who
has lived at Sedgwick Avenue
and Kingsbridge
Avenue for over 17 years,
said that illegal vendors
have packed the space
between Jerome Avenue
and Reservoir Place.
Over the past few
months, Williams has
observed people with
grills on the sidewalk
and others selling tools,
DVDs and clothes.
“This is unhealthy
and most likely poses
other quality of life issues,”
he said. “My once
tranquil neighborhood
is turning into something
akin to something
common in Washington
Heights and it’s
not desirable.”
Williams fi led a complaint
on Sept. 19 about
the issue. He noted that
on the weekends, the
sidewalks are jammed
packed by 11.a.m. and
are quite diffi cult to
walk through.
“I have no problem
with people making
money, but there’s
got to be like some order,”
he said. “These are
things you would see at a
fl ea market.”
Meanwhile, the Street
Vendor Project and politicians
are advocating
for the passage of legislation
that would gradually
expand the number
of permits given to
food vendors. A number
BRONX TIMES R 8 EPORTER,OCTOBER 2-8, 2020 BTR
of new permits, now referred
to as supervisory
licenses, would be issued
in batches each year from
now until 2029.
The new supervisory
licenses require at
least one supervisory licensee
to be present at
a pushcart at all times.
This new requirement
will not be applied to existing
permits. The bill
will also increase the
fees for all permits and
supervisory licenses.
Importantly, the bill
creates a new dedicated
vending law enforcement
unit, which would exclusively
enforce vending
laws. It would focus fi rst
on those areas of the City
with known vending enforcement
challenges,
and move to all areas as
compliance improves. It
would also create a street
vendor advisory board,
which will include vendors,
brick and mortar
small businesses, representatives
from community
groups, labor
unions, property owners
and city agencies, to
examine the rules for
duplicative, unclear or
unnecessary provisions.
According to the
Street Vendor Project,
there are approximately
20,000 New Yorkers who
sell food and merchandise
from the streets and
sidewalks of NYC. Street
vendors are primarily
women of color, military
veterans, low-wage immigrant
workers who
come from communities
that have been disproportionately
impacted by
COVID-19 and individuals
who have reported
income losses of 70 to
90 percent.
The illegal vendors in front of Kingsbridge Armory Photos by Jason Cohen
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