7 BRONX WEEKLY August 9, 2020 www.BXTimes.com
Illegal vendors fl ood Fordham Road
City transferred food vendor enforcement from NYPD to Health Department
BY JASON COHEN
When Mayor Bill de Blasio
axed police enforcement of street
vendors in June, many have been
popping up throughout the borough,
specifi cally on Fordham
Road and some on Crosby and
Westchester Avenues.
Executive Director of the
Bronx Chamber of Commerce
Lisa Sorin said the main issue
is there has not been a smooth
transition from the police to the
Department of Health in overseeing
the food vendors.
While it may be because of
COVID-19, it seems that vendors
have taken advantage of
this lapse, she said.
“At the end of the day, we
understand everybody has to
make a living,” Sorin said. “It’s
hurting our businesses and it’s
a safety issue.”
She said it’s not right that
restaurants are complying with
the governor’s rules and some
are even being shut down, while
these vendors are operating with
free rein. Furthermore, many
of them are overcrowding the
sidewalk and making it a hazard
for pedestrians.
“We’ve got to fi gure out some
middle ground for enforcement,”
she said.
Wilma Alonso the director
of the Fordham Road Business
Improvement District, said
vendors have fl ooded the area
the past couple months. She told
the Bronx Times there are illegal
vendors from Creston Avenue
to Third Avenue, on the
south side of Fordham Road and
at Fordham Plaza as well. One
food vendor even has a smoker.
She noted there are often
30 to 35 vendors on any
given day.
“The main issue is that city
inspectors from Department of
Health are not conducting fi eld
inspections yet due to COVID-19,”
she said. “The city has not designated
these responsibilities
to any city agency either. Therefore,
this has become an issue
out of control.”
Geri Sciortino, owner of
Bronx Design Group at 2914
Westchester Ave., has also noticed
vendors near the Buhre
Avenue stop on the 6 train.
She has seen a man selling
fruit there for the past few
weeks and noted at fi rst it was
just one table, but has since
grown to three.
“As a business owner,
I follow all the rules,” she
explained. “It just infuriates
me that nothing is being
done. This neighborhood has
been neglected.”
Illegal food vendors on Fordham Road Courtesy of Wilma Alonso
Activists discuss Renewable Rikers
BY JASON COHEN
As Rikers Island is set to shutter
in 2026, elected offi cials and
activists are hoping the land will
be put to use that will environmentally
benefi t the city.
Survivors of Rikers have demanded
that any future use of
the island help the communities
that have been most harmed by
mass criminalization, by environmental
injustice and by disinvestment.
Low-income neighborhoods
and communities of color
are often home to “peaker” plants,
waste transfer stations and other
polluting infrastructure, which
emit particulate matter and other
toxins linked to respiratory illnesses
among others.
On July 29, a panel, “The Case
for Renewable Rikers: Community
Conversations” (The Bronx)
was held where activists and
survivors of Rikers discussed
what they want to see done. The
speakers included Harvey Murphy,
NYC community organizer,
Pamela Villa, director of development
at BronxConnect, Ramona
Ferreyra, Bronx community
activist and Dariella
Rodriguez, director of community
development at Point CDC.
“We’re fi ghting for justice in
our communities,” said Harvey,
a Mott Haven resident who was
incarcerated at Rikers. “It brings
clarity to my heart to know that
Rikers is closing. As a Rikers Island
survivor, I fought blood and
tears for this.”
According to Harvey, a renewable
Rikers will improve the quality
of life in the south Bronx and
provide better jobs.
The Renewable Rikers Act
was introduced in the City
Council in 2019 and it has
three bills:
Requires New York City to assess
whether a new wastewater
treatment facility can be constructed
on Rikers Island, as well
as determine capacity for organics
processing and how many
gallons of wastewater from surrounding
areas can be diverted
there.
It transfers jurisdiction of Rikers
Island from the Department of
Correction to other agencies for
renewable infrastructure, sustainability
and environmental
purpose once the jails close.
Requires New York City to determine
the feasibility of what renewable
energy sources can be
generated on Rikers Island, as
well as what of large-scale batteries
to store the power that can be
built there.
In order for NYC to meet its goal
of quadrupling its solar energy capacity
by 2030, it needs to locate
numerous unshaded rooftops or
large open spaces that could host
these solar installations. Spanning
413 acres, a newly available
Rikers Island would be perfect
for such a large-scale solar project.
CUNY Law School’s Center
for Urban Environmental Reform
hypothesized that using just 100
acres of Rikers Island for solar energy
generation and storage would
justify beginning to close peaker
plants located in environmental
justice communities.
Ferreyra of Mott Haven is
a staunch supporter of Renewable
Rikers. She explained
that 15 percent of Mott Haven
is below the poverty level
and a lot of the neighborhood
smells bad because of the waste
management plant.
“I know in Mott Haven, a green
space is our priority,” Ferreyra
stated. “I think the Neighborhood
Advisory Council of Mott Haven
has really understood the opportunities
to be able to negotiate the
type of investment Mott Haven
would receive.”
She stressed that although Rikers
is part of Queens, the majority
of the people there are from the
Bronx and Brooklyn. Like Harvey,
she hopes that when Rikers shutters,
it can be used to benefi t the
south Bronx.
“I think it’s imperative that we
start imagining what Rikers can
become,” she remarked.
With poor air quality in the
south Bronx, high asthma rates
and mass incarceration of Bronxites,
Rodriguez wondered how how
people can expect to succeed. The
hope is less people will be locked
up and Renewable Rikers will
create more jobs and safer living
conditions, she said.
Rodriguez, a survivor of
Rikers, will always remember
the fi rst time she entered
it at 17. She stressed the need
for “retroactive justice” in
the communities.
“When I talk about Rikers, I
can smell it on me,” she said.
Dariella Rodriguez, director of community
development, Point CDC, speaks about
Renewable Rikers Screenshot
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