City Council Member Carlina Rivera stood with local bodega owners on Jan. 9 calling for action to protect local
grocery stores from increased competition by grocery delivery apps.
Save the NYC bodega!
Lower East Side rally seeks to combat delivery apps
BY DEAN MOSES
The New York City corner bodega,
a pillar of communities with its
neon lights, late night service,
and infamous cats, might become vestiges
of a bygone era with the infl ux of
15-minute grocery delivery startups.
“Bodegas are the very heart of New
York City’s culture and economy,”
Comptroller Brad Lander said, emphasizing
the small convenience stores’ importance
to residents at a Jan. 9 rally in
Lower Manhattan.
A coalition of elected offi cials, Lower
East Side residents, and small businesses
gathered outside a local bodega
to condemn a new entity threatening
the livelihood of beloved community
enterprises–Venture Capital (VC)-
backed quick-commerce startups delivering
groceries in 15-minutes which
fl ourished during the pandemic while
many locations were forced to close.
Raising their voices and fi sts to
the rainy air outside of Stop 1 Deli at
122 Suffolk Street, elected offi cials
like Lander and Councilwoman Carlina
Rivera spoke in unison alongside
LOCAL NEWS
PHOTO BY DEAN MOSES
Members of the Bodegas of America
show off their caps.
their constituents to decry big tech
companies’ plan to offer grocery delivery
services on the backs of small
mom-and-pop shops.
Comparing the process to the way
in which Uber drivers drew fares away
from the yellow cab industry, the group
says big businesses will do the same to
cherished community staples. This coalition
pledged to not allow the neighborhood
culture to be uprooted and ultimately
extinguished.
PHOTO BY DEAN MOSES
“Do you realize these are illegal warehouses
in a zoning for retail, restaurant,
and food establishments. They are not in
the right zoning category. That’s right, illegal,
illegal. They are not legal and they
are going to kill,” said Councilwoman
Gale Brewer, advising consumers to
look into these tech delivery services
and examine their fi nancials, which she
adds showcases billions of dollars from
venture capitalists.
Agreeing, Rivera says the fi ght is
deeply personal for her, as she was
brought up in and around local markets
and bodegas.
“That’s the community that raised me.
We have a long rich history of small businesses,
and we cannot deny that bodegas
are a part of the history of New York City
and an important piece of our culture,”
she said. “We can investigate what is legal
and what is illegal and make sure that
we are holding people accountable.”
Those at the rally called for big tech
and grocery delivery startups to develop
models that collaborate with the small,
local businesses in communities, allowing
for technology and bodegas to prosper
in the neighborhood together.
New top cop,
DA meet on
justice reform
BY ISABEL SONG BEER
In an apparent effort to air out
their differences on criminal justice
reform, Manhattan District
Attorney Alvin Bragg and Police
Commissioner Keechant Sewell met
behind closed doors on Jan. 11.
The talks included “senior
staff members met to discuss issues
of mutual concern,” according
to a joint statement from both
elected offi cials.
“The discussion was open, candid
and productive,” they noted.
This meeting comes after some
public criticism of DA Bragg’s new
policy of not prosecuting certain
low-level offenders and minimizing
other criminal charges. Previously,
Commissioner Sewell had
publicly voiced concerns with these
new policies.
“I believe in criminal justice reform.
I believe in reform that make
sense when applied collaboratively,”
said Sewell in a memo Jan. 7. “In
that same vein, I am concerned
about sweeping edicts that seem
to remove discretion, not just from
police offi cers, but also from Assistant
District Attorneys regarding
what crimes to prosecute and how
to charge them.”
Bragg responded to the memo the
morning of Jan. 8, stating that a dialogue
must be started, however not
through the media.
“We share Commissioner Sewell’s
call for frank and productive discussions
to reach common ground on
our shared mission to deliver safety
and justice for all and look forward
to the opportunity to clear up some
misunderstandings.” said Bragg.
However, in the joint statement
released Tuesday, it seems Bragg
and Sewell had ironed out at least
some of their grievances, having
reached an agreement on how to
further collaborate on these issues.
“The meeting was to share ideas
and examine policy differences that
could be clarifi ed and harmonized
toward a common vision that acknowledges
the need for criminal
justice reform and alternatives to
incarceration,” according to the
statement. “The discussion was
open, candid and productive. It was
agreed that police and prosecutors
would weigh the individual facts
and circumstances of each case
with a view toward justice and work
together to keep New Yorkers safe.”
Schneps Media January 13, 2022 3