News 12
Mohamad Attia, executive Director of the Street Vendor Project at Urban Justice Center, says his team has been reaching out to government officials for some relief for the street vendors. He says they want grants for vendors, freezes on rent, mortgages and utility bills, for all NYPD and Health Department enforcement to be put on hold, and for all fines issued to be put on hold as well.Business Insider
New York City is home to more than 10,000 street vendors, which include food trucks, hot dog vendors, flower vendors, and book vendors, according to the SVP, a part of the Urban Justice Center, which provides legal aid and advocacy for marginalized communities.Vice
Read this Vice article about how SVP amplified the voice of Wahede Whab and advocated for him with a rally when bike racks and planters were placed in his family's fruit stand spot of 35 yearsAM New York
AmNewYork on SVP's advocacy for 31st and 32nd St. food carts, who have been pushed out by the 34th Street Partnership's use of planters and benches.Curbed
“We realize that there’s lots of competition for public space in New York. Street vendors should be part of that,” says Matthew Shapiro, the legal director for the Street Vendor Project. “They should be part of the discussion whenever the city wants to put news stands or way-finding signs or planters or bike racks—these are all important, but vendors are also important, and they need to be a part of that discussion.”Gothamist
"Given the current climate of immigration in this city, we were worried about any additional incursions into vendors’ privacy, especially their locations in a public space.”- Shapiro of SVP. After SVP and other street vendor advocates voiced their concerns about new health grades to the Health Department, the NYCHD instilled protections to ensure that no street vendor's privacy could be compromised in the process.Vice
Read this Vice article about how SVP amplified the voice of Wahed Whab when the city tried to take away his fruit stand spot, which his family has used for more than 35 years.The Guardian
If passed, a new bill will offer 4,000 permits over a decade. Read this article from The Guardian which shares the voices of street vendors in SVP like Walid Abdelwahab.NY Times
Matthew Shapiro, the legal director of the SVP speaks with the New York Times about the impact of new health grades for street vendors. A cart or truck “is a much smaller space, with limited refrigeration and hot holding areas, and a potable water tank instead of water from the building,” he said. “I am not saying it is easy to run a restaurant, but vendors have unique challenges, while still being held to the same standard.”© 2023 Urban Justice Center | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
