Vendors from the area around the Madison Square Garden mobilized in an impressive way this sum-mer to defend their businesses against the coming Republican National Convention. Their successful efforts will serve as an example to other ven-dors who sometimes feel powerless against their opponents. Nervous about what would happen to them when the Repub-licans came to town, the vendors started or-ganizing in late June, holding evening meet-ings upstairs at the Dunkin Donuts on 34th Street. Street Vendor Project staff were there to provide coffee and organizing sup-port. We wrote a letter to One Police Plaza asking what would be done with the vendors, and whether the rumors were true that vendors would begin to be evicted on August 4th.

Getting no response from the City, the ven-dors planned a press con-ference and rally to bring attention to their plight. Detailed information had already given to shop-keepers in the area, but the vendors were left in the dark. So, on July 21st, vendors convened in front of Madison Square

Garden. Holding color-ful signs beside a hot dog cart, the vendors rallied and spoke the

more than twenty news organizations in atten-dance, including the NY Post, Daily News, News-day, CNN and New York One. Laronz Murray, an

elected spokesman for the group, read a poem about vendor power. The esteemed Reverend Billy preached, and his choir sang a rousing hymn about vendor justice.

“We’re worried be-cause they haven’t told us,” coffee vendor Javed Ali told AM New York. “We don’t know if we can find somewhere else. I don’t know how I’ll take care of my fam-ily.” “Those who are the big people, the or-ganizers of the conven-tion, they don’t think about us.” food vendor Sikdar Khair said. With the media

questioning them, the city eventually created a plan for the vendors. The bad news was that all vendors would be evicted from the “frozen zone,” from 27th to 35th Streets, even though all the stores in the area would remain open. The good news was that the evictions would only span the five days of the convention, not beforehand as was feared. The reaction was mixed; some vendors were very angry at being kept away, while others looked forward to a vacation, figuring business would be bad, anyway. Whatever happens, the vendors made a stand against the city—and the Republican Party — by coming together to make their voices known. It is unlikely that the city will treat the street vending community so poorly again.

MSG Area Vendors Flex Muscle

VENDOR NEWSLETTER

INSIDE: • NYPD Fifth Precinct Campaign (page 2)

• Member Profile: Abdul Hannan (page 2)

• Web site (page 2)

• Membership Info (p. 3)

• Classifieds (page 3)

• Lawsuit to Decrease Fines (back cover)

Board of Advisors Vincent Brown Mustapha Cisse Prakash Das Gupta Md. Anwar Hussain Mohammad El-Madaawy Sophia Laskaris Vasily Shavandin Angelo Vega Michael Wells Jiean Weychu Staff Organizer Judi Mukarhinda Project Director Sean Basinski Volunteers Sara Sluszka Sergei Shavandin Sarah Yahm

Street Vendor Project Summer 2004 666 Broadway, 5th Floor (646) 602-5679 New York, NY 10012 or (646) 602-5681

Laronz Murray on the mic !

We’re a nation, an organization of street vendors, made up of many races, of different faces fighting for survival in numerous places. — Vendor Laronz Murray

Disabled Vet Gene Smith talks about vendor power

The Street Vendor Project launched a campaign this summer against what must be the worst precinct in the city for vendors, the 5th Pre-cinct, cover-ing little Italy and China-town. The 5th Precinct has long been a problem. Last fall, for exam-ple, we re-ported about how they rudely walked out of a vendor meeting that had been planned for months. As any vendor who vends along the East Side of Broad-way in Soho, or in China-

Vendors Launch Campaign against 5th Precinct

Page 2

two Chinese officers who fre-quently arrest them, and even pepper-spray them, while they are not vending, based solely on the fact that they are dark-skinned men with briefcases. D e t e c t i ve Yat, a commu-nity affairs offi-cer, promised to investigate these com-plaints and find the two respon-sible officers. Lt. Fanale, who oversees ven-dor enforcement, then joined the meeting, screaming that vending without a license is a serious crime and that the ven-dors were breaking the law. Still, she offered to help, and

town knows, the 5th Precinct routinely targets vendors through bogus tickets and heavy-handed tactics.

A f t e r a string of com-plaints from unlicensed Afri-can vendors along Canal Street, the SVP set up a meeting at the Precinct, on July 27th, to foster better communication. The unli-censed vendors made clear that

they didn’t mind being arrested, but it did bother them that the 5th Pre-cinct officers treated them with such disrespect. The vendors complained about

My name is Abdul Hannan and I sell hot dogs and nuts on Broadway. I have the only combined hot dog/nut cart in New York. I came to the United States in 1995 from Bangla-desh, where I was a social worker. I brought my wife and four children to make a better life and help our coun-trypeople. I am now a U.S. citizen. My first job when I got to this country was in a candy store. Some of my friends from Bangladesh

were vendors, and that was how I got my start vending. I knew I wanted to work for myself. I live in Ozone Park, Queens, in a two story house we share with my brother. It is a mixed neighbor-hood. My wife stays home to take care of the kids, and to study, and I take the A train to work every morning. It takes

about 45 minutes. My mother, brother and sister still live in Bang-ladesh, and I hope we can bring them here one day. For now, I send what-ever money I can home to them. Hopefully I will get to visit my country this year, because I haven’t

been back in a few years. I am interested in religion and social work. When I get a

day off, I usually go to the mosque, then help my children with their homework. I am defi-nitely going to vote this year in the elections, but I am still un-decided about who to vote for. The most important issues to me for the election are national se-curity and education. I want to work with other vendors so that we can learn to trust and respect each other. Sometimes we compete for spots on the street; we need to learn that there is enough room for all. Unity is essential to give us a better future.

told vendors to call her to re-port any problems The SVP recently followed up with a letter, and we hope to schedule

another meeting soon. C o i n c i d e n -tally, on August 8th, the NY Times ran a shocking profile of the 5th Precinct, describ-ing how Lt. Fanale scolds immigrant vendors for not speaking English and confiscates their merchandise, even though her

own grandparents sold fruit in the neighborhood before she was born. What a shame that she can’t give the same chance to today’s immigrant vendors that her grandparents got.

Judi makes his case to Det. Yat Recognize that door ?

Member Profile: Abdul Hannan

SVP rolls out streetvendor.org The Street Vendor Project entered the digital age in June when we launched our new web site, www.streetvendor.org. The site will serve as a vir-tual meeting place for all vendors, while also pro-viding information to the vendor-loving rest of the world. The website offers a “vendor forum” discus-

sion section and member photo gallery. We will also have links to loan providers and small business training information. Vendors are welcome to come by our office for free web access and computer skills training. Thanks to Sergei Shavandin for building the site.

Be a Member of the Street Vendor Project !

Page 3

On January 1, 2004, the Street Vendor Project became a membership-based organization. If you haven’t signed up for membership, do so today, and join the more than 170 vendors, of all kinds, who have already signed up. As a member, you will receive the many benefits listed below. More, importantly, you help sup-port an organization that belongs to you, and that is fighting to make life better for all vendors. Come to our monthly meetings. Get involved. Stop by 666 Broadway to say hello. Vendor Power.

Sign up for Membership !

Benefits

● ECB Tickets ● ECB Appeals ● Sales Tax Help ● Criminal Court (some cases) ● ID Badge (see sample, right) ● Vote in Annual Elections ● Forfeiture & License Revocations ● License Applications & Renewals ● Help with filing Police Complaint (CCRB) Forms ● Free Disposable Camera and 25 foot tape measure ● Newsletter (four times a year)

MEMBERSHIP DUES = $100 per year

ENGLISH CLASSES

Starting September 20, we will be offering ESL conversation classes to

all members on Tues-days and Thursdays from

7:30 to 9:00 p.m.

Classifieds

Food vending permit needed. Call Martha at

(718) 599-7681

Place your ad here

MONTHLY MEETING

2nd Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m.

● September 14th ● October 12th

Refreshments served

Advertising Cooperative Formed The Street Vendor Project launched a new initiative to help vendors maximize their eco-nomic potential -- by using their valuable pushcart space for advertising. Question: How much do companies pay to advertise on

companies exploit many vendors by giving them free umbrellas, while pocketing for themselves millions of dollars in revenue. The SVP advertising cooperative will give that money back to you. Hundreds of vendors have already joined. Call (646) 602-5681.

the sidewalks of NYC? Answer: Millions! Big companies recog-nizes that tens of thousands of people walk past your table or pushcart every day. One phone booth can go for $10,00 per year. Already, disreputable ad

That umbrella could mean $

Street Vendor Project 666 Broadway, 5th Floor New York, NY 10012 (646) 602-5679 (646) 602-5681 www.streetvendor.org

individual rights • social change

The Street Vendor Project of the Urban Justice Center is a membership based non profit organization founded in Octo-ber 2001 to provide legal representation, advocacy and grassroots organizing support to street vendors of all kinds in New York City. For more information, go to www.streetvendor.org. Vendor Power.

businesses are never required to pay as much. When Micro-soft recently put hundreds of illegal advertisements around the city, they were fined only $50. But vendors are required to pay $1,000? Some justice. The fines have been a ca-tastrophe for vendors, who can easily receive four tickets in one day, let alone over two years. Said lead plaintiff Moussa Ousmane, “I cannot pay this money. I have five

The Street Vendor Project filed a lawsuit on August 25th to reverse the steep fine in-crease that took place last summer, when no notice was given to vendors until it was too late. Last July, vendors myste-riously began to get fines of $1,000 for their fourth ticket in two years, instead of $250 as previously. Where did this increase come from? No fine in the city is this high, and big

children, and I do not make $1,000 in a month.” City law requires that any change in fines be announced in the newspaper. There also must be a public hear-ing, where vendors would have had a chance to speak out against the increase. But neither ECB, Consumer Affairs or the Health Department ever

bothered to notify the pub-lic. The case is a class action on behalf of all vendors. Come to the hearing on Sep. 28 at 12 noon, at State Su-p r e m e Court, 60 Centre St.

Vendors sue ECB over $1,000 fines

Moussa Ousmane, plaintiff

Photo: Paul Margolis