Street vendors protested on the steps of City Hall on Feb. 16 against fines that they say are excessive and are assessed for minor violations such as carrying their licenses in their back pockets instead of wearing them around their necks.
The vendors are spearheading a campaign to lower the fines.
Among the protestors in the push-cart rally and march were the 125th Street merchants and the Street Vendor Project. In a released statement, Sean Basinski, director of the Street Vendor Project at the Urban Justice Center, said, “Why is it that when a street vendor parks his cart an inch too far from the curb, he’s hit with a $1,000 fine?”
The vendors said the $1,000 fines are putting a strain on their business and livelihood in this economy, where many vendors don’t make enough money to make a profit and pay off the fines. According to the organizers of the event, more than 26,000 tickets were issued in 2011.
City Council Member Stephen Levin is sponsoring legislation that will reduce the fines, which has the support of 30 council members. More than 20,000 vendors work in New York City.