"Attracting crime": Female Chinese-American council member petitions to drive away street vendors in Flushing, NYC
Attracting crime": Female Chinese-American council member petitions to drive away street vendors in Flushing.
A Chinese-American female councilwoman from the Queens district initiated a petition demanding that city officials remove all street vendors from the center of Flushing, claiming that they "put public safety at risk".
andra Ung, a councilwoman who grew up near Flushing, believes that the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection and the New York Police Department's joint responsibility for enforcing vendor regulations has led to a loss of control in Flushing. She stated that the area is already "filled with counterfeit goods, thefts, and illegal activities such as marijuana sales."
Last week at a press conference near the Long Island Rail Road station in Flushing, Ung said that lax enforcement "creates a sense of lawlessness that attracts criminals." As she spoke, vendors selling electronics, fruits, vegetables and clothing surrounded her.
Ung said her office has also received letters from elderly and disabled people who say their movements are dangerous due to overcrowding in downtown Flushing. "What I'm asking for is stronger enforcement so our streets can be clear," she said.
Since 2018, vending has been banned in downtown Flushing which means no vendors are allowed to sell clothes or food or any household items there. "Setting up no-vending zones means even licensed vendors aren't allowed," Ung said.
The Flushing Business Improvement District supports her petition; Dian Yu, executive director of the improvement district says street cleaning is needed for legal businesses to operate properly.
'A city agency cannot have dual legal standards: one for business owners and another for illegal vendors,' Yu said.
According to Michael Lanza, the news secretary of the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, in the past two years, the agency has conducted nearly 2,000 inspections in Flushing and coordinated with police and other city agencies to confiscate goods. Lanza said that during this time, the agency has issued 163 summonses.
Nevertheless, Huang Minyi said that considering the number of vendors operating near train stations every day, law enforcement is still not strong enough.
'In the absence of law enforcement, Flushing's downtown area can no longer be maintained.'
Huang Minyi added that her goal is not to prevent people from making a living or supporting their families. Any law enforcement must be handled with good intentions. The immigrant status of vendors should not be a problem nor should their goods be confiscated. However, they should receive sufficient warnings that 'there can no longer be any street vendors in downtown Flushing.'
Street vendors have always been striving for legitimate operation. Many people have been fined because they do not have an ordinary vendor's license but there are only 853 licenses available citywide and waiting lists for over 12 thousand people have been closed for more than ten years.
Vendor: We have no choice
Mohamed Attia, the head of the street vendor project, said that increased crime should not be blamed on vendors. Instead, he said they "act as eyes and ears on the streets," making the area safer.
He said that the city government should educate vendors about rules instead of requiring them to close down, pay hundreds of dollars in fines or even confiscate their property occasionally.
He said: "Street vendors support, serve and contribute to public safety in communities."
Rengang Wang, who sells antiques and second-hand goods at a stall near a local post office, said that Huang Minyi's position threatened some people's livelihoods because they had no other way to survive in one of the world's most expensive cities.
"When egg prices are three times what they used to be, it is really difficult for people," Wang said in Mandarin. Many vendors are here because they have no other choice.
Wang said that during the COVID-19 pandemic he started selling items to make ends meet after losing his job teaching martial arts. He says if forced to shut down he doesn't know what he would do since he and his wife rely on financial support from friends.
"For many of us this is a desperate situation where we sometimes sell less than $100 worth of goods per day," Wang added.
Although he agrees that vendors need to do better in reducing their use of space on the sidewalks, he said it would not pose a threat to public safety.
"We need a way to reduce the punitive nature of enforcement and work together towards a system where everyone can make a living without taking up too much space," Wang said. "I don't want to be a burden on my community, but currently the way enforcement is done only creates conflict."
New York City has acknowledged Min Yi Huang's petition for stronger enforcement.
The mayor's office told that some reform efforts are underway and hopes to adopt thoughtful rules that balance the needs of all stakeholders including residents, business owners, and vendors. However, it did not say whether any additional actions are planned in the short term.
A Chinese-American female councilwoman from the Queens district initiated a petition demanding that city officials remove all street vendors from the center of Flushing, claiming that they "put public safety at risk".
andra Ung, a councilwoman who grew up near Flushing, believes that the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection and the New York Police Department's joint responsibility for enforcing vendor regulations has led to a loss of control in Flushing. She stated that the area is already "filled with counterfeit goods, thefts, and illegal activities such as marijuana sales."
Last week at a press conference near the Long Island Rail Road station in Flushing, Ung said that lax enforcement "creates a sense of lawlessness that attracts criminals." As she spoke, vendors selling electronics, fruits, vegetables and clothing surrounded her.
Ung said her office has also received letters from elderly and disabled people who say their movements are dangerous due to overcrowding in downtown Flushing. "What I'm asking for is stronger enforcement so our streets can be clear," she said.
Since 2018, vending has been banned in downtown Flushing which means no vendors are allowed to sell clothes or food or any household items there. "Setting up no-vending zones means even licensed vendors aren't allowed," Ung said.
The Flushing Business Improvement District supports her petition; Dian Yu, executive director of the improvement district says street cleaning is needed for legal businesses to operate properly.
'A city agency cannot have dual legal standards: one for business owners and another for illegal vendors,' Yu said.
According to Michael Lanza, the news secretary of the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, in the past two years, the agency has conducted nearly 2,000 inspections in Flushing and coordinated with police and other city agencies to confiscate goods. Lanza said that during this time, the agency has issued 163 summonses.
Nevertheless, Huang Minyi said that considering the number of vendors operating near train stations every day, law enforcement is still not strong enough.
'In the absence of law enforcement, Flushing's downtown area can no longer be maintained.'
Huang Minyi added that her goal is not to prevent people from making a living or supporting their families. Any law enforcement must be handled with good intentions. The immigrant status of vendors should not be a problem nor should their goods be confiscated. However, they should receive sufficient warnings that 'there can no longer be any street vendors in downtown Flushing.'
Street vendors have always been striving for legitimate operation. Many people have been fined because they do not have an ordinary vendor's license but there are only 853 licenses available citywide and waiting lists for over 12 thousand people have been closed for more than ten years.
Vendor: We have no choice
Mohamed Attia, the head of the street vendor project, said that increased crime should not be blamed on vendors. Instead, he said they "act as eyes and ears on the streets," making the area safer.
He said that the city government should educate vendors about rules instead of requiring them to close down, pay hundreds of dollars in fines or even confiscate their property occasionally.
He said: "Street vendors support, serve and contribute to public safety in communities."
Rengang Wang, who sells antiques and second-hand goods at a stall near a local post office, said that Huang Minyi's position threatened some people's livelihoods because they had no other way to survive in one of the world's most expensive cities.
"When egg prices are three times what they used to be, it is really difficult for people," Wang said in Mandarin. Many vendors are here because they have no other choice.
Wang said that during the COVID-19 pandemic he started selling items to make ends meet after losing his job teaching martial arts. He says if forced to shut down he doesn't know what he would do since he and his wife rely on financial support from friends.
"For many of us this is a desperate situation where we sometimes sell less than $100 worth of goods per day," Wang added.
Although he agrees that vendors need to do better in reducing their use of space on the sidewalks, he said it would not pose a threat to public safety.
"We need a way to reduce the punitive nature of enforcement and work together towards a system where everyone can make a living without taking up too much space," Wang said. "I don't want to be a burden on my community, but currently the way enforcement is done only creates conflict."
New York City has acknowledged Min Yi Huang's petition for stronger enforcement.
The mayor's office told that some reform efforts are underway and hopes to adopt thoughtful rules that balance the needs of all stakeholders including residents, business owners, and vendors. However, it did not say whether any additional actions are planned in the short term.
