REMARKS
Council Member Krishnan' Statement: Decriminalizing Street Vending
0:40:52
·
119 sec
Council Member Krishnan emphasizes the importance of decriminalizing street vending in New York City.
Highlighting his own proposed bill, Krishnan emphasizes the need for a regulated and supportive vending system that does not penalize the city's smallest businesses, such as individuals selling food on the streets to support their families.
He advocates for ending the criminalization of street vendors, ensuring they are not subject to jail time or criminal convictions, as part of a more supportive and regulated environment.
Speaker 16
0:40:52
Well, thank you so much, Chairman and Thank you to our commissioners and agencies, deputy commissioner.
0:40:57
So here, it's nice to see all of you and to everyone from our organizations who are here.
0:41:05
I think today we are hearing a number of really important bills around vending in our city.
0:41:11
As we know, we need to ensure that we create a system of vending that is regulated, that is controlled, and ensures that resources are accessible to street vendors across our city.
0:41:22
In particular, I wanna call attention to my bill in the package that d criminalizes street vending that ensures that street vending is no longer an offense for which, for simply, for a mother, selling tamales or churros in the streets, could face potential jail time, could face a criminal conviction, and a spiraling a host of other consequences that are connected to our criminal system.
0:41:45
Especially for individuals who are seeking to sell and bend food to care for their families, to pay their rent, the smallest businesses in our city.
0:41:55
And for far too long, with the lack of a regulated system for vending that this package of bills ensures, for far too long, with a lack of resources available to vendors in our city to ensure they have the means and support and services they need to be able to live their livelihoods.
0:42:12
With the lack of those things, the answer has been to criminalize those who are simply doing the work to support their families.
0:42:22
But that comes to an end with this legislation ensuring that 3 vendors in our city are not punished through the criminal system, through the penal system.
0:42:32
And I wanna thank my colleagues, Chairman Inn, for holding this hearing today.
0:42:38
For ensuring these bills move forward, which I think are really important to create the well regulated system of vending that we need in our city.
0:42:44
Thank you.
Speaker 1
0:42:47
Thank you.
0:42:48
And then we've got another question from Council member Feliz.