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TESTIMONY
Council Member Krishnan's Inquiry into Decriminalizing Street Vending
1:07:32
ยท
158 sec
Council Member Krishnan queries the Street Vendor Project on the ramifications of criminalizing street vending. The discussion sheds light on the detrimental impact of misdemeanor charges on vendors, particularly immigrants, for minor infractions.
Testimonies from vendors reveal the struggles of receiving multiple summons, facing legal penalties, and the anxiety of how such charges affect their immigration status.
Speaker 16
1:07:32
Thank you so much, Hermann.
1:07:34
Thank you all chief under project and vendors who are to identify too.
1:07:37
We appreciate your testimony.
1:07:38
I just have one question which is, in particular, with the bill that I'm the prime sponsor of, to decriminalize street van dings, so it's no longer treated as a misdemeanor with the consequences of jail time and a misdemeanor conviction.
1:07:54
I think you heard my words before about why I believe this bill is important for our city.
1:07:59
I'd be curious to hear a bit from from you all, sweet vendor project, how how important is it or what are the experiences of street vendors been who have been subjected to criminal enforcement for vending?
1:08:12
How important is it to your members to treat vendors overall to not be subject to misdemeanor penalties for street vending?
Speaker 24
1:08:22
My bartender, Missus Dorothy, she is a disabled veteran.
1:08:26
She received 60 Five summons.
1:08:30
In 2 months from the market department, all of them guilty, misdemeanor, 250 bucks or 2 weeks community service.
1:08:41
We're still getting salmon's criminal court from your visitor police department and the market department till now.
1:08:48
Thank you.
Speaker 19
1:08:50
Another thing comes on my behalf that the way the rules, the winning rules are set up right now, it gives the chance and the basically discretion to the NYPD to write criminal tickets.
1:09:02
For chief vendors, for violations that are as minor as being few inches closer to the crosswalk than you're supposed to be or not having your license worn.
1:09:12
And of course, that has a lot of impact on a lot of the vendors communities, especially those who are immigrants, who are in the process of getting their paperwork, settled, and it's very, very problematic.
1:09:22
I personally received a lot of criminal tickets for selling hard dogs in Times Square, be a little bit closer to the crosswalk than I'm supposed to be.
1:09:30
And I was going to the criminal court, spending the whole day there, and trying to get away with a fine or like community service.
1:09:37
But, of course, that's something that impacts my record at the end of the day.
Speaker 16
1:09:42
Thank you, Mohammed.
1:09:43
And just one point I wanted to add and finishing is I think I and thank you for underscoring the importance or the the way in which the criminal system can interact with the immigration system.
1:09:54
I mean, that's a very important point.
1:09:55
To consider as well in one of the collateral consequences I mentioned before of the way in which interaction with the criminal system can have severe consequences in particular for immigrants.
1:10:05
Thank you.
Speaker 1
1:10:06
Thank you.
1:10:06
Council member Sanchez.
Speaker 18
1:10:08
Thank you so much, madam chair.