PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Walter Wells, Disabled Vietnam Vet on Issues Faced by Veterans in Times Square
1:53:53
·
3 min
Walter Wells, a disabled Vietnam veteran, testifies about the challenges faced by veterans in Times Square. He highlights issues such as being pushed off street corners, excessive ticketing, and difficulties in renewing licenses due to unpaid fines.
- Wells emphasizes the need for representation from people who understand the struggles of disabled vets and have been "in the trenches"
- He describes conflicts with food truck vendors and inconsistent enforcement of regulations by police
- Wells calls for help and support for veterans working in Times Square, noting that many have left due to poor treatment and inability to work in their usual spots
Walter Wells
1:53:53
My name is Walter Wells.
1:53:54
I'm a disabled Vietnam debt.
1:53:58
I just want to adjust a couple of people that said, the commissioning here.
1:54:04
And my community is Times Square.
1:54:12
Alright?
1:54:13
Guys know me that don't even be in Times Square.
1:54:18
They know me from Brooklyn, Queens, you know, the you ever need somebody looking to get on a board, I'm I'm you could come see me.
1:54:29
And I I I'm just hoping that you would never pick nobody that hasn't been to the the the trenches that we've been to.
1:54:35
We've been out there like, the 2nd class citizens and disabled vets.
1:54:42
I've been out in in Times Square a long time.
1:54:45
I get along with the people in the stores, the community.
1:54:50
I involved with a lot of stuff and I love I love there because I've been I've been in a long time.
1:54:58
But Mhmm.
1:54:59
As a disabled vet in Times Square, we are pushed off the corners.
1:55:08
Why?
1:55:08
Because we have the what they call the Egyptian mafia, you know, with all the food trucks, all the rules and regulations that we have to go through They disregard the McDade 1 in the city now.
1:55:27
Oh, yes.
1:55:28
We get tickets.
1:55:30
The lady said don't pay a ticket.
1:55:31
Pay that ticket because they ain't gonna give you a license.
1:55:35
You know?
1:55:35
No.
1:55:35
No.
1:55:36
They
Timothy Pena
1:55:36
can't renew.
Walter Wells
1:55:37
We can't renew.
1:55:38
Yeah.
1:55:38
They they get depends.
1:55:42
It could be a 2000 I I paid I paid I had paid a ticket for $250 because my I had the American flag too high.
1:55:51
Yes.
1:55:52
Cool.
1:55:52
They yeah.
1:55:54
I've been I've been to it.
1:55:55
I I mean, we we go to a lot of stuff in Times Square.
1:56:01
You know, they take then we're still getting tickets.
1:56:05
We supposed to be within 10 feet of the fault of courts work, but the police would come over especially the new ones.
1:56:11
Oh, you're fifteen feet in you know, you can't be fifteen feet.
1:56:15
Excuse me.
1:56:15
Wrong.
1:56:17
The commissioner the the chief commander at a meeting, he had he had a welcome meeting and told all his subordinates because he he introduced me.
1:56:31
He said, you see this, you know, this man here.
1:56:34
This man know more about the rules and regulations than all of you guys put together.
1:56:38
And he said, McCarthy is a very good guy.
1:56:42
He've been He tried to help the veterans out with it's very bad for us right now.
1:56:49
We lost a lot of veterans in in in a Times Square.
1:56:53
They either left because of the treatment that we we that we're getting.
1:56:57
We they left for and pushed out because we can't work the corners no more.
1:57:04
We can't even get a full car to work in in the in the area because, like I said, the commission that they got.
1:57:12
You know?
1:57:13
But I'm just hoping that we can get somebody to help help us.
1:57:17
We need some help.
1:57:19
We have we need a lot to help in in Times Square.
1:57:23
Thank you for this and
Robert F. Holden
1:57:24
for me, Armando.
