PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Frederic Hart, Veteran Street Vendor
2:03:48
ยท
109 sec
Frederic Hart, a veteran street vendor, testified about the challenges and disrespect he faces while trying to make a living in Times Square. He expressed frustration with the lack of support from police and conflicts with other vendors, questioning where veterans stand in terms of priority and rights.
- Hart received a ticket on his first day as a licensed vendor, despite the presence of unlicensed vendors nearby
- He feels disrespected by other food cart vendors and stressed when leaving Midtown
- Hart is seeking clarification on the rights and priorities of veteran vendors compared to others
Frederic Hart
2:03:48
My name is mister Hart.
2:03:50
Mister George at the end kinda spoke for me already.
2:03:53
I'm here just to let you know that, I'm just tired of being stressed out when I leave Midtown to go home.
2:04:00
Sometimes I see myself lash out at society because I feel like, you know, I'm being disrespected.
2:04:08
I just got my blue license, and I decided to go into Times Square to try to make a better living.
2:04:14
Right?
2:04:14
And for some reason, it seemed like I'm at war with every food card vendor.
2:04:19
Everybody is disrespecting me.
2:04:22
Right?
2:04:22
So I'm trying to find out where do I stand?
2:04:25
What is my rights?
2:04:27
Right?
2:04:28
Do they come before the veterans or do the veterans come after them?
2:04:32
Who's 1st?
2:04:33
Who's 2nd?
2:04:34
Who's 3rd?
2:04:35
These people, they have to make a living too, but they have no respect for us.
2:04:40
And the reason why is because the police do not help.
2:04:44
My first day on the job, I spoke at 250 Broadway when I first met you, mister Holden.
2:04:49
That lady named miss Vicky was here.
2:04:51
I told her I was ashamed to put the license on my neck, so I started hiding it.
2:04:56
She said you should never hide your license.
2:04:58
They surrounded me and they gave me a ticket, my 1st day on the job.
2:05:02
And they said, Oh, your table's too high.
2:05:03
They gave me a ticket.
2:05:05
And I wanted to know why.
2:05:06
And I said, There's people all around selling but no license.
2:05:10
They walked away, and I followed them for 4 blocks.
2:05:12
It hurt.
George Singleton
2:05:13
So And
Robert Holden
2:05:14
you told you told the police that you were a veteran?
Frederic Hart
2:05:16
They seen my license.
2:05:17
They took my license and wrote a ticket.
2:05:20
My first day on the job and I felt violated.
2:05:23
Here I go, but what did I do?
2:05:25
I said, my father's a cop, my stepfather, I respect the law.
2:05:28
Why would you ticket me?
2:05:30
Now that I see that they have no respect for us.
2:05:33
Right?
2:05:34
I wanna know from the council, where do we stand?
Robert Holden
2:05:37
Well, we're bringing it up with the commissioner, the new police commissioner about the harassment of, our veterans.