PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Raymond Ponce de Leon, Veteran and Street Vendor, on Challenges Faced by Veteran Vendors and Lack of Information on Veterans' Programs
2:22:40
·
4 min
Raymond Ponce de Leon, a Vietnam veteran and street vendor, testifies about the challenges faced by veteran vendors in New York City, including difficulties with licensing, inspections, and harassment. He also expresses frustration about the lack of information on veterans' programs, particularly in East New York.
- Ponce de Leon highlights the expensive and time-consuming process of obtaining and maintaining a food vendor license
- He criticizes the lack of awareness about arts programs for veterans in certain neighborhoods
- The testimony reveals issues with enforcement, including tickets given to veteran vendors and problems with non-veteran vendors leaving food carts overnight
Raymond Ponce de Leon
2:22:40
My name is Raymond Ponce de Leon.
2:22:43
I'm a veteran.
2:22:44
I was in Vietnam.
2:22:46
I served for over 37 years.
2:22:48
I'm a sergeant major.
2:22:49
And, I think, what's going on with the veterans here, they don't care.
2:22:56
The public don't care.
2:22:57
The police department don't care.
2:22:59
You can get a ticket.
2:23:01
You can get arrested.
Robert Holden
2:23:02
So you're a Excuse me?
2:23:04
You're a vendor?
Raymond Ponce de Leon
2:23:05
I'm a vendor, and I'm a food vendor.
Robert Holden
2:23:07
Okay.
Raymond Ponce de Leon
2:23:09
To get my license for a food vendor, I'm going through a lot of changes now.
2:23:14
I have to go to get it inspected, reinspected, then you gotta wait.
2:23:20
As a general vendor with a disabled veteran, I got stopped 3 or 3 or 4 times with a ticket.
Robert Holden
2:23:28
All 3 you got 3 or 4 tickets?
Raymond Ponce de Leon
2:23:31
No.
2:23:31
In different time periods, I got
Robert Holden
2:23:32
a ticket.
Raymond Ponce de Leon
2:23:33
I was in Manhattan and got a ticket because I I don't have the blue one.
2:23:36
I have the other one.
Robert Holden
2:23:36
Where are you now?
2:23:37
What what location?
Raymond Ponce de Leon
2:23:38
Right now, I'm not doing anything.
2:23:39
I'm I'm a artist by trade.
Robert Holden
2:23:41
But are you are you waiting for your your, your papers to come in or is it
Raymond Ponce de Leon
2:23:45
No.
2:23:45
I have I have all my papers Okay.
2:23:47
But the only one I don't have is the one for food cart
Robert Holden
2:23:50
Right.
Raymond Ponce de Leon
2:23:50
Because I cook.
2:23:53
And they give you a hard time.
2:23:55
They tell you, okay, you have to have reinspect it.
2:23:58
You only have 30 days to do it.
2:24:00
It takes money to get a food card out.
George Singleton
2:24:03
Yes.
Raymond Ponce de Leon
2:24:03
You know, a lot of money.
2:24:05
And my food caught is over $10,000.
2:24:07
Every time I if I go to inspections, it's gonna cost me 5 and 10.
Robert Holden
2:24:10
But you're not using it now?
Raymond Ponce de Leon
2:24:11
I can't use it
Robert Holden
2:24:12
Okay.
Raymond Ponce de Leon
2:24:13
By law, because you get a ticket.
2:24:16
You don't have that sticker to get a ticket.
2:24:17
Then you have all these foreigners out here joining.
2:24:21
They in my neighborhood in East New York, none of the veterans know about the arts here that you mentioned today.
2:24:28
None of them know because they come to me because I'm part of the church.
2:24:31
I'm a deacon.
2:24:32
So none of them know about that.
2:24:35
The community service don't know about that.
2:24:37
They're not saying anything about that.
2:24:39
All the veterans are trying to survive and do something, and you can't.
2:24:46
Now you all said that you'll give out information, grants, and all that.
2:24:50
How come East New York doesn't have that right now?
2:24:52
How come West Star doesn't have that right now?
2:24:55
Every other neighborhood have it.
2:24:57
We don't have it.
2:24:58
That bothers me as a sergeant major, because I told all my men, you got a job to do, you do it.
2:25:05
You come out, you go to the VA.
2:25:07
You have any problems, you go to the VA.
2:25:10
You don't go outside like they're doing now.
2:25:12
They're sending out to another doctor in Yonkers or in the Army's VA.
2:25:16
But the arts I've been doing arts for 25 years and that one I heard something about this gentleman said and that gentleman said that art is the thing.
2:25:27
I love art.
2:25:28
I enjoy it.
2:25:29
So how come you can't help me?
2:25:30
Well, I don't have the resources.
2:25:34
I just sign.
2:25:35
I make leather bags, pocketbooks.
2:25:37
I paint, draw.
2:25:40
I do woodwork.
2:25:42
I create things that,
Robert Holden
2:25:44
Or you said you sell food, or you sell this to
Raymond Ponce de Leon
2:25:46
Food I can't sell food right now.
Robert Holden
2:25:48
So you're selling this on the street?
Raymond Ponce de Leon
2:25:49
I'm selling that on the street.
2:25:51
Okay.
2:25:51
Even my artwork, my leather bags, my belts, handmade.
2:25:57
And I get stopped by the police.
Robert Holden
2:25:59
It's yeah.
2:26:00
But you don't have do you have the the license to sell?
2:26:02
Is that
Raymond Ponce de Leon
2:26:03
Yes, sir.
2:26:03
You wanna sell it?
Robert Holden
2:26:04
No.
2:26:04
I don't I don't I
Raymond Ponce de Leon
2:26:05
believe it.
2:26:06
My pocket.
Robert Holden
2:26:06
I believe it.
Raymond Ponce de Leon
2:26:07
But the the whole point is, and I don't make to go too much time, I'm a artist for the day I was born.
2:26:15
I went to school for it.
2:26:18
How come I didn't know about these programs that he's saying here in front of this board?
2:26:23
Why didn't I know about it?
Robert Holden
2:26:24
Well, part of the problem and I'll tell you that, and then we gotta move on.
2:26:27
But part of the problem is that the DVS budget for the agency, they can't communicate, really.
2:26:33
They can't do a mailing to you.
2:26:34
It's because their budget is so small.
2:26:37
So that's what we're trying to correct.
2:26:38
And, the mayor's office has heard our pleas, and hopefully the council will hear.
2:26:43
Yeah.
Raymond Ponce de Leon
2:26:43
I know the mayor.
Robert Holden
2:26:44
So what we were we want is for and I said it today.
2:26:48
It could be double or quadruple or even more.
2:26:51
They should have a $20,000,000 budget, not a $5,000,000.
2:26:54
Smallest agency.
2:26:55
Not by, not Okay.
2:26:57
Being a coincidence.
2:26:59
Now I just have to move on, but we can talk after.
Raymond Ponce de Leon
2:27:01
That's all.
Robert Holden
2:27:01
We could we could talk after.
Raymond Ponce de Leon
2:27:03
We need to the communities need to find out about this.
Robert Holden
2:27:07
Alright.
Raymond Ponce de Leon
2:27:07
East New York best time.
Robert Holden
2:27:08
Or you can talk you you can call and the commissioner sitting right behind you is the only commissioner that stays.
