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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Betsy Mak, Vice Chair of Community Board 7 in Queens, on Street Vending Legislation
3:28:54
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152 sec
Betsy Mak, Vice Chair of Community Board 7 in Queens, strongly opposes the new proposal to increase street vending licenses. She cites numerous complaints about illegal vending in Downtown Flushing, including blocked sidewalks, pedestrian congestion, garbage, and unsanitary food from unknown sources.
- Mak highlights the ineffectiveness of current enforcement efforts, noting that vendors quickly return after confiscations.
- She argues that the root cause of illegal vending problems is lack of enforcement, not insufficient licenses.
- Mak asserts that increasing vendor licenses would require even more resources for enforcement, and calls for getting the illegal vendor situation under control before considering more licenses.
Betsy Mak
3:28:54
I'm Betsy Mack.
3:28:55
I'm the vice chair of community board seven in Queens.
3:29:00
CB Seven is strongly opposed to this new proposal.
3:29:04
Our board received numerous complaints about illegal vending in Downtown Flushing.
3:29:10
The complaints include not only blocked sidewalk pedestrian congestion and huge amount of garbage left behind, but most dangerously the unsanitary food from unknown sources.
3:29:22
According to our NYPD sergeant Hodge, who leads a six officer enforcement team from the 109 Precinct, he coordinates with the Department of Sanitation for a once a week operation enforcement operation.
3:29:39
No matter how many merchandise or food is confiscated, the vendors return shortly after every enforcement.
3:29:47
Six officers seems assigned seems like a sufficient number.
3:29:53
However, his team has to cover elsewhere when any one zero nine prison officers are on vacation and when there are parades.
3:30:01
The once a week enforcement often get canceled.
3:30:04
Just in October just in April 2025, only one enforcement operation actually took place.
3:30:13
In addition, following Operation Restore Roosevelt, which lasted for three months with continuous enforcement effort in neighboring Corona and Jackson Heights.
3:30:25
Many vendors from there moved to moved their operation to Downtown Flushing.
3:30:31
In the meantime, the city tested this bill as a pilot by issuing more vendor license at Corona Plaza.
3:30:39
When I passed by, there were no illegal vendors on the plaza and only few legal, foot trucks because there were continuous police presence and a police mobile command center truck at the plaza.
3:30:53
So, the root cause of the illegal vending problems is the lack of enforcement, increasing vendor licenses will
3:31:04
Increasing vendor licenses will require even more resources for enforcement.
3:31:09
The solution is not to issue more licenses.
3:31:12
The solution is to have constant enforcement.
3:31:16
We need to see the illegal vendor situation under control now before even talking about more licenses.
3:31:22
CB seven is strongly opposed to this proposal.
Julie Menin
3:31:00
be Okay.
3:31:01
I'm just gonna ask you to wrap up and then submit the written testimony.