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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Jennifer Salgado, Daughter of Former Street Vendor and Bronx Resident
6:09:53
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121 sec
Jennifer Salgado, a daughter of a former street vendor and Bronx resident, testifies in support of the street vendor reform package, particularly bills Intro 431 and Intro 408. She highlights the ongoing challenges faced by vendors, the positive impact of vendors on local communities, and the need for regulation to protect both vendors and brick-and-mortar businesses.
- Emphasizes that vendor struggles have remained unchanged for over 20 years
- Argues that real estate speculation and high rents, not vendors, are the main threats to brick-and-mortar businesses
- Calls attention to the trauma experienced by children of vendors under the current system
Jennifer Salgado
6:09:53
Hello everyone, my name is Jennifer Salgado.
6:09:56
I'm the daughter of a former street vendor and a lifelong resident of the Bronx.
6:10:00
I'm here today to express my full support for bills four thirty one, four zero eight, and the rest of the street vendor reform package.
6:10:07
When I sat down to write this testimony, I thought about telling my mother's vending story, but the truth is her story isn't unique.
6:10:14
It mirrors what so many vendors have already shared today.
6:10:18
The only difference is that her struggle happened over twenty years ago, and yet here we are, nothing has changed.
6:10:26
So instead, I want to speak to what I see now in the neighborhoods of Kingsbridge and Fordham, both of which are areas I've worked in and lived in.
6:10:35
These are communities built on hustle, commercial corridors that are full of life because of both storefronts and vendors, yet somehow vendors are treated as threats to those storefronts.
6:10:46
But let's be honest, the biggest threat to brick and mortar small businesses isn't a vendor, it's skyrocketing rents, it's the city's own neglect, real estate speculation further facilitated by bids often led by individuals who live outside of the neighborhood or even out of state, making them disconnected from the needs of their own members.
6:11:08
We heard business representatives here today say that we need regulation and I agree, we all agree.
6:11:15
We are living under a broken unregulated system that pits neighbors against each other.
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Bill four thirty one is a step toward fixing that.
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It offers real regulation, accountability, and protection for vendors and brick and mortar businesses.
6:11:30
Finally, I ask you to think about the city's youngest New Yorkers.
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I was just a child when I had to deal with my parents getting ticketed, arrested, and pushed out.
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How many more children does the city want to traumatize under the current system?
6:11:47
You have a chance to change the course of thousands of lives, and I ask you to vote in favor of this reform package.
6:11:54
Thank you very much.