Street Vendor Project

Look out on any street in Manhattan and what will you see: street vendors. And then look out on a street in the West Village and the difference is immediately evident. Street vendors remain few and far between throughout the Village. With many streets blocked off, either by government restrictions or by Department of Health laws stating vendors stay “least twelve foot clear pedestrian path,” the West Village remains an untapped market for street salesmen. With small sidewalks, vendors are kept away from the center of the Village where much of the nightlife entertainment happens. Even if these requirements were somehow lifted, do not expect a large surge of vendors. According to the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs, the number of food vendors allowed was capped at 3,000. While this system allows veterans and artists to bypass the waitlist, for normal street vendors, it means waiting indefinitely for a permit to become available.
Enter Sean Basinski. Along with the Street Vendor Project, created in 2001, Basinski’s aim is to give vendors legal representation. “It is a union for street vendors,” says Basinski. But in an industry where, “workers work for themselves,” he recognizes it more as a forum for “collective action.” “Are main job is to organize vendors to have a voice,” said Basinski.
But Basinski’s goals go beyond just the street vendors themselves. “We care about vendors but we also care about the city,” said Basinski. “For a lot of low income people, it is an important thing. We live our life on the sidewalk, so why shouldn’t we buy some batteries or coffee right there?” And in a neighborhood traditionally known for housing artists and off-Broadway actors, easily accessible goods are not only convenient, but necessary.
And while the people who hand you your morning coffee may seem just like a feature of the street itself, the Street Vendor Project is taking important steps in preserving the livelihood of vendors. “Most vendors are really easy targets,” said Basinski. He states that police harassment is one of the ways vendors are targeted. And with fines reaching into upwards of a $1,000 according to the Department of Environmental Protection, it can become difficult for vendors keep their job. But ignorance on the part of the vendors has prevented legal action from being taken. “They may not see it as a problem, they may see it as the way it is,” said Basinski.
And changing the way it is could be something very important for the West Village. By working to lift some of these restrictions, you may be seeing a lot more halal food and hotdogs on the historic streets of the Village.