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Narration 1: plus ambient sound of food sizzling
Its difficult to move through the bustling commercial streets of Jackson Heights, Queens. Businesses are stacked along the first and second floors in shotgun buildings. Sidewalk vendors and street corner chefs hawk sunglasses, multi-lingual books and shish-kebobs to pedestrians as trains rattle by. Some vendors are licensed, others run makeshift operations. Lately though, the vendors' smiles have been strained. They never know when a passing customer might be a city regulator. Last week, hot dog vendor Sebastian DaSilva got four tickets, for being too close to a doorway and for not displaying his license.
AX1 DaSilva: It's like they don't like the vendors, they want to take us off the street no matter what. So they create stupid and stupid rules over and over and we feel like we ain't got no space to work no more because so many rules and regulations for a small pushcart like this is too much. Its crazy.
Narration 2:
The city's Environmental Control Board is responsible for monitoring sidewalk vendors. A spokesperson says the rules are common sense. But for vendors the rules can be difficult to follow. Four different state and city agencies govern where they can work. The Department of Health oversees the food trucks. The Department of Consumer Affairs supervises merchandise vendors. The state governs booksellers while military veterans have their own federal regulations. All can be fined by the city's Environmental Control Board. Some vendors claim the store-owners complain to the Board because they feel they divert customers. Handbag salesman Jay Kim says the higher fine increased existing tensions.
AX2 Kim: We're just trying to make a living, you know? But all these store people, they don't want us out here because...I don't know, if they're jealous...because we don't pay no rent...
Narration 3:
That's not true, says store owner Rudy Volcano whose store Rudy Volcano (this just won't work) sells Central American imports.
AX3 Volcano: If you have a good business people will come through and look for you. You can have ten vendors outside. If they want my product, they will come to me. Its not a threat.
Narration 4:
According to the Department of Consumer Affars, the fines were increased two weeks ago because the previous high fine of two hundred and fifty dollars didn't stop chronic offenders. Now fines start at fifty dollars and top out a thousand. Some of the established street vendors welcome the increased regulation because it has removed unlicensed vendors. Long-time resident and vendor Troy Gibardi takes pride in his community and in his trade.
AX4 Gibardi: Certain areas you can't put three or four wagons in the street. It doesn't look good. You can use a cooler to sell sodas and waters and we're the ones paying for the permit, its just not right.
Narration 5: plus ambient sound of food cooking and people yelling orders and trains and stuff
The fines are here to stay. And for now, so are the vendors.
Erika Beras, Columbia Radio News