Vendors

the city council, the number of “non-veteran general vendor licenses” is limited to 853, but there is no limit on the number of general vendor licenses available to certain veterans who reside in the state or their surviving spouses/domestic partners, said the DCWP.

ingly accustomed to the routine by now, remained calm and kept unpacking her goods as she spoke with them. At least two departed, but one officer stayed to stand across from her table. The squad car stayed parked near the corner.

go after the real criminals? Why are you so focused on us?” hibitions along with running his own LLC.

Murray said that as a vendor protected by the First Amendment, he has had more leeway than other vendors in the area.

That law has done little to stop people from vending wherever they can to make money.

Near the corner of West 125th Street and Malcolm X Boulevard, street vendors can regularly be seen setting up tables to sell their wares. Men and women up and down the boulevard sell all kinds of goods to passersby: wholesale sunglasses, scented oils, belts, handbags, and custom clothes. Even more have some sort of food or treat.

One woman, who identified herself as Kady, is a Nigerian immigrant who lives in the Bronx. She traveled down to Harlem on a recent morning to display her collection of kente-cloth hand fans and jewelry near the bus stop of this busy corner. She has been doing this to make money for about three years, she said, as she unfolded an array of bright-gold–looking chains from boxes stored on a large handcart. She didn’t say that she was licensed.

“They take stuff,” said Kady, when asked about her relationship with local law enforcement. She claimed that she has also been ticketed at least three times in the amount of $250 for her setup. A few minutes after she spoke with the Amsterdam News, a police squad car and three officers showed up to question her. Kady, seem-

Salou BB, 39, is a street vendor with his sunglasses table set up outside of H&M on the same block. He said that he has been vending all kinds of things for years in Harlem and hasn’t experienced that same level of harassment. He claimed that he had a license and a tax identification number, though. He said the real issue with vending is that newcomers to the neighborhood who live on 125th Street don’t necessarily buy from street vendors the way Black residents have in the past.

Dante Pelayo, aka the Divine Styles, is a poet and rapper who recently turned 41 and operates “The Divine Styles Pop Up” bookstore. Pelayo can be seen on different corners along 125th Street, selling his books and engaging in conversation about books and other topics with his customers. He vends to fundraise his virtual open mic platform, Original Poets Open Air Open Mic.

Continued from page 3 has steadily decreased to 33% by 2019, the report says. The drop-off was significant in 2020 and 2021.

From 1985 to 2021, 42% of convictions involved Black people, yet they made up 15% of the state’s population in 2019. New York City has a conviction rate that is 5.7 times higher for Black people than white people, the DCJ concluded.

Ward added that a high percentage of Black and brown people released from state prisons are entering city shelters because of these convictions and not qualifying for housing. He said the shelter system here is “unfit” and “uninhabitable” because of unaddressed conditions. “This issue behind Fair Chance for Housing is also a racial justice issue, and that’s why it’s so fundamentally important,” he said.

Kandra Clark, vice president of policy and strategy with Exodus Transitional Community, runs a supportive housing program for formerly incarcerated people similar to Fortune Society. “It is so sad to see how many New Yorkers face

Still, he said very loudly that he was determined to stay on the block. “[I’m] planning to fight,” he said. “Not going anywhere.”

Various creatives look to street vending on 125th Street as a vital option to operate their businesses and earn income.

Karan Menardy, 52, is well-known with her business, “Lucian Dolly,” in front of the Apollo Theater. She sells jewelry, T-shirts, purses, hats, and more. Menardy expressed frustration that store owners often call the police on vendors like her and others with “ridiculous complaints” because they believe the vendors are stealing business from their stores. She also attested to feelings of harassment from NYPD and other agencies that regulate the vendors.

“We don’t want to break the law, but in the meantime, our kids are in school. We got to feed them. It’s like we’re taking chances. There are so many other crimes that are happening in the city. We’re not doing no harm to anybody. Why don’t you housing discrimination daily. People with conviction histories are perpetually punished, making their families more likely to experience intergenerational homelessness,” said Clark in a statement. “We must break this cycle of poverty and provide families the opportunity to flourish in their homes and communities.”

Clark said that Fair Chance is just “smart legislation” that should be passed immediately. Plenty of electeds in the city and state agree.

East Harlem’s Assemblymember Eddie Gibbs is the first formerly incarcerated person elected to the state assembly and was a huge proponent of getting Clean Slate passed at the tail end of the June legislative session. He said, in a statement, he wholeheartedly supports the Fair Chance Housing Act and that it would allow people with conviction histories to access stable housing.

“An individual’s conviction history doesn’t solely affect them. It can affect their family as well and lead to a neverending cycle of instability,” said Gibbs.

Councilmember Carmen De La Rosa said someone’s past should not determine whether or not they live in dignified and affordable housing. “The Fair Chance for

Pelayo, who currently stays in a shelter, uses his business to help encourage literacy and inspire Black pride among his customers. One of Pelayo’s common spots is in front of the Victoria Theatre, which is under renovation to become a Marriott hotel. Like many vendors, Pelayo expressed concern that his business is being pushed out to make way for the new renovation.

“The Marriott says we have to move. We’re actually better if we stay right here. Why don’t you put a little box or a stand for us? Come on, we belong here! Build upon what we already got. We’ve been here so long, how about we grow upon that?” Pelayo said. “It would be dope if we could build upon those spaces so we can have a strong vending community here. Because we make Harlem.”

“Provide funding for us so we can apply for loans to help grow our vending business to make it great, because it is going to make the city great. Give us the money to grow,” he continued.

Laronz Murray, an artist out of Brooklyn who began vending in Harlem two years ago, sells his pieces of artwork, including paintings and drawings. He also hosts ex-

Housing Act alleviates an already difficult process while working towards our goal of securing permanent housing for all New Yorkers, especially for the disproportionate numbers of formerly incarcerated people of color,” she said in a statement.

Ward concedes that there may need to be provisions in the bill, similar to those in Clean Slate when it comes to certain sexual or egregious conviction records, in order to get it passed.

Ariama C. Long is a Report for America corps member and writes about politics for the Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://bit. ly/amnews1.

Originally from Trinidad, Franklyn Grenaway is a Vietnam War veteran who first came to Harlem in the early 1970s and began his 50-year career as a designer and artist. Grenaway sporadically vends on 125th Street, selling his “HBCU Knowledge” line of apparel products. Despite never having attended a Historically Black College/University (HBCU), he was fascinated with the history of these schools and noticed there was a need for more HBCU promotional products. He was amazed by the level of pride and community that those who attended HBCU schools feel.

Grenaway shared his fond remembrance for Mart 125, the open-air vendors’ market across from the Apollo Theater built in 1986 that ran until 1997. He said a space that provides shelter and support for vendors such as that is much needed today.

“The bank is not giving you any loans, especially if you are a vendor on 125th Street,” Grenaway said. “Vending is the only way [for] many of us who are trying to continue thriving and continue being successful small business entrepreneurs. It is the only place we can turn to promote or sell.”

District 9 Councilmember Kristin Richardson Jordan’s office developed the Evolved Harlem Merchants Coalition, a group dedicated to supporting “merchant

Continued from page 3 See VENDORS on page 36