BY SOFIA CANONGE
Once a busy public square filled with music, lines of food carts, artisan tables, and loyal customers, Corona Plaza now hosts only a handful of licensed sellers. Some evicted vendors sell clandestinely or are jobless after a crackdown that drove them from the plaza.
In a controversial move, the Department of Sanitation, with assistance from the NYPD, launched a crackdown on street vendors in Corona Plaza in late July. It left numerous vendors struggling to find alternative jobs to make ends meet. The crackdown, driven by neighbors’ complaints about overcrowding, illegal vending, and littering, has ignited a fierce debate about the rights of street vendors and the city’s urban landscape.
Maria Elena Herrera Garcia, 65, a beloved figure in the Corona Plaza community, has been selling homemade tamales for over a year. Her culinary skills and warm smile drew customers from near and far, making her a neighborhood staple.
However, the crackdown has left Garcia in a state of hopelessness.
“My food was meant to make people happy and allow me to support my family. I never wanted to upset anyone. But now they treat us like criminals, and I don’t know what to do,” Garcia said in Spanish.
Garcia is one of the over 80 Corona Plaza street vendors who joined the Street Vendor Project, a nonprofit organization under the Urban Justice Center advocating for street vendors in the plaza and across the city.
The Street Vendor Project, which could not be reached for comment, created petitions, including one asking the city to implement a formal market at the plaza, similar to the current Bronx Night Market. The proposal would establish a formal market and would help vendors get food safety licenses and proper accommodations for food stands to sell safely.
The organization also advocates for an increase in the yearly number of food vending permits granted by the Department of Health. There are over 20,000 street vendors in the city, according to the Street Vendor Project, but the city has a limit of only 5,100 vending licenses.
City officials claim that overcrowding and concerns about sanitation prompted the enforcement operation, leaving vendors like Garcia caught in the crossfire.
“As part of the Adams Administration’s commitment to the health, safety, accessibility, and cleanliness of our streets, the Department of Sanitation engaged in vending inspections and limited enforcement in Corona Plaza,” said Vincent Gragnani, a spokesperson for the Department of Sanitation in New York, in a statement to Hell Gate.
Some vendors affected by the July crackdown continue to work covertly. They claim that the promise of “limited enforcement” in the plaza is false and feel they are being harassed daily.
Julio R, 29, another vendor swept up in the crackdown, sold traditional Ecuadorian medicinal herbs. Julio expressed frustration with the sudden enforcement.
“I remember it all, and how can I not when it was the worst day of my life,” said Julio in Spanish. “I remember them coming to my vending table, and once they realized I didn’t have the proper papers to sell, they were quick to collect my things. The policeman was smiling while watching me struggle with my English. I never felt more humiliated than on that day.”
Susy Morales, 20, a Corona resident who constantly passes through the plaza on her daily commute to work, said that she also feels like the police enforcement in the area after the crackdown has become overbearing.
“Now there are four or five police officers in the train station during the whole day and cop cars going in circles around the plaza every hour,” said Morales. “This isn’t happening in other nearby areas, so it makes me feel like we’re being criminalized here in Corona, and I’m not even a street vendor myself. I can’t imagine the fear they must be feeling.”
Fear is a shared emotion for both Garcia and Julio. Garcia is afraid of never being able to sell again and unable to provide for herself and her family.
“A couple of years ago, I was working cleaning homes and other only cash jobs, but then I had an accident that left me with a bad leg. After not getting hired in any job for over four months, I decided to sell tamales and horchatas in my neighborhood,” said Garcia. “People loved them, and I finally felt confident again making my own money. But then the raid happened, and I’m back to feeling useless without a job, just like I did before.”
Meanwhile, Julio, who continues to work secretly, fears every day that he will be caught again and possibly face more severe punishments. Like many other evicted street vendors, Julio is selling on the streets adjacent to the plaza and during the afternoon to late hours when police presence lessens. According to Julio, the street vendors have a message group chat that helps them communicate and warn each other if police are patrolling.
“I’ve gone around the whole city applying to other jobs and nothing. I can’t afford to completely stop selling, I have a family to take care of. Many of us decided we will continue selling in secret,” said Julio. “Yes, I am always scared of getting caught again, but it is a risk I must take to feed my loved ones. At least until I find something else or until this is solved with the authorities.”
Some city officials have acknowledged their concerns. According to The Gothamist, the Department of Transportation, which oversees the plaza, is looking into hiring a private company to manage a long-term market where vendors would have to pass a food safety exam in order to sell.
However, DOT acknowledges that this isn’t becoming a reality anytime soon. In the meantime, Garcia and Julio, along with many other street vendors in Corona Plaza, face an uncertain future.
As the street vendor community grapples with the aftermath of the crackdown, it is unknown what the city will decide to solve this issue and the challenge of redefining its approach to street vending in one of the most culturally diverse neighborhoods in New York City.
“We only ask them to be understanding and open to working with us vendors to move forward. We want to work, and we are willing to do everything right like they tell us, as long as we are respected and listened to,” said Garcia.