S Wasserman Testimony

Testimony of Suzanne Wasserman, Ph.D. Associate Director Gotham Center for New York City History CUNY Graduate Center April 18, 2005

New Yorkers have spent well over a century struggling with the complex yet ever present problem of peddling and vending. Inf a c t ,Ne wYor kCi t y ’ shi s t or yofc ont e nt i onwi t hve nd or s and their wares dates all the way back to its colonial origins. Laws prohibited peddlers from selling their wares on city streets as early as the 1680's. But peddling, both itinerant and licensed, ha sa l wa y sbe e nas ur vi va ls t r a t e gyf orNe wYor k’ spoor .I tpr ovi de sawa yt owor kt ha tr e qui r e s little capital and has traditionally been an alternative to charity or welfare. In spite of its persistence, debates concerning peddling and open air markets have consistently generated flash points of contention amongst vendors, merchants, shoppers and city administrations. This urban issue is not limited to New York City. Controversy emerged over the closing of Maxwell Street Market in Chicago and the Tulum open air market in Mexico. Unresolved conflict persists concerning the fate of poor and primarily immigrant people dependent on the marginal economy of peddling and the place of peddling in the urban environment. Some view the dilemma angrily, others nostalgically and still others argue that peddling contributes to the vibrancy of city life. It seems every administration in the last 100 years has tried to deal with what has hi s t or i c a l l ybe e nc a l l e d“ t hepus hc a r tp r obl e m. ”I nt he1990' s ,Gi ul i a nide t e r mi ne dt o clear the streets of New York, just as LaGuardia had vowed to do fifty years earlier. Disputes over vending and peddling erupted in midtown, Harlem, Chinatown, Washington Heights, Flatbush and the Lower East Side. Reaching a crescendo in the spring of 1998, the media dubbed the battle: The Hot-Dog Wars.

The Giuliani administration attempted to ban food carts from 144 blocks of Manhattan, including nearly the entire financial district and two large sections of midtown. Jeff Cicio, president of the Big Apple Food Vendors Association, complained that Giuliani portrayed the ve ndor sa s“ di r t y ,s me l l yt e r r or i s t sr unni ngnon-t a xpa y i ngbus i ne s s e s . ”“ I nf a c twe ’ r et he heaviest-r e g ul a t e dbus i ne s si nt hec i t y , ”hec ount e r e d.Ve ndor s ,s uc ha soneSy e dShe r e n,a n Afgha nii mmi g r a nt ,e xpl a i ne d,“ Wea r enote duc a t e dpe opl e .Wec a nnotg owor ki nt heba n kor wor ki nt heof f i c e . ”OnJ une4th, 1998, close to 1000 vendors shut down their carts and took their protest to the streets. In an uncharacteristic move, Giuliani rescinded the order and backed off. Asa nhi s t or i a n,I ’ dl i ket oa ddr e s sonei s s uet ha tha sbe e npe r s i s t e nts i nc ea tl e a s tt he 1920s and that is the perhaps erroneous belief by merchants that pushcart vendors undercut their business. In fact, the historical evidence shows that vendors actually attract business. In the 1920s merchants on the Lower East Side lobbied vigorously to remove pushcarts from in front of their stores despite the fact that a 1925 report by the US Department of Agriculture clearly stated that“ i nge n e r a lt hepr e s e nc eofapus hc a r tma r ke ti nc r e a s e st het r a deoft hes t or e sa dj a c e ntt o t he m…bus i ne s s[ t hr i ve s ]ont hes i dewhe r et he yc ong r e g a t e ,whi l ebus i ne s sont heoppos i t es i de of t e nr e ma i nsdul l . ”LaGuardia abolished open air markets. By 1941, gross sales on Orchard Street dropped by 60%. Max, of Max and Louise's Botanica and Flowers, one of the three remaining original stands in the Essex Street Market during the late 1980's, explained: I moved to Essex Street Market when it opened because they took the pushcarts away. People didn't come around like they used to... I figured once they take away the pushcarts they wouldn't bring the customers as much as they did before... Once the pushcarts went away the business died out. What the city and the business community have failed to realize time and time again is that street life, in its variety of forms, enlivens the city and makes New York New York. As

American cities become more and more homogenized, it seems of the utmost importance for New Yorkers to fight to retain what in fact makes New York New York. This fine increase, if it goes through, could very well make New York a different place and I believe is a threat to New Yor k’ suni que ne s s .Dur i ngt he“ HotDogWa r s , ”t hr e e -star chef David Ruggerio put it this way, “ Wi t ha l lt hi snons e ns ea bouts t r e e tve ndor s ,l e t ’ sj us tr e c a l lt ha tumbr e l l a ’ dhot -dog carts and donut wagons and baked potato trucks are part of what makes living in this city worthwhile...Banish hot dogs from the streets and what kind of city are we left with? So give the s t r e e tve ndor sabr e a k.Mr .Ma y or ,wea l lknowy oue nj oy‘ e m,t oo. ”