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Food Truck Vendors Protest Bill Targeting Them for Ticket Violations

By DNAinfo Staff on June 11, 2010 7:19pm  | Updated on June 11, 2010 7:18pm

The Street Vendor Project fought against a bill that would suspend food truck's licenses after three parking violations with pink tickets targeted at main sponsor, Councilwoman Jessica Lappin.
The Street Vendor Project fought against a bill that would suspend food truck's licenses after three parking violations with pink tickets targeted at main sponsor, Councilwoman Jessica Lappin.
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DNAinfo/Gabriela Resto-Montero

By Gabriela Resto-Montero

DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

UPPER EAST SIDE — Food-truck vendors angry about a City Council bill that would revoke their licenses if they accumulate three parking tickets handed out tickets of their own Friday in protest of the proposed legislation.

The bill's sponsor, Upper East Side Councilwoman Jessica Lappin, said the idea is to keep vendors circulating instead of taking parking spaces that should be used only by residents. But the vendors said that preventing them from parking will put them out of business. 

The protesters handed out fake pink tickets to passersby addressed to Lappin, citing "violations" including "denying the right to affordable street food" and "not standing up for small businesses," among other trespasses.

The Street Vendor Project, a non-profit that represents street sellers, handed out the fake tickets on Friday.
The Street Vendor Project, a non-profit that represents street sellers, handed out the fake tickets on Friday.
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The demonstration was held at the Park Place Push Cart downtown by the Street Vendor Project, a non-profit that represents street sellers. The group said it will deliver the signed pink slips to Lappin's office Monday as a sign of community support for the vendors.

"This is a drastic bill," said Sean Basinski, director of the Street Vendor Project, in a statement.

If passed, Lappin's bill would suspend the licenses of food trucks with two tickets for idling or feeding the meter and revoke the licenses entirely after three offenses.

The bill is intended to keep food truck vendors moving so that community members can have full use of public streets — not to punish the vendors — Lappin said Wednesday. The bill would just be an enforcement of laws that already exist, she explained.

Basinski said he agreed that the food trucks should be subject to the same parking regulations as everyone else, but felt this bill went to far. 

"There is no reason to punish vendors for parking violations more severely — by threatening their livelihoods — than other individuals or small business owners who park illegally," he said.

Lappin introduced the bill Wednesday and the Council will hold a hearing over the legislation June 16.

"People are doing the right thing by contacting their elected officials and we're looking forward to the hearing on Wednesday," said Lappin spokesman John Moore of the campaign against the bill.