This past week, the need for expanding vending permits came to a head when Blanca Alvarado, 44, witnessed her food cart crushed by a garbage truck. On Monday, dozens of street vendors in Queens joined her in protesting the NYPD’s destruction of their carts because they lack the proper permits. In response to the aggressive enforcement, vendors are calling for the city to increase the number of permits available so they can legally sell goods on city streets.
Since 2020, Alvarado has sold tripa mishqui, a popular South American street food consisting of grilled beef small intestine and served with a choice of boiled potatoes or corn. When she first arrived in New York from her native Ecuador in 2019, she worked as a restaurant cook. But after she lost her job due to the pandemic, and her husband died from COVID complications, she was left with few options to provide for her two children.
Also Read: Street Vendors Occupy Corona Plaza to Protest NYC Crackdown
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