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‘We all want to find a solution’: Officials dismantle community market in Sunset Park
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Apr 9, 2023
Modified Apr 9, 2023
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Twitter/@tbhfani
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Apr 9, 2023
Modified Apr 9, 2023
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A community market in Sunset Park descended into chaos on Easter Sunday after local authorities dismantled it. The incident at Plaza Tonatiuh is the latest in an ongoing dispute between the local authorities and unlicensed street vendors.
“We are aware of recent enforcement activity at Sunset Park and are disheartened that we are at this place,” Councilmember Alexa Avilés said in a statement on Sunday. “We have been talking with various stakeholders, and we all want to find a solution to support the vendors.”
For decades, city officials have attempted to enforce the more than 20,000 estimated street vendors in the city — most of whom are immigrants. Many of these vendors are working illegally because of a long-standing cap on the number of permits available to vendors. Last month, enforcement of vendors moved to the city Sanitation Department, which advocates called insulting.
On Sunday afternoon, the NYPD began shutting down vendors’ makeshift stands at 44th Street and 4th Avenue in Sunset Park, according to social media posts. The NYPD said there were no arrests.
"The Department of Sanitation has the primary responsibility for vending enforcement," a spokesperson for the NYPD told Gothamist. "However, the NYPD maintains its authority to enforce all violations and will assist any city agency when conducting their operations. Officers use a high level of discretion to resolve issues without the need for enforcement."
A view of the market in Sunset Park before officials shut down the plaza on Sunday.
Ray Valentin
But Ray Valentin, an organizer with Mexicanos Unidos, who helped set up the market, said there weren’t any vendors at the park. The food was free and the event was a religious celebration, Valentin said.
“We were getting harassed by the cops from the moment we stepped foot in the park this morning,” Valentin said. “They were saying that we were protesting, and that this was a demonstration. But nobody was protesting.”
Some of the attendees held banners while others passed out free food. He said he believes that the event was targeted by officials.
“If Jesus was alive today, he’d probably be beat up by the Parks Department or the NYPD,” Valentin said.
It was the second week in a row that the authorities arrived at the community market to quell vendors, according to its organizers.
“Last Sunday, many plaza participants suffered losses because the police would not allow them to serve what they had prepared for Plaza Tonatiuh,” the market said on social media days earlier, advertising today’s event.
The incident escalated when the authorities began to shut down other activities in the park, including an indigenous ceremony and a rosary prayer and threatening to arrest those that did not leave.
Within a few hours, the park was deserted and devoid of activity, although several police cars could still be seen around the area.
“The programming was cut short,” Plaza Tonatiuh shared on social media shortly after 4 p.m. “Organizers and plaza participants were forced to leave the park because of threats and arrests.”
A spokesperson for the city Parks Department said both Parks Enforcement Patrol and the NYPD conducted a joint operation on Sunday to address what they referred to as illegal vending at the park. The action came after several neighborhood complaints that the vendors’ large footprint prevented others from using the park on Sundays, the spokesperson said. Both entities would continue to prevent illegal vending at the site, the spokesperson said.
“We have done this before, and we can do this again,” Avilés said. “Sunset Park, let’s come together and find a way to support the vendors, the park and the whole community.”
This story was updated to include comment from the NYPD and Ray Valentin, an organizer with Mexicanos Unidos.
Tagged
public safety
parks
brooklyn
Giulia Heyward
Giulia Heyward is a breaking news reporter on the Day-Of desk. She previously worked at NPR, as a breaking news reporter, and the New York Times, as a reporting fellow on the national desk. Her work has also appeared in CNN, The Atlantic and Politico. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or more securely on signal at 917-715-1458.
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