Council Member Shekar Krishnan joined avenue distributors and Metropolis Council colleagues on the steps of Metropolis Corridor Monday afternoon to have fun the enactment of a brand new regulation decreasing legal legal responsibility for avenue distributors, the primary invoice enacted as a part of the Road Vendor Reform Package deal.
Native Regulation 122, sponsored by Krishnan as Intro 47B final 12 months, got here into impact on Monday, March 9, after the Metropolis Council overrode a veto from Mayor Eric Adams final September .
Krishnan joined Council Speaker Julie Menin, Council Members Tiffany Cabán and Harvey Epstein, and representatives from Road Vendor Mission and the New York Immigration Coalition to have fun the regulation, which advocates say shall be “transformative” for New York’s merchandising group.
Photograph by Shane O’Brien.
The regulation ensures that distributors is not going to face jail time for merchandising violations, with licensed distributors receiving a civil penalty for all future violations. Unlicensed distributors can nonetheless obtain legal penalties, however the regulation prevents judges from issuing legal misdemeanors. A separate invoice within the Road Vendor Reform Package deal will improve the variety of merchandising licenses to assist scale back the variety of unlicensed distributors within the metropolis.
Advocates say Native Regulation 122 could have an enormous affect on New York Metropolis distributors, nearly all of whom are immigrants and infrequently face visa issues due to legal penalties issued for violations.
Krishnan, in the meantime, described the enactment of the brand new regulation as a “historic day” that’s “long overdue” and ensures that distributors shall be handled with dignity and respect.
“No person ought to face jail time merely for promoting meals to help their household, “Krishnan mentioned.
He added that the regulation can be “transformative” for immigrant distributors who discover themselves in a “very precarious environment” amid federal immigration raids.
“I don’t think it could have come at a more critical moment that we have these protections in place,” Krishnan informed QNS. “The criminal and immigration systems are so intertwined, one affects the other. We need to stop that flow before it goes any further.”
Road Vendor Mission, a part of the City Justice Middle advocating for avenue distributors throughout town, mentioned the regulation was notably essential as a result of legal penalties and expenses put immigrant distributors at elevated danger of ICE arrests, leading to detention and deportation.
Photograph by Shane O’Brien.
The group mentioned the NYPD had issued 3,662 vending-related legal summonses in 2025 alone, with the overwhelming majority going to distributors of shade.
A spokesperson for Road Vendor Mission mentioned the speed of legal summonses had not slowed even after the Council overrode Adams’ veto.
Krishnan mentioned the Metropolis Council will talk with the NYPD and different metropolis businesses to make sure officers adjust to the regulation.
“It is the law of New York City as of right now, and we have full expectations that the agencies will comply with them,” Krishnan mentioned. “Otherwise, they will be held accountable.”
Menin, who beforehand served as a commissioner of the Division of Shopper and Employee Safety throughout the de Blasio administration, mentioned Monday was a “true celebration” after the enactment of Native Regulation 122. She mentioned the regulation would deal with distributors like every other small enterprise within the metropolis and be sure that they aren’t focused by federal immigration authorities.
“Reducing criminal liability for street vendors is the first step to fixing the system,” Menin mentioned.
She added that the regulation would assist defend immigrant distributors from the “dire consequences” of legal summonses.
Council Speaker Julie Menin. Photograph by Shane O’Brien.
A number of avenue distributors welcomed the brand new regulation, stating that it could uplift distributors who had been “living in the shadows” out of concern of legal legal responsibility and immigration standing.
Calvin Baker, who has been promoting a wide range of garments at a stall in Harlem since he was 15, mentioned town’s “broken licensing system” had left many distributors unable to acquire a allow and weak to misdemeanor legal expenses.
“The impact of this legislation on those with immigration status cannot be overstated,” Baker mentioned. “Previously, a vendor could receive a misdemeanor for minor infractions like being too close to a crosswalk. Intro 47 removes these criminal penalties and ensures that a simple business violation doesn’t lead to a lifelong criminal record.”
Baker additional added that misdemeanor convictions can change into a “roadblock” to acquiring inexperienced playing cards and citizenship.
“By shifting these offenses to civil violations, the law removes a major threat of deportation and family separation,” he mentioned. “No longer will a vendor face the threat of 90 days in jail for selling flowers or food. This keeps parents at home with their children and neighbors in their community.”
Mahmoud Zaed, a meals vendor in Midtown Manhattan, mentioned he beforehand acquired legal penalties for violations akin to failing to show his license and working too near a crosswalk.
“The way I was treated was bad. I didn’t deserve to be treated this way,” Zaed mentioned.
Zaed, nevertheless, mentioned he was happy that future generations of distributors wouldn’t should face related punitive measures because of Native Regulation 122.
“I don’t want future generations of vendors to experience what I experienced in the past.”
Cabán, in the meantime, mentioned legal summonses are “destabilizing” for distributors as a result of they require a number of courtroom appearances, which reduces their skill to make an earnings.
“Every single day you are sitting in court, you are losing the ability to take care of your family,” Cabán mentioned. “You’re placing your housing in danger. You’re placing the power to entry healthcare in danger. You’re placing the power to maintain your youngsters in danger.
“When immigrants are exponentially under attack, this is the least we could do.”
Council Member Tiffany Cabán. Photograph by Shane O’Brien.
Cabán additional described the regulation because the “floor” of what the Metropolis Council can do to help avenue distributors all through town.
The regulation is the primary of a number of Metropolis Council payments generally known as the Road Vendor Reform Package deal to be enacted. The Council overrode Adams’ vetoes of different payments within the bundle final December, together with a measure that would offer a further 2,100 meals vendor licenses every year by 2031, creating a further 10,500 licenses.
Different payments within the bundle intention to fight administrative delays within the licensing course of and name for the creation of a Division of Road Vendor Help inside the Division of Small Enterprise Providers.
