Food impacts health, climate, economy and even politics. On a local level in our Pelham Parkway community, we can see how our local fruit and vegetables vendors impact all of them.
One of our vendors Diana Hernandez Cruz has run her fruit stand for 7 years on Pelham Parkway. She sells to earn a livelihood and support her children, as well as providing healthy food availability to our community, saturated with fast food joints (Chipotle, Panda Express, McDonald’s, etc.) just a few feet from where she has her stand. She gained brief notoriety in 2021 when the video of NYC Sanitation Department throwing out all her produce went viral. In September 2021, Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson, NYC Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, City Council Member Marjorie Velázquez and other elected officials joined the press rally at the site of the incident condemning the city agency’s action and calling for a change to enforcement.
Ms. Cruz received donations, was featured in Velázquez’s campaign ad and received a proclamation honoring her as one of the immigrant women making a difference.
In April this year, sanitation again took her produce but to reduce food waste they donated it to a local food pantry on Lydig Avenue instead of throwing it out like they had done previously. Food waste ends up in landfills and its rots drive climate change. About 6-8% of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions could be reduced if we stop wasting food.
However, how can the city exploit these vendors by redistributing the fruits of their labor? The city does fine them for vending without a street vendor permit but does taking away their produce and giving it away to local food pantries make this enforcement just or any better? The vendor buys her fruits and vegetables on credit and can’t buy more if she can’t pay her due balance. This September, sanitation also twice confiscated the fruits and vegetables of another beloved local vendor on Allerton Avenue.
The community at-large supports their local fruit and vegetables vendors because they see how hard they work and how they provide a service that is beneficial and not often available. The Street Vendor Project, a nonprofit group that advocates for street vendors, did state to concerned residents that Council Member Velázquez as chair of the council’s Consumer and Worker Protection Committee is one of the most powerful to influence changing vendor laws.
Recently, at a community board meeting, our Bronx borough director for mayor’s community affairs (Alina Dowe) said, “the community should decide if they want the mayor’s office to enforce the law or let the people break the law such as illegal vending and people supporting it.”
U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez joined advocates and street vendors for a rally in Corona, Queens, calling for more street vendor permits and said, “Don’t tell people to get licenses when they haven’t been given for 10 years, it is unrealistic. It is functionally impossible for these street vendors to comply with the law. We should not penalize small business owners for the government’s failures.”
In my opinion, we need more licenses for fruit and vegetables vendors because many of our communities like Pelham Parkway lack accessibility to fresh produce. Confiscating vendors’ produce and donating it to our local food pantry is not only exploitive but creates food waste. Several residents take free food and toss what they don’t like in the trash and even on our Pelham Parkway greenway.
Free stuff isn’t always valued, much less appreciated. Our elected officials should allow more street vendor licenses so it ends the unregulated street vendors — some of who are vending THC edibles and marijuana. More licensed vendors will serve the community and ensure rules and regulations are followed. Perhaps even the new Lifestyle Medicine Program expansion to Jacobi Hospital with the support of our Mayor Adams to empower New Yorkers with the tools to make healthy lifestyle changes can help license fruits and vegetables street vendors.
As a community group, Friends of Pelham Parkway tables every Sunday at the Bronx Park East Farmers Market located across from Staples on Bronx Park East and Bronxdale Avenue. We hand out Health Bucks as well as healthier eating pamphlets. Any person, vendor or community group that empower communities to eat healthier should not be criminalized but supported.
Roxanne Delgado is the founder of Friends of Pelham Parkway.
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