Last night we received a great email from Sean Basinski, Director of the Street Vendor Projects. It said:
“In late December, the Street Vendor Projects settled a lawsuit against the city for years of over-charging NYC vendors on tickets they receive for minor violations. Already, vendors have begun to receive a total of $228,000 in cash refunds, while having their aggregate fines decreased by more than $4 million.
Peanut vendor Mohammed Yunnus Ali, pictured below, got a ticket in 2010 for vending too close to a crosswalk. The fine should have been $100, but the city wrongly charged him $1,000. Including interest, Mohammed got a check for $970, which was a big help to him and his wife and two children (age 1 and 5) this holiday season. ”
“While celebrating this big victory, we are continuing to fight to permanently lower the penalties by pushing for a City Council on Intros 434 and 435. I did not send a year-end appeal for donations, as I usually do. But expect to hear from me in the coming months for your help with this campaign.”
Great work Sean, Matt and everyone at the Street Vendor Project. This is fantastic!
