The Lo-Down: Elected Officials Discuss Forsyth Vendor Concerns with City
By Ed Litvak
A follow-up on the continuing tensions between the Forsyth Street produce vendors and the NYPD. Last month, the vendors and the Urban Justice Center staged a protest under the Manhattan Bridge, complaining that the police and other city agencies were going on a ticket-writing frenzy in an effort to scare them away.
Yesterday, representatives of many of those agencies, as well as State Senator Daniel Squadron, City Councilmember Margaret Chin and staff from the offices of Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Borough President Scott Stringer got together to discuss the situation.
A statement released by Senator Squadron’s office suggests that this autumn’s renovation of Forsyth Plaza may very well alleviate some of the problems in this congested area. The news release notes:
Renaissance Economic Development Corporation has been working with the Department of Transportation on a vision for the redesign and vendor market. The stakeholders will work together to coordinate vendors who wish to use the new redesigned space, as well as propose desired parking regulations that provide vendors with access to the redesigned Forsyth Street plaza while serving the community and complying with regulations. It was also proposed that the Mayor’s office, Department of Transportation, and the NYPD create a loading/unloading zone and designate times to allow the vendors to receive truck deliveries as construction takes place.
In the past, police and other NYC agencies have indicated enforcement operations on Forsyth Street have largely been aimed at combating “unsanitary conditions.”
Yesterday’s meeting was also attended by representatives from Community Board 3, the Urban Justice Center and the Renaissance Economic Development Corporation.
