This spring, Forefront BK’s Justice League is committing to supporting the Street Vendor Project (SVP), a membership-based project with more than 2,500 vendor members who are working together to create a vendors’ movement for permanent change. Street vendors are a staple of our city’s culture and ecosystem - they are hardworking people selling everything from food, flowers, t-shirts, and art. There are as many as 20,000 street vendors in New York City, a majority of whom are immigrants and folks of color, and all of whom just want to make a living as NYC’s smallest business owners. However, they have faced many challenges as a result of an arbitrary cap on street vending permits which forces them to either rent permits on the underground market for upwards of $20,000, or vend without a permit, facing $1,000 fines and arrest for simply working to provide for their families.

As a church, we have an opportunity to provide support to our street vendor neighbors by: 

1) signing petitions to change legislation that would remove the limits on street vending permits and decriminalize street vending; 

2) participating in outreach and getting to know our local street vendors; 

3) donating to the Street Vendor Project so they can continue furthering the movement for street vendor justice.

We will be kicking off this campaign with an educational day on May 15th where we will invite a street vendor to come to our church and share their experience. The following weekend we will participate in an outreach day, and we will also be signing petitions and encouraging our congregants to film videos explaining why they support street vendors. We hope that you join us in supporting our street vendor neighbors by participating in any way you feel called to!