With little recourse, many immigrants from Latin America — who already were among the hardest hit by the virus — have resorted to what they did back home: working as ambulantes — street vendors. But for decades, New York has capped the number of citywide street vending permits — it is currently limited to 2900 for food and 853 for vendors of general merchandise — creating a black market and making vendors vulnerable to high fines. Ambulantes are frustrated and feel that a respected way of making a living in other parts of the world is criminalized here.

it is way past time to stop this permits nonsense.

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