Babylon Town unfairly targeting struggling street vendors, activist says

A Babylon Town social media post on how it issued summonses to people illegally selling fruit and flowers at an East Farmingdale intersection has prompted a Latino activist to charge that the town is unfairly targeting struggling vendors.

Luis Mendez said that as a protest, he and the group he heads, Empowering Young Professionals of Long Island, will hand out mangoes at the next town board meeting on Wednesday.

The town’s Aug. 18 Facebook post stated it issued the summonses on the 17th to two men who were illegally selling fruit and flowers at Route 110 and Main Street. “Illegal peddlers hurt small businesses and will not be tolerated in the Town of Babylon,” the post stated.

A peddler’s license costs $50 to $250 and is required to sell anything on town streets or door to door. The minimum fine for selling without a license is $250, which is what the two men incurred. Depending on the size of the selling operation, fines for repeat offenses could go up to $2,500.

Town Supervisor Rich Schaffer told Newsday on Tuesday that the men, whom Mendez identified as Latino, had been warned by the town three previous times and were given information in English and Spanish about licenses.

“They want to continue to do something that is hurting our small businesses, and I’m in a position where we can’t allow that,” Schaffer said, adding that such vendors also create a traffic hazard because they approach vehicles at stop lights and then move between cars when the light changes. He said other peddlers who were warned either didn’t come back or applied for licenses.

“That’s why we took a hard stand on this, to make a point, and I wanted it to be publicized,” Schaffer added.

The post garnered nearly 1,100 comments and more than 600 reactions. The comments overwhelmingly criticized the town for its actions.

Danielle Bilello, 49, of West Babylon, told Newsday that she supports the town’s efforts. She said she has reported street vendors who operate in her neighborhood, cutting up fruit near the shrubbery on the side of the road.

“I don’t like it because I have children and I don’t want them to be walking to the end of the block and there’s strangers in the bushes,” Bilello said. “There’s plenty of people trying to earn a living, and we all have to do it in a safe way and we all have to abide by the rules.”

Sarah Blumrich, 25, of West Babylon, said in an interview that she opposes the town giving summonses to the vendors.

“I think it’s a waste of time and a waste of resources,” Blumrich said. “It’s not hurting anybody. I certainly don’t feel threatened in any way by people selling flowers and fruit cups.”

Town spokesman Kevin Bonner said no summonses had been issued to peddlers for at least the past two years before the recent issuance. Online applications for all town licenses are only in English. Officials are in the process of making peddler license applications available in Spanish and Korean, Schaffer said.

“We’re not looking to stop the entire peddlers’ industry,” he said. “We understand that it’s a way for people to make money to support them or their family, but there’s got to be a balance.”

Mendez, the former deputy director of minority affairs for Nassau County, said the town should walk people through the license process and seek funding for those who cannot afford it.

“They don’t do this because they want to break the law,” Mendez said of the vendors. “They do it because nowadays even if they have a day job, money doesn’t go as far as it used to.”

By Denise M. Bonilla

denise.bonilla@newsday.comdenisebonilla

Denise Bonilla has worked at Newsday since 2003 and covers the Town of Babylon, including the villages of Lindenhurst and Amityville.