Last week, Upper East Side mainstay Paty's Taco Truck was towed and charged with "selling merchandise in front of a parking meter." Protesters say the truck has been getting unfair attention from the police and are accusing the 86th Street Association of getting the cops to do their bidding. During a recent confrontation, cops told protesters they were "following orders" and that the 86th Street Association is unhappy with the truck. But as Street Vendor Project legal director Matt Shapiro pointed out, "the 86th Street Association doesn't make the law in this city."
The 86th Street Association has yet to respond to our requests for comment, but Sean Basinski of the Street Vendor Project told us, "We know the 86th Street merchant association hates immigrant street vendors—but here is proof that the NYPD is doing their bidding. That is not fair." He also listed off a few facts for us, first explaining that the law is against selling "merchandise" in front of a metered spot, not food, and that vending laws distinguish between the two. He also says that a traffic court dismissed all four tickets Paty's has received recently, and yet cops keep staking out the Upper East Side corner.
Basinski notes that Paty's vended from the same corner for three years without ever being ticketed. For now, Paty's owner Alberto Lorea has moved the truck to 86th and Broadway. He tells us, "We keep trying to go back [to 86th and Lexington], but there are bills to pay. We're struggling. So we're here for now but we're going to keep fighting it."
