This short documentary offers a scant overview of some of the challenges facing street vendors in New York City, where as many as 20,000 sell food and merchandise from pushcarts, street stalls, and food trucks. One vendor describes this kind of retail operation as "the smallest kind of small business." But the vendors face a major hurdle in municipal regulations that place a cap on the number of permits issued to vendors. Because of this, many vendors resort to a black-market system where they illegally lease permits from others with the proper paperwork, often paying tens of thousands of dollars to "borrow" a permit that only costs about $100 to legally obtain. Credited to six directors, The Right to Vend focuses on a trio of out-of-the-ordinary vendor operations: a tropical produce stand run by a Lesotho immigrant, a vegan food truck, and another in which all of the menu items include maple syrup and the employees are formerly incarcerated youth trying to re-enter the workforce. Unfortunately, the film offers no explanation from city government on why there is a strict cap on the number of permits extended to vendors, nor is there any input from traditional brick-and-mortar retailers on the competition that these outdoor merchants pose to their businesses. So while the premise hints at an interesting business and cultural story, the film itself is too short to do more than barely scratch the surface of the subjects raised. Optional. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)
The Right to Vend
(2016) 10 min. DVD: $25. DRA. Third World Newsreel. PPR. Volume 33, Issue 2
The Right to Vend
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