Town of Babylon Tickets Street Vendors, Advocate Angry

TOWN OF BABYLON, NY — One member of a young adult advocacy group is speaking out about the ticketing of street vendors in the Town of Babylon.

According to a town representative, summons were recently issued to two men who were selling fruit and flowers without a permit on the side of the road.

The individuals were told three times they needed to have a peddler's license in order to sell anything on the street, in line with town code.

“This was a one-time enforcement action against two men who had been warned previously about selling items without a permit," Town Supervisor Rich Schaffer told Patch. "They were also doing so on Route 110, one of the busiest roads in the town, and their actions could have easily caused a serious crash. We will always step in to protect our residents.”

Luis Mendez, of Empowering Young Professionals of Long Island, told News 12 that vendors are doing no harm to others, and simply trying to make a living.

But Schaffer says illegal peddlers hurt small businesses. And without following town code, there's no way to manage the health or contents of the food, a representative said.

The fee for the summons given out is $250.

Patch reached out to Empowering Young Professionals of Long Island for comment.