NYC subway vendors struggling for legitimacy as riders fume

By Daniel Parra / CITY LIMITS A street vendor with license and permission to operate in Midtown Manhattan, who has worked in the area for decades, said he received several dozen fines from the New York Police Department (NYPD) in 2024, as part of an aggressive crackdown on street vendors that [...]

NYC subway vendors struggling for legitimacy as riders fume

Illegal vendors are a common sight throughout the city's subway system, and not everyone is welcoming of them. During amNewYork’s recent visit to multiple Queens subway stations, vendors sold items such as soft tacos, churros, hot coffee, and even jewelry. Shoppers browsed the displays, and many purchased a quick snack on their way to their train.  And, on a recent weeknight in Jackson Heights, the 74th Street-Broadway station mezzanine — where …

In his analysis, Giorgio Agamben takes up St. Augustine's work "The City of God" to address the tension between the legal and the legitimate, a dilemma that transcends theology and is central to understanding contemporary political problems. While his study is part of the religious sphere, Agamben's approach resonates with an unavoidable current in Argentina today. The emergence of a new political space in the elections of 2023—a force that unti…