Jackson Heights Life

I couldn't agree with you more. People have said this over and over again but the only real way to clean up the streets is law  enforcement. If you get a ticket, then you'll be "educated" not to do it again. This should also apply to the store owners who never clean up  in front of their stores. They should be setting the example.I hope that Daniel Dromm is able to make a positive impact by getting more enforcement in the area.

I wonder if it ever occurs to community leaders to suggest diversity in retail, not just in people.  The repetition of stores in JH is a part of it's curse and downfall. It might work in SA or Bangladesh, but with our high rents, you have to stand out in order to attract enough customers.

My point is not that they have a say, but they can suggest.  Of course, they have no say.

what you say makes sense - but in the rest of JH, it seems to result in failed businesses. And it's a drag too, because the majority of these businesses are really uninspiring. I'd love to shop in the neighborhood, I do to the degree possible.  I don't need really expensive high-end stores. There is a new Russian deli on 37th that looks very nice - hope it manages to hang in there for a while before the landlord strangles the life out of it.

Diversity Plaza looked great the other night.   There were very attractive lighting from Kebab King, and the flags of many nationalities.

Streetsblog has some great pictures:


Tonight the flags and stage are gone, but the festive lights are still there.   Hopefully they'll stick around for a while.

http://www.queenstribune.com/2013Weekly/Trib%20Web%20042513/News_042513_VendorsPledgeToKeepCityStreetsClean.html


Vendors Pledge To Keep City Streets Clean

By Trisha Sakhuja

Street vendors joined Councilman Daniel Dromm (D-Jackson Heights) and community leaders to hold a press conference on April 23 to announce a new collaborative project, the Clean Streets Initiative.








Councilman Daniel Dromm joined street vendors in an effort to keep Queens streets clean.


“I am proud to endorse the Clean Streets Initiative,” said Dromm. “I have been working with street vendors to improve conditions in our communities for a long time and feel this is a giant step in the right direction to addressing some of the issues concerning street vending.”

Some may think street vendors are the cause of dirty street corners, but Agha Saleh, founder of Social Uplift Knowledge and Hope Initiatives (Sukhi New York), feels otherwise.

“The street vendors are the bread and butter of the local community. They are real eyes and ears. They don’t liter, instead they use their garbage bins and create a clean space for their customers,” he said.

One of the goals of non-profit organization VAMOS Unidos is to advocate street vendor rights. As part of the Clean Street Initiative program, street vendors will place around stickers reading “Clean Streets Initiative” on their carts in Jackson Heights and Corona. The participants will pledge to maintain the area within a 20-foot radius of their carts. The vendor owners will keep their area clean of debris and provide more trash bins if needed.

VAMOS Unidos took the lead in the NYC Green Cart program, which introduced 1,000 new green carts to sell fruits and vegetables in underserved areas, and it has proven successful. The organization joined with the Dept. of Health and ally organizations, helping to provide low cost, healthy foods to communities plagued by diseases.

“It is these kids of pro-worker, pro-community projects that improve neighborhoods,” said Rafael Samanez, executive director of VAMOS Unidos. “This is a kick-off to unite vendors and turnaround the negative image of vendors in New York City.”

VAMOS Unidos plans to expand to other neighborhoods and create a collective effort to keep the streets clean, which in turn will increase business and the livelihood of Queens.

“We provide the community with reasonable priced and fresh food,” said Sammy Noor, owner of Sammy’s Halal Food, located on the corner of 73rd Road and Broadway in Jackson Heights. “This program reinforces our pledge to keep our neighborhood clean because we not only work here, but also live here.”

Even though VAMOS Unidos initiated this program in response to Councilwoman Julissa Ferreras’(D-East Elmhurst) New Deal Program, which proposes to increase the number of garbage bins and sanitation pickups, as well as install more lighting and video cameras on Roosevelt Avenue; Ferreras’ program does not seek a reduction or removal of street vendors.

The 37th Road pedestrian plaza in Jackson Heights has recently emerged as the local gathering place for the community and a central place where holidays from all religions are being celebrated. Last year, businesses were angered by the decrease in traffic and drop in sales, but united efforts from Sukhi NY and VAMOS Unidos changed the mindset of the local businesses. The pedestrian plaza is slowly becoming an advantage to the local businesses because they see an increase in sales, an increase in foot-traffic from nationalities other than Asian Americans and together they strive to keep the area clean.

Reach Reporter Trisha Sakhuja at (718-357-4000), Ext. 128, or at tsakhuja@queenstribune.com.

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taggie, i agree with your thesis, but it's no different in JH than park slope, murray hill, woodlawn or tottenville. some business owners are considerate of neighbors, some are, for lack of a better word, pigs.

after 17 years in this area, i can say that mobile vendors create less trash than brick and mortar retailers. look down and you'll see more snapple bottles, chip bags, cigarette packs, candy wrappers and phone cards than leavings from taco trucks or momo carts. we need to target people who sell the former just as much as the latter.
with any luck, we can make a dent