Subway Sellers Speak Out

At the Herald Square 34th Street subway station teenagers sell candy, musicians perform with their guitars and drums, and churro ladies sell homemade sweets on the platforms. The third-busiest station in the subway system is a reliable place for these workers to try to make a living. Anna Polanco sells churros but doesn’t want the attention from the police that other churro ladies have gotten recently.    

Police arrested two churro ladies and one arrest on a Brooklyn subway platform was recorded on video. It went viral on social media and brought attention to the people selling and performing in the subways. It is illegal to be a vendor and sell food or anything else without a license, according to city law. A food vending license costs $50 and a permit for trucks or carts is an additional $200. There is a limited number of permits and licenses given so people often rent or lease them. That can cost as much as $2,500.

            Anna Polanco said, “We are hardworking people who just want to earn money and make a living. It’s unfair we are getting arrested for this small thing because we aren’t harming anyone.” Polanco explained that she and her husband support three children and their jobs don’t always cover all their needs. She said churro workers sell sweets in the subways because many immigrants don’t meet all the requirements for other legal jobs, “The language barrier is one of the biggest issues. We can’t be qualified for other jobs because of it. We’re just doing what we know best and that is making sweets for people around New York City. It’s harmless,”she said. 

On the same subway platform, nineteen-year-old Tyler Wilson goes from train to train every morning to sell candy, cookies and fruit snacks. He said, “This is one of the convenient ways for me to earn money, I’m honestly just trying to help out my parents who work hard to support my brother and me. It’s unfair how police officers are getting worked up by this. It’s just candy. I saw in the news the other day, a guy was tackled on the ground for selling candies in 125th Street because he didn’t have a license. I just think that tackling him and arresting him like that is going too far.” 

Wilson said he is scared that something like this will get him arrested and end up on his permanent record.

On the platform at 34th Street, a few police officers patrolled the area. One stopped to talk but didn’t want his name to be used. He said, “Our job is to protect New Yorkers and have them follow the law. The churro ladies, they carry knives for their sweets. It can be dangerous because anyone can take those knives and hurt people. They are many possibilities. It’s also illegal to sell anything in a public area without a license.” 

The officer mentioned the video of the churro lady’s arrest and said many videos go viral because people who are recording are only showing one side of the story. He said he always tries to explain to people why they have been arrested and try not to embarrass them in front of other people. “We just want New Yorkers to be educated that they need a license and they don’t have to deal with the hassle of getting arrested.” 

Meanwhile, Anna Polanco said she had managed to sell enough for the day and packed up to leave just as the police came to the platform. She said, “We don’t know what’s going to happen to us now. We’re not sure if officers are going to arrest every single churro seller. If they do I want to fight for it. I want to protest and join many other sellers to fight for us.”