The recent arrest of a well-known street vendor for the alleged murder of another has drawn attention to the highly competitive and not at all-that-well-regulated world of streetside vending in New York City, the New York Times reported.
The vendor, Horace Coleman, 52, who was described as friendly “if territoritorial,” by the Times, was charged late last month, after allegedly shooting two other street vendors near Yankee Stadium. One lived — Douglas Watkins — but Clarence Pearson died after two days in the hospital, the Times said.
Vendors are also not always appreciated by their neighbors, as revealed by the recent dispute at the Beresford.
“That’s the street rule — you can’t try to sell somewhere if someone is already there,” a Bronx vendor told the Times. “And that’s where the trouble comes from.” [NYT]