Artist Li Yu Hua has written demands to the NYPD in Chinese.
Photo by Corky Lee
By Shirley N Lew
AsAmNews NY Correspondent
Photos by Corky Lee
Over 200 Asian vendors will rally on Tuesday at the steps of New York’s City Hall to protest what they consider the unfair arrests, tickets and police brutality in recent weeks.
Since the creation of Mayor Bill De Blasio’s new task unit assigned to improve the quality of life in Times Square, Asian vendors have been unfairly targeted, according to the protest organizers. Many are Chinese and Korean selling artwork and caricatures. Some received multiple tickets for the same offense and within minutes of each other. The task force was created after complaints were being made about naked painted women panhandling in the area.
Photo by Corky Lee
“Every time we go outside now, We are getting tickets. The police wants us to go, says Yu Hua Li, a vendor.
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Photo by Corky Lee
He (police officer) thought I was going to photograph him, so he grabbed my phone, and forcibly turned it off, said Mei Hua Shi. “Then he handcuffed me very tightly, and when I told him he was hurting me, he would not loosen the cuffs and he pushed me.”
According to the Urban Justice Center, there are about 600 vendors, many who are members of their Street Vendor Project. The protest will begin at 11am, followed by a march to nearby Zuccotti Park in Chinatown at 1:30pm for a press conference.
For more information, contact Kai Zhang of Urban Justice at 646-639-0653 or email here at [email protected]
