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Maria Davis promoting safe sex at a Harlem nightclub. Photo by Ingrid Rojas/Northattan.

Maria Davis is a vibrant, 51-year-old African-American music promoter living with AIDS. She contracted the virus in 1995 through a heterosexual relationship and was devastated when she found out, “Nobody wants to know they have a life-threatening illness.”

Davis’s road to accepting the disease wasn’t easy, but she found comfort in an unlikely yet familiar place, the church. The pastor at First Corinthian Baptist Church “was preaching to me. ‘It’s time to move on and grow,’ he said.” Inspired by his words, Davis took action and created an HIV/AIDS Ministry at the church in 2006.

Davis’ belief in getting the word out extends to her life outside the ministry – she distributes condoms and talks about HIV infection at music events she produces as well. “I became the cause,” she says, “I decided to fight back for those that don’t have a voice.”

Like First Corinthian, some of Harlem’s most prominent churches have created HIV/AIDS ministries in the last 10 years, even though sex and sexuality is not their favorite subject. As the epidemic becomes harder to ignore, the black church is stepping up. An estimated one in 37 people in Harlem has HIV, among the highest number of infection cases according to the New York City Department of Health.

In 2004 Rev. Calvin Butts, the powerful pastor of Abyssinian Baptist Church, one of Harlem’s most revered institutions, formed the HIV/AIDS Ministry in an effort to tackle the epidemic in his own backyard. Leatrice Wactor, the ministry’s president, says she’s convinced of the importance of the black church’s role in the fight against HIV/AIDS. “Every major social change movement, from the Underground Railroad to the Civil Rights movement, has come from the black church. It’s the best place to talk about the disease.”

National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS offices in Harlem. Photo by Ingrid Rojas/Northattan.

The HIV/AIDS Ministries at First Corinthian and Abyssinian are funded by grants from the New York City Council and from the National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS. NBLCA funds HIV/AIDS ministries in 63 churches around the five boroughs, 17 of those in Harlem. African-Americans accounted for half of the new HIV diagnoses in 2009, according to the New York City Department of Health, even though they make up only 26 percent of New York City’s population.

Each church conducts a range of services from educational workshops to on-site testing, depending on how open each is to talking about HIV and sexuality.

“Some organizations aren’t ready to talk about HIV,” says Wactor. “Some places don’t want distribution of condoms or testing done on site, or they say you can do a workshop on sexually transmitted infections but not about HIV. Inevitably we’re going to talk about HIV if we talk about STIs.” Wactor says she tailors workshops and events within each church’s theological boundaries.

Wactor acknowledges that the black church is doing a lot better in addressing AIDS prevention. “We started with 10 churches and we’ve grown. Right now we have a wait list of churches that want to participate.” So far this year, churches funded by NBLAC have collectively tested about 4,000 people.

But some people say more can be done, and needs to be. Some black churches condemn homosexuality and sex outside of marriage, alienating one of the groups most affected by HIV/AIDS, men who have sex with men. “Gay men have been told that their sexuality is contrary to the teachings of the church,” says Raynal Jabouin, a coordinator at Harlem United Community AIDS Center. That group’s survey among gay black and Latino men, and black women, the groups with highest infection rates, suggested that churches have been slow to respond. Furthermore, Jabouin says, “If there were HIV preventive programs in the church, this community is less likely to participate because of the stigma around being gay.”

Abyssinian Baptist Church, one of the most prominent churches in Harlem. Photo by DennisInAmsterdam/Flickr.

Rev. Vanessa Brown agrees that “there’s more that can be done.” At a World AIDS Day panel on Dec. 1, Brown, pastor of Rivers of Living Water, a nondenominational church in Harlem, said that  “HIV needs to be addressed in sermons. The pastor says ‘He died of pneumonia’ and there’s no mention that in fact he died of AIDS.” Her church, she says, welcomes all sexual orientations and has an active HIV/AIDS ministry.

Another panelist, Jennifer Sussman of Iris House, a center for women living with AIDS, said, “A Baptist organization invited us to do HIV testing, but we couldn’t announce it, and nobody knew about it. Homophobia prevents churches from being open about prevention.”

Despite that, Davis says the church has come a long way in tackling the epidemic. “When I got the virus, a lot of people were dying of AIDS,” she says. “The church wasn’t fighting against it.” She adds that now is the community at large that needs to pick up the cause as well.

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The concert attracted several celebrities. Photo by Zahra Raja/Northattan.

“You got Seinfeld, you got Martha, you got Keith Richards in there, you got Kevin Bacon,” said one of a few Harlem residents waiting outside the landmark Apollo theater on West 125^th Street, just as the first snow of the season had begun to fall.

“But they need me in there!” exclaimed Eugene Key, a former Harlem resident, who had also been standing outside for a few hours.

The two were among almost 100 people huddled between barriers set up along the sidewalk hoping to get tickets to witness that evening’s high profile performance; former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney live at the Apollo theater for the first time.

Key normally stands outside venues around New York City hoping to get tickets last minute and says he gets in 99 percent of the time.

“But this is a whole different ball game,” he said of the night, “because they’re not really selling tickets, they got subscribers and their names are on a list.”

The “different ball game” was an exclusive, invitation-only concert hosted by satellite radio station Sirius/XM to celebrate reaching the 20 million subscriber mark. Big celebrity names were among those in attendance, including Matt Damon, Keith Richards, Martha Stewart and Jerry Seinfeld, creating a media circus and bringing out a red carpet at the famed location. Sirius subscribers could attend through a get-lucky competition, and filled the hall to its capactiy 1,700.

Fans with no tickets waited long hours in the first snow of the season. Photo by Zahra Raja/Northattan.

“Nobody had to pay,” said Chris, a subscriber from lower Manhattan.

“The way it worked was that you called up on the telephone, at different times, and if you were lucky and it was the right time, you got it, you were the winner.”

Ann Blanchard, a Beatles fan since the age of 9, came all the way from Vermont, without a ticket, but with the hope she might get see “Paul.” A self-described “original Beatles fan” and “true Paulist,” she waited in line since 3 in the afternoon for the show that was to start at 8 p.m., but was unsuccessful, along with about 70 other fans who were unable to get in. She was upset that subscribers got preference over “real Paul fans.”

“I wish I was a subscriber so I would’ve known about it earlier and gotten tickets,” lamented Deborah Licausi from the Bronx, a “huge” Paul fan.

Sirius/XM celebrated reaching 20 million subscribers. Photo by Zahra Raja/Northattan.

But, the question remains, how did the unlikely combination of Sirius/XM, McCartney and the Apollo come about?

Without formal comment from any of those three sides, word on the street provided some insight.

“Probably Sirius picked the Apollo,” . said Johannes Familton from SoHo. “Probably because they didn’t want to pay so much money for Madison Square Garden! Especially since they were supposed to be free tickets.”

Richard Salvo, from the Bronx, who was unable to get into the event, said Sirius wanted to make a splash through being exclusive about the event.

“I think if you want to create an epic sitution, if you wanted to have Paul McCartney play one venue in New York that was tiny, you could do like the Beacon, but the Apollo is — there’s just way too much history behind it to have it be ignored.”

“It’s a cultural institution,” said Robert Kelman, who came to Harlem on the frigid evening from the East Village. Disappointed that his brother who, despite  being a subscriber was unable to secure him a ticket, he tried, in vain, to be allowed in.

The event did not appear to cause much a stirr among local Harlemites as celebrities and fans flocked to the location from other parts of the city, and indeed, country.

Yet, in the history of the music celebrated at Harlem’s Apollo and McCartney’s music, there lay one possible reason to bring the two together.

Commemorative plaques at the entrance of the Apollo. Photo by Zahra Raja/Northattan.

“Look at this!” Kelman exclaimed, pointing to the commemorative plaques on the pavement right outside the theatre. “Quincy Jones! Little Richard! Who wasn’t inspired by them?”

“The Beatles were influenced by black music,” he explained furhter, “that’s where their influences came from in the beginning when they first started, they were a Blues based rock-band.”

Great blues musicians such as Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, B.B. King were affiliated with the Apollo, founded in the mid-1800s.

“This is Paul giving something back to his influences, where he came from, where he started musically,” Kelman said.

The Beatles took much inspiration from Blues music. Photo by Zahra Raja/Northattan.

Bronx resident Salvo, agreed. “I do associate blues music with Paul. They got birth through rock and roll, the original rock and roll.”

But for the community today, such events being hosted at the Apollo signal changing times in Harlem.

“Harlem, it’s the new “in,” says Sean Gills, 29, “I mean everything is coming up here, you know.”

He has lived his whole life in the neighborhood, and wasn’t in the line outside the Apollo, In fact, he could scarcely recall who McCartney is.

“All the stuff they doing up here, they got the hotel and a lot of different cultures they got up here now. I was born here, but it wasn’t really like this,” he mused.

Then, punctuating his words with laughter, he commented: “It’s sexy now. Harlem is sexy! It’s funny.”

Ronnie Johnson, a Harlem resident who was in line, said that although he only saw a few people from the neighborhood going to the show, it was “a good thing” for the community.

“Because it’s a landmark in New York. and and publicty is always good.”

But the appearance did ruffle feathers among some local community leaders. Wendy Oxenhorn of the Jazz Foundation of America said she wished McCartney had made a conbtribution to the foundation’s work, which entails “taking care of elderly blues and jazz musicians in serious crisis, and who are at risk of eviction, homelessness and hunger each day.”

Little Richard was inducted into the Apollo Theater Legends Hall of Fame in 2006. Photo by Zahra Raja/Northattan.

“That would have been a bigger statement to do something for the music they were inspired by which made the way for their success,” she said.  “I’m pretty sure no one from Harlem got a ticket to see Sir Paul anyway,” she chuckled.

McCartney is playing another Apollo this Saturday. This time the one in London.

Weston United's mission statement painted on one of Gallery M's walls. Photo by Linda Abi Assi/Northattan.

Raju Ratti used to be one of the 36,000 people who are homeless in New York City. He was also among the more than half of them who are mentally ill.

But a year ago, he was admitted to Weston United, a nonprofit organization that provides housing to people who are homeless and mentally ill. He started out in supportive housing with 24-hour coverage, but he now has a job, acting as a peer leader, and he has moved on to more independent living.

In Weston United’s newsletter of April 2010, he wrote: “I am not alone. I used to think I was. This was because I am guilty of prejudice.”

Weston United provides both transitional and permanent housing programs, as well as residential services, job training and mental health services and houses about 150 people. It’s one of many providers all over New York City, but according to its CEO, Jean Newburg, it’s the only organization in Harlem that is grassroots. “We are from Harlem and by Harlem,” she says.

Since its founding in 1985 by members of St. Phillip’s Episcopal Church and Harlem Hospital, Weston United has expanded to several buildings and programs scattered all over Northern Manhattan and the Bronx. A clubhouse, Club United, was recently put in place at West 125^th street and St. Nicholas Avenue. Members, in addition to gaining social skills, receive help in securing government benefits, housing, case management and educational advancement, along with medical and psychiatric care.

Newburg says the clubhouse concept is an international model, originally started by Fountain House, a nonprofit based in New York that also targets the mentally ill. Weston United’s programs have long been following the clubhouse example- its first clubhouse, Casita Unida, is in Spanish Harlem. But the state of New York is now embracing a new model, called P.R.O.S (Personalized Recovery Oriented Services). Newburg says it is a more “educational and person-centered model” with different levels of intensity as patients’ needs change. “We’ll also have a clinical treatment component by next summer, so every member of the P.R.O.S., which we have renamed PROsper Academy, can have access to services from a psychiatrist and nurse,” she says.

Mahamadou Savane's collages are currently displayed at Gallery M, where some members of Weston United volunteer. Photos by Linda Abi Assi/Northattan.

Weston United is celebrating is 25^th anniversary this year, but despite recent changes, its future is uncertain. “We had rollbacks of state contracts, our Medicaid rate was reduced, then there was another cut on top of that. We’ve had to tighten our belts,” says Newburg. One program that “has been under-siege from every side” is Gallery M, Weston United’s art gallery on 135^th street.

Last week, its latest exhibit displayed paintings and collages by Willie Torbert, an African-American contemporary artist, and Mahamadou Savane, a Senegalese artist who currently lives in the Bronx.

Newburg says that for many years, Weston United had a contract with the NYC Department of Mental Health, which allowed the gallery to employ 12 members of Weston United on a part-time basis at Gallery M and its Visionary bookstore. “The city of New York canceled our contract in June,” she says, “and members who were receiving minimum wage for their employment are now volunteering their time.” Gallery M was also asked to sign a costly lease after a new owner took control of the building.

Newburg says Weston United is currently looking for a sponsorship for the program, by mobilizing what she likes to call the “Harlem Cultural Connection.”  When it opened in 1986, Gallery M was the only small community arts gallery in the neighborhood. Now that it’s in danger of closing its doors, Newburg hopes the community will in turn chip in to help save it.

George Espinal, president of the 34th Precinct Community Council, outlines the proposed resolution. Photo by Chiara Sottile/Northattan.

With crime on the rise recently in Inwood, the community could soon have a new police team to patrol the neighborhood. The 34^th Precinct Community Council jumped the first hurdle toward sending more Impact Response Team (IRT) officers, police officers that respond to areas of high crime, to the northern section of the 34^th Precinct.

The council unanimously passed a resolution on Wednesday to request deployment of IRT officers to Inwood after police statistics showed that sending 60 additional IRT officers to a particular area of Washington Heights beginning in October decreased crime there.

“We need cops where there are serious crimes,” said George Espinal, president of the 34^th Precinct Community Council, after the council’s general meeting Wednesday. “We see them in the Heights, but we don’t see them in Inwood.”

The additional 60 IRT officers patrolled Washington Heights between West 181st Street and West 190th Street, from Broadway to Amsterdam, but with no additional patrols sent to Inwood.  The text of the resolution states that areas of Inwood between Dyckman Street and 10^th Avenue, and from Payson Avenue to West 218^th Street, were left “unguarded” with “a feeling of unsafe.”

Even though “there’s shootings, stabbings, there’s assaults,” the area “north of Dyckman didn’t get attention from the IRT,” Espinal said. The resolution seeks to change that. It would maintain “the current increased manpower and enforcement efforts” in Washington Heights through February 2011 and also deploy some of those 60 IRT officers to “sections in Inwood, North of Dyckman Street, in areas where recent car break-ins, muggings and other serious crime have taken place in the past 60 days.”

“We’re hoping that this will push for more officers” in addition to the current 60 members of the Impact Response Team that will now be shared between Washington Heights and Inwood. “This area is forgotten,” said Espinal, emphasizing that budget woes and the precinct’s reductions in manpower were to blame, not the current law enforcement efforts.

Crime in the 34^th Precinct increased almost 25 percent in the 28 days before Oct. 17, with robbery and car theft increasing by 300 percent and felony assault up by 900 percent in one week. There was no comparable spike last year. Now, according to the most recent police statistics for the first week in December, crime in the precinct has decreased overall by 30 percent.

The nonbinding resolution will be reviewed by Precinct Capt. Jose Navarro and then voted on in the precinct’s executive board meeting in January. Espinal said he is “very optimistic” about the resolution.

If passed, it would bring relief to community members like Nadia Pryadko, who was mugged while walking with her 19-month-old son near Inwood’s Indian Road Playground one November evening. Two teenage boys threatened her with a concealed object, ordering her to “Give me all you got and don’t scream!” Pryadko, who no longer enters the park alone after dark, said that the incident made her realize “that the park might be a nice feature of the neighborhood but it attracts crime.”

Another Inwood resident, Joseph Haas, said, “I have seen one or two plainclothes officers, squad cars, but it’s not going to stop crime. We need beat cops.”

Espinal said that beat cops “were taken away by the police powers downtown. Everybody talks about beat cops but we don’t have them anymore.”

Espinal said the resolution was a response to input from residents, including up to 50 weekly e-mails sent via the council’s website.

Although the 34^th Precinct has a population of 120,000 residents and more than 500 acres of parkland, it “has only four sectors each with one radio motor patrol (RMP) car for the entire precinct,” according to the resolution.

At Wednesday’s meeting, Capt. Navarro said, “This is a tough community and you keep me on my toes for sure.”

Northattan reporter Ingrid Rojas contributed to this story.

On a gray Monday morning during final exam week, Caroline Gagné, a sophomore at Columbia College, casually sat on a bench against the wall outside of Butler Library, smoking a Camel Light cigarette and drinking a cup of coffee. Just a normal smoke break – except that this time, by lighting up right beside the library, Gagné was in violation of a new policy on campus.

Caroline Gagné, a sophomore at Columbia, smokes her morning cigarette outside of Butler Library. Photo by Katrina Kaufman/Northattan.

The University Senate passed a resolution on Dec. 3 that prohibits smoking within 20 feet of all campus buildings on Columbia’s Morningside campus. Technically, the smoking ban is now in effect, but students are not being held accountable for transgressing it yet, according to Michael McNeil, Director of Columbia’s health services program Alice!, which promotes health initiatives to students.

“We feel it is our responsibility to allow some time to disseminate information to the institution, move receptacles, and put up proper signage before action will be taken to enforce this policy,” said McNeil, who also chaired the campus Tobacco Work Group that spent the past two years reviewing Columbia’s tobacco policies.

The university’s goal is to have all of that in place by Jan. 18, the first day of spring semester, said McNeil.

So Gagné, who was smoking about a foot away from Butler Library, was safe for the moment – and not too worried about the future..

“Twenty feet away is not that big a deal,’ she said. “I don’t think it would be that much of a sacrifice.”

A map showing the effect of a 20 foot ban on Columbia

If Gagné does violate the smoking ban once it’s formally in effect, she could be subject to a warning. But McNeil said that enforcement of the ban is a community issue and hoped that faculty and students will help enforce the policy on campus.

“We see no need for a heavy handed approach to this at all,” said McNeil. “We’re not expecting an issue. When people are aware or they are reminded, they generally comply.”

The Senate debate early this month initially considered banning smoking 50 feet from all Morningside campus buildings. The limit was reduced to 20 feet due to concerns about compliance and enforceability, according to Alex Frouman, a student senator for Columbia College. Frouman said that a 20-foot ban seemed more feasible, in part because banning smoking 50 feet from any building would de facto create a total smoking ban in the northeast part of the Morningside campus.

Some in the Senate favored a flat ban on smoking anywhere on campus. But after a contentious debate, the 20-foot ban was passed by a 31-13 vote in the University Senate,

Despite the lopsided vote, some senators say the debate is not over.

Mark A. Cohen, a Columbia Business School professor, is calling for a full smoking ban on campus.

“It’s a dangerous issue, and on top of that it’s unsanitary, unsightly and it ought to be something that the university rids itself of categorically,” said Cohen, a former smoker.

A student smokes near Avery, ignoring the building's current 50 foot smoking ban. Photo by Katrina Kaufman/Northattan.

The 20-foot ban complies with New York State law, which requires that colleges and universities forbid smoking within 20 feet of college residence halls. The state ban does not cover other academic buildings, but the university wanted to implement a consistent rule throughout campus, according to McNeil.

The university’s former smoking policy only prohibited smoking near residences halls. Certain buildings had imposed their own rules, such as the architecture school’s Avery Hall, which has maintained a ban on smoking within 50 feet of the building. The new 20-foot ban creates a uniform campus policy, negating specific building restrictions like the one at Avery.

With this policy, Columbia joins over 500 U.S. colleges and universities – about a fifth of all higher education campuses in the country – in implementing a smoking ban. At least 446 of these campuses are 100 percent smoke free, according to the American Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation.

Campus-wide bans have been controversial at some institutions, such as the University of Kentucky, where pro-nicotine students staged a “smoke-out” in protest, according to the Time magazine article “Campus Smoking Bans? Some Saying ‘Lighten Up.’”

“A full ban would be unfair,” said Gagné “People would be late for class and on Broadway smoking thousands of cigarettes. People would still smoke on campus and get into trouble. Smoking is an addiction that some people aren’t ready to give up.”

But Cohen pointed out that Columbia’s Medical School campus on 168th Street and Broadway already instituted a full smoking ban and said the main campus also should act consistently with that decision.

A law student extinguishes her cigarette in a receptacle outside the Law School

“I understand the trauma of a smoker who is being deprived,” said Cohen, “But so what? It’s not something the university should support. It’s a poisonous habit.”

“I think the 20 or 50 foot rule is silly because are you going to have public safety officers walking around with tape measures?” he continued. “Are you going to delineate lines on the sidewalk to figure out where you can smoke?”

Brian Rice, a smoker and Columbia Law student, thinks that a 20-foot ban is reasonable, but he also opposes a full ban. “I think it would have the effect of just externalizing the problem, forcing the university’s smokers, along with their smoke and litter onto Columbia’s neighbors. I question the feasibility and desirability of enforcing such a ban.”

Rice admitted that smoking is a lonesome habit on this campus. Only about 16 percent of Columbia students are smokers, according to McNeil.

Smoking is legal as long as smokers meet New York state age regulations, said McNeil, but private organizations and public venues have the authority to establish guidelines limiting or banning smoking on their premises.

Ron Mazor, a student senator for Columbia Law School, is against a full smoking ban but feels that the new 20-foot ban is a fair compromise. He expressed concern that a full ban would infringe upon the rights of smokers at Columbia. Mazor does not smoke.

“I think smokers are a significant and valued group of people on campus who should be treated with consideration for their personal choice regarding a legal habit,” said Mazor.

He added, “Smoking restrictions that go significantly beyond state law, such as a full ban, only serve to alienate them and create severe hardship for them while on campus. Such a ban is antithetical to creating a tolerant space of free, open exchange and interaction.”

Cohen plans to propose a full ban resolution at the Senate’s next meeting on Feb. 4.

“When I had no money, he would give me food and I’d pay him back,” Cunningham said.

The East Harlem deli owned by homicide victim, Fernando Suriel. Martin Markovits/Northattan

But last Sunday, Suriel was shot and killed in his truck on the corner of East 131th Street and Park Avenue. The New York Police Department reports no suspects in the crime.

Suriel’s killing was the latest in Precinct 25, an area east of Fifth Avenue from East 115th Street to 142th Street. While Manhattan’s homicides have dropped 88 percent since 1990, homicides in the 25 Precinct  have skyrocketed 300 percent this year. According to NYPD’s CompStat figures, there have been 12 homicides so far this year, compared with three in 2009.

Community Board 11 chairman Mathew Washington said he was surprised by Precinct 25’s homicide figures.

“I have not had a conversation with the 25 Precinct, but I certainly will now,” Washington said.

Calls to the New York Police Department were not returned.

Peggy Morales, another member of Community Board 11 thinks East Harlem’s’ 16 percent unemployment rate and cutbacks in social services because of the recession are connected to the rise in violence.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if the economy had a lot to do with it; it makes people more desperate,” Morales said. “Things have become harder. There are no resources so we can give programs to get these kids to get off the street.”

The New York Police Department has been dogged by increasing budget constrains and fewer officers on the streets.  Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly warned the New York City Council in March that the city’s budget would lower the number of cops on the street to the lowest levels since 1990.

But some, like Maria Cruz, are trying to fight the crime on the ground. Cruz is the executive property manager of Taino Towers, a 656-unit low-income residential housing complex on E 122th Street and 3th Avenue. After a 23 year-old man was fatally shot a block away on 122th  Street and Lexington Avenue in June, she hired  four private anti-crime officers to patrol the building after 10 pm.

“All these people were fighting and nobody was doing anything because it was really bad, not only bad for them but bad for the residency of the area, and anybody on the street who could get hurt,“ Cruz said.

Cruz says that gang activity and lax parental supervision are responsible for the recent wave of violence.

“In my area some of the parents are letting the people go outside at 3 o’clock morning,” said Cruz.

The Manhattan District Attorney’s office has taken steps to combat this rise in violence. In May of this year, District Attorney Cy Vance launched a new crime task force that would use a new computer system to enable his office and the police to directly share crime data.

Community Board 11 chairman Mathew Washington said that the board would work closely with this new crime task force in 2011.

Along St. Nicholas Avenue and 181^st Street in Washington Heights, street vendors and their folding tables pack the sidewalks, offering everything from stuffed animals to designer watches, and pungent perfumes.

A shopper stops to check out some bracelets on a crowded sidewalk. Photo by Brett Teal/Northattan.

The vendors can satisfy almost any shopper’s needs, but not everyone is happy with their presence.  Recently, they have been targeted by local businesses that think there are too many in the neighborhood and that the stands have an unfair advantage.

“They’re selling items that we have, but cheaper,” said Alex Min, who manages a sports apparel store, FootCo, on the corner of 181^st Street and St. Nicholas Avenue.

For example, Min’s shop sells gloves for $20 and beanies for $10, but a vendor directly in front of FootCo sells similar items for $5 each.

New York City requires everyone selling merchandise such as clothing, dolls or watches to have a license.  But the city grants only 853 licenses to nonveterans and has a waitlist of thousands, forcing many vendors to operate illegally.

Without a permit, vendors escape paying a $200 yearly license fee and they don’t have to pay taxes. If they’re caught selling without a license, they can be arrested and their merchandise can be confiscated.

One unlicensed vendor, Zouhair Hoteite, has been selling hookahs and perfume in Washington Heights without a permit since 1988.  Last week he was arrested and this week he has already received two tickets.

“You’ve just got accept it,” Hoteite, who earlier in the year was fined $1,300, said.

“I can’t pay tickets, I don’t have money, my rent is $1,300 and I have a wife and kids,” he added.

Hoteite said he explained this to the judge, who dismissed the ticket.  But he now has two more to deal with and knows it will happen again.

Another table on St. Nicholas Avenue pushed up against a fire hydrant is filled with eclectic belt buckles. Photo by Brett Teal/Northattan.

Many street salespeople have flocked to Northern Manhattan, and as many as 40 operate near St. Nicholas Avenue, according to the Washington Heights Business Improvement District.

“I mean it’s really crazy to have three to four tables,” Nash Siddiquv said about the vendors in front of his 181^st Street T Mobile store.

The cluster of tables often block the building’s entrance, touching up against the windows and leaving a narrow path.

“There’s only two feet in between for people to walk,” Siddiquv said.  “People complain, they’re in front of the door and they can’t get in.”

He said he would like the number of vendors, or at least their tables, lowered in the future.  That wish may be closer to becoming reality.

The Washington Heights Business Improvement District, which oversees the area around 181^st Street from Amsterdam Avenue to Fort Washington Avenue, has been taking in feedback from residents and local merchants in hopes of creating a solution to the vendor problem early next year.

“It’s a very important issue for Washington Heights,” Angelina Ramirez, its executive director, said, adding that vendors, “put a strain for maintaining cleanliness on the sidewalk and they create traffic.”

All of the area’s vendors will be surveyed to see who is operating without a permit and Ramirez hopes to find a group to represent the street salespeople to create a “win-win” solution.

“The economy the way it is, we just don’t want to blindly take this livelihood away from people who make their money by selling,” Ramirez said.

New York City Councilmember Ydanis Rodriguez, who represents Washington Heights, said he doesn’t want to outright get rid of vendors, but understands the complaints.

Zouhair Hateite's colorful goods include everything from tobacco smoking accessories to perfume. Photo by Brett Teal/Northattan.

“We have to support our small businesses that pay taxes,” Rodriguez said.  “We need to be sure our streets are clean and pedestrians have the space to walk.”

Rodriguez said one possible solution would be to create a plaza specifically for street vendors where they wouldn’t clog the sidewalks.  The salespeople would be able to purchase a temporary permit allowing them to set up their tables for the day.

This would be modeled after the street vendor market on 175^th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue, which was created in 1994.

Rodriguez and Ramirez have been in talks with the Department of Transportation to explore the possibility of a new location.

But vendor Zouhair Hoteite said he would rather risk being arrested than selling in a plaza.

“There’s no money, people don’t go there,” Hoteite said.  “There’s no traffic.”

He said even if another plaza opened he would continue selling on St. Nicholas Avenue and 181^st Street.

Finding quality daycare is a problem throughout all of New York City, but it’s especially acute in Washington Heights. This neighborhood has the largest concentration of children in all of Manhattan. But in 2010, a flock of new daycares opened in the area. Robin Respaut and Brett Teal brought this report.