Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
Since the NYPD and Sanitation's joint sweep on July 30, when dozens of e-bikes and mopeds were cut from scaffolding and poles along 11th Street between First Avenue and Avenue A, delivery workers have faced a mounting series of obstacles trying to reclaim their property and maintain their livelihoods.
Those who have come to the 9th Precinct on Fifth Street to retrieve their bikes have been met with administrative sanitation summonses under code 16-122(b). Penalties range from $50 to $250, and though NYPD emphasizes these are administrative, not criminal, they still appear on a criminal summons ticket, as one deliverista shared his summons with me.
As such, proof of ownership is required, and only the registered owner with a receipt can claim a bike — photos do not count. Bikes will be held at the Precinct for at least 30 days.
Immigration concerns
For many deliveristas, the real fear is not the fine but the court appearance. Hearings are held at 1 Centre St., and workers worry that showing up could expose them to ICE detention.
Others fear that even pleading guilty to resolve the summons could leave a blemish on their record, complicating citizenship applications.
Tyler Hefferon, executive director of the East Village-based food insecurity nonprofit EV Loves NYC, has been working closely with asylum seekers for the past few years.
"We've seen members of our community detained after routine immigration hearings," he said. "Some have been locked up for years while their cases are processed. Now they're scared the same thing could happen if they show up in court just to get their bikes back."
Rumors have circulated that bikes were moved offsite — one worker even claimed a tracker pinged in New Jersey.
The NYPD insists all bikes remain at the 9th Precinct, with battery-equipped models kept in the parking lot and non-battery bikes stored in the basement.
With bikes tied up, so are livelihoods. Many workers had only recently secured federal work permits and had just begun deliveries. Some are still paying rental fees on seized bikes.
"Every day the bikes are kept, wages are being lost," Hefferon said.
In response to the standoff on 11th Street, Community Board 3 worked with the Parks Department to identify alternative spaces. Community gardens weren't feasible, but the nearby Lower East Side Playground — part of a Jointly Operated Playground adjacent to East Side Community School — is open for neighborhood use after 3:30 p.m. and on weekends.
Parks has since added picnic tables and trash cans, and the space here between Avenue A and First Avenue on 11th Street is now open for deliveristas.
However, when Community Board 3 District Manager Susan Stetzer and NYPD reps visited the other day, the 11th Street gate was locked.
After some back-and-forth with Parks staff (and the help of Google Translate with workers waiting outside), the gate was opened, and deliveristas quickly filed into the shaded space to rest.
At the site, Stetzer pressed the NYPD about why workers' bags had been confiscated and discarded during the sweep.
The NYPD responded that there had been "plenty of Sanitation outreach" and stressed that "there has to be more accountability."
Stetzer countered:
The City creates microhubs for large companies like FedEx, but why are these workers the only ones not being helped? They are lower-income, people of color, and immigrants. Why is the City not willing to accommodate them? When a restaurant operates on a sidewalk illegally, it gets a summons; when an immigrant hangs his bag there, they throw it out. Why the inequality?
She continued:
There is one reason these people are here. The neighborhood orders delivery. If the community doesn't want them here, they can stop ordering everything delivered. These are businesspeople serving the needs of the community.
NYPD officials argued the issue is larger than enforcement:
They have to respect the block. They have to be good neighbors. They can't leave trash. They need to be more responsible. And there is an easy answer....the delivery companies need to do more. It doesn't take a lot of money. Give them a rest station, a place to store their belongings. These are their employees; they should provide for them. Without these guys, who is going to be delivering your food? These guys need a charging station ... Until that is provided, where will they eat? Sure, the two new benches are nice, but there are hundreds of people here. Who is going to sit, and who will stand? We need to give hard-working people an opportunity, and this part is not a police matter.
What's next
So far, NYPD sources say that no bikes have been released back to their owners. Meetings with local elected officials and delivery companies are being planned, with the hope of finding longer-term solutions.
Previously on EV Grieve:
13 comments:
These delivery people work an honest job, unlike the Orange Turd who wants to deport them
Does anyone know whats happening with the restaurant Hubani? Its on the SE corner of 11th and 1st. They have not been open for the past few days. They have a good special that I have been craving.
These are not the people who should be allowed into the parks, especially those designed for children. The children's park on 43rd St off of 9th rarely has children in it anymore as this is where the delivery people sit - on the benches, on the equipment and of course use the bathrooms that are just never cleaned. We used to bring our children there - no more. There was a time that you could not enter this park without a child and there were several times dad's who were there ran off men who were taking photos of the children. A good part of 9th Ave from the 40s-50s has delivery people sitting on every available bench, curb and doorstoop. It is not comfortable walking past them and stepping over their outstretched legs.
Let doordash pay for storage areas.
Susan S is mistaken about these delivery workers serving only the EV community. These bikes are for workers delivering all over town - not just the EV. and yes, the city needs to work with the GrubHub, DoorDash etc to find and create an official hub or two or three that is maintained by paid staff. It's called "give back to the communities that keep GrbHub etc in business" as well as the cost of doing business. This all falls on GrubHub, DoorDash etc and corp greed - they won't do anything or spend and $$ without the issue being forced.
People haven’t increased their ordering in by a hundredfold in the past two years. The delivery workers in the past found a place to store their bikes without being a nuisance.Why can’t these people?
Stetzer: "The City creates microhubs for large companies like FedEx, but why are these workers the only ones not being helped? "
There are a lot of moving parts for this issue and NYPD is correct about the the riders having to be good neighbors but Stetzer has bought up a major one. And, as always, the Apps that these guys work for suck.
This argument is ridiculous. The only real solution here is to force Doordash and Grubhub to suspend business here entirely until they have secured/rented inside rest areas for their workers!!!!!! I'm so sick of hearing these councilmembers and police act like they do not know the answer to the problem. Eleventh Street and First is a little less congested, but the problem remains. These people NEED to be contained in spaces that are not the street. Any why on Earth are there so many of them? They are not delivering most of the time, they are loitering. And now ICE is coming. What do you think is going to happen? There should be a limit to how many people can do these "jobs". And no, I don't get delivery. Nobody would want to move through the crowd to find me!!! I hate nyc for enabling this mess on my doorstep. It's been a while of this third-world shit.
I don’t think the public parks tax payers pay to enjoy should become hubs for workers. The companies need to step up and take responsibility and the city needs to not let them off the hook for it. The companies bring in these problems that make everyone miserable (workers and neighbors alike) and profit from it. They are the problem. I for one have stopped ordering delivery because I’m over it and will not be contributing to these souless companies any more.
Completely agree with Editrix but I’ve given up arguing. The EV consistently anoits people like Stetzer, Epstein & soon Mamdani — that is what the EV wants and why you’ll pay so much to live in conditions that are going to get a lot worst
The problem of what to do with the delivery guys has made a mess of the EV. Who said it... "We can't have anything nice"? The SE corner of 11th St. has turned into long term parking. There are lots of bikes but few riders. Where are they? Then there are bikes and riders all over Asher Levy... in the street and in the playground. I feel sorry for the guys.. Doordash has made their employees our problem... They have to fix it... and soon.
As someone who uses this block on a daily basis I can only cringe about the Gringes on that block and this blog. Have a heart, for crying out loud! Many of these young men went through hell to come here in search of a safer and better life, just like your ancestors probably did, especially if you or your landlord happen to trace your immigrant history back to Italy. It may be hard to fathom for some folks, but having a street life with lots of people actually using the, uhm, street and sidewalks was long the norm in New York, especially on the Lower East Side. @editrrix: "These people NEED to be contained in spaces that are not the street." WT actual F? Why would you even think -much less so write- something like that? I have found the delivery folks to always be respectful - never had an issue. My suspicion is that racism and Islamophobia are the true drivers behind some of the comments. Unfortunately, some of those drivers seem to be idling, parking, and living on this block.
Polterman: I'd say that they need delivery shelters because I am advocating for a solution to a widely known problem that I deal with every day. Do you have multiple people blocking the entrance to your apartment every day? They do not live on this street, yet they maintain a constant presence here on Eleventh st. I doubt you're dealing with any of this in any way that matters, so stop criticizing with your nobleness; gimme a break. You like them so much? Why not invite a few home with you to eat and urinate on your street in front on your apt.? Oh right, you FINALLY come to your senses at the end of your comment to say, 'Yeah, maybe they shouldn't be LIVNG on the street.' Yeah. I agree. Stop trying to act like I'm suggesting something far worse, like concentration camps. That is NOT what I'm advocating here.
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