Disabled Vietnam Vet Hot Dog Vendor Arrested Outside Met

A disabled Vietnam veteran who defied the city Parks Department by setting up a hot dog stand on prime real estate outside the Metropolitan Museum of Art was carted off in handcuffs yesterday. Dan Rossi, 69, was charged with obstructing traffic and disorderly conduct after he refused to relocate his stand during an enforcement sweep. The area outside the Met has been a lucrative location for the Parks Department, which leased the space to one vendor for $642,000 a year.

But two years ago Rossi showed up and started vending without kicking any money up to the city, citing a 19th-century law permittting veterans to work as street vendors in areas others cannot. Other veterans followed his lead and the sidewalk outside the museum has turned into a sort of crowded labyrinth of vendors. As a result of the competition and construction, the "official" vendor, Pasang Sherpa, fell behind on the rent to the city and was evicted—only to return with a disabled veteran he paid to stand under his umbrella and claim ownership if the cops asked questions.

Yesterday, the city sought to rectify the situation, carrying out a promise to sweep out the vendors. It seems Rossi was collared because he refused to budge; moments before his arrest he told the Post, "Veterans Day is over. They've stopped waving their flags and now it's back to screwing the vet. If this were a law, they'd have been nailing us for it every day before this. They made this up this morning. This is the first time in 30 years I'm going to get towed."

Other veterans are now worried about the citywide repercussions of the crackdown. 62-year-old Vietnam vet Leo Morris, Jr. tells the Post he did not watch his buddies die face-down in the muck so this Bloomberg could waltz around town destroying his livelihood: "I was in Vietnam. If I can work in Vietnam, I should be able to work on Fifth Avenue."

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By John Del Signore in Food on November 25, 2009 3:58 PM

Comments [rss]

TheBiddingSpace

Definitely not vendors, peddlers is probably more appropriate

ebelly

I dont understand why these people keep harrassing the public which are really innocent.

Swagata

We must learn to respect our war veterans. Dan Rossi must have been released with a warning. Putting hand cuffs on him is really unwanted. Lets hope he gets rescued soon without any turmoil.

FrankMartin

I love the smell of hotdogs near the met, it smells like culture class

pianoarthur

"I love the smell of hotdogs near the met, it smells like culture class."
a.k.a. cultured ass

FrankMartin

Or culture clash

Spirit of 76

But, stores and businesses refer to their suppliers or sellers as 'vendors'.

I ran a computer and electronics business on the side for a few years, with accounts at Synnex, Ingram Micro and Tech Data. I never referred to them as my "vendors." They were my distributors.

hanbush

Smokey, this is not 'Nam. It is hot dogs. There are rules.

zodak

you would think the cops would show some respect to veterans, but no, the nypd is an asshole to everyone.

NannyState

The Dirty Water Dogs of War.

books

whats with the bs reporting Gothamist 'has turned into a sort of crowded labyrinth of vendors'

I was there two weeks ago - 3 or 4 hotdog vendors in wide open space - no labyrinth - no traffic obstruction - get your facts straghit and stop amatuers already

John Del Signore

Well, here's the view in August: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/22/nyregion/22hotdogs.html

And a friend who works at the Met told me it got even more crowded than that, so eat me.