eee Ca eS Sean Basinski (L'01) “The vast majority of vendors are hardworking people GEORGETOWN LAW we need to give them an equal opportunity.” ‘When Sean Basinski (LO!) decided to cell burritos on the streets of New York City during the summer of 190 — before he started law school — he did't now he wes raining for his ifs work Held graduated from the University of Pennsyl- vanis, afterall and wae headed for Georgetown Law in the fill (Operating his own food eart — leven one that he had personally designed and operated — was ‘not an ideal job." was running ic out of my apartment.” Basins- i soe “I had black beans all over the place! But something about that sun mer job stayed with him — giving him the knowi- edge and persistence to take a controversial idea and make it fh Today Basinski runs the Sereer Von dor Project a 650-member New York-based organization promoting the rights of the ciey’s street vendors ‘A lot of people jute eay"Oh, chose people, why o they need help?” says Basinski, who explains thar the idea for the project began to take shape during his second year of lw school. “Everybody in People et their cofee from them every day Bur they don't realize the problems vendors have, because NewYork knows about steet vendors, vendors have never really had a Now, they do. Every day, Basins is deluged with calls for help from the organization's mem- bers, many of whom are immigrants working Linder dificule coneitions. While some of Basins kis work is straightforward — helping vendors who've beer ticketed for falling to display a licence, for example — he must also find time for vritng reports on the citys treatment of vendors cor fling lawsuits to change unfair policies. When the city raised its fine for falling to display a license from $250 to $1000, Basinski went to court and won, because the city had filed to pro- vide vendors with proper notice and « hearing esa with hat doe veda Spt Laskar ‘Although Basinski operates under the tunbrella of New York Chrys Urban Justice Cen. tor, he must raise all che funds for the project, including his own $30,000-2-yearsalary. (He gets by with the help of several interns, but is hoping { raise more money so he can hire more help.) The day Georgetown Law spoke to Dasinsk, he was in court, representing a Chinese portrait artist arvested for blocking pedestrians in Times Square “When you say'street vendor’ a lot of people will hink,'Oh yeah, you know, they're jut talking about those guys on Canal Street with thelr fake Gucci bags or something?” Basinski says, noting that the majority of vendors do not sell counter fete tems."The vast, vast majority of wendors are just hardworking people. they immigrants, Ley supporting fares... they work really long hours in very diffcule conditions,” Basing notes. If we think we are a city and a country where there's equal epportunity thon we need © give them equal opportunity That hasn't been happening and thats s message that's very dificult [people] just never thought about vendors in Us way before” For more information vise wow strwervendor arg —Ann WW Parks to get across