Fruity Competition

In this morning's NY Daily News there's a story on the failed efforts of a local neighborhood group to remove a veggie vendor from its local streets: "It looks like the fruit and vegetable cart on the historic Brooklyn Heights streetcorner is here to stay, even after the Brooklyn Heights Association filed a complaint with the city. "I'm going to be here forever," one of the cart's owners, Onur Benirbaz, told the Daily News. "Of course I do have a permit." The cart's sudden appearance on the corner of Henry and Clark Sts. two weeks ago spurred a small controversy in the tony neighborhood. "He's parked near a deli and a store that sells fruit," said Judy Stanton, head of the Brooklyn Heights Association."

Doesn't matter to the city it seems; and the Heights isn't one of those nabes that lacks access to fruits and vegetables. It's another example of how callous and indifferent the Bloombergistas are to the plight of local businesses-thwarting all efforts to regulate these non rent paying competitors,

And here's the kicker from a local bargain hunter: "Meanwhile, local resident Nicole Knox, who was stocking up on berries for her kids, said the cart was a godsend, with cheap prices such as watermelon for $3, grapes for $2 a pound and two tubs of blueberries for $4. "It's a great place," Knox said. "Everything else around here is so expensive, I can't believe anybody would want it gone."

Of course it's expensive-and guess who's struggling to pay those high rents and taxes? So keep allowing these peddlers carte blanche, and watch for the continued erosion of local food stores from all of the city's neighborhoods.