NYC Mayor Defends Kidnapping, Strip Searching Mother for Selling Fruit Without Paying the City First
By Matt Agorist
New York, NY — In the land of the free, attempting to earn money in certain professions without first paying the state for the privilege of doing so can and will get you kidnapped and extorted. These laws are applied to children behind lemonade stands as well as adults selling tacos. The state callously and with extreme prejudice has been documented arresting people, or even beating up women to enforce these licensing laws. In the case below, one woman’s persecution — including kidnapping and strip searching — goes all the way to the top, thanks to New York City’s new mayor.
On April 29, Maria Falcon, a mother from Queens, and long time fruit vendor, had knocked off for the day from selling fruit and was sitting with her daughter when two of NYPD’s finest approached them. By this time, Falcon was not selling fruit any longer but because she had her cart with mangos, melons, and other fruits on it, those two officers, put her in cuffs and kidnapped her.
“I felt terrorized,” Falcon told amNewYork. But this was only the beginning of Falcon’s nightmare. Below is the footage, taken by her daughter and posted to Twitter over the weekend.
Horrific treatment of Maria, a mother, immigrant entrepreneur & her *daughter* who filmed
Earlier this week, Maria was arrested for selling mangoes & kiwis to customers she’s served for 10+ yrs
Shame on our city for choosing cruelty, instead of supporting hardworking mothers pic.twitter.com/sjonO5FMjM
— Street Vendor Project (@VendorPower) May 7, 2022
After being publicly humiliated, Falcon was then taken to the department where she was held for hours. According to AMNY, officers told her to take off her sweater, pants, and shoes, and a female officer strip-searched her for drugs and weapons — for selling mangos.
After forcing the innocent mother to strip naked and searching her most private of areas, Falcon was issued a citation for the violation of unauthorized commercial activity.
“I felt very scared and very fearful,” she told the local news outlet. “I set up in an area where I’m not in anybody’s way. I’m up against the wall and I’m just there, not to do anything to anybody, just selling things like fruits and churros.”