Small business owners in East Harlem allege city retaliation, saying they have faced increased sanitation fines while organizing against Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s plan for government-owned supermarkets.
Members of the Multicultural Business Coalition (MBC) claim New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) inspectors began issuing heavy citations shortly after volunteers started going door-to-door two weeks ago to gather support for a lawsuit against the city.
The class-action complaint filed on Monday in New York Supreme Court, argues that publicly funded grocery stores will create unfair competition for small, family-owned bodegas and specialty markets.
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MBC Chairman Frank Garcia stated that penalties have reached up to $1,000 per violation, heavily impacting non-English-speaking merchants.
Diana Larrazabal, owner of Aroma D’ Angel flower and gift shop on East 116th Street, reported receiving three summonses this year for sidewalk debris that did not belong to her store, including a $350 fine in May.
Larrazabal, who has advocated for local merchants for six years, noted that Spanish-speaking business owners regularly rely on her assistance to navigate city administrative processes and deal with escalating fines.
The dispute centers around a site at La Marqueta on East 115th Street, two blocks from where MBC held a Wednesday press conference outside American Deli Mini Mart at East 117th Street and Park Avenue.
A second city-subsidized grocery location was previously announced for Hunts Point in the Bronx. Local owners recalled the severe economic disruption when Costco opened at East 117th Street and FDR Drive in 2010, expressing concern that state-backed stores could force existing shops out of business.
Elvis Arias, owner of American Deli Mini Mart, urged the mayor to relocate the proposed grocery store further north to 125th Street.
Arias noted that his ability to sell beer provides a competitive edge, as the government store will not carry alcohol, though he added that he may need a license to sell tobacco to stay viable.
Meanwhile, nearby grocer Domingo Fernandez, who has owned Midtown Fish & Meat Market since 2012 working 12-hour days seven days a week, called on Mayor Mamdani to meet with local shop owners, warning that the city-owned store threatens his customer base despite his market currently remaining fine-free.
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City officials denied targeting the merchants when a Sanitation Department spokesperson stated that inspectors have issued 223 commercial summonses across Harlem since March 1 as part of standard citywide cleanliness enforcement.
Regarding the retaliation claims, mayoral spokesperson Cassio Mendoza pointed to Mayor Mamdani’s comments on Monday expressing confidence in the initiative’s legality and its role in delivering public services.
The coalition plans to recruit additional plaintiffs in Harlem and Hunts Point to join the lawsuit in the coming weeks.