Sammy Kassen to get a Vendy Award
Bay Ridge halal food vendor Sammy Kassen will receive his very own Vendy Award on September 15.
The Street Vendor Project at the Urban Justice Center has been giving out the awards for the past eight years to the best street vendors in the city.
Brooklyn-born 21-year-old Kassen will be crowned the citys Most Heroic Vendor for keeping his cool earlier this year, when brick-and-mortar businesses tried to force him off his corner at Fifth Avenue and 86th Street, contending that he was taking away their business without having to pay the same fees. Someone even nailed benches which were reportedly taken from the 86th Street BID at Kassens legal spot so he could not operate for over a day.