In New York City, a girl who was not accompanied by an adult on her way out of a subway station sold candy to strangers.
According to the New York Post, the 11-year-old girl, who was filmed getting off the bus at 59th Stree-Columbus Circle station last week, was alone with a cardboard box full of peanut M&Ms, Skittles and Kinder Buenos, selling candy to passers-by along the way.
The streets of New York City are dotted with official vendors.
▲ New York City streets flash a lot of business vendors. Juan Arredondo/ New York Times
When asked about her condition, the girl said in Spanish, “My mother is on the other side.” Then he ran to grab the legs of his jackets and pants and tried to sell snacks for less than $2 a pack.
At the same time, the girl’s mother, who sells goods on the same station platform, does not disclose where she and her daughter are going or living, and refuses to divulge further factors.
According to a video shared on X, formerly known as Lat, a girl in a purple jacket and wearing a box of candy was seen riding the C train alone between the subway boxes last week.
Some guy took a picture of a girl selling candy in a subway station.
▲ Some people took pictures of girls selling candy in the subway station. X picture
According to the filmmakers, the girl, who is believed to be six years old, noticed that no candy was being sold at the station between 14th and 59th streets during rush hour. “This is a shameful, disgusting and blatant attempt to poison children,” said one online official.
According to the state Office of Children and Families, children under the age of 14 are not allowed to rest at any time, either after school or during the summer.
A senior policewoman at Columbus Circle Station said that in recent months, she had seen “dozens” of children selling candy alone, including during the time when they should have been in class, making them afraid for their safety. Although she had failed to warn her parents when they returned the children to the precinct, she still saw the same children flashing on the station platform again and again. “No matter how much you tell them, to be emotional, to be reasonable, even if you tell them again and again, they still do it,” she said.
New Yorkers have been shaken by the growing crisis. “It makes America look like a third World country,” said Lance Johnson, a 73-year-old UPS worker. “It’s a horrible sight.” Olivia Yaeger, 20, worries that even if children only sell candy outside of school, taking a break too early can still interfere with their perineal teaching: “This is an age when you should be doing homework, playing and making friends, not selling on the street.”
Since the spring of 2022, New York has seen an influx of officials, many of them from Central and South America, with the total number now well below 110,000.
As we reported earlier, candy vendors have become regulars on the New York City subway. Some migrant mothers carry their children on their backs in subway cars and platforms, selling them for up to $80 a day.
The Children’s Administration says it is working with city agencies to ensure families have the support they need to safely care for their children. A spokesman for the Metropolitan Rapid Transit Authority (MTA) declined to comment on whether the government is trying to stop young transit officials from selling goods on the subway.