(Photo: SunnysidePost)
April 25, 2014 By Christian Murray
Mosammad Hossain, a Sunnyside resident who used to sell Halal food from his cart under the 40th Street station, has found a new location.
He has moved up the street to a new spot outside TD Bank, on the corner of Queens Boulevard and 41st Street.
Hossain said that his business is still doing fine despite the police forcing him to move for being too close to the art installation. However, he said, he would like to go back to his old location where he was for almost 4 years. However, “the police told me I had to go because of the art; they told me to go elsewhere.”
Hossain said he is looking for the support of the community to ensure he can stay in Sunnyside. He said he lives on 48th Street and 47th Avenue and has a 9-year-old son who attends PS 199. He said he also supports his mother.
Meanwhile, Sheref Abdelshafy, best known for his food cart under the 40th Street No. 7 train station, is staying put. He continues to sell coffee and bagels between 5 am and 10 am each day– like he has done for the past 10 years.
Abdelshafy said he was asked to leave due to the art installation and for being too close to the exits on the No. 7 train. He said he was nowhere near the exits and that it’s not fair. Furthermore, he said, the art installation had been up for months before he and Hossain were told to leave.
Abdelshafy said that some residents are going to go to the next community board meeting to advocate on his behalf. That is schedule for May 1.
