Local police order longtime poster vendor told to move along, again

Michael Wells’ struggle to sell posters outside the 116th Street gates isn’t over after all.

A New York Police Department officer wrote Wells a ticket and criminal summons for having an improper stand around 12:30 p.m. Monday, two weeks after the same officer issued him a warning. After speaking with the community affairs department at the 26th Precinct and Columbia officials, Wells had thought he was in the clear.

Even though he has sold posters during the first weeks of school for the last seven years, “Me being here is not technically in compliance because of the location and the setup,” he explained.

The officer purportedly told Wells that he was not the only vendor breaking the rules, but that both the man who sells nuts and the ice cream truck that parks in front of the gates move when they see the police.

The officer declined to comment, saying he would let Wells speak for himself.

Wells will have to appear in court in November. He says he probably won’t lose money, since he hadn’t planned to sell during the winter anyway, but he still needs to get rid of the inventory he has left over from this back-to-school season.

Now, he’s not sure if he will continue to set up at 116th Street only to face more tickets.

“I don’t know what my plan is yet,” Wells said. “I just don’t know.”