Alex Martinez depends upon this city park — Sunset Park.

For years, the day laborer says he’s sold snacks in this 24-acre space bearing the name of the neighborhood to make extra money.

Sunday has turned into a community multi-cultural gathering called — Plaza Tonatiuh.

But Easter Sunday was not what he expected. Parks enforcement and the NYPD surrounded the vendors and told them they didn’t have permits so they could not sell their goods.

“When we got here, there was the police from the park, from the city, and they didn’t let us sell, that was the bad thing,” Alex Martinez, a local vender, said through an interpreter.

What You Need To Know

  • Sunday Parks Police and the NYPD cracked down on making sure illegal vendors were not selling goods

  • The parks department issues the licenses

  • The department says there are approximately 400 concessions within New York City parks

  • In order to do business at a New York City park, vendors must bid for a concession agreement

Martinez said the day was a total loss. And he said the process of getting a permit is a tough one.

“They don’t give us the permits, or they make it very difficult, and we must sell and if they don’t give us a place, the problem will continue,” Martinez said.

The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation says its enforcement patrol and the NYPD are jointly addressing illegal vending in response to neighborhood complaints from patrons from using the park on Sundays.

To be clear, the dozens of vendors do take up a lot of space, but they say they don’t get in anyone’s way.

Martinez said he has sold his snacks in the park for the last three years and now he says it’s unclear if he’ll ever be able to do that again.

The parks department would be responsible for issuing licenses and there are about 400 such permits across all of New York City parks.

In order to do business, vendors must bid for a concession agreement when they are available.

No word on any up for grabs in this park in the future. Martinez said he’s not counting on it.

He’s now worried he’ll have to do without the extra income earned here to help support his family.

“We hoped this weekend to sell something and take some money home, to pay the expenses, the rents which are very expensive, so that extra money comes in handy, because what we earn is not enough,” he said.