Outrage erupts as New York lawyer furious with vendors selling food without permits in local park

A New York City attorney is facing ruthless backlash this week after she took to Twitter to unleash her anger at two female street vendors who allegedly sold food without a permit in an Upper West Side park.

Sonya Shaykhoun, who bills herself as “Esq.” online, sparked a storm of criticism when she complained about the presence of a humble food stand in Riverside Park on Twitter, sparking accusations of pettiness and entitlement among New Yorkers.

In her tweet, she shared photos of two women who appeared to have set up a small table on the side of a park path. She then expresses her displeasure at seeing a person selling food in a public park without showing his permit.

She then claimed to have called 911 and reported the unidentified vendors to police.

But users quickly criticized her for being “petty and vindictive”. “Find a hobby and leave society alone you absolute lunatic,” said one user.

Shaykhoun wrote, “Yesterday I was returning from tennis at Riverside Park and came across this ad hoc, unlicensed food stall. They called on people to buy from them and I asked them, “where is your permit”, because we all know that the permit must be presented. Well, the woman in blue got belligerent and started filming me and refused to let me see her license. She started filming me and became more and more aggressive. I called her a name. Then I called 911.”

But a police spokesman said there had been no report of such a complaint.

Her Tweet continued, “What happened to this? The agents never called me back. This was at the entrance on 99th street. We have beautiful parks, if you see people deface them by setting up illegal stands, call the police. Time to take back our beautiful city.’

But instead of getting the support she might have expected, Shaykhoun’s tweet became the target of scathing ridicule and scorn from fellow New Yorkers, who were quick to voice her seemingly trivial criticism.

Many mock her complacency. A user posted a checklist made for kids: “Is anyone in danger?” Is anyone injured? Have you tried to solve the problem yourself? Were you minding your own business?’

Others expressed desperation at her frivolous complaint, especially in this economic climate as many New Yorkers struggle to make a living.

One of them said, “This poor woman is doing her best to survive this latest economic collapse. Perhaps millions of people wouldn’t be in exactly the same dire circumstances if our government didn’t require taxes, fees, and permits for everything. Please, please consider not being so cruel.’

As the online frenzy escalated, Shaykhoun’s tweet quickly went viral, receiving 6,000 comments Thursday night.

Some users were outraged: “Jesus Christ Karen. Find a life and leave others alone.’

“There are cool people, and then there’s you. Kindness is important.’

Many online also shared their appreciation for food vendors: “When I’m in Mexico, there’s a 100% chance I’ll stop for food when I see a lady selling food from the trunk of her car out of tupperware bowls. Some of the best food ever,’ someone said.

Shaykhoun continues to tweet relentlessly in response to her critics.

A Twitter user posted the address of Shaykhoun’s law firm and she replied, “Okay, let’s turn lemons into lemonade. Selling food to the public without the necessary permits is not only a health risk, it is also illegal. If you need help applying for your food permit, I’d be happy to help. If you are financially disadvantaged, we can make a deal. Feel free to email or call me with your licensing requirements. Thank you very much, Sonya’

She added this to her original tweet: “Next time you’re tempted to buy food from unlicensed vendors, let’s hope it doesn’t end up like the customers in this story who bought burgers from the vendor that were made with human remains.’

“The law is there for your protection. How do you know the food isn’t laced with fentanyl or other harmful toxins? You can’t even trust licensed sellers, how are you going to trust unlicensed sellers? But make me the Twitter anti-hero of the week. But if you buy a burger off the street from an unlicensed Mr. or Mrs. and bite a human toe or eyeball, don’t come crying to me because, clear your throat…”

According to her LinkedIn, Shaykhoun is an attorney at Sonya Shaykhoun’s law firms, Esq.

She describes herself as an award-winning NY-qualified attorney doing cross-border transactions; technology, media, telecom and satellites; aviation; large contracts; & compliance and author of the new book ‘The Commercially Savvy Lawyer’.’

DailyMail.com reached out to Shaykoun for comment, but did not hear back.