New York Times profile omits sex offender status of Brooklyn street vendor

A recent profile by The New York Times regarding an illegal street market in Downtown Brooklyn, nicknamed ‘Hoodwill’, has faced criticism for failing to disclose the criminal history of one of its subjects. The article, published on August 4, featured Tyshawn Kennedy, a 35-year-old man involved in the operation that sells donated goods on the sidewalk near a Goodwill thrift shop.

Reports indicate that Kennedy is a registered ‘Level 3’ high-risk sex offender. In 2015, he was sentenced to two years in prison following a conviction for second-degree attempted rape of a minor. The original Times piece focused on the difficulties of obtaining street vendor licenses in New York City and portrayed the vendors as working-class individuals, but omitted Kennedy’s criminal background and rap sheet.