NY Chinatown - Ghost town

I laughed when I heard about the recent bust in New York's Chinatown over counterfeited purses and bags. I thought to myself that ALL of Chinatown would have to be shut down. I saw it with my own eyes. A usually bustling section of Canal Street was eerily vacant of vendors and seemingly willing customers looking for a knock off designer item. Damn, I even bought me a snazzy Hilfiger watch that never told time but it sure looked good on my wrist.

The store fronts were locked shut and glaring orange signs were posted in zig zag formation along the endless wall of metal. I am just wondering what took the NYPD so long to realize the illegal activities that seem to be the life line and tourist attraction of lower Manhattan. Thirty two stores were closed and curiously there were no arrests. If the counterfeit business was a "real" problem and considered a crime, then I would think the boys in blue would have cuffed them. The owners of the stores were slapped with an 'excessive fine.'

So why is it that I saw two women flashing catalogs of bags for sale? Is the black market truly crippling the economy of NYC? I doubt it.