Vendors say Festival of Hope will shut them out
B.T.L. Park vendors are up in arms with the City Council. They say that the City Council went over their heads and made an agreement about the use of the B.T.L. Park for next weekend without consulting them. Now, they say that the decision to have the park used for the Festival of Hope Concert is not only inconveniencing them but also forcing them to close their businesses for the duration of the event. This they say is totally unacceptable. Vendors met at the B.T.L. Park this evening to discuss the matter.
Mark Reneau, BTL Park Vendor
“Now, it seems like they want us to close down for 2-3 days they are having out here. But they are saying it is not so.”
Andrea Polanco
“This is for the festival of hope?”
Mark Reneau
Mark Reneau
“Yes. The Festival of Hope. The reason why I know this is because my sister end up paying for a booth when we have a booth in here. You understand me? So, I am trying to get down to the bottom of this. The Mayor, nobody, has sat down and speak to us genuine about it. We have trade license, we paying our rent, we have everything we supposed to do.”
Andrea Polanco
“Did they tell you guys you can’t open?”
Mark Reneau
“Yes. Of course, they told us that and that is why my sister went to buy a booth from them.”
Andrea Polanco
“Where will these booths be staged?”
Mark Reneau
“The booths will be staged on the streets them; that’s the whole thing. I do not have nothing against this Hope or whatever they call it. The point is they didn’t go through the channel and did not address us. I find that very disrespectful. I don’t care who or whoever it is.”
Andrea Polanco
“There was no consultation; now according to the policy out here – as it relates to the regulations, you guys must be engaged in dialogue?”
Mark Reneau
“Yes. We must be notified about anything that happen out here. And with all that we would get a percentage of anything happening out or we would give back to charity if we agree with it. The thing about it, we can’t even have parking in here. They tell us now we can’t park in here.”
Andrea Polanco
“Because of the Festival?”
Mark Reneau
“Because of the Festival; we have to find our own parking. Me, personally, I am going to park inside right here.”
