Fresno vendors say River Park's Asian food ban 'marginalized' them

FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - Two Asian nutrient vendors are among a radical of radical calling for a ceremonial apology from River Park's spot management, Fresno Street Eats and Cal Fresh following the prohibition of Asian nutrient vendors astatine the River Park farmer's market.

Vendors antecedently told YourCentralValley.com that connected Thursday, April 10, respective vendors were told they would no longer beryllium allowed astatine the River Park farmer's market.

River Park Fresno, Fresno Street Eats and California Fresh Farmers Market Association issued a connection connected societal media the pursuing Monday that work successful part:

The River Park farmers marketplace events, and different collaborations, are designed to complement the River Park tenants, not vie with them - we volition beryllium engaging collaboratively to reappraisal each participants and their idiosyncratic offerings, careless of background.

River Park Fresno, Fresno Street Eats and California Fresh Farmers Market Association

But assemblage organizers accidental the harm of having Asian nutrient vendors banned without immoderate signifier of dialog has already been done - and the nationalist connection made Monday was "disrespectful."

Maarte Fresno, El Jablito and Hapa California Coffee gathered successful Downtown Fresno Wednesday evening to telephone retired farmer's marketplace organizers and telephone for conscionable and just resolution.

"We're conscionable asking for respect. We're asking for transparency, and we're asking for an apology," Maarte proprietor Christine Rose said. "We're not present to cancel anybody. We're conscionable asking for fairness, visibility and accountability."

Rose says she's collaborated with River Park for the past 5 years and erstwhile she heard astir the prohibition she reached retired to her vendor friends who were affected.

"I wanted to clasp abstraction for them and marque definite that they were okay," Rose said. "Because what happened was not okay."

Rose says since she'd worked with River Park successful the past, she'd hoped talking to organizers and suggesting an apology to those affected by the prohibition would assistance easiness hostility and scope a resolution.

"I conscionable asked what happened and I fto them cognize that what happened wasn't right," Rose said. "I talked to them twice, and during my 2nd conversation, I advised them that they should nonstop an apology to my community, and we inactive person not received that yet."

Rose says she recognizes that Fresno Street Eats and California Fresh are not liable for River Park spot management's consciousness of loyalty to its tenants, which River Park cited arsenic 1 of the reasons for the ban.

But Rose inactive says "appreciation and accountability tin coexist."

"Fresno Sweet Eats and California Fresh person an important occupation successful cultivating community, and we admit that they did the champion that they could, fixed the circumstances," Rose said. "We anticipation that they tin beryllium a portion of the solution and the speech on with River Park."

Hapa California Coffee Owner Jessica Piland says her concern wasn't 1 of the businesses banned; she went to River Park connected Saturday, April 12, and noticed a chiseled difference.

"We did acceptable up connected Saturday, but we did not consciousness close being there," Piland said. "The Asian assemblage should not beryllium marginalized."

Piland says River Park has not lone made a sedate mistake successful dismissing nutrient vendors, but besides successful generalizing Asian cultures.

"There are nary Filipino restaurants successful River Park - nary Cambodian - nary Lao," Piland said. "To beryllium enactment nether that umbrella and marginalized is disgusting."

Piland says Asian nutrient vendors request respect from River Park moving forward.

"We don't privation to beryllium the alleged token Filipino anymore, oregon that token Asian anymore successful our community," Piland said. "We supply much than conscionable food."

At the clip of this article's publication, River Park's spot management, Fresno Street Eats and California Fresh person yet to respond to calls for an apology. However, Granite Park has issued a connection inviting vendors, saying successful part, "If you've been unopen down, pushed speech oregon told you don't beryllium - you beryllium with us."