Despite directives from city officials banning their presence, street vendors turned out for Thursday night’s ArtHop in downtown Fresno.

It was difficult to tell if the vendor ban, the hot temperatures — or both — produced a smaller crowd. Suffice to say that ArtHop went on amid vendor resistance and confusion, tears, and reports of scam parking charges and fake permits.

Notably, city officials said no citations were issued for vendors who defied the ban.

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Lack of Communication

Vendors expressed frustration over the lack of communication from the city council regarding the recent decision to ban street vendors. Artists and vendors argued that the city should collaborate with them rather than make unilateral decisions behind closed doors.

The group ReHop, which organized a protest of the ban, chanted, “We are not trinkets” to emphasize the ban impacted real people.

The move came after Fresno City Councilmember Miguel Arias announced on July 19 a prohibition on all street vendors during the monthly event as a “reset” measure. Vendors quickly expressed their intent to defy the order.

City officials had announced that code enforcement officers would be at ArtHop to enforce the ban on food trucks and vendors lining the streets. While the number of vendors was reduced, artists and food trucks defied the city orders and set up anyway.

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City Attorney Andrew Janz said no citations were issued to street vendors: “We achieved voluntary compliance in almost all instances.”

Angela Scott, owner of the food truck Angela’s Taste of Soul Food, was unaware of the ban. When informed of the situation during an interview request, she became visibly emotional and  expressed concern about potential fines for a ban she knew nothing about.

Vendors and Artists Speak About the Ban

Dakari Cleveland, owner of Alley in the Valley, said the ban is a financial blow to vendors in a news release.

“For many vendors, not being able to sell at ArtHop in August means not having enough money for rent. Instead of taking away a dependable income stream away from hard-working Fresnians, Fresno’s elected leaders should instead focus on ways to uplift economic and cultural opportunities for their constituents” Cleveland said said.

Robert Ogata, owner of Robert Ogata Studios, noted that art lovers attend ArtHop because they are interested in buying art or are artists themselves. While he believes that art enthusiasts will continue to participate, he hopes for a synergy, noting that ArtHop draws young people into his studio.

Joseph Rodriguez, the organizer of the protest against ArtHop and a member of ReHop, expressed frustration with the lack of answers from the city council. He said that canceling ArtHop would impact vendors financially, stating, “We were not able to make our money back from all the investment, from all the products that we buy to make art.”

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He also mentioned that the ban would prevent artists, like his partner Crystal Rosa, from having their work seen.

“ArtHop is a once-a-month chance to connect with her community, to connect with our community in general and (the) chance to meet people,” Rodriguez said.

Vendors Scamming Vendors

Janz also reported that some vendors had been selling fake permits to others, emphasizing that vendor permits are only legitimate if issued by the city. Several vendors fell victim to this scam, he said.

Janz stated that the city is investigating those who distributed fake permits and they could face fraud charges.

Additionally, some vendors reported that downtown shop owners were charging fees to vendors to use street parking spaces outside of their shops for ArtHop. Those who reported this said that Councilmember Arias gave those shop owners permission.

Related Story: Artists, Vendors Plan to Defy City’s ArtHop Crackdown

“Nobody has the authority to sublease or save parking spaces,” Arias said.

While walking ArtHop yesterday, Arias estimated that around 95% of vendors and 90% of pedestrian traffic complied with the new ordinance. He also observed that some brick-and-mortar restaurants, including those who usually have competing food trucks parked in front, were busy with customers.

On Friday, Arias spoke with GV Wire about changes coming to ArtHop.

(GV Wire’s Edward Smith contributed to this story)