Last Straw Update: Words from the Red Hook Vendors' Director

Our beloved Red Hook food vendors have heard your support and that of readers at many other blogs. We found a note from Cesar Fuentes, who is Executive Director of the Food Vendors Committee of Red Hook Park Inc. He writes:

Dear Friends,

Thanks so much for your concerns & support for our current situation . We sent a letter to Commissioner Benepe yesterday in hopes we can remedy this situation and be able to continue our affair. As I read every comment from each of you, I feel happy to realize we are not alone--and also, how much caring, symphathy, and love you have for us! As we we are gearing for an uphill battle with the system, we hope your emails sent to Parks Dept. and city officials can--and will--really make a difference. We have faith that this humble affair, which has become a weekend tradition for all of us, can be saved.

Best regards,

Cesar Fuentes
Executive Director
Food Vendors Committee of Red Hook Park Inc.

If you haven't sent an email to Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe yet, please take a couple of minutes from your day and let them know how displeased you are by this display of poor decision making. After the furor grew, the Brooklyn Paper said that a Parks Department spokesperson "disputed the widely held notion that an open bidding process would lead to the eviction of the vendors." A few words from the story:

“No one else has called us to express an interest,” he said. “And if there are other bidders, we will look favorably on the fact that this group has been there for 30 years.”

The “request for proposals” that the Parks Department will soon put out will not specify a dollar amount for the permits, Abrahamson added.

Such an approach misses the point. The vendors may or may not be outbid for the Red Hook space. Other vendors may or may not be interested in the space. The hard working people at the Red Hook Ballfields are a neighborhood institution with a Red Hook-wide, Brooklyn-wide and citywide following. People that have never set foot in Brooklyn or Red Hook have heard of them thanks to countless articles and TV segments. The city should not leave anything up to chance in terms of their future existence. Their permit should not be subject to a competitive bid. Mr. Benepe should step up to the plate and guarantee that one of the signs of Spring next year will be the opening of the Red Hook Ballfields food stands. Such multicultural institutions that draw a multicultural crowd need to be celebrated and protected by the city government, not subject to the vicissitudes of a competitive bidding process. To email Mr. Benepe and ask him to kill this idea now, click here. Likewise, to tell the Mayor what you think of the idea his Parks Department has, click here.

Related Post:
The Absolute Last Straw: The City Wants to Kick Out Red Hook Food Vendors