Vendors scramble to find backup plans in light of major Arthop changes

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Normally on the first Thursday of every month, Fulton Street in Downtown is filled with over 15,000 Arthop goers and vendors.

But for the August 1st event, the normal setup has been brought to a halt.

Fresno City Councilmember Miguel Arias says it's a matter of safety, but some vendors tell Action News they feel as if they've had a rug swept out from under them.

"The piece of walking the streets at night, grabbing an ice cream or grabbing coffee, listening to live music, looking at art, things like that that's really a big component that makes it so special and unique to our town," says Alexandra R.

ArtHop has been celebrated in Downtown Fresno for nearly three decades.

What started as a walk of a few art galleries has grown into a large-scale event, drawing thousands of people to take to the streets each month.

Arias believes the event has moved away from its core mission of arts and culture. He announced that for the August 1, event all outdoor vendors must be moved inside.

"We're now seeing more of a swap meet and a pop-up, which is great for the downtown atmosphere. We just have to make sure that we can provide some necessary organization and structure," says Arias.

Arias says the event has been lacking proper safety protocols, including permitting.

He is proposing shifting Arthop from a once-a-month event to biweekly, and also considering allowing vendors to buy permits for $14 a day and even potentially closing down Fulton Street for the event.

"What we're trying to avoid is a major incident where people are injured or where they don't feel safe in downtown," says Arias.

Joseph Rodriguez is one of the over 1,000 vendors who've signed a petition in opposition to the new changes. He says there's a lot of confusion about why these changes are happening.

"It seems like it started off with one narrative. I'm stopping it because of the heat. It kept changing, or maybe it was now the violence and maybe it's this and it's not violence. It's really just control," says Rodriguez.

Rodriguez adds that vendors want to work with the city.

"People would love to follow the rules if it was easy and affordable. I think you'd get every vendor saying I would love to sign up," says Rodriguez.

Several indoor businesses are now stepping up to allow vendors to set up shop inside. That includes Rose, an event space in Downtown Fresno.

Fresno Street Eats CEO, Mike Oz, says several breweries are also allowing food trucks to use their private parking lots. His priority right now is finding a space for each to continue selling on a day so critical for their livelihoods.

"I understand that ArtHop needs to get cleaned up, but I hope that whatever they do, I hope it's worth it because it's what they're doing is going to hurt a lot of businesses," says Oz.

Councilmember Arias says he has met with vendors multiple times, and says he plans to use their feedback to create an alternate plan moving forward.

He tells Action News he plans to announce that plan sometime next week.

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