City officials in United States' Warren, Michigan have cancelled a planned Bangladeshi festival that was being organized for the past 14 years, allegedly for being "too ethnic."
Organizers from the Bangladeshi Association of Michigan (BAM) received a comment from Warren Parks and Recreation Director Dino Turcato that he does want an “ethnic” gathering at the Warren City Square, reports Detroit Metro Times.
Jabed Chowdhury, BAM president, expressed his reaction to this decision in a letter to the Warren City Council.
Chowdhury stated: “Without any reason, park recreation are canceling the event just because we are a people of color. We are being racially discriminated… We are really upset and feeling violated of our rights.”
The Bangladeshi American Festival has been held annually at Warren City Square since 2009, according to BAM's official event page.
Despite signing a rental agreement and paying a $1,000 deposit in February, the City officials in Warren, Michigan called off the festival.
The BAM had already promoted the event, scheduled to take place on July 22-23, and had paid the performers and organizers.
In this regard, Councilman Jonathan Lafferty said: “It sounds like a potential civil lawsuit against the city. We don't tell people you can't do something because of your race or ethnic heritage. That is not what we do.”
Council Secretary Mindy Moore agreed and said: “This is a serious legal issue.”
Prior to cancelling the Bangladeshi event, Warren Mayor Jim Fouts has faced criticism for racial issues before as well.
In 2019, the previous diversity coordinator of the city sued the mayor, accusing him of racial discrimination. The lawsuit was settled by the city for an undisclosed sum.
In an audio recording that surfaced in January 2017, Fouts allegedly compared Black people to “chimps” and used offensive words.
In another audio recording, Fouts allegedly said Black people call 911 too often and commit crimes themselves. The audio was released in December 2019.
Fouts has repeatedly claimed in public and on social media that the audio recordings were fake.
