City of Warren cancels Bangladeshi festival for being too ‘ethnic,’ organizer says

Warren Mayor Jim Fouts’s administration has canceled a planned Bangladeshi festival because the city doesn’t want an “ethnic” gathering at the city’s popular event space, according to the head of the festival.

The popular Bangladeshi American Festival has been held annually at the Warren City Square since 2009.

The Bangladeshi Association of Michigan (BAM), which organizes the festival, signed a rental agreement for the space in February and paid the city a $1,000 deposit.

The group promoted the event, which was to run from July 22-23, and had already paid the organizers and artists.

But earlier this month, Warren Parks and Recreation Director Dino Turcato told the organization that it could not hold an “ethnic” festival at the Warren City Square, where other events are regularly held, BAM President Jabed Chowdhury told Warren City Council in a letter.

“Without any reason park recreation are canceling the event just because we are a people of color?!” Chowdhury wrote.

He added, “We are being racially discriminated … We are really upset and feeling violated of our rights!”

Metro Times couldn’t reach Turcato for comment. Fouts, who appointed Turcato, didn’t return a call for comment. 
City Council members said they were outraged and worried about potential legal action for discriminating against a group because of its ethnic heritage.

“It sounds like a potential civil lawsuit against the city,” Councilman Jonathan Lafferty said at a council meeting Tuesday. “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. “This is a serious legal issue,” she said.

After learning about the festival’s cancellation, the city council discovered that the state’s third largest city does not have an anti-discrimination ordinance.

The council on Tuesday unanimously approved a measure calling on its attorney to draft an anti-discrimination ordinance.

“The city doesn’t have an ordinance banning discrimination based on ethnicity,” Council President Patrick Green said. “That’s deplorable. … We do have a very diverse city and do need to have everyone represented.”

In April 2021, the council passed an ordinance creating the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Commission. The nine-member group, appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the council, would provide advice and recommendations to elected officials about diversity and inclusion initiatives and improve the relationships between the city and underrepresented populations. The ordinance would also create a position of a chief equity, diversity, and inclusion officer.

But Fouts refused to fill the position and never published the ordinance, so it never went into effect.

Fouts has come under fire over racial issues in the past. In 2019, the city’s previous diversity coordinator sued the mayor, alleging racial discrimination. The city settled the lawsuit for an undisclosed amount last year.

In an audio recording that surfaced in January 2017, Fouts allegedly compared Black people to “chimps” and used the N-word. In another audio recording released in December 2019, Fouts allegedly complained about Black people calling 911 too often and committing crimes.

Fouts has repeatedly claimed in public and on social media that the audio recordings were doctored. But when under oath in an Aug. 2019 deposition, Fouts refused to say whether the recordings were authentic, asserting his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.

Earlier this month, the Michigan Court of Appeals ruled that Fouts cannot seek a fifth term because of term limits approved by voters.
Coming soon: Metro Times Daily newsletter. We’ll send you a handful of interesting Detroit stories every morning. Subscribe now to not miss a thing.

Follow us: Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter