With tensions running high in Costa Mesa’s Latino community — and as ICE agents were observed in town over the weekend — organizers of the annual Fish Fry in Lions Park reported record low attendance at this year’s event.
Hosted by the Costa Mesa-Newport Harbor Lions Club since 1946, the three-day affair typically draws up to 20,000 visitors to the city’s west side with freshly prepared fish dinners and food trucks, live concerts and a full-size carnival with rides and games.
While admission is free, proceeds from the attractions go to the club which, in turn, doles out grants and scholarships to many community organizations. In exchange, recipients volunteer at the fry, helping the 27-member club pull off what is its largest fundraiser of the year.
The grounds of Costa Mesa’s annual Fish Fry were relatively vacant this weekend, as organizers reported the presence of ICE agents in the city’s west side.
(Costa Mesa-Newport Harbor Lions Club)
But last weekend, Lions Park appeared relatively sparse compared to previous years and organizers say it’s likely because many local Latino families are opting to stay home, as immigration activities ramp up throughout Orange County.
“We were missing a lot of Latino families who would normally come out for this,” Costa Mesa-Newport Harbor Lions President Cabot Harvey said Tuesday.
“ICE was two blocks away at 19th and Newport, and we didn’t know what they were gearing up for, but we were on the lookout. I spoke to several Latino families who told me the same thing — people were just too afraid to come.”
The carnival area of Costa Mesa’s annual Fish Fry were vacant this year, amid fears of ICE crackdowns among the Latino community.
(Costa Mesa-Newport Harbor Lions Club)
While no formal tallies were kept, Harvey and other organizers estimated the turnout was about 25% lower than in recent years. The carnival area, typically teeming with children and families, was nearly vacant, with no lines at the many rides and game areas.
Councilwoman Arlis Reynolds, who represents the 5th council district that includes Lions Park, said there have been increased ICE sightings in the area while the number of families who have had a loved one taken into custody continues to grow.
“Lower attendance at the Fish Fry, at summer school, at churches, at parks and in public generally is evidence of the real fear so many in our community feel,” Reynolds said Wednesday.
“It’s an awful and unacceptable situation when community members don’t feel safe at a longstanding community festival at their local park.”
Harvey said diminished attendance means less proceeds for the club to share with the school athletic teams, clubs and organizations that rely on the annual revenue boost. The Fish Fry ordinarily brings in anywhere from $40,000 to $50,000 that then goes out to about a dozen different groups.
“We just don’t want to lose money, because our fundraising goal is trying to get as much as we can to give back to the community,” he said.