David Martinez and Mallory Davis were among the first patrons to return to Broadacres Marketplace, eager to kick off their visit with an ice-cold michelada.
The beloved North Las Vegas swap meet reopened on Friday afternoon after a six-week hiatus prompted by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid incident at a similar outdoor market in California.
Broadacres’ management made the decision to temporarily close to protect vendors and customers from potential arrests.
Martinez, a longstanding customer at Broadacres, expressed pride in the management’s efforts to safeguard its community.
“I’m proud of them for that ’cause I know they ate a lot in their pockets for that,” he said.
“It’s honorable and respectful.”
The announcement of the reopening was made on social media, stating that the venue had prepared in collaboration with legal experts to enhance safety and information accessibility at the market.
“We are reopening because our vendors are ready — and they deserve a marketplace that has their back,” the management noted in a social media post.
New protocols have been implemented that provide real-time updates on law enforcement activity around the area to ensure vendor safety.
Educational materials on rights pertaining to interactions with law enforcement will be available to foster a better-informed community.
The ACLU of Nevada is collaborating with Broadacres to offer “Know Your Rights” training sessions to equip vendors and customers with the knowledge to handle law enforcement encounters calmly and confidently.
Digital signage featuring information from the ACLU and the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada has been set up throughout the marketplace.
Representatives from the Nevada Immigrant Coalition and the UNLV Immigration Clinic were also present to provide support.
In an effort to entice customers back, Broadacres offered discounted entrance fees of $2 for its reopening weekend.
Typically, these fees range from $2.50 to $3.50 depending on the day of the week.
Additionally, vendors benefit from reduced booth rental fees for the month of August.
Martinez and Davis were among the first to order their drinks from a bar near the music stage.
Martinez humorously engaged with the staff, hinting at the busy atmosphere expected for the evening.
When they received their drinks, he described the moment as “a historic moment.”
Despite the excitement surrounding the reopening, there remains a sense of anxiety within the immigrant community in Nevada, particularly as ICE activities have surged, leading to a dramatic increase in apprehensions.
Athar Haseebullah, executive director of the ACLU of Nevada, emphasized that immigration enforcement is not completely prohibited at Broadacres, as regulations can vary by vendor and location.
Despite the heightened concerns, he suggests that proactive measures can be taken by businesses to alleviate fears.
Rep. Steven Horsford (D-NV) has also been actively supporting vendors, facilitating access to crucial resources and forming a support group for small-business owners affected by the temporary closure.
While Broadacres management has implemented various precautions, not all vendors felt comfortable returning immediately.
Some stalls remained vacant, including one with a sign indicating the business would remain closed until September.
Ana Bernal Hernández, who manages her family’s business, shared that her parents initially hesitated to return after hearing about an ICE raid at a nearby gas station.
However, they ultimately chose to reopen as they felt it was important to be present for their community.
“They decided, ‘If we aren’t on the frontlines, who are we to ask people to go?’” she remarked.
The fear regarding turnout was palpable among vendors prior to reopening.
Broadacres had seen a decline in visitors even before the closure, attributing much of the decrease to fears surrounding immigration enforcement.
To combat this, vendor families like Bernal Hernández’s decided to reopen only one of their two food stalls initially, hoping to gauge community interest.
“We obviously don’t expect the same numbers we had prior to the close, but we want to see if people will show up,” she noted.
Although her family owns a separate restaurant, she described the temporary closure as devastating for their business and employees, prompting significant expense cuts.
In the lead-up to the reopening, the media attention surrounding Broadacres had provided some reassurance.
The crowd began to swell as the day transitioned to evening, with Bernal Hernández pleasantly surprised by the turnout, noting it was a line comparable to previous years.
Nearby businesses also felt the impact of the market’s closure, including Raul Contreras’ appliance store, which suffered from a lack of customers during the shutdown.
Contreras, who opened his shop shortly before the closure, observed that the absence of Broadacres’ foot traffic severely affected his sales.
He jokingly recounted having to let go of his handyman due to insufficient income from sales.
With his other store also struggling, he faced financial difficulties that led him to borrow funds just to meet rent obligations.
As the situation persisted, he noted an unexpected rise in demand for shipping services, as many individuals prepared for potential self-deportation amid the ongoing immigration discourse.
“Everyone wants to send their things to Mexico right now,” he told.
The uncertainty surrounding their legal status has left many customers apprehensive.
Bernal Hernández’s father, Alfonso Bernal, voiced the shared concern among vendors about the possibility of being racially profiled despite possessing legal status.
“We are all afraid … that they can treat us like criminals even though we aren’t,” he expressed in Spanish.
“They can treat us like criminals even though we aren’t” is a sentiment reflecting broader concerns of the immigrant community in light of the aggressive immigration policies.
He encouraged the community to adopt caution but to also return to Broadacres.
“We are here to serve them with great pleasure,” he concluded.
image source from：thenevadaindependent
