The Liberty Market response to DCRA

Michael Berman of Diverse Markets Management sends this response, which first appeared in the Mount Vernon Triangle Blog (which I don't normally read and these days for the most part I am focused on transportation planning and am most likely to read only those blogs):

The information provided by DCRA is false and misleading. Diverse Markets has a contract to operate on the Historical Society's property, which was assured to be land under their juristiction. This contract was produced to the police officers (plural, as it included Metropolitan Police as well as Park Police).

This market does include farmers/growers of their own product as well as locally made and specially-sourced natural food products, including fair-traded coffee beans from Honduras, baked breads, natural teas, Provence-imported olive oils and other unique, quality food items. Obviously at this time of the year, there are very few locally harvested fruits or vegetables, thus we do allow our agricultural purveyors to supplement their products with related items, like oranges.

We also welcome products that are focused on a particular cultural need, thus one agricultural purveyor sells sugar cane and plantains. It cannot be grown locally, but it is important to certain communities in the area and not easily or cheaply found.

While there is a place for growers-only markets, for a variety of other reasons (access to food, incomes, improvement to commercial districts, entrepreneurial development, energy use) it makes sense to not be so exclusive.

We believe strongly in providing fresh, nutritious and natural products to the community, rather than a strictly purist "growers-only" market, which can already be found in the neighboring Penn Quarter area. This was intended to be a community market that would sell a variety of products as well as locally grown goods. All participating vendors have their food handling licenses and are legal to do business in DC.

Further, the "organizer", Diverse Markets Management does indeed have a basic business license. The land owner has a Certificate of Occupancy and are in discussions with DCRA to figure out what, if anything, they need to do to comply with regulations for market activity on presumed private land. "Farmers Markets" regulations were created for DDOT for the use of Public Space. It has not been determined that this is public space, as many events has taken place here before without city involvement, nor that it is DDOT's jurisdiction.

I regret DCRA's dispersions that this activity was illegal and further that they have acted in such a crude manner. I welcome the community's ongoing support in what was to be a neighborhood gathering place and a source of wholesome products at reasonable prices.