DEARBORN — The Dearborn City Council granted a special event
permit to the American Arab Chamber of Commerce (AACC) on Tuesday in a meeting
at City Hall. Under conditions of the permit Warren Avenue will be closed in
order for the AACC to hold its annual Arab International Festival from June
17-19.  Even before the permit was
authorized news releases stated the festival was still taking place. 

The Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services
(ACCESS) is no longer partnering up with the AACC to organize the event,
however it will remain a sponsor. AACC Chairman Ahmad Chebbani said there are
lots of issues surrounding the festival, and the AACC wants to shield ACCESS
from them. The City of Dearborn, many of its officials and two AACC executives
were named as defendants in a federal civil rights lawsuit over issues that
occurred at the festival last year. 

“…We have legal issues…I don’t want to involve ACCESS
in any costs,” Chebbani said. He had a discussion with ACCESS board
members and its Executive Director, Hassan Jaber, regarding taking the
organization’s name off contracts, and said they agreed.

“I’ve had a discussion with ACCESS. We are the sole
organizers. Even with the situation we’re having now, we decided between us and
them that they will not be co-partners at this point at the advice of our
attorneys,” Chebbani said. 
ACCESS was a co-applicant on the special event permit. Its name was
expected to be removed from the application, which was submitted in April. 

During the meeting Chebbani and AACC Executive Director Fay
Beydoun agreed to follow a Hold Harmless Agreement, which entails that the city
would not be responsible for any claims or causes of action against any kind
that may rise outside the festival.

As sole organizers, the AACC will execute contracts with
private vendors, be financially responsible for all daily waste removal, site maintenance,  the cleaning of sidewalks and road
ways, street sweeping, tents and tent lighting, staging, sound and lighting
reinforcement systems. 

According to city officials, ACCESS has been a co-partner in
organizing the festival since 1995, when it was first launched.

 The festival
attracts hundreds of thousands of people, including some from Canada and other
states.  A number of changes will
be made this year. Wayne County will be the lead law enforcement agency within
the perimeter of the event. Dearborn police will not have a command post, or
offices on site at all within the festival ground.

“Any call we got, we would respond appropriately.
Obviously we’re going to be policing everything outside the festival site. So
any parking issues that are outside the festival site, any activities or calls
related to issues outside the festival site…,” Dearborn Mayor Jack
O’Reilly said at the meeting.

The only major financial loss for the city according to
O’Reilly is the fire department which is estimated to cost $1,600. The city’s
Department of Public Works will deliver and pick up barricades, vendor booths,
bleachers, picnic tables and trash receptacles. “The fire cost and the
pick up of the tables is a nominal cost that we incur in all kinds of events in
the city,” O’Reilly said.

Festival remains on schedule

The Arab
International Festival converts 12 blocks of Warren Avenue between Schaefer
Road and Wyoming Street in Dearborn into a one-of-kind street festival every
year.

The festival
has about $7 million of economic impact on the Dearborn area and improves the
bottom line for multiple sectors of the local economy including hotels,
restaurants, retail and other activities beyond the festival area.

It  features food, crafts and entertainment
from the Middle East. It also features a large carnival highlighted by a Ferris
Wheel that overtakes East Dearborn and an interactive children’s tent that
includes crafts, face-painting, clowns and puppeteers.

“We’re excited and we look forward for a festival rich
with fun and celebrations,” said Fay Beydoun, Executive Director of the
American Arab Chamber of Commerce, the organizer of the festival.