‘It gets a bad wrap:’ East Village block party aims to change the narrative

East Village came alive Saturday, hours before the San Diego Padres game.

The 12th annual East Village Block Party, on J Street between 7th and 10th avenues, featured food, music, games and plenty of Friar Faithful. In the morning, it was mainly residents attending who said they were happy for a community event and hoped it might change the perception of the neighborhood.

East Village has San Diego’s largest homeless population and can be jarring to new visitors to Petco Park, or the upcoming Comic-Con International. Still, it’s not the same as East Village of 15, 10 or five years ago, with the addition of 22 apartment complexes added in the last decade and an estimated 20,000 residents.

“The (block party) helps to rehabilitate that perception,” said Dominic Li Mandri, district manager for the East Village Association. “We want people to know it isn’t just a business district, but a residential district now.”

Li Mandri credits the opening of Petco Park in 2004 as the catalyst in the revitalization of the area. In fact, the block party was a bit of a mix between a community event and a Padres fan festival. Li Mandri said they expected 5,000 and 10,000 people to attend the event, with the majority coming in the hours before the 4:15 p.m. game between the Padres and Atlanta Braves. The block party was originally scheduled for the start of the Padres season but was canceled due to rain.

J Street was filled Saturday with the smell of grilled food, two DJs playing pop hits and plenty of venders. Some of the food options included Bosforo, with wood-fired pizza; Doggus Gus, with bacon-wrapped hot dogs; and Pacific Island Crave, with Hawaiian and other types. As the sun came out and the temperature hit 80 degrees, Topo Chico was on the case, handing out bottles of its sparkling water.

Jesse Fuentes, 40, and his wife Brittany Fuentes, 39, were at the event with their Padres jerseys on. They rent an apartment a few blocks away and Jesse Fuentes works at the nearby San Diego Central Library.

“I wish there were more events like this to highlight how great this community is,” Jesse Fuentes said.

East Village pride was a common theme among many participants. Jill Benbow, 46, was at the event with her husband and two senior dogs, Huey, 13, wearing a Padres bow tie, and his sister Ruby 14, who was too hot to wear her regular Padres shirt.

Benbow, wearing a Manny Machado shirt, said they have lived in the Legend Condominiums building — overlooking the ball field — for two and a half years. She said they love living downtown and its access to plenty of things to do.

“I think it gets a bad wrap,” Benbow said of East Village. “It’s fun, safe, and let’s go Padres.”

Other sports teams were on hand to promote upcoming events and build awareness. SD Legion, the city’s professional rugby team, had an inflatable wall with holes where participants tried to throw or kick a rugby ball into. It also sold merchandise, including jerseys ($100), hats ($35) and flags ($25).

San Diego FC, the new Major League Soccer team beginning play next year, had a spinning wheel where participants could win sunglasses, a flag, scarf or tote bag. It also had hats (around $30) and key rings from $5 to $7.

San Diego Mojo, a professional indoor volleyball team, just finished its inaugural season and was in East Village to spread the word. The team also had a spinning wheel, with the the chance to win a Mojo embroidered towel, T-shirt, bag or sunglasses. Team spokesperson Ryan Tewes said they were grateful to have the opportunity to be at the block party.

“We’re here to introduce ourselves,” he said. “We’re trying to get to as many events as possible.”

Next up for East Village is Comic-Con, which has stretched beyond the convention center and the Gaslamp Quarter. In addition to events at the library, last year featured a mini-Jurassic Park (complete with animatronic dinosaurs) at a warehouse on 15th Street.

Paul Motl, 42, recently moved into an East Village apartment because he wanted to live downtown for all the attractions. He was wearing a yellow Padres shirt and a classic brown hat. Motl said he is slightly nervous about how big the Comic-Con crowd will be but thinks it might be OK.

“To me, the Comic-Con crowd seems very respectful,” he said.

Originally Published: July 13, 2024 at 4:28 p.m.