Student journalists from Flourishing Fresno went to the Tower District location of Component Coffee to speak with community members. We asked them a handful of questions to get a sense of their experiences in the area, how they feel about their neighborhood, and what their dreams are for Tower’s future.
By James Pewthers and Ali Harshaw
Togetherness in Tower
Ana Roybal, a yoga instructor at Manifest Station Yoga, has lived in Fresno her whole life, but moved to Tower in the last few years. Like many others, she commented on the sense of community that Tower has, unlike any other area in the city.
“You see people from all walks of life, all different ages, and they’re very passionate about their community. They represent it very well,” Ana Roybal said.
She’s gotten to know two older men who frequent the area more often than not.
“I’ve seen them for years and now they’re just always here, hanging out, talking to the people they know,” Roybal said. “I’ve seen them around in different areas, whether it’s a bar, Tower Yoga, [or] a coffee shop. I feel like they are a great representation of just believing in this space and finding a sense of gratitude and comfort here.”
Wyatt Parker-Chappelle, who also moved to the Tower District about two years ago from Denver, appreciates the “extreme togetherness” that the area has. He’s a barista at Component Coffee, and previously worked at Hi-Top Coffee.
There’s a lot of “community-based events that feel a bit more welcoming” here compared to events in north Fresno, according to Gloria and Jennifer, two friends who visit Tower often. Gloria lives near Woodward Park and “feels like it’s not as welcoming and warm” as Tower is.
They both have an understanding of the connection between the people within the culture of Tower and they see how much more united it is than the other areas of Fresno.
Katie Avila lives in another area of Fresno but goes to Tower often. She feels that people there generally advocate for others and are very kind and open-minded.
Joe Martinez, who’s been a very active individual within the community for 15 years, strives to see the entirety of his community represented, not only select members who are already highly represented within the media.
He’s currently a grant writer, and previously worked for Fresno EOC and Esmeralda Soria when she was a city council member.
He knows there is a lot of history, diversity and energy here that most will not realize but should be ecstatic to learn about. The diversity can easily be seen through the expression of the many talents within the community that Martinez vocalized.
“I’m not only talking about painters,” Martinez proudly uttered. “I’m talking about musicians and writers, I’m talking about people [in the] performing arts, there’s a lot of people that do that.”
With the embracive nature Martinez has, he wants to share this with those coming in so they can understand what it means to embody the culture.
Tower and Fresno Misconceptions
This is in contrast to what a lot of people outside of Tower think about the area, but also about Fresno as a whole.
Avila said she thinks Tower and Fresno have a bad perception, and knows people who think that Tower is too “dangerous.” She’s lived in Fresno for two years now and doesn’t feel that way, citing that any area of the city is going to experience crime, but that’s not the norm.
Martinez feels the same way, and believes that Tower is safer compared to other places in town.
He says there’s a lot of misconceptions about the people in this city, too.
“We’re the butt of jokes. I don’t think people take Fresno seriously,” Martinez said. “They tend to think of [a] low income city, they tend to think there’s a lot of crime, that we’re not very educated people. They think of us as those farmers.”
Another big misconception, more about Fresno as a whole, is that there’s nothing to do here. Avila says there’s a lot of “cute stuff to do” in Tower at its small businesses, especially with ArtHop and the new farmers market.
Martinez also thinks the idea that there’s nothing to do in Fresno is wrong, especially when it comes to Tower.
“What’s really cool about the Tower District is we have everything to offer, now that we’ve got a [farmers] market,” he said.
Roybal mentioned when she used to work at the Doubletree in Downtown, the bartender said the area was “grimy” and didn’t have much to offer in terms of restaurants or places to get a drink.
“I think people misinterpret the options here for culture in regards to art and food,” Roybal said.
Sebastian Espinosa, who lives in Northwest Fresno, says people who think that Fresno isn’t a good place to live should experience it in person rather than believing what other people and the media say about the area.
“I have a sister who lives in the bay, and she has this [negative] depiction of Fresno,” Gloria said. “She doesn’t understand how it’s grown as a community.”
She grew up in Lemoore, and was taking care of her kids in her 20s and 30s. She said that once they became more independent, she was able to go out more and “see Fresno with better eyes.”
“A lot of outsiders don’t realize that there’s a lot of things that have been happening here,” Gloria said. “The past 20 years have been amazing, at least for me.”
Hopes and Dreams for the Future
Roybal recently hosted a women’s clothing swap at Manifest Station and wants to see more of that happening in Tower, along with more availability for sustainability in general. She also says that she’d like to see more appreciation and recognition for the health and wellness community in Tower, especially since they don’t have much advertising online.
Espinosa thinks that helping people experiencing homelessness should be a higher priority than larger projects, like building new shopping centers.
Parker-Chappelle likes that there’s a main street like the San Diego neighborhood he grew up in, but he wishes there was a community park closer than Roeding, and more green spaces in the area in general.
A Voice of Tower
Being a strong advocate for representation, Martinez stands for those who may not know how, or lack the platform to voice their concerns. When we look for a voice, Martinez has provided the community with one and he is continuing to be that despite his individual struggles in his own life.
Two issues he hopes to see change for the city as a whole is the lack of safety on the streets, and youth experiencing homelessness. Martinez knows the former issue personally because nearly a decade ago, a speeding driver hit his son, who died from his injuries shortly thereafter.
“I got a call late at night, a call that no parent should ever get,” Martinez said. “There was a lot of pain, and I was able to channel my pain into power, so today I’m an advocate for street safety.”
Martinez, as both a community activist and a grieving parent, says he understands what needs to be changed and how to go about that. Late last year, he spoke with U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg about Vision Zero, a plan that the City of Fresno recently received a grant to work towards implementing.
“Our goal as a city is that we want zero fatalities of pedestrians,” he said. “Zero is the only acceptable number.”
As for youth homelessness, Martinez previously was the Community Relations and Outreach Manager for Fresno EOC, and he helped to open the Sanctuary Youth Shelter during his time there. Last year the organization closed their Sanctuary Youth Shelter, the only youth homeless shelter in town, citing that their services weren’t being utilized enough.
Now, Martinez is calling on them to reopen the shelter with an advocate group named Save Our Sanctuary.
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