When Local Institutions Are Strapped for Cash, Bad Actors Find Open Doors
Bloomfield Fire Captain Says He Was Unaware of Extremist Ties When Booking Vengeance Fest at Local VFW
The Bloomfield Fire Department has become entangled in another public controversy following the June 27 hosting of Vengeance Fest, a metal music event that had previously been scheduled and canceled in Garfield before ultimately taking place at the Bloomfield Veterans of Foreign Wars post, as reported by IDA VOX.
At the center of the controversy is Bloomfield Fire Department Capt. Carl Mercado, who serves as quartermaster of the local VFW hall.
In a phone interview, Mercado said he did not know the nature of the festival when he agreed to rent the space. When asked whether he had booked Vengeance Fest, Mercado responded, “Yes, that was me. I didn’t know it was called the Vengeance Fest at the time. I was just told it was a Heavy Metal Concert Fest.”
Vengeance Fest has drawn scrutiny because the organizer, KEP Productions, run by Kyle Powell, has been linked by the Southern Poverty Law Center to individuals and bands associated with neo-Nazi and white supremacist movements.
As criticism spread rapidly online, Mercado said he has since become reluctant to host public events at the hall. Asked whether he would be willing to host punk rock shows or whether he viewed such events as anti-American, Mercado responded, “I’m just not doing anything, I’m just going to stick with first year birthday parties and graduations, after that event, I allowed A DJ pop up event and got complaints from neighbors, because of kids smoking joints, so I’m done.”
This DJ pop up event seemed correlated more closely with the date of most of the surrounding community concerns.
The controversy raises questions about how community organizations vet rental applicants in an era when information about groups, organizations and events is often only a few clicks away.
To some residents, Mercado’s account appears difficult to reconcile with the expectation that organizers conduct basic due diligence before approving events.
“In his own words he stated he has kids and doesn’t have time to vet bands,” said Bloomfield resident Shana Lynch.
The position of VFW quartermaster is largely administrative and often functions as a volunteer or minimally compensated role. At VFW Post 3788 in California, for example, the position reportedly paid $300 per month in 2023.
As criticism mounted, the New Jersey Veterans of Foreign Wars issued a public statement to NJ.com distancing itself from the event.
“Let us be clear: the VFW does not support, condone, or tolerate Nazi ideology, white supremacy, antisemitism, racism, or hate in any form.”
According to social media reports, Mercado reportedly stated that he had reviewed the event’s website and did not see anything that explicitly identified it as a white supremacist gathering. As a reporter, I could not find him making that statement on Nextdoor or Bloomfield Pulse, two major social media forums used by Bloomfield residents.
However, when asked directly during the interview with D10/11, Mercado said he did not know the name of the festival when the booking was made, raising questions about what information was available to him and what he could have searched for during the rental process, which occurred in less than 48 hours.
During the interview, Mercado appeared open about the circumstances surrounding the booking and readily answered questions about how the event was approved. He did, however, describe a process that was extremely informal and driven primarily by the VFW’s need for rental revenue.
“He came to me on Wednesday and he said is your hall available on Friday and Saturday and I said ‘yeah, you want it for two days. That’s a little different, but OK. I mean it would be easier for me, because I wouldn’t have to clean up between two parties.”
Mercado said the organization relies heavily on hall rentals to maintain the aging building.
“Nothing was going on and it was nice to have the hall booked for the weekends, as we do need the money, we’re strapped and need members. You know it’s nice to know the money is coming in. The hall is deteriorating. We got the Boy Scout Troop 23, that is their hall right now, and they do a good job every year with the Eagle Scouts, but you know, only so much the Boy Scouts can do.”
He continued, “They can’t add another level or replace a window right? We’re not going to ask the Boy Scouts to do that.”
This corroborates comments from community members regarding his concern about raising money to repair broken windows. One community member stated, “He told me he already had their money and a signed contract and he needs new [expletive] windows.”
Asked whether he had communicated directly with Vengeance Fest organizer Kyle Powell or knew who he was, Mercado said, “No, no, it wasn’t him, it was a guy name Vin.”
After clarifying the spelling, “V I N,” Mercado confirmed, “Vin, Vincent.”
When asked for a last name, Mercado responded, “I didn’t have his last name, I just communicated by Vin and I put that as his code, on the door for the days.”
The controversy comes against the backdrop of other recent incidents involving the Bloomfield Fire Department. Residents have pointed to the Essex County Prosecutor’s office charging former Bloomfield firefighter Walter Coffey with harassment of Black firefighter, Patrick Thomas, as well as reported tensions between members of the public and Fire Chief Lou Venezia during Township Council meetings as covered by Sarah Wallace at NBC New York.
Taken individually, each episode may have its own explanation. Collectively, however, they have intensified public scrutiny of the department and its leadership.
Mercado, a military veteran and public safety official in his early 40s, occupies a position that depends heavily on public confidence.
The dispute surrounding Vengeance Fest has also highlighted a broader question facing many civic institutions: where the balance lies between extending trust to community members and verifying who is seeking access to public-facing spaces.
Throughout the interview, Mercado portrayed himself as a volunteer juggling multiple responsibilities and struggling to keep up with increasing demands on a shrinking membership base.
Mercado ended our conversation with, “We’re looking for younger members to be active, it’s hard, it’s a volunteer organization, when I get these calls, it’s like what is happening now. I’m at work, feeding kids, and cleaning, I’m not doing one thing.”
For some residents, his explanation illustrates the challenges facing volunteer organizations with limited resources. For others, it underscores the need for stronger screening procedures when community facilities are rented to outside groups. The debate over Vengeance Fest may ultimately be about more than a single event; it raises broader questions about oversight, accountability and the pressures facing local civic institutions in an age of instant information and public scrutiny.