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Revision as of 09:18, 17 January 2007 by 63.215.27.201 (talk)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) This article is about the NYC parade. For the Seinfeld episode, see The Puerto Rican Day.
The Puerto Rican Day Parade (also known as the National Puerto Rican Day Parade) is a nationally televised parade that takes place yearly on Fifth Avenue in New York City. The parade, which is always held on the second Sunday in June honors the 7 million plus Puerto Ricans on the island itself and on the U.S. Mainland. In 2006 over 80,000 people marched and more than 2 million lined the parade route. The parade is always attended by many Puerto Rican celebrities and all major New York politicians. Many Hip-Hop artists frequently perform at the parade, even if the are not Puerto Rican. P-Diddy, Busta Rhymes, Little Jon, Pit Bull, Sean Paul, Beenie Man, Fat Joe, Ja-Rule, Jim Jones and a host of others have performed at the parade in recent years.
The parade marches along Fifth Avenue from 44th Street to 86th Street and has grown to to become the largest parade and the second largest event in New York City. With close to 3 million spectators annually it is one of the largest parades in the country and is only surpassed by the West Indian-American Day Carnival and Parade which is held on Labor Day in Brooklyn, New York.
Puerto Ricans are the second largest Latino/Hispanic group in the U.S. behind Mexicans, and make up 9% of the total according to the 2000 census. Puerto Ricans are United States citizens by birth and can travel freely between the mainland United States and Puerto Rico.
History
The first Puerto Rican Day parade was held on Sunday, April 12, 1958 in Manhattan, replacing the former Hispanic Day Parade. In 1995, the parade became incorporated as The National Puerto Rican Day Parade and expanded beyond the parade itself. The National Puerto Rican Day parade now hosts over 7 major events throught New York City. There are dozens of other events that also take place the weekend of the parade that are not sponsored by the National Parade corporation. In addition to the main New York Parade there are currently over 50 smaller parades that take place across the United States.
The parade attracts many New York politicians, including mayor Michael Bloomberg. In recent years, the parade has honored several Puerto Rican celebrities by naming them "International Grand Marshal" of the parade; this has been awarded to Big Pun, Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony.
Incidents
In 2000, the parades were marred by numerous incidents of sexual assault and violence. Roughly 50 women reported being doused with water, stripped and groped by roving packs of drunken men in New York's Central Park. Using an amateur handheld video of one such event, police arrested 18 men, who all eventually pled guilty or were convicted. Several of the victims sued the city itself, claiming that the police force did not do enough to crack down on public drunkenness during the parade, and even alleged that police officers saw the roving packs and did nothing about them. An official police inquiry later found that two officers on duty had disregarded complaining victims, and five superior officers had failed to properly deploy their officers.
In recent years, possibly in reaction to the violent actions witnessed in past parades, many residents and shopkeepers in Manhattan's Upper East Side have taken to erecting temporary fences around their property and boarding up their windows. Several prominent members of the Latin American community, as well as Mayor Bloomberg himself have denounced this practice as racist, although many residence owners maintain that it is simply because of the volume of traffic generated by the parade.
In 2005, over 120 members of the Latin Kings gang were arrested with weapons at the parade. While breaking up a brawl about a block away from the end of the parade route, a police officer on duty was stabbed, but not fatally.
The Puerto Rican Day parade in pop culture
- The Seinfeld episode "The Puerto Rican Day" depicted the regular cast's routine interrupted by the traffic disruptions related to the parade. However due to the fact that during the show Kramer accidentally burns a Puerto Rican flag, and several Puerto Ricans are depicted with negative stereotypes, the episode has been banned from syndication.
- The Law & Order episode "Sunday in the Park with Jorge" was inspired by the violent assaults that occurred during the 2000 Puerto Rican Day parade in the park. Since the initial episode's airing, NBC has stated that it will not repeat the episode in syndication.
References
- Another man arrested in connection with Central Park attacks from CNN on June 18, 2000.
- Wolf Howls As NBC Yanks "Law & Order" Episode accessed from E! Online on January 26, 2001.
- Plywood Up, Fifth Avenue Awaits a Parade from New York Times on June 8, 2003.
- Parade marred by knifing, 175 busts from New York Daily News on June 13, 2005.
- Woman Settles Suit Against NYC Over Sexual Abuse at 2000 Puerto Rican Day Parade from New York Lawyer on March 16, 2006.
- Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony Add Hollywood Glamor to New York City's Puerto Rican Day Parade from ABC News on June 11, 2006