NYPD rounds up hundreds at Puerto Rican Day Parade
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
By: Andre Feliz
Charged with illegal assembly
Three million people participated in New York’s annual Puerto Rican Day Parade on June 10. Celebrating the Puerto
Rican people’s accomplishments is necessary, but, at the parade, political context is left out completely. Corporate floats and signs dominated the day. All recognized the existence of Puerto Rico, but none raised Puerto Rico’s status as a U.S. colony or agitated for independence.
The celebratory atmosphere was dominated by the New York Police Department. The police were more hostile than usual. They blocked streets, made people walk for blocks unnecessarily and kept people from enjoying the parade.
The racist cops arrested 208 people at the parade, claiming most were "gang members" belonging to the Latin Kings. The majority of people arrested were charged with illegal assembly, a dubious charge for people assembled to watch a parade. College students and a uniformed postal worker were among those arrested.
Community organizations and individuals have denounced the arrests. The criminalization of oppressed youth, belonging to a colonized nation, is a particularly egregious crime of capitalism.
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