To the editor:
It is my sole intention to share my concerns about the bad conduct that has been manifested in recent years at the conclusion of the Puerto Rican Festival of Rochester, New York.
After the event has closed, a caravan of cars forms to drive through the streets of the city, causing a great disturbance, noise and disorder that greatly affect peace and public safety. This occurs in the late hours of the night. Those in the know would say it is a political caravan like those they hold in Puerto Rico.
After this passage through the streets, they align themselves in certain places where they continue the excessive noise and disturb the peace of others. They rouse themselves as if this disorder were entertainment.
It is because of this that the police units have had to mobilize rapidly, seeking to re-establish the necessary order. The police are responsible for this chore. Some people have been arrested for violations of the law.
These arrests outrage those involved, creating tensions and animosity among themselves and the police. They could avoid all of this if they wanted, since this type of caravan is not necessary and affects public safety. These types of caravan can no longer be considered as a cultural activity.
It is well known that the organizers of the festival and the Police Department will not be able to prevent these acts of rebelliousness since we live in a violent society in which we are losing basic values like respect for neighbors and for others’ property.
We also know that in the Puerto Rican community of Rochester, N.Y., we cannot count on internal mechanisms capable of intervening effectively to deal with these and other patterns of bad conduct that damage our quality of life. For now, the best we can do is to reject this improper conduct while publicly expressing our discontent.
Juan Padilla
Essex Street, Rochester
