Violence may take Cinco de Mayo parade out of Detroit

**John** · May-06-09, 06:43 AM

Detroit -- The city's annual Cinco de Mayo parade, an 83-year mainstay, likely will be moved to the suburbs because of violence that broke out at Sunday's event, organizers said.
The Mexican Patriotic Committee has staged the two-mile parade from Patton Park to Clark Park on West Vernor in southwestern Detroit, but a fight that broke up the parade briefly Sunday, along with a fatal shooting two blocks south of the parade route, has organizers making plans to move the event out of the city, committee co-president Belda Garza said.

http://www.detnews.com/article/20090...358/1408/local

detmich · May-06-09, 06:45 AM

Originally Posted by John

Detroit -- The city's annual Cinco de Mayo parade, an 83-year mainstay, likely will be moved to the suburbs because of violence that broke out at Sunday's event, organizers said.
The Mexican Patriotic Committee has staged the two-mile parade from Patton Park to Clark Park on West Vernor in southwestern Detroit, but a fight that broke up the parade briefly Sunday, along with a fatal shooting two blocks south of the parade route, has organizers making plans to move the event out of the city, committee co-president Belda Garza said.

http://www.detnews.com/article/20090...358/1408/local

Why do they hate Detroit? This happens in every city.

**Lloyd** · May-06-09, 06:54 AM

Originally Posted by detmich

Why do they hate Detroit? This happens in every city.

Are you freaking kidding me? Travel some, this does NOT happen in every city. Face it, the city can't even successfully stage positive upbeat events anymore. Detroit is dead. Let nature finish the reclimation she has started.

gravitymachine · May-06-09, 07:10 AM

detroit rises!

i can't wait to move

**R8RBOB** · May-06-09, 07:21 AM

Originally Posted by Lloyd

Are you freaking kidding me? Travel some, this does NOT happen in every city. Face it, the city can't even successfully stage positive upbeat events anymore. Detroit is dead. Let nature finish the reclimation she has started.

Dude, stop hating. You should pay a visit to San Jose during Cinco de Mayo. Detroit's lovetap is lame compared to the multiple fights that breaks out during their celebrations and they have more Latin gangs than we do.

**DetroitPlanner** · May-06-09, 07:26 AM

Do they honestly think that moving will solve anything? Most suburban police forces are much smaller than Detroit's and less able to handle large crowds. What you are seeing is the result of major cutbacks in police services, and the suburban police forces are just as cut-back as Detroit.

Personally I think the drinking at these events has gotten way out of hand because of the lack of police presence.

**Todd_Scott** · May-06-09, 07:31 AM

My girlfriend and I had a great time at Cinco de Mayo this year. I have zero interest attending if it were outside of Southwest Detroit.

**R8RBOB** · May-06-09, 07:35 AM

To quote the wise and noble Obi-Wan Kenobi: " you must do what you feel is right of course."

Or......

to quote "superhuman" Soviet heavyweight boxer Ivan Drago: "if he dies, he dies."

C'mon, this is the southwest side. There has been gangs in the area for decades. Decades and if you read this story, you would leave thinking that this is the first time these organizers heard of gang activity within their community. Why would Dearborn or Wyandotte would want the parade if their community is not infused with a Mexican population? This is why the parade is held in southwest Detroit, not northwest Detroit.

Retroit · May-06-09, 07:37 AM

What better way to commemorate a war than a little fighting and shooting?

**Huggybear** · May-06-09, 07:40 AM

Hmm... what suburb is going to want to host a parade that had a brawl and a shooting?

**R8RBOB** · May-06-09, 07:56 AM

Originally Posted by Huggybear

Hmm... what suburb is going to want to host a parade that had a brawl and a shooting?

To be honest Detroit shouldn't have to host a parade that had a brawl and a shooting. I'm one of those people who isn't ready to put a suburban community on a pedestal. When I read this article, it screamed the following: There are rebel elements in the community, we need more police.

If they wanted to move the parade out of fear of violence, it would be moved and that would be that. No suggestion as to where to move it because a deal would be already made. This story is for Detroit government to have more police out in force next year.

**pffft** · May-06-09, 09:13 AM

The organizers are nutty. Do they really think the gangs won't follow the parade to this unnamed suburb that supposedly will host it?

**BShea** · May-06-09, 09:22 AM

Hmm... what suburb is going to want to host a parade that had a brawl and a shooting?

Highland Park?

detmich · May-06-09, 09:22 AM

Originally Posted by Huggybear

Hmm... what suburb is going to want to host a parade that had a brawl and a shooting?

And all those brown people?

**kraig** · May-06-09, 09:48 AM

The parade's not going anywhere. The thing that makes the parade and the whole weekend celebration such a success is due to the amount of people that live in the area that are participating in the event. There's no other place in Michigan like Southwest Detroit. You'd have better luck drowning the ocean than finding another area in Michigan that could provide you with the same vibe that you get in the Southwest area, it's not just an event, it's life.

crawford · May-06-09, 10:08 AM

Considering that so many SW Mexicans are moving to Lincoln Park and Melvindale, I would assume that these would be the most logical new locations.

20 years from now, these two communities will be majority Latino, IMO.

**raptor56** · May-06-09, 10:29 AM

Grand Rapids and Holland Michigan are seeing significant increases in Mexican and Hispanic populations. Maybe they can move the parade to the west side.
http://www.wzzm13.com/news/news_arti...?storyid=59544

**Norwalk** · May-06-09, 10:32 AM

Well kraig my beloved Hamtramck comes to mind

**Russix** · May-06-09, 11:05 AM

Do you think moving an official parade is going stop the regular parade in SW from happening?

**digitalvision** · May-06-09, 11:28 AM

Okay Mayor Bing, here's your first test. :-) Keep it in the city - and improve the police and safety situation around it to make it happen.

**President Sekou** · May-06-09, 11:55 AM

Well I went down there last night and had a good time. I dont know if something went down or not but about midnight the Southwest side turned into a police state just as it was starting to live down there. If they patrol the parade like they did last night next year it should be safe because you couldnt breathe down there without a cop in your face, which was a good thing.

**kraig** · May-06-09, 12:25 PM

Originally Posted by Norwalk

Well kraig my beloved Hamtramck comes to mind

I love Hamtramck too, bring back Around the Corner Pizza. But, Hamtramck, for the Cinco de Mayo parade, hell naw. It's not about just having a street to march down. It's about being surrounded by the culture when you walk down the street. I can walk or drive down the street that the parade was on and feel the vibe of the culture everyday. You can't get that in Hamtramck or any other area around here.

**R8RBOB** · May-06-09, 12:43 PM

After reading this story about moving a parade that the majority of Detroit residents could care less about and reading about the Auto Show possible move to Novi, I am starting to wonder if the Detroit media is following the playbook of the Baltimore Sun in season 5 of The Wire. These stories are starting to look so made up just to create buzz.

The media have decided that the only news worthy stories that can create buzz is the stories that talk about something leaving Detroit as if Detroit has turned into a toxic wasteland.