by Ken Walker
Star Ledger: Newark comes to the rescue of Portugal Day Festival
April 22, 2008
“Newark comes to the rescue of Portugal Day Festival”:http://www.nj.com/starledger/stories/index.ssf?/base/news-4/1208838975176980.xml&coll=1
Organizers threatened to cancel the state’s largest ethnic festival due to lack of communication and support from Newark officials, but council members approved an ordinance last week that changed that.
Councilman Augusto Amador introduced the ordinance, which calls for organizers to pay an initial 20 percent of the total potential cost of the festival the first year, then 5 percent more toward police and sanitation expenses within 12 months.
I’m excited the festival is moving forward, but am just a little skeptical as to whether the organizers make good on the deal.
If it does not already have one, the City, perhaps in concert with the Newark Regional Business Partnership, needs to establish an office of small business and voluntary organizations to, among other things, train people like the organizers of this event in fundraising techniques. Plainly there are lots of businesses present in Newark that might want to help fund Portugal Day events, including the Portuguese airline TAP. But fundraising, like sales, is a specialized skill, so recruiting someone for that kind of effort might be a better way for the organizers of the street fair and parade to go, rather than have to force themselves to do something they are not suited to.
Craig, the organization that runs Portugal Day wants help but only on their terms. It is for that reason that many Ironbound businesses and Portuguese organizations have pulled their support. The Coutinhos have also been asked to disclose their financials year after year but have refused to do so. It’s no wonder that their financial backers have withdrawn. Am glad that the City of Newark is putting their feet to the fire but it remains to be seen, however, if the Coutinhos will live up to their promises.
Question. I am from Boston, and usually travel to Newark yearly with 100’s if not thousands of other Boston residents to Newark for the Portuguese parade. People here want to know. When and where is the festival going to be?
Will it be on Newark street like past years? Will it be as large as past years, or is the town restricting the parades perimters?
Can we expect the parade to be the same as past years? Different block with different music genres? Souveniers? BBQ stands? Open street Bars?
Answers would be great. I will be checkin in shortly.
THANKS A BUNCH for those who kept this Parade UP AND GOING!!
I meant Ferry St. Not Newark St.
Thanks
Dear Marcelo,
I would love to find out from you and the group about your lodging. I represent Newark Courtyard by Marriott.
I would like to give you our hotel information if you are interested in staying at our hotel.
It is 10 min from Ferry Street and located 5 min. outside the Newark Liberty International Airport. I can also get more infor on the parade.
Let me know.
Best regards,
Samantha Chong
I for one was happy when I was told the festival had been canceled not too long ago. Unfortunately, over the past few years it has no longer become the Portugal festival, but a conglomeration of other countries. The feast is now about Brazilians, Puerto Ricans, and any other Hispanic country that people feel the need to represent on another countries day. I’m deeply saddened by that, and the fact that people refuse to control themselves and resort to violence, or molestation. I used to enjoy going down to the feast and eating good Portuguese food, dancing to the music and having a good time with friends, but I haven’t been to the feast in two years because of the crude public display of drunkenness, the molestation of women on the streets, and the fighting. I for one can’t celebrate my countries proud day because of this. And from this article, it seems like this is going to go on for another year.
Regards,
Michael Silva
I agree that the festival along side the streets are more about other countries other than the one we are representing. I was also shocked to see last year so many vendors from south america selling flags, shirts, their typical foods. But what can you do? Me, no offense to any of that but I usually rush into Iberia and stay their all day long enjoying our portuguese music,frangos, sardinhas and sangria until it is time to leave! It would be sad to see them just stop the festivities being that this has been a tradition as far as most can remember. Hey you can always come down to South River NJ in September and celebrate portuguese traditions here!!
I do not know why every time I hear someone speak about the Portugal Day Festival, they have to bring up the “Puerto Ricans coming into Newark after their parade is over and ruining it.” Portuguese people are in such denial of the fact that it is not other cultures that are ruining the festivities of their culture, but their children and others who are so “proud” to be Portuguese that day, that they drink heavily, start fights, molest women, and embarrass the culture as a whole. The Portuguese culture as a whole needs to start looking within themselves before they blame other people for their problems.
Oh and i know this because I used to go over year (I stopped going a few years ago when I realized it was way too dangerous).
Hey Maria its Ro, i agree its not the people that come into the area thats stealing the clean up money, its the f**kn porkchops that run the feast that steal all the money and then leaves the area a disaster on Monday and then us taxpapers have to pay to clean it up.
Come on people. Refering to us as “f***ing porkchops” and you expect us to consider your reply intelligent on your part?! Quit blaming people for stuff that everyone is responsible for, not just one race or culture.. If everyone would just take more responsibility for themselves and the things they do we wouldn’t have a big mess on Monday, nor would there be any problems with stealing or violence or whatnot. You need to open your eyes and see what you’re saying isn’t all true. and not only Portuguese people get drunk at the festival.. EVERYONE does.. including Portuguese, Puerto Rican, black people, Asian people, Latin American people, purple people, red people, rainbow colored people, people from antartica.. EVERYBODY!! OPEN YOUR EYES.. stop being so narrowminded.. maybe if you stopped focusing your attention on blaming certain people, and focused it more on seeing our faults as a whole maybe we could make it a better weekend for EVERYONE to enjoy.. that’s the purpose of it anyway.. to have fun and enjoy yourself, not to be prejudice against certain cultures..
Joseph,
I know where you are coming from. I am 1 of those “younger” people, and it’s NOT always us younger people that start the violence or anything. NOBODY can blame the Ricans for anything. A LOT of people DRINK over their Limits & bump into someone hard and INSTEAD of Saying Sorry or Excuse me or ANYTHING, they turn around and look at you like it was YOUR FAULT they bumped into you!
Like last year, I was wearing flip flops to the feast (yea, big mistake), some Brazilian girl Steped on MY FOOT with her heels and then call me a B!tch!!! Like what the H3ll? I didnt do anything to her! She stepped on my foot Lol.. People Just get careless and that is what is bringing down the feast. TOO Many people drink and get Alcohol Muscles and swear they are invinsible and want to fight everyone.
THEN you ALSO get those older men whom get drunk and dance all rediculous and make a fool out of themselves but keep us “young-heads” entertained. Which is fine, they are enjoying the feast and so are we. If more people would be more respectful of each other than there wouldn’t be as many problems.
And Joseph to be completely honest, being called a Pork Chop isnt the end of the world! All of my friends are Portugese and they call each other Pork Chops. I know that the person’s comment FOLLOWING the porkchop name was uncalled for, but it’s true. A lot of Portugese people (and other nationalities) are so stuck up that they think that everyone else is the problem and not them. I have met MANYYY of them so BELIEVE ME I know!!
But to be honest you do NOT seem like one of them. And another thing, just arguing back and forth over a computer isnt getting anyone anywhere. Just creating more frustration for everyone.
yeah i know. it’s not the end of the world.. i’m also a younger person.. 19 to be exact. it’s just the way he said it.. i was just trying to prove the point that its not just one cultures fault.. it’s everyone.. i live and grew up in newark all my life, and thats just how the people are and i wouldnt have it any other way.. its just that it makes me mad that he specified all his hate towards ruining the feast to one culture when the problems are caused by EVERYONE.. thats all..
and idk about you but proving a point isn’t very stressful to me..
hmm.. maybe people will be more openminded when we finally have a black president (hopefully).. u never know..
-Joe
auewe! plenty pilikia about who doing what, ya? that’s why i am glad my ancesyors came to hawaii from azores and not a city.
Not to be mean or anything but it’s not just the Hispanics who come and want to represent their heritage in the Ironbound that causes the fights. The feast should be a time for every culture to get along no matter what racew or ethnicty they are. There was i time when there were nothing but Italians, Irish and polish that molded our city of Newark not the Portugese. I think some people need to check into the history of Newark to find out where our cities background came from. Today is National Purto Rican day and why can’t this culture represent their culture. It’s a NATIONAL HOLIDAY deal with it. Portugal Day is not. Sorry but I’m very upset that why are the Black people confined to one area. The hispanics re cnfined to North Newark. If they come into the Ironbound section everyone thinks they are the reason for all the fighting. The potugese are so close minded to the hispanic culture becuase it’s different. The other cultures enjoy the portugese food and festivities and don’t complain about it.
People need to grow up and learn to appreciate every culture there is not just their own. this is the U.S.A. we are a free country and we should all be able to show our culture without gewtting dictated for it.
I hear what everyone is saying, but I just feel that the Portuguese community must assimilate a little more, instead of living in their communities, blaming all other cultures for their problems. It is a running theme in the Newark area that Brazilians and South Americans are ruining the culture of the neighborhood. I am sure the Italians and Irish felt that way when the Portuguese moved in and they upped and left. As for being jealous that anyone is Portuguese? I do not know where that comes from. I am 100% Italian and proud, but I would never call anyone jealous of that, unless I felt inferior to other cultures. Some of the Portuguese community really needs to look within themselves and realize that they are not known too much outside of their communities because they do not assimilate and hold menial jobs because of that. All while thinking others are jealous of them.
FYI. I think, for the most part, the Portuguese community can be a great bunch of people, but I am simply stating an opinion, that I feel is valid.