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José Luis Rodríguez

In the early evening of Friday, May 1, amidst a cool spring breeze, West Town Bikes made its ground-breaking move to Paseo Boricua by launching Ciclo Urbano, a new retail endeavor and youth program in partnership with the Puerto Rican Cultural Center – Juan Antonio Corretjer and the Division Street Business Development Association (DSBDA). Hundreds of people participated in a procession from West Town Bikes previous location on North Avenue to its new home on the southeast corner of Division and Campbell.

The procession, which was led by the marching band Mucca Pazza and comprised of community residents, both young and old, some on bikes, others walking carrying banners and waving Puerto Rican flags, made its way south down Campbell Street to yet another gathering of community residents anxiously awaiting the parade. Samuel Vega, of the Batey Urbano Collective, served as the DJ, mixing Puerto Rican rhythms welcoming the new business to Paseo Boricua.

There was a short program with Reverend Freddy Santiago of Rebaño Church leading the invocation. Speakers included Marisol Morales, Associate Director of the Stean Center at DePaul University; Eduardo Arocho, Executive Director of DSBDA; Alex Wilson, Executive Director of West Town Bikes and José E. López, Executive Director of the Puerto Rican Cultural Center. Each spoke on the importance of this new business to Paseo Boricua and the plans to launch new programs that focus on culture, health and wellness, community building, environmental responsibility, and affordable transportation alternatives.[/lang_en]

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Sonia Sotomayor, a Federal judge on the New York-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, born to Puerto Rican parents in the Bronx, is among the top candidates under consideration for the vacancy in the US Supreme Court.

Sotomayor, who will turn 55 next month, became the first Puerto Rican woman to serve as a U.S. Circuit Court, studied at Princeton and earned her law degree from Yale in 1979. She began her career as an assistant district attorney, trying a wide range of criminal cases under longtime district attorney Robert Morgenthau. She entered private practice in 1984, and a supervisor there recommended six years later that she apply for a vacated federal seat.

President George Bush nominated Sotomayor in 1991 for the U.S. District Court, and she was confirmed the following year. In March 1995, her injunction against replacement players helped end the Major League Baseball strike. Two years later, President Clinton nominated her to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit, the seat she would vacate if she were to be nominated and confirmed to replace Souter.[/lang_en]

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State Representative Cynthia Soto to introduce the measure to place moratorium on CPS school closing. If approved, new standards would be developed to regulate how buildings in the district are used and when schools should be closed.

Soto says the process for identifying schools for closure in the Chicago public school system has not been applied fairly and consistently.

“So you are hearing from my constituents. They want a moratorium now and that’s what this bill will do. There is going to be a process…and we are going to be investigating how the old process works,” said State Rep. Cynthia Soto, (D) Chicago.[/lang_en]

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During a hearing convened by the Illinois House of Representatives Mass Transit Committee, State Representative Luis Arroyo (3rd Dist.) challenged the CTA on Latino representation in relationship to the agency’s contracting and workforce practices. On Monday, Feb. 23, the main issue he addressed was based on a recent article in the Sun-Times, which noted outrageous bonuses for top executives at the CTA. Rep. Arroyo responded in a letter to the editor that big bonuses was not the reason the Mass Transit Agency were given a major bailout package last year. Additionally, he noticed that none of the forty top CTA executives were Latinos. He stated: “there appears not to be a single Latino worthy of making decision at the CTA.”[/lang_en]

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This year La Voz del
Paseo Boricua celebrates its 5th anniversary. Join the celebration! Take out an ad in La Voz. In honor of this special occasion and in light of these difficult economic times, we are slashing our advertisement prices for small, local businesses and entrepreneurs. For the entire year of 2009, we will offer our lowest prices ever and for a one-month special, we will cut our prices even lower in the month of April, in conjunction with our fifth anniversary celebration to be held on Saturday,
April 25, 2009

5th Anniversary
Yearly Rate 2009
Full Page – $399
Half Page – $229
Quarter Page – $119
Eighth page – $75

Extra Special
April 2009 Rate
Full Page – $349
Half Page – $189
Quarter Page – $99
Eighth page – $59

LA VOZ 5TH ANNIVERSARY DINNER/RECEPTION
Sat. April 25, 2009
(More details next month!)

Platinum Sponsor  $2,500
• Public acknowledgment during the event
• Banner placement (organization must supply banner)
• Display space at the event • 8 tickets
• Full page ad in program booklet • Full page ad in community newspaper (La Voz del Paseo Boricua)

Gold Sponsor $2,000
• Public acknowledgment during the event
• Banner placement (organization must supply banner)
• Display space at the event • 6 tickets to the event
• ½ page ad in program booklet • ½ page ad in community newspaper
(La Voz del Paseo Boricua)

Silver Sponsor $1,500
• Public acknowledgment during the event
• 4 tickets to the event • ¼ page ad in program booklet
• ¼ page ad in community newspaper (La Voz del Paseo Boricua)

Bronze Sponsor $1000
• Public acknowledgment during the event • 2 tickets to the event
• 1/8 page ad in program booklet • 1/8 page ad in community newspaper (La Voz del Paseo Boricua)

For info: 773-227-7794[/lang_en]

[lang_en]On Three Kings Day (January 6), Senator William “Willie” Delgado will open his office on Paseo Boricua (2708 W. Division St.). This important development will facilitate the community’s access to the State Senate and State Government. Since his election to the Senate, Delgado has wanted a more direct linkage to his old constituents, people he originally represented as State Representative.

He clearly understands the importance of connecting the people directly to government – a practice which has always distinguished him. In connection with this move Delgado states, “For me it is an honor to be on Paseo Boricua – between the two flags. I hope to share with the community and, in particular, with the temple – The Puerto Rican Cultural Center Juan Antonio Corretjer. And, thus, to help to continue promoting our culture and raising our flag high. This will allow me to be among the businesses, neighbors and agencies more intimately. I hope to serve as your legislator.”

La Voz del Paseo Boricua warmly welcomes our Senator to Paseo Boricua. Senator Delgado now joins our other extremely committed  elected officials like Commissioner Roberto Maldonado, State Representative Cynthia Soto and Alderman Billy Ocasio who have made Division St. their place of work.[/lang_en]

For the past two years, May 1st has been the day that thousands of people demand the rights of undocumented immigrants in the U.S. This May 1st, nearly 20,000 marched from Union Park to Downtown Chicago. Over 250 Puerto Ricans, including many youth from Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos High School, marched from Humboldt Park. The fleeter march began with a press conference at Adalberto Methodist Church on Paseo Boricua where undocumented mother Flor Crisostomo is in sanctuary.

“No, I hate it. The white people are coming in and it’s getting too expensive to live here.” That is a common response amongst the Humboldt Park community when asked about gentrification, and how it is affecting the community.

The reason many long-time Puerto Rican residents feel resentment toward the white population moving in is because they don’t want to succumb to change and they want to preserve their culture within Humboldt Park. Rafael González, 30, who used to live in Humboldt Park, refers to it as “Little Puerto Rico.” For years the community has worked towards establishing a strong Puerto Rican presence. The fact that condominiums are being built here, slowly flushing out the Puerto Rican residents, is upsetting. Property taxes are rising and the cost of living here is becoming unaffordable.

However, for some the effects of gentrification are not all negative. Some people living in the community are happy to see it improving. They want to see the community thrive and prosper and are happy to see the betterment of its conditions. Residents also like to see gangs being pushed out of the Humboldt Park community, making the streets safer and more comfortable to them.

While some see the effects of gentrification improving the community, residents are unhappy to see the preservation of the Puerto Rican culture sacrificed in order to do so. It all depends on a person’s beliefs and needs. If someone feels threatened walking down the street, then seeing gangs pushed out of the community will be their main priority. Although, that person or group out on the street may not feel threatened, and want to see their friends and family remain in the community.

In order to counteract gentrification, Puerto Ricans and other longtime residents have united in order to ensure that the same would not happen in Humboldt Park that has happened in the Lincoln Park and Wicker Park communities. The Humboldt Park Empowerment Partnership was created out of concern for the Puerto Rican residents being forced to move out due to unaffordable housing and previous attacks on service organizations. As described on their website, in order to stop gentrification, the Humboldt Park Empowerment Zone Strategic Plan was founded in 1996 to uphold the character of the community through programs dealing with cultural traditions, business, and housing.

Whether we like to admit it or not, gentrification is becoming prevalent in the Humboldt Park community. It is up to the community’s residents to ensure that gentrification is stopped, or a peaceful medium is found where the residents can still retain their cultural roots with a condominium here and there.

“Flags of Steel,” a documentary film by Mildred Amador, recently premiered before a packed audience of community leaders, elected officials, Humboldt Park residents, and high school students. For example, Pastor Pedro Windsor of the Capilla del Barrio brought his whole family.

In the film, important Puerto Rican community history is showcased. Pastor Windsor remarked, “This film is a celebration of the history in Humboldt Park. It takes you on a journey and shows you the struggle and the fruit that was born of that struggle.”

The film shows many scenes from the history of Humboldt Park, including the Three Kings parade and the construction of the Paseo Boricua flags on Division Street. “The film showed me that we should be proud of our contribution to our community and our city,” he commented. José Lopez, Ald. Billy Ocasio, Rep. Luis Gutiérrez, and other early community residents were shown in the film. News articles and documents were also included.

The most important aspect of the film is its coverage of the struggles of the community. Chris Pérez, a BACCA program student, commented, “The effort that people put into making the flags really showed their dedication to the cause.” Batey Urbano member, Cindy Maldonado pointed out, “This film is important because it relates the reason why they put the flags up. They wanted to make sure that people knew that this was a Puerto Rican neighborhood and that we’re never going to leave.” Pastor Windsor agreed, saying, “The whole film was a historical stream. It told the whole story of our community…”
Xavier Luis Burgos, Outreach Coordinator of the Humboldt Park No Se Vende! campaign, remarked, “This film was selected for viewing because it is about the community, and our community leaders want us to remember our history.” Chris Pérez noted, “Humboldt Park is where the flags are located and for that reason people appreciate the movie more.” This film is about us, and it is important to us. Cindy Maldonado commented, “They were trying to educate people on how the history of Humboldt Park began and educate the people in Humboldt Park about their own history.”

Pastor Pedro said that when he viewed the film, “This is a story of Humboldt Park, past, present, and future. I felt good being who I am in Humboldt Park and seeing how God blessed Humboldt Park.”

Ketty Burgos The Division Street Business Development Association (DSBDA) hosted its 3rd Annual Paseo Boricua Awards Ceremony. The event honors those businesses and individuals that have exemplified commitment and dedication towards the Paseo Boricua community. DSBDA’s Award Ceremony typically takes place in November of every year. However, due to financial constraints in 2007, it was postponed until this past 27th of March, 2008. It was a spectacular event for the Paseo Boricua Community. Over 200 attendees joined DSBDA for a night of celebration, recognizing those who have gone above and beyond to enhance Paseo Boricua and the Humboldt Park Community. This event will shine a light on examples of community building with the 2007 Ambassador of the Year awardee Efrain Vargas, Humboldt Construction General Manager and Bickerdike’s developer of La Estancia Apartments located on sites along Division Street-most prominently on the corner of California & Division. The 2007 Corporate Partner of the Year was awarded to Comcast for sponsorship and media support of DSBDA and Paseo Boricua events throughout the year. Lastly, but not least, the highly coveted 2007 Entrepreneur of the Year Award was presented to the Espinoza and Muñiz family, owners of Café Colao and Nellie’s Restaurant located in the heart of Paseo Boricua. It was a wonderful evening of fun, dinner, music and networking. Join us for the upcoming 4th Annual Paseo Boricua Award Awards presentation coming this November! For more information on DSBDA (2459 W. Division St.) call 773-782-0454.