Yesterday, I got to march down 5th ave in the National Puerto Rican Day Parade 🇵🇷 for the liberation of Puerto Rico and Palestine 🇵🇸
We were nothing but peaceful, loud, and unapologetic. THAT was enough to make the NYPD uncomfortable.
NYPD began barricading us off from the crowd, used mass numbers to intimidate us, held zip ties in hand like we were criminals, and forced us off the parade route. All of this, because we dared to speak truth.
NYPD created a barrier before us, they didn’t want the crowd to see our signs. They didn’t want anyone to hear our chants.
To our people, this tale of yesterday? it isn’t anything new.
This is the same suppression our people faced during the Ponce Massacre, when Boricuas were murdered for waving our flag and demanding freedom. Same. Same fear of our power.
What happened yesterday proves that this parade isn’t about honoring Puerto Rican pride, it’s about controlling the narrative. We are not here to be palatable. We are here to be free.
¡Que viva Puerto Rico libre y Palestina libre!
