And already on their website they are bragging how much nicer the celebration was this year over last year. Instead of just shutting it down altogether...oh rite, that would be racist...
Windows of police car, bank broken in Roseland
Rocks, concrete thrown at police; officers fire rubber bullets, gas
Friday, May 6, 2005
By MARY CALLAHAN,
DEREK J. MOORE
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Santa Rosa's Cinco de Mayo street celebrations erupted in violence once again Thursday despite a show of force by police, who used rubber bullets, pepper spray and smoke grenades to disperse disorderly crowds.
The clashes in the Roseland neighborhood mirrored events last year, when surging crowds on Sebastopol Road broke windows and pelted cars with rocks.
On Thursday, a Santa Rosa police sergeant, clad in a helmet for protection, was struck in the head with a chunk of concrete but wasn't hurt, authorities said.
The rear window of a police car was smashed and so were several windows at an Exchange Bank branch on Sebastopol Road, authorities said.
As many as 1,000 people turned out for what has become an annual rite: cars cruising up and down Mendocino Avenue and Sebastopol Road, many displaying Mexican flags, while crowds gather alongside.
The largest crowds were in Roseland, where for the third straight year people clashed with police and sheriff's deputies when revelry was replaced by violence after dark.
For at least the second straight year, police reported no arrests by late Thursday night.
The impromptu cruising and street celebrations have been marked by an increasing police presence since 2002, when five people were injured in gang clashes on Mendocino Avenue.
Although there hasn't been a repeat of the gang violence, vandals smashed windows at eight Roseland businesses last year. Authorities urged businesses to close early this year.
Santa Rosa, Petaluma and Sebastopol police, the Sonoma County Sheriff's Department and county probation personnel were among about 150 law enforcement officers assigned to maintain order.
Crowds were noticeably smaller on Mendocino Avenue, where police cleared a group of young men with American flags who were watching from a parking lot near Steele Lane the passing parade of cars marking Mexico's victory over the French in the Battle of Puebla in 1862.
The large show of force and a zero tolerance approach, in which dozens of motorists were stopped and many cited for minor infractions, appeared to contribute to tensions in the crowd as the evening wore on.
"I'm here to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. It's the only day that our people can get together," said one frustrated reveler, Adan Hernandez, 25, of Santa Rosa. "They take our cars. They don't give us licenses. They don't give us any respect."
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Roseland, the highest rate of teenage pregnancy in the state.
West Ave, where some years ago I used to visit families of jailed gang members and they would point out to me the bullet holes in the walls.
And yea, they take you car when you don't have a license and insurance and yea, you have to earn respect. Hows about going home and come here through legal means, huh?
Oh and also, your "people" get together every day on the street corners looking for some taxfree money...
Crowds were noticeably smaller on Mendocino Avenue, where police cleared a group of young men with American flags who were watching from a parking lot near Steele Lane the passing parade of cars marking Mexico's victory over the French in the Battle of Puebla in 1862.
Yea, lets clear out the patriots...don't want to ruin the fun in good ol' FauxMexico of Norte Califis...
Oh and let's not forget this picture...
VIVA LA INSURGENCY POR LA SURENYO!