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Not all parades in Philadelphia are treated equal

City officials and media react differently to "rowdy" parades in Philadelphia.

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A year after police brutality at the 2012 Puerto Rican Day Parade when Officer Jonathan Josey struck Aida Guzman to the ground, Philadelphia city officials held a press conference to address parade issues. Deputy Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel told press that the Philadelphia Police Department planned to increase its presence to maintain order and accountability. Mayor Nutter announced that, "if you act like a loquero, you're going to have a problem."

 

Following the conference, CBS Philly posted an article titled, "City Officials Plan for a Calmer, More Controlled Puerto Rican Day," calling the post-parade celebrations in the neighborhood "raucous and sometimes violent," failing to immediately point out that the viral violence of 2012 was police brutality.

When New Year's Day rolled around this year, the media and many police turned a blind eye to law breaking parade-goers. The Mummers Parade is one of the oldest folk festivals in the U.S. Tracing back to its Swedish, Finnish, Irish, English, German, and other European roots, the parade has now turned into an all-day public drinking festival. Disorderly, intoxicated people are allowed to roam the streets of South and Center City Philadelphia with open containers of alcohol.

Philadelphia police are currently investigating an alleged rape of a 16-year old girl during this year's Mummers Parade. At last year's parade, a  fight broke out in the street and was caught on video.

 

Despite law-breaking at the Mummer's Parade, city officials held no press conference. No media reports condemned the parade as a whole, or those who participate in it. Not all mummers are rowdy. Neither are all Puerto Ricans.

 

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