Originally published at City Limits’s Bronx Bureau site: By Ed Morales The Democratic Party primary held on June 24th for the 13th Congressional District was a contentious one, pitting the Dominican-born challenger Adriano Espaillat against Harlem’s native son, incumbent Charles Rangel, for the second time in two years, and the political fallout was predictably intense […]
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Charles Rangel and El Nuevo New York Politics
“Hablemos dos puertorriqueños aquí apoyando a Charlie Rangel,” said Luis Gutiérrez, standing with fellow US Representative José Serrano as they entered a press conference to announce their support for the ageless Rangel, who is facing a serious challenge to his Congressional seat in an upcoming June 24 Democratic Primary. The symbolism was palpable: two Puerto […]
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South Bronx Demands Respect
Yesterday was a beautiful spring day in the Bronx, and I spent part of it with South Bronx Unite, a group that has lead the pushback against the relocation of Fresh Direct from Queens to a public waterfront in the Port Morris section of the Bronx. About 100 people were there, singing and chanting to […]
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Spike Lee Said the Right Thing
Spike Lee’s now-famous rant against gentrification is a mixed blessing. As an extremely high profile New York voice, Lee commands headlines and brings even more visibility to an increasingly hot topic. But his unfortunate characterization as a racial lightning rod, as well as the contradictions raised by his own profiting from the New York real […]
Read moreWorst Case Scenario
I’m starting to get bummed out here. Too many good people are dying. The Knicks are terrible. The weather is deteriorating into some Blade Runner perpetual thunderstorm shit. Polar vortexting, tweeting, and Instagramming in a vacuum, searching for meaning. Puerto Rico is a sinking ship but now that the New York State Attorney General has […]
Read more“It’s Politics, That’s Life”
From the New York Daily News this morning, a quote from City Councilwoman Rosie Méndez, who made the mistake of being too late to support the candidacy of the new City Council Speaker and was not rewarded with a plum committee assignment and lulu. “It’s politics,” said Méndez. “That’s life.” I imagine this is true but it […]
Read moreOur Long National Nightmare Is Over
My fellow Boricuas, our long national nightmare is over. No longer do we have to be inundated by daily tidal waves of tales of Chickengate, Low to Moderate Income Townhouse-gate, Casabe Houses-gate, even Jewish Nursing Home on the Upper West Side Rezoning-gate. No longer do we have to live without ever having seen a Latin@ […]
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