Puerto Rican Day Parade Shines Light On Heritage, Post-Hurricane Struggle

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A little gloomy weather didn't put a damper on the Puerto Rican pride on display Sunday.

Up to a million people lined the route along Fifth Avenue to celebrate the National Puerto Rican Parade.

The parade turned into its usual boisterous celebration Sunday, but many participants also saw it as an occasion to express their more somber concerns over the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria.

Feeling the rhythm and bursting with Puerto Rican pride, proud people who have made a profound impact on New York fired up their annual takeover of Fifth Avenue.

"It's a wonderful mood! I just love everything Puerto Rican," one parade-goer told CBS2's Tony Aiello.

Every imaginable expression of love for the island was on display: The island's flag was plastered on umbrellas, earrings, purses, arm sleeves and pant legs. It was shaved into one man's haircut.

"I love it! It's my first time here, I love it," another parade-goer said.

This year, there were somber reminders of the death toll from Hurricane Maria, and angry words for Congress and the Trump administration over recovery efforts.

Remembering those still struggling in Puerto Rico "makes today important but it also makes it bittersweet," said Nora Ortiz.

Ortiz, 53, of Brooklyn, and other parade-goers voiced frustration over what they said was an under-reporting of the death toll in Puerto Rico and a tepid emergency response by the administration of President Donald Trump.

"There was a total disrespect and disregard by the federal government," said Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Others say governments in Puerto Rico share the blame.

"There's been a lot of corruption. A lot of unequal treatment," said parade-goer Carmen Cruz.

Along the parade route in the heart of Manhattan, people carried signs with tributes like "New York Stands with Puerto Rico," ''You will not be forgotten" and "Decolonize Puerto Rico."

Con Ed crews got a warm welcome at the parade: The utility sent hundreds of workers to the island to help restore power.

"We'd show up in their neighborhoods to put lights back on. Very helpful, happy to see us, cooking us food. Really a great experience," said Con Ed worker Tony Barrett.

This year saw a significant increase of city workers marching in the parade. Thousands boycotted last year, because the parade honored Oscar Lopez Rivera, who led a group that planted bombs in New York while fighting for Puerto Rican independence.

This Sunday, NYPD Commissioner James O'Neill returned, along with the police and fire department Hispanic societies.

It was a day to celebrate all the ways Puerto Ricans have made their mark in New York.

In addition to the incredible floats and costumes floating through Manhattan, the parade honored CBS News' David Begnaud for his coverage of the hurricane and its aftermath.

Almost 8,000 customers remain without power, and Begnaud reports it may be two more months before they get it back.

"This is a year where Puerto Rico has been devastated," said Louis Maldonado, chairman of the board that oversees the parade and its affiliated events. "We need to keep that part of the conversation."

A recent study from Harvard University estimated there were up to 4,600 more deaths than usual in the three months after Hurricane Maria, although some independent experts questioned the methods and the number in that study. The official federal death toll is at 64.

"We're part of the United States. We are Americans, and I think that I came to represent the fact that no one wants to admit that almost 5,000 lives were lost in Hurricane Maria," Ortiz said.

Julio Pabon led a group of demonstrators who chanted "Respect Puerto Rico" as it passed Trump Tower. They also waved flags in the direction of the luxury high-rise.

"Maria unmasked that we are a colony," said Pabon, 66, of the Bronx. "I'm just tired of the way my island has been treated."

Cuomo and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, both Democrats, were among the dignitaries on hand for the event. Cuomo has been an outspoken proponent of the need to help Puerto Rico after the September storm.

Also on hand was a marching contingent made up of people who are on the U.S. mainland only because they were displaced from their homes on the island.

Before the parade, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. had said it needed to take a political tone. He and the group he was marching planned to be in black T-shirts that reflect the Harvard study's estimate of the dead.

"It would be a missed opportunity this Sunday ... if we don't show an act of solidarity, an act of protest, an act of defiance," he said, "to let the world know we still have a president and Congress that still has not done right by 3.5 million Americans."

(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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• Marc Liverman