North Oakland Now: Zero de Mayo
on May 5, 2009
Happy Cinco de Mayo! But not so happy for Oakland. I’m sure many of you found out that the usual Cinco de Mayo Fruitvale festivities were canceled this year. Why? Lack of funding for security.
The Asociacion de Comerciantes y Profesionales de Oakland sponsors the event each year and has to get permits and police protection from the Oakland Police Department. The celebration and parade were supposed to be held last Sunday but ACPO needed more time to fundraise.
“We are going to be moving the celebration and the parade to September 13 in honor of Mexican Independence Day,” said event coordinator Claudia Briones. This way they have more time to fundraise and also can have a big community celebration for Mexican Independence Day, which is a more relevant holiday than Cinco de Mayo. In Mexico, Cinco de Mayo is primarily celebrated in the state of Puebla to commemorate a battle the Mexican Army won against French forces in 1862.
The September 13 event will be similar to past Fruitvale Cinco de Mayo celebrations with a parade, music and vendors. All proceeds will go to youth programs and scholarships in Fruitvale.
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