A Singular Celebration of Diversity

The headline in La Opinion , the city’s biggest Spanish-language daily, said it all: L.A. Fiesta Broadway was a “ Gran exito .”

That means a success--but more than that, it means a smash! And that’s cause for celebration not just in the Latino community, which held the street fair for the Cinco de Mayo holiday, but all Los Angeles.

Half a million people showed up Sunday for the first street fair held in the downtown area since 1986--when the last Street Scene ended in rioting and arrests--and everything went fine. Los Angeles police made just five minor arrests at the fiesta. Not only is that an incredibly low number for such a large crowd, but the LAPD says it’s lower than the number of arrests made on Broadway, a very busy street, on an average Sunday!

Clearly, the organizers of L.A. Fiesta Broadway, the merchants’ group Miracle on Broadway and the Spanish-language television network Univision, knew what they were doing. They hired private security to augment the LAPD. They limited the sale of alcoholic beverages. Most important, they emphasized the family side of their fiesta, bringing in entertainment that appealed not just to teen-agers but to small children and their parents. When mom and dad are around, kids generally stay in line.

It’s fitting, in a way, that it was the Latino community that helped revive street fairs downtown. It’s where Mexican settlers first founded the city, and where millions of more recent arrivals from Latin America began their lives in this country. All around downtown, the Latino community continued to thrive even as the rest of Los Angeles sprawled from Ventura to San Clemente. And no serious analysis of this region’s success has failed to note the enormous contribution Latin American workers and culture have made.

For the record, Cinco de Mayo is not Mexico’s Independence Day. The holiday marks the victory of Mexican troops against the French Foreign Legion at Puebla in 1865. It has been adopted by Mexican-Americans as a springtime celebration, like Irish-Americans celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. On Sunday, it marked a small victory of sorts for everyone who wants to keep downtown Los Angeles vibrant and for the many people of goodwill who still believe this city can celebrate its diverse ethnic mix happily and peaceably.

Latino Population Growth in Latino population in Los Angeles County from 1080-88. 1980: 2,066,103 1988*: 3,051,594 *Latest available data Source: Census Bureau