(Picture Tamara O. Alsace in Blue hat and Jacket)

By: Edwin Martinez

Last Friday our readers contacted Panorama Hispano News regarding concerns about Niagara Street not being ready for The Puerto Rican and Hispanic day Parade. In fact, a few of our 84,910 readers and followers on the web and social media submitted comments via the web and social media expressing their outrage and two submitted an article which we published word for word after verifying the concerns were in fact.

The Secretary of the Hispanic Heritage Council of WNY has attacked Panorama Hispano News for expressing the communities concerns and has requested a retraction of the story submitted by community members and readers of Panorama Hispano News.

Since we are a community newspapers, we feel that all sides should be heard and that our readers in Buffalo, Rochester, Dunkirk, Erie PA, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Dominican Republic and all over the United States should get accurate information.

Therefore, we will not retract the story but we will share information from all sides.

Below is a letter received from Tamara O. Alsace, PhD retired Director of Multilingual Services at Buffalo Public Schools.

To Whom It May Concern:

The “article” posted in panoramahispanonews.com at the webpage below can hardly be called a news article.  It is an embarrassing bunch of nonsense.

https://panoramahispanonews.com/wny/mundo-latino/outrage-cities-lack-preparedness-puerto-rican-hispanic-day-parade/

The misspellings and grammatical errors are shameful in a supposed news site, but more importantly the blatantly vicious attack on Mayor Brown, Hispanic community leader Casimiro Rodriguez, and the Hispanic Heritage Council of WNY, Inc., an organization of volunteers working hard for the betterment of the community is a disgrace.  The claims in this “article” are based on hearsay and can hardly be called journalism.  If these accusations were made, there was no attempt to investigate or hear the other side prior to publishing.

I know how hard Casimiro Rodriguez works on behalf of our community and it is thanks to his efforts, the HHC, and in collaboration with other organizations and leaders, that the Niagara Street corridor was named the Hispanic Heritage District by the Common Council.  Mayor Brown has been a staunch supporter of our community and was there marching in the parade alongside us on Saturday.  I did not see anything on the street that made it unsafe and this year’s parade was one of the best yet.  I heard only positive comments about it, but suppose that one can always find negativity when one seeks it.

This type of silly rhetoric is one of the main barriers to the progress of our community.  It is always easy to blame others for our lack of progress when we should look within and examine our own motives.  Many claim to care about the community but issue vague and misleading indictments for their own personal gain or political ambitions.  If we don’t start lifting each other up rather than trying to tear each other down, we will never realize the full potential of our Hispanic community.

As an officer of the Hispanic Heritage Council of Western New York, member of the Hispanic Community, and citizen of the City of Buffalo I am offended and appalled by this gossip and would like to see a retraction printed.

Sincerely,

Tamara O. Alsace, PhD

Secretary

Hispanic Heritage Council of Western New York, Inc.

c.c.

Mayor Byron Brown

Casimiro Rodriguez, President, Hispanic Heritage Council

Hispanic Heritage Council Executive Board

Crystal Rodriguez, Chief Diversity Officer

Yolanda Martinez-Rodriguez, President, Puerto Rican and Hispanic Day Parade

Arnold Zelman, Hispanic Heritage Council Attorney, Barclay Damon LLP