Puerto Ricans in Paterson: Exercising Power?

As the Paterson, New Jersey, Puerto Rican parade celebrated its 44th National Flag Raising Ceremony Aug.20, a growing community that oscillates between glory days and clouds on the horizon has become a prime example of the Hispanic empowerment in the city.

Puerto Rican elected officials have never had more political influence in Paterson, boasting the mayor, José “Joey” Torres, and two council members of Puerto Rican origin, Luis Vélez and Maritza Dávila.

Mayor Torres, born in Paterson of Boricua parents, is having a rough third term – two of them consecutive – saddled by the city’s economic crisis, unwelcome property tax hikes, and a looming scandal: an investigation on the use of municipal staff in his home.

Maritza Dávila, of Puerto Rican and Peruvian parents, was elected in 2014 for a four-year term as Councilwoman At-Large, thanks to the Puerto Rican, Peruvian and part of the African-American vote. She stands out for her leadership and strength of character.

This year saw the election of councilman Luis Vélez, who defeated Dominican Wendy Martínez in the Fifth Ward, considered “a Dominican neighborhood.”

Vélez, born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, arrived in New York when he was seven, and has done community work for two decades.

His only regret is that the Boricua community “in spite of being a voting force, is stalled and is not involved in the civic process,” says Vélez. “I think we need to do so in a more enjoyable manner, so it can be a factor for the empowerment of the Hispanic community again.”

All of this is happening in the midst of the demographic recovery of Paterson. According to Census estimates, in 2015 it reached 147,754, a 1% increase after the population fell by 3,000 residents, or 2%, between 2000 and 2010.

Councilman Vélez sees a “Boricua factor” in the former “Silk Capital” population growth, referring to the recent migration of Puerto Ricans fleeing the economic crisis in the island.

“I am seeing many Puerto Ricans arriving in Paterson; also in Newark, New York, as well as Miami. Keep an eye on them because many are professionals,” says Vélez.

But behind the Boricua growth there is also marginalization, tears, a fight for rights and, above all, a will to succeed.

Take the case of María Magda, member of the first two Puerto Rican families that settled in Paterson in the 1950s, and the first Puerto Rican elected city council member, under Mayor Pat Kramer Jr.’s administration, in 1967.

“I remember when I arrived here and looked for an apartment, I was told that they did not rent to pigs, referring to Hispanics, and I told my butcher: Look, I’m not going to buy here because they do not rent to pigs,” says María Magda with irony.

But she immediately took action in defending her rights and filed a complaint in the local congressman office. She was told “this cannot happen, this is illegal,” and after a series of administrative procedures, she got to settle in a Park Ave. apartment. Later on, she opened Magda’s Beauty Salon across the street.

Magda is remembered as a bastion for the Hispanic cause for all who lived through those times. According to Peruvian Guillermo Callegari, in 1967 the Peruvian flag was raised for the first time in Paterson thanks to her support.