Cinco de Mayo In Sunnyside Requires Documentation For Parade Entrants, Vendors

Today, the 2010 Cinco de Mayo parade was held in Sunnyside.  It was a good parade, and drew a crowd of about eight people.  Then again, I am not so good at estimating crowd size.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Some people may have wanted to participate in the parade, but shockingly, documentation for entrants is required!  This means that there are rules prohibiting people from just showing up and marching in the parade without those in authority knowing who they are.  Furthermore, people must list information about who is marching with them, if they want their entry to be judged.  Why can’t people just show up, and march, and be given awards, just for being there?  Isn’t this a human rights violation?

If that situation is not bad enough, if a person (like an immigrant perhaps?) wants to be a vendor, and try to improve the economic conditions for their family, they have to pay fees between $200-$600.  This is in addition to getting the required documentation to be there!  It is simply outrageous that they expect to control who is going to be there, when some people just want to go to work.  They also don’t want vendors to sell illegal ( I prefer the term “undocumented” ) copies of movies and CD’s.  The people in charge don’t allow vendors selling laser pointers, plastic pellet guns, color hairspray, silly string, stink bombs, knives/swords of any type, or any offensive or illicit material as well.

If you doubt this, check out the Sunnyside Chamber of Commerce website that has parade entry and vendor application forms available for download.

The way that parade entrants and vendors are being treated, it is possible that it will attract the attention of political activists, who will demand economic boycotts of Sunnyside.  They will point out that these regulations are nothing more than a veiled form of racism, and that Sunnyside is full of hateful people.

If this happens, they will, of course, be wrong.  Just like the people calling for boycotts of Arizona are wrong.