16,
2015
Mr.
Bill
Holiber
CEO,
New
York
Daily
News
4
New
York
Plaza
#6
New
York,
NY
10004
Dear
Mr.
Holiber:
On
behalf
of
the
Parades
Board
of
Directors
and
the
Puerto
Rican
community,
I
am
writing
to
express
our
outrage
and
grave
concern
over
the
coverage
published
in
todays
New
York
Daily
News.
As
a
long-standing
Parade
partner,
my
fellow
Board
members
and
I
would
never
have
imagined
that
our
beloved
Parade,
arguably
one
of
the
worlds
largest
cultural
celebrations,
would
receive
such
distasteful
and
inaccurate
coverage
by
your
newspaper,
on
page
eight.
The
image
published
is
not
only
disrespectful
to
the
Puerto
Rican
culture,
as
it
shows
two
topless
women
in
g-strings,
it
is
misleading,
as
they
are
clearly
nowhere
near
the
Parade
route
but
in
Times
Square.
We
have
seen
them
there
before,
and
they
have
historically
solicited
payment
for
their
dress.
The
Board
and
the
community
at
large
are
deeply
offended
and
concerned,
as
this
mistake
is
a
gross,
overt
misrepresentation
of
the
Parade
and
it
serves
to
reinforce
negative
perceptions
about
the
Puerto
Rican
people
and
culture.
As
one
of
our
valued
media
partners,
who
received
a
prime
position
in
this
years
Parade
and
played
a
leading
role
in
several
of
our
events,
we
would
like
to
believe
that
the
New
York
Daily
News
does
not
view
the
Puerto
Rican
community
in
the
light
portrayed
on
page
eight.
For
that
reason,
we
demand
an
immediate,
front-page
apology
and
a
statement
that
clearly
communicates
these
ladies
were
not
participating
in
the
Parade
in
tomorrows
edition
of
New
York
Daily
News.
Furthermore,
we
expect
accurate
coverage
that
reflects
the
dignified,
respectful
and
positive
celebration
that
actually
took
place,
yesterday,
and
we
expect
that
your
company
take
the
necessary
measures
to
guarantee
this
type
of
error
will
never
happen
again.
This
affects
many
in
our
collective
community,
including
business
people,
community
organizations,
public
officials,
sponsors,
and
our
community
at
large.
They
are
expecting
this
apology
and
correction
or
follow
up
action
will
be
taken.
The
Parade
was
founded
as
a
result
of
the
unjust
discrimination,
prejudice
and
hatred
that
Puerto
Ricans
living
in
New
York
experienced
in
the
1950s.
At
the
time,
the
Parades
organizers
aimed
to
fight
this
by
celebrating
our
people
by
showcasing
the
best
Puerto
Rican
culture
had
to
offer,
on
a
world
stage
like
New
York
Citys
Fifth
Avenue.
The
current
Board
of
Directors
carries
on
that
mission
and
has
strict
requirements
and
mandates
to
ensure
the
Parade
contingents
have
cultural
components
and
that
spectators
dress
and
conduct
themselves
in
a
respectful
and
dignified
way.
The
community,
corporate
sponsors
and
spectators
have
adhered
to
these
mandates.
Unfortunately,
this
image
and
lack
of
dignified
coverage
has
taken
us
back
to
the
1950s
and
promotes
the
discrimination,
prejudice
and
hatred
our
Parade
was,
and
still
is,
working
to
combat.
Whats
more,
it
places
the
Parade
in
a
position
where
we
may
risk
the
ability
to
retain
current
sponsors
and
seek
new
ones,
as
they
will
not
want
to
have
their
brands
participate
in
an
event
like
the
one
your
coverage
inaccurately
portrays.
We
know
we
had
a
strong
partnership,
based
on
mutual
goals
of
publishing
content
of
interest
to
your
sizeable,
Puerto
Rican/Latino
readership.
We
are
puzzled
by
this
coverage
and
view
it
as
an
egregious
error,
as
it
clearly
undermines
these
goals.
Having
said
that,
the
Board
of
Directors,
public
officials,
community
based
organizations
and
many
other
interested
parties
await
your
response.
.
Respectfully,
Lorraine
Corts-Vazquez
Board
Chair