SAN JOSE — After photos and videos circulated of packed crowds engaging in pre-Cinco de Mayo festivities at a busy East San Jose intersection over the weekend, civic and community leaders are pleading with residents to celebrate the actual holiday Tuesday at home, in line with the county’s extended health order to slow the spread of COVID-19.
The activity at Story and King roads did not show much if any social distancing happening, and very few masks were seen among the crowds. That upset Carlos Diaz, a four-decade resident of the city who is vice president of the Plata Arroyo Neighborhood Association and founder of the Alum Rock Business Network.
“It was so disappointing.” Witnesses react to large crowd that gathered on Sunday to “celebrate” 5 De Mayo in SJ. No social distancing & only 1 person spotted wearing a mask. At 6, why @SanJosePD says there’s not much they can do. On @nbcbayarea and @telemundo48 pic.twitter.com/uuKukktCVw
— Damian Trujillo (@newsdamian) May 4, 2020
“I was basically dumbfounded. You’re not sheltering in place, you’re not wearing masks in a crowded situation, showing utter disregard for what everyone else in the community and country is sacrificing for,” Diaz said. “Then you’re going to go home to your parents and grandparent, and put them in danger.”
Diaz said the danger is especially pronounced given that health data from Santa Clara County indicates that the Latinx community is disproportionately affected by the novel coronavirus, accounting for 37% of the South Bay’s more than 2,200 confirmed cases, despite making up 27% of the population.
“Actions like this don’t help in that regard whatsoever,” Diaz said.
Salvador “Chava” Bustamante, executive director and founder of Latinos United for a New America, added that besides the danger of congregating en masse, the Sunday crowds “send the wrong message to the rest of the community” and improperly aligns them with protesters elsewhere in the state and country defying and protesting shelter-in-place orders.
“It gives us a bad name and tarnishes the image of this community,” Bustamante said. “I understand we want to celebrate what Cinco de Mayo represents, but this is not the time to be celebrating in that way.”
Instead, Bustamante said, he hopes residents turn to Facebook, Zoom and other online platforms to show their pride and celebratory energy.
“Virtual celebration,” he said. “That’s what I hope people do.”
Echoing the sentiment Tuesday, Mayor Sam Liccardo tweeted, “Please celebrate with your families at home — we’ll save the public celebrations for next year!”
Feliz Cinco de Mayo a todos! Please celebrate with your families at home–we’ll save the public celebrations for next year!
— Sam Liccardo (@sliccardo) May 5, 2020
Celebrate #CincodeMayo virtually! Cook meals and share drinks with friends and family via video message. By staying home, we can all do our part to beat COVID-19. #AloneTogetherSJ pic.twitter.com/dGlDdsQCde
— City of San José (@CityofSanJose) May 5, 2020
San Jose police Chief Eddie Garcia said his officers will be sent out as they would for any large holiday, if celebrants do end up taking to the streets.
“We’re solely focused on public safety with the crowds for Cinco de Mayo, from a crime and violence standpoint,” he said. “If it was the Fourth of July, we’d be doing the same thing.”
The chief added that if officers do have to break up crowds, it will be for imminent safety concerns rather than to enforce social distancing or mask-wearing.
“We’re not going to go in and risk the safety of officers and the crowd to enforce the health order,” Garcia said. “That’s a health issue, not a public safety issue.”
