Reporter Additional Information - Puerto Ricans have been US Citizens since 1917.

- Providence Sex Trade attempts to block Cultural Festival - posted July 22
News Release of July 22nd 2008 here

- Neighboring Club Owner says Puerto Rican Festival Should Go On ! - posted July 22, 4pm.
"My intentions were misunderstood" says Charles Tapalian
Second News Release of July 22nd 2008 here

- Providence Zoning Board approves variances - greenlight Puerto Rican festival - July 23 

- Providence Board of Licenses denies liquor permit to Puerto Rican Festival - July 23

- Puerto Rican Festival Organizers appeal to Mayor Cicilline - July 24
Festival has green light for Friday Opening


Festival Schedule of Events here

FACTS & SERIES OF EVENTS TO DATE:
1. The Puerto Rican Cultural Festival is set to run from July 25th - 27th, with the parade scheduled on the 27th.   Events leading up to the festival include the pageant, the banquet and the flag raisings.  Due to the poor economy, admission is now $2 and children get in free with a can of food to be donated to the food bank who have already provided the box.  The parade is a tribute to fallen soldiers in Iraq and to today's veterans, and will march down Public Street to the fairgrounds at Allens Avenue.

2. The Festival announced for the first time formally with a releast to Channel 10 television on June 13th.
http://www.pressdeptnews.com/prfpri/prerel1.html

3. The Festival expects to attract 2,500 family oriented people.

4. The festival Committee has already:
a. Arranged for the Site (Pat Conley's Wharf/Providence Piers on Allens Avenue )
b. Got Insurance for the site
c. Got the Liquor License from the city
d. Arranged for the Police Details from the city
e. Got the fences up on site
f. Got the Amusement Rides on site
g. Arranged for the staging
h. Booked the bands with non-refundable deposits.
i. Got the Beer and soda on site
j. Arranged for Beer servers per state law
k. Finished the layout plan of the grounds for the city
l. Confirmed all last minute details

5. On Monday, July 21, 2008 as organizers were delivering a layout of the festival grounds to the City, opponents objecting to the festival appeared through representatives identifying themselves as being from Cheaters and other businesses who objected for public safety reasons to the event.  David C. Tapalian claimed to be there to represent his father, H. Charles Tapalian.  Also, the liquor license that had been approved from a previous meeting was now denied after Providence Police Lieutenant George Markos appeared after the matter was decided and the organizers had left and at his request, the board rescinded the approval. 

6.  Among the objections met were:
a. Environmental - that the dust was dangerous to health.  (Dust comes from the other businesses on the street that are not "capped off" like Conley's property.
b. Security - the beer garden is a problem. ( Plenty of police are on detail outside and inside the area plus private security.)
c. Fire Hydrants could be blocked by people parking on the street. (That's what the police outside are there for)

7. Opponents finally settled on claiming that too many people would be coming for parking in the area. (Cheaters patrons and others park on the street there often.)

8. WBRU Radio had a major event that had more than 3,000 people there this past weekend. The crowd there were mostly light skinned college students from outside of the neighborhood as you might expect by the type of music and the WBRU photo documenting the event here: http://www.wbru.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/s-set-l-274.jpg

9.   David C. Tapalian appeared to represent opponent neighbors Cheaters, and other sex holdings of Spur Track Properties, a limited partnership whose information on file directs all communications to H. Charles Tapalian and a post office box in Providence. David C. Tapalian, is named as the partnership's registered agent.

10.  Sgt. Peter Costello, of the police licensing bureau was once quoted by W. Zachary Malinowski, a Journal Staff Writer that the red light district on Allens Avenue a "family business" run by the Tapalian clan. That article is here: http://www.projo.com/news/content/projo_20020421_sex21.13de2.html

11.  Event organizers live and work in the Providence area.

12.  At a Zoning board hearing on July 22nd, 2008 starting at 7pm at City Hall, variances were allowed which greenlit the event.

13.  The licensing board denied the liquor license in a hearing at 1pm on July 23rd.

14.   A new hearing is scheduled for Friday, July 24th.

15. The official web site for the Puerto Rican Cultural Festival and Parade is here:  www.puertoricanri.com

For information on David C. Tapalian and H. Charles Tapalian see story by By W. Zachary Malinowski, Journal Staff Writer in 2002 here:
http://www.projo.com/news/content/projo_20020421_sex21.13de2.html 
or here:
http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-8648704_ITM
or here:
http://www.glapn.org/sodomylaws/usa/rhode_island/rinews27.htm