WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
By Councilman, RubĂ©n DĂaz Sr.
District 18 Bronx County, New York
You should know that when Melissa Mark-Viverito (a fellow Puerto Rican) was the Speaker of the New York City Council, she ordered that the funds allocated to the Puerto Rican Studies Institute be cut in half, affecting and hurting Puerto Rican students from a vital part of their education.
It is important for you to know that thanks to our New City Council Speaker, an Irishman, Mr. Corey Johnson, the Institute for Puerto Rican Studies will not only see their budget restored but will also get an increase of $140,000 dollars.
The original budget allocated to The Puerto Rican Studies Institute was $960,000. But the “Puerto Rican” Speaker of the City Council Ms. Mark-Viverito slashed that funding in half to $400,000 dollars.
Now an Irish Councilman, Corey Johnson, after the intervention of Councilman Rafael Salamanca, The Bronx Delegation, and others city council members is coming as a “Don Quixote” to the rescue of the Puerto Rican Studies Institute. The intervention was instrumental not only in restoring the funds back to its original sum of $960,000 dollars, but doing so with an additional $140,000 dollars for a total budget of $1,100,000 dollars. Yes, my dear reader one million one hundred thousand dollars. Hallelujah!
You may be asking yourself why a so-called “Puerto Rican” took such actions that would negatively impact and hurt her own community in this manner. Well according to the New York Post article dated June 23, 2017 it is stated that “Melissa Mark-Viverito was accused of slashing an annual grant to the respected Puerto Rican Institute by nearly half as a retribution for the director’s (Mr. Edwin Melendez) unwillingness to publicly support convicted terror leader Oscar Lopez Rivera’s starring role in the Puerto Rican Day Parade.”
As you know, last year the Puerto Rican Day parade saw its worst and darkest year when Melissa Mark-Viverito and the leader of the Parade bestowed upon a convicted terrorist the title of “National Freedom Hero”. Oscar Lopez Rivera, who as one of the leaders of the Terrorist Group the “FALN”, was convicted of seditious conspiracy and sentenced to 35 years in prison.
The “FALN” claimed responsibility for more than 100 bombings between 1970 -1980 including one that killed five people here in the City of New York.
According to the New York Post, the late Angelo Falcon said that this budget cut was due to “Mr. Edwin Melendez’s refusal to publicly defend the decision to honor Oscar Lopez Rivera at the Puerto Rican Parade”. This was the reason for Melissa Mark-Viverito’s action to slash $560,000 allocated to the Puerto Rican Studies Institute.
Mr. Angelo Falcon also said, “What Mark-Viverito gives, on the one hand, she can easily take away with the other if you don’t play ball with her.” And I add, even to her own Puerto Rican community. She has no heart!
As a New York City Councilman, I am honored to have joined Councilman Salamanca and my colleagues in intervening with the Speaker to restore the funds to the Puerto Rican Studies Institute. I thank God for having Mr. Corey Johnson, an Irishman, as our City Council Speaker, and ironically not a Puerto Rican like Melissa Mark-Viverito.
I am Councilman Rev. Ruben Diaz, and this is what you should know.
EDITOR'S NOTE:
You should also know that Councilman Ruben Diaz's council district covers almost the entire 85th assembly district of Assemblyman Marcos Crespo.
You should know that at the Abraza Puerto Rico when I asked Councilman Ruben Diaz Sr. to ask fellow TEAM DIAZ member, and Bronx Democratic County Leader Assemblyman Marcos Crespo to apologize for the profanity that Assemblyman Marcos Crespo hurled upon this Veteran Jewish reporter writing for a Parkchester Muslim newspaper which covers most of Councilman Diaz Sr's district he said "NO POLITICS HERE".
You should know that the candidate of County Leader Crespo for the an assembly seat was led around by the 90 year old Female District Leader, and son of the former assemblyman, and at times seen with members of Councilman Diaz's staff for this unknown candidate of County Leader Crespo.
You should finally know that Reverend Councilman Ruben Diaz Sr. is no better than the Bronx Democratic County Leader Marcos Crespo, and in fact has added insult to the Jewish and Muslim communities by his not demanding that County Leader Crespo make his apology at the Abraza Puerto Rico as a good leader of the church should have, let alone a decent elected official.
You should know that it is now incumbent for Bronx Democratic County Leader Marcos Crespo's candidate to insist that he make said apology.
Karines Reyes you should demand that Bronx Democratic County Leader Marcos Crespo, apologize to this Veteran Jewish reporter writing for a Muslim newspaper the Parkchester Times for the profanity he hurled at your announcement. Ms. Reyes if you do not you are no better, and also will be insulting the Jewish and Muslim communities.
