On Friday, March 25, 2016, Bronx Community Board #6 and the relatives and friends of the victims of the 1990 Happy Land Social Club Fire will commemorate the 26th anniversary of that tragic event which took the lives of 87 people. Still fresh in our minds, we keep the memory alive by remembering those who died as well as the impact it had on this community.
The Happy Land Social Club Fire was the largest mass murder to occur in New York City, second only to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Eighty-seven individuals lost their lives when Julio Gonzalez, who had been evicted from the club earlier after fighting with his girlfriend, poured and ignited gasoline at the entrance of the club. With the club’s windows and other means of egress barricaded, and no sprinkler system available, the individuals had no hope for escape. To its credit, the city shortly thereafter formed the Club Task Force (now known as the Multi-Agency Response to Community Hotspots, or MARCH Operation).
The Happy Land Fire is the legacy of this community and the month of March is Fire Prevention month; as such, community board 6 is requesting that the Fire and Buildings departments inspect all local drinking establishments (i.e. bars and nightclubs) to insure they are up to code and are a safe place to gather, with working sprinklers, clear exits, and a proper Certificate of Occupancy.
A monument was erected in 1995 directly across the street from the site of the fire which bears the victims’ names. There, family members and friends visit and place flowers on special occasions such as birthdays, holidays and anniversaries. The street in front of the monument has been renamed Ochenta y Siete Boulevard.
Community Board #6 will observe the fire’s 26th anniversary, which falls on Good Friday this year, one of the most holiest days, by dedicating a 7:00 p.m. mass to the victims. The mass will be held at Saint Thomas Aquinas Church (1900 Crotona Parkway) followed by a procession towards the monument at East Tremont Avenue, between Southern Boulevard and Crotona Parkway, for a rosary and candlelight vigil. Flowers, wreaths, and mementos will be placed at the base of the monument, and the names of victims will be read. (The victims’ names appear on the attached page.)
Additional information about the March 25th memorial may be obtained by contacting the community board’s district office at 718-579-6990 or by email at brxcb6@optonline.net
Honorable Ritchie Torres,
City Council Member, 15th Council District
Honorable Rafael Salamanca,
City Council Member, 17th Council District
Happy Land Social Club Fire
26th Anniversary
March 25, 2016
1.Lourdes Rosario Aguilar 28. Marvin Antonio Doubleday
2. Calixtro Alfara 29. Luis Gustavo Drummond
3. Jose Amilear Alfaro 30. Omar Escobar
4. Malvin Alicea 31. Alba Escoto
5. Denny Elroy Alvarez 32. Casimiro Evo
6. Hector Alvarez 33. Daisy Marie Falco
7. Jose Alvarez 34. Debra Farrington
8. Frankie Tomas Arana 35. Loretta Farrington
9. Dagoberto Barahona 36. Jose Romans Flores
10. Sandra Beltran 37. Lenny Ernesto Gamoneda
11. Victor Hugo Benavides 38. Marco Tulio Gamoneda
12. Israel Antonio Bulnes, Jr. 39. Orvin Garbutt
13. Wilfredo Castillo 40. Erlinda Gomez
14. Janet Castro 41. Jose Gonzalez
15. Carla Chavez 42. Carmen Hernandez
16. Francisco Chavez 43. Enrique Hinds
17. Norman Clark 44. Ann Marie Hunt
18. Elias Colon 45. Juan Javier
19. Juan Carlos Colon 46. Charles Joseph
20. Ramon Colon 47. Israel Laureano, Sr.
21. Carlos E. Contreras 48. Isabel Lopez
22. Victor Hugo Cordova 49. Mauricio Lopez
23. Justa Gladys Crisanto 50. Nohemy Arcely Luque
24. Lester Rolando Cruz 51. Luis Abraham Manaiza
25.Natalie Dantzler 52. Wendy Manaiza
26. Jose Alexis Diaz 53. Kim Marlow
27. Marco Tulio Dolmo 54. Jose Manuel Marquez
55. Mario Martinez 72. Samuel Ortiz
56. Aida Margarita Martinez 73. Nilda Ortiz
57. Marco Vinicio Martinez 74. Mario Pacheco
58. Marisol Martinez 75. Eli J. Pena
59. Ines Maximo 76. Juan Andres Pena
60. Daphne McKenzie 77. Carlos Roberto Peri
61. Hilda E. McKenzie 78. Wilson Efrain Pesantez
62. Samuel R. McKenzie 79. Miriam Elena Pineda
63. Elevio Mejia 80. Minerva Ramos
64. Nelson Mejia 81. Clemente (Henry) Reyes
65. Rene J. Mena, Jr. 82. Cruz Robledo
66. Mircia Moncada 83. Query Francisco Romero
67. Dionicio Moreira 84. Susan Gayle Samms
68. Ana Luisa Moss 85. Betsabe Torres
69. Yvette Murray 86. Paula Velasquez
70. Yvonne Murray 87. Nicolas Zapata
71. Juan Jose Nunez
