The Fire Department's Hispanic society president said it didn't matter; if Lopez Rivera was marching, they wouldn't. Organizers and supporters of Lopez Rivera say they are mystified by the furor. The parade runners have been criticized in the past for feting violent nationalists, although all with less backlash than the decision to honor Lopez Rivera. The first parade marched in 1958, when it was barely legal to display the Puerto Rican flag on the island and the community faced mass discrimination. The 2000 Puerto Rican Day parade was dedicated to Pedro Albizu Campos, leader of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party, who urged islanders to start an armed struggle for independence, and who in 1950 was convicted of inciting his followers to try to kill U.S. President Harry Truman.

Source: Fox News June 10, 2017 14:03 UTC