A Black Madonnia, but which one?
Those who never walk downtown Plainfield's shopping district are missing a ground-level window into the increasing pace of Latinization of the Queen City.
A case in point is the Botánica San Miguel, just steps from Front Street on Somerset Street. I took these snaps the weekend of the Latin American Independence Festival, when I walked past the shop window crowded with interesting statuary.
To me it was interesting.
Take the Black Madonna. Is it a Cuban Virgin of Regla? The Brazilian Our Lady of Aparecida? The Costa Rican La Negrita? The Chilean La Virgen Morena?
And the pierced hand of Jesus, which I am told by some is useful in warding off the power of the Evil Eye.
The pierced hand of Jesus,
protecting from the Evil Eye?
To a Latino, the Botánica probably signals a welcoming place where cultural necessaries could be procured and ties to practices and beliefs from a home country be maintained.
Although there are plenty of Latino-owned businesses downtown, Latinization does not mean ONLY Latino-owned businesses.
Downtown Plainfield has turned out to be a place to make a decent living for a diverse group of merchants -- Asians, Jews, Portuguese and others -- who understand the needs and wants of Plainfield's mushrooming Latino population.
Maybe we should have tours to introduce older Plainfielders to their newer community.
La Ciudad Reina, anyone?
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12 comments:
Wow...the pierced hand hasn't helped us ward off the "Evil Smile" of the Assistant Mayor..hopefully it works with Mayor Jerry's Evil Eye !! Going to walk around downtown today..thanks for the push to do something different! Taking my camera too!!
Hey Rob! Get any interesting pix, email them & I'll put some up -- with or w/o commentary, your choice.
plaindan at gmail
Would love to have some upscale restaurants, jazz club, tailor, shoe shop and business windows that don't have cheezy maniquens undressed.
I agree with you, Dan. The diversity is what makes this city so great. At this point, however, there is not something for everyone. I cannot wait for the day that there is. In addition, there is an underground artist community here that would be a great addition to the downtown.
I think, however, we need competent people to be able to bring this to being. My prayers that this will happen November 3rd.
Word on the street is that it is not the failure of Monarch that will keep developers away, it is that there is a communistic way of doing business here - having to kiss the ring of Green, DeFillippe and Lesniak. (Briggs just goes along).
Am I missing something?? If this is what diversity has to offer,it's no wonder a lot of people shop elsewhere..
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Plainfield Parking Meters
Did you know that the Plainfield parking meters use batteries? They behave the same way clocks do when the batteries are weak. They don't keep time, but you end up with a $35 dollar ticket that can cause the registered owner to lose their license to drive if it is not paid.
We could also be vulnerable to a class action suit.
I buy Halal (Islamic Kosher) food downtown Plainfield, outstanding yogurt and my favorite restaurant where you can watch your food prepared. I also like to watch African movies while they braid my hair on Somerset Street where I got a ticket soon after putting the maximum of two hours on the meter.
When I went to the police to complain, I learned I could beat the ticket by a legally requesting the maintenance records. By the way the meter by the police station was so jammed with money it couldn't be used.
Why does this matter? It discourages people from shopping downtown. Its not right. We don't get the proper revenue from the machines and we get unjust revenue and penalties from the tickets. Loss of your drivers license can limit access to healthcare as well as work.
What happened to 'truth, justice and the American way'?
Are we participants, or are we prey?
Deborah Dowe
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Plainfield Parking Meters
Did you know that the Plainfield parking meters use batteries? They behave the same way clocks do when the batteries are weak. They don't keep time, but you end up with a $35 dollar ticket that can cause the registered owner to lose their license to drive if it is not paid.
We could also be vulnerable to a class action suit.
I buy Halal (Islamic Kosher) food downtown Plainfield, outstanding yogurt and my favorite restaurant where you can watch your food prepared. I also like to watch African movies while they braid my hair on Somerset Street where I got a ticket soon after putting the maximum of two hours on the meter.
When I went to the police to complain, I learned I could beat the ticket by a legally requesting the maintenance records. By the way the meter by the police station was so jammed with money it couldn't be used.
Why does this matter? It discourages people from shopping downtown. Its not right. We don't get the proper revenue from the machines and we get unjust revenue and penalties from the tickets. Loss of your drivers license can limit access to healthcare as well as work.
What happened to 'truth, justice and the American way'?
Are we participants, or are we prey?
Deborah Dowe
To Deborah Dowe: Agree 100% . Much like when Bernice did an audit of parking records for the city and it said Lot 5 by the police station and train station downtown had 15 paid permits for the month. Is funny...there have to be 50+ spots and I could rarely find a spot to park there ( even after I paid for one ) if I parked after 7:30AM. This city pisses away cash like a drunken sailor. I would love to see a real audit by someone to see if the spaces being paid for match up with the actual use or worse..if the spaces being paid for are being actually recorded and not going into someones pocket. What's the name of the place you get Halal at?? I die for that yogurt and lamb...
Dear Dan,
Please, hope the "latino leaders" don't take it wrong but
we are Latino and we wish there were better quality stores and restaurants so we could spend the money we spend outside of Plainfield in Plainfield.
And don't get me wrong, we visit the restaurants (but how much Latino food can one have?), and we visit some local Latino stores (like Twin City), but diversity, and not only when it comes to demographics, is needed. We need a better balanced downtown, we need a cleaner downtown, and we all need to feel safer in downtown, specially after dark. Hopefully no one thinks that there are no Latinos that want this, the same thing that Anglos and African-Americans say they want.
But unless there is demand for a better downtown and more diverse services, the belief that what is there is good enough will persevere. Kind of like a circle, and like any circle, someone has to dare to break the circle.
Maria
Mayor Green-Briggs has not lifted 1 finger to help improve Downtown Plainfield. The sidewalks are very dirty and are cracked. The planters that use to have flowers are gone and I think that we are the only city that does not have American flags up to show our American pride. I think the Mayor does not care about our Downtown
When is the last time you went downtown to shop? If you approach from Front Street, the first thing you see is the probation office, next to the senior center! Across the street is the check cashing store. Keep walking, and you pass discount stores, a vacant Strand theater, a RentaCenter, etc. And it feels like everything now is Latino. We need higher quality stores and more diversity. We need competent city government capable of developing a long-range plan that makes sense. We'll never be Westfield or Scotch Plains, but we can do better than this.
Downtown Plainfield is just how Mayor Green likes it.Full of 99 cent stores ,laundromats,Welfare office,Probation office,Rent A Centers,and Pawn Shops. He loves low income,section 8,poverty.They all follow him without question and believe all of his false promises. The more of them the more VOTES he gets.
The Evil Eye can be cured with appropriate charm or amulet from Holy Land
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