A local priest has spoken out over the cancellation of Hoboken, New Jersey’s St. Patrick’s Day parade. In his weekly column the Reverend slams those who partied at the Lepre-Con event, which replaced the Irish patron saint’s celebrations, and rapped Mayor Dawn Zimmer.
The family oriented parade, which was going into its 26th year in Hoboken, was a chance for Catholic families to celebrate Ireland’s patron saint, St. Patrick, according to Father Alexander M. Santora, of Our Lady of Grace Church, writing in New Jersey Journal.
The priest maintained he witnessed “a thousand of the green-clad, rowdy, drunk, foul-mouthed, pub-crawling young people, littering the sidewalks with beer cans and bottles,” on Saturday, during Lepre Con.
Santora questioned why these revelers were allowed to take over the streets while “Catholic families and their friends cannot march on Washington Street on a Saturday or Sunday to celebrate St. Patrick.”
The annoyed Catholic priest rapped Zimmer who last year called for the St. Patrick’s Day parade to be held on a Wednesday. The parade organizers, proud of their 25-year tradition, argued that celebration of Ireland’s patron saint and the Irish should be a family event and take place on the weekend when all could attend. Zimmer and the council disagreed and so the parade was cancelled.
Although everyone had agreed that the St. Patrick’s Day post-parade party in Hoboken has gotten out of control, it now seems that the family aspect of the annual parade is being sorely missed, for the second year.
Zimmer’s prediction that the crime rates would drop was correct.
Last Saturday 20 people were arrested. These figures are a 41 percent decrease from 2011, when the final St Patrick’s Day parade took place in Hoboken, Juan Melli, a police spokesman told the Union City Reporter.
Arrests decreased from 34 to 20, ambulance calls went from 136 to 49, open container violations dropped from 115 to 9, and urination in public went from 59 to 17.
In response to these figures Mayor Dawn Zimmer said, “By decoupling the parade from the first Saturday in March, we have dramatically improved public safety and the quality of life for Hoboken residents.”
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.Smyrnian | Mar 07, 2013, 10:17 AM EST
KilkennyK - You are so caught up in your politically correct underwear you have no hope of ever being extricated!
merefalow | Mar 06, 2013, 06:28 PM EST
over the top drunkeness isnt solely an irish problem,its western world wide,it doesnt do us credit and encouraged by the alcohol industry our young people have gone binge crazy,completely over the top with all the trouble ,illness,and crime assosiated with it,never mind as long as the shareholders are happy,what the hell.
ancavker | Mar 06, 2013, 04:23 PM EST
STEVEN Says he is good at Irish geography. Maybe he canh help out some of the Irish in the south who think Donegal is one of the six counties!
KilkennyCats | Mar 06, 2013, 03:58 PM EST
JOHNOZED ... in her public position, she represents ALL the people of her town, not just those of the same religious or ethnic background as her. Get it?? It really is not rocket science. If Obama wished everyone a Happy Kwanzaa without making any reference to the rest of the neighboring holidays, there would be chaos. She is discriminatory, very biased, rude and I simply can't wait to vote her out of office. Happy St. Patrick's Day, St. Joseph's Day, Passover and Easter ...
ancavker | Mar 06, 2013, 01:33 PM EST
STEVEN: Where in Ireland is Manchester, or London,or Southhamption? And I am home to Ireland evey year, sometimes twice a year. And the Irish in Ireland are packing on the weight too
Smyrnian | Mar 06, 2013, 01:29 PM EST
Stevenstar thinks this is an IRISH website. He also "intensely dislikes" any and all Americans and anything American.
pilib04 | Mar 06, 2013, 01:02 PM EST
STEVENSTAR, what would you know about Ireland?
jamieLM | Mar 06, 2013, 12:15 PM EST
@ StevenstarALL CAPS, if you had read the column, 3rd paragraph, you'd know that Hoboken is in New Jersey. New Jersey is in the U.S. which is located on the continent of North America. Where is all that Irish intelligence you're always claiming to have???
STEVENSTAR | Mar 06, 2013, 11:45 AM EST
WHERE IN IRELAND IS HOBOKEN, I'M GOOD AT IRISH GEOGRAPHY BUT NEVER HEARD OF HOBOKEN.. ALSO THOSE APPARENTLY 'IRISH' PEOPLE ABOVE IN THE GRAINY PHOTO .. LOOK A LITTLE BIT 'PLUMPER' THEN MOST OF MY AVERAGE COUNTRY MEN OVER HRE IN IRELAND...
johnozed | Mar 06, 2013, 10:51 AM EST
It's funny how people seem to think that St. Patrick's Day was such a solemn occasion in Hoboken. It wasn't. The mayor offered to have the parade on a weeknight like the Memorial Day parade, but the Hoboken Parade Committee nixed that offer. Just visit the Hoboken St. Patrick's Parade Committee website and you will see how upset they are, so upset they posted the Mayor's letter. This is such a non issue, the problem is the drunken 20 somethings that filled the town from the morning on, making every bar, pub and tavern a nightmare. But let's not blame the 20 somethings drinking and vomiting and urinating, let's blame the Mayor for not allowing a parade to go on while the gutters fill with vomit. And not for nothing, the Hoboken Irish Parade website is CRAP.
NeedAChange | Mar 06, 2013, 10:29 AM EST
Does anyone think that 20 arrests on a Saturday is a good thing? Perhaps comparing the last two years of the parade, vs last two years without the parade would be interesting. It is a shame that the Parade Committee is not able to have their Parade. I'm sure they asked the Mayor for alternatives to a Wednesday, but she was unable to work with them. It seems she is unable to work with anyone that doesn't agree with her. Sad.
mreinhar2001 | Mar 06, 2013, 09:58 AM EST
I really agree with this headline!
johnozed | Mar 06, 2013, 09:53 AM EST
I cannot believe a Jewish Mayor would wish people a Happy Hannukah! Why her 2012 Fall/Winter newsletter for Hoboken makes no mention of ANY holiday! I am as outraged as a Coyote! I feel like moving to Athens GA!
KilkennyCats | Mar 06, 2013, 09:23 AM EST
The Cunning family & friends have done a great job with this parade, and with their annual fundraiser party and annual Irish mass. It is a shame that the plastic paddy crowd has won out for the second year in a row. Nutley has a parade same day now. To put it all in perspective, come every December Mayor Zimmer wishes everyone a "Happy Hannukah" in her newsletter to residents. No "Merry Christmas", not even a generic "Happy Holidays". She is truly blatantly discriminatory and needs to go back to where she came from.