Caravan Campaign for Hipolito “Papa” Mejia

By Lennin Reyes

As Bronxites enjoyed a sunny Saturday afternoon on the Grand Concourse, they heard the words sung by Los Caballos de Papá, “Que preparen las maletas, que ya subio ya el carrito,” blaring out of a Toyota Sequoia filled with white and blue flags. “Time to pack the bags because here comes the car.”

The Sequoia was followed by about 15 cars, flags aflutter, emblazoned with words Llegó papá, or daddy’s here, and the initials PRD for the Dominican Revolutionary Party. The political caravan drove across the Bronx in support of Dominican presidential candidate Hipólito Mejía.

It traveled through the streets of the western Bronx, where a high concentration of Dominican voters reside. As the caravan passed along 167th Street in the Highbridge community, a few neighboring cars, whose drivers had purple and yellow hats supporting Mejía’s opponent Danilo Medina, honked their horns to oppose a man who was once president from 2000 to 2004. “Ustedes son unos ladrones,” a neighboring taxicab driver said. “You guys are a bunch of thieves.” And then, “Este país va a estar en crisis otra vez.” Or “The country will be in crisis again.”

The opposition to Mejia was outnumbered by his ardent supporters, who responded with “Llegó papá,” as the caravan ran along University Avenue in Morris Heights. “Whenever I hear people shouting that phrase, I feel excited about Mejia’s acceptance here in the Bronx,” Rafael Sirí of the PRD’s Bronx branch said.

Next the caravan drove along Bailey and Reservoir Avenues in Kingsbridge, where people like campaign director Pedro Julio Escoborg helped voters to locate where they would be able to vote on the May 20 election. “The Bronx has more than 20 voting sites for the Dominican election,” Escoborg said. No wonder that New York City is known as “the fifth province,” or the fifth most populous voting region of Dominicans for the election, behind the capital Santo Domingo, its surrounding National District province, and the cities of Santiago and San Cristobal.

As the caravan reached the Fordham Road shopping district, vendors joined pedestrians in praise for Mejia. “Papa’s going to win the election for sure,” yelled out one food vendor on West Fordham Road near Davidson Avenue. “The comesolos, or lonely eaters, will be packing their bags,” a 188th Street merchant said. After traveling down the Grand Concourse, the caravan ended at the Bronx PRD base on Mount Hope Place, where the members of the caravan reflected on how the event will propel their party to victory in the May 20 election. “With all of that support, Papá will return to the palace next month,” Elida Martinez of the PRD’s women’s sector said.