Thread: Cinco de Mayo May 1-5

I didn't have time to post before, but just so you know, Cinco de Mayo began to be an inconvenience on the 1st. I found this in comments to the Mercury News on road closures into downtown:
And take Jennifer Soboleski of San Jose, who had what she thought would be a 20-min drive home from picking up the baby at daycare when she ran into a surprise road closure at 11th St, and Santa Clara on Thur May 1, 2008. "I knew there was something going on in downtown, because I saw the helicopters," Jennifer said Friday. "But I had no way of knowing that my way home to 9th St would be blocked at 11th St. at 6:30pm. I was starving hungry and I had the baby in the car with me."
This was a personal story and I too live in that area. Every year I couldn't get home, but to have this problem on the 1st of May? We have roads blocked Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun and I guess today. I wondered how I would get home after leaving my apt. with my son. I asked some night-time business owners downtown, and they hated Cinco de Mayo. Their business is completely shut down, and even then they are at risk for vandalism. My friend wanted to meet up at Mission Ale House on Santa Clara, and I could hear him talking to police in the background: ""Which way?? OK.' Well, they want me back on the highway again. Forget it - I won't be downtown tonight. Oh yeah - I forgot Mission Ale House (on the main strip) will be closed tonight. They only close one night a year, during Cinco de Mayo." I looked around downtown, and all I saw were teens and twenty somethings carousing around. The girls had on way too much make-up, and the guys were peeling off "burning rubber" all over the place with Mexican flags on their cars. I don't know if it continues tonight, I guess so. So, 4 NIGHTS for a 1 day celebration. They used to do this at the fair grounds a few years ago, but every year there was gang violence, including stabbings, so they moved it downtown for 'supervision' by our paid police when the organizers couldn't pay for their own security.
Last year, they tagged our local churches and my mailbox in appreciation.

You don't have to respond, just my rant so you know how bad the pandering is here. I will say though, the atmosphere is WAY subdued this year compared to the last couple years. Maybe it will go away over time.

I don't care what holiday it is, that kind of inconvenience is uncalled for. My deepest empathy.