THINKING OUT THE BOX:  CALLE NIAGARA

Dear Buffalo Latino Community:

Time to upgrade the imagination and creativity of the people leading our Puerto Rican/Latino community and move to develop a short and long-term plan for business and economic development on Calle Niágara. 

We already have a small movement in that direction with HHC’s plans to build a cultural center. But unfortunately, that’s as far as they have planned, failing to see the business, arts, and cultural potential.  With the money that’s coming into Buffalo, thanks to President Biden, and the community leaders, including the emerging young progressive faction, what are the leaders able to do? We can plan and take Niagara Square up to Porter Avenue, just like the Cubans in Miami have “Calle Ocho.”

Imagine Puerto Rican and Latino shops, stores, art galleries, restaurants, bookstore, entertainment outlets, a library, cultural center (HHC), as well as secure government and private funding to get groups like El Buen Amigo, Buffalo Online Latino Art Gallery, El Museo, Los Artistas del Bario, and El Batey Puerto Rican Center, to relocate to Calle Niágara.  This includes Panorama Hispano, La Ultima Hora, and the Latino Village to have office space, and other related individuals or groups not mentioned here. 

El Batey Puerto Rican Center is the leading Puerto Rican Cultural organization, located in Riverside, we should be able to convince them to open a satellite center on Niagara Street, but also support their location on the upper west side; it’s an area with an influx of Puerto Rican/Latino residents.

 This is the time to make it happen. Let us not be overlooked this time; we have been overlooked for too long. As a point of information, you should know that past Porter Avenue, Niagara Street has over twenty (20+) development projects in operation: bookstore, restaurants, housing, and more. What happened to our side of Niagara Street, from Porter to Niagara Square?

Many of you have excellent relationships with Mayor Brown, State Senator Sean M. Ryan, Councilman David Rivera, Assemblyman Jonathan Rivera, State Senator Tim Kennedy, Congressman Higgins, and other elected officials.

Put them to the test and see if they truly support our community. Utilize them!

¡Sí Se Puede!