El Grito de Sunset Park facts for kids
El Grito de Sunset Park gathering in 2016
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| Formation | c. 2002 |
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| Type | 501(c)(3) organization |
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El Grito de Sunset Park is a group of Puerto Rican activists in Brooklyn. They are known for watching what the police do, making sure everyone is treated fairly.
History of El Grito de Sunset Park
One of the people who started El Grito de Sunset Park is Dennis Flores. He began recording what the New York Police Department did way back in 1995. He was often stopped or detained because of his work.
Flores and others created El Grito de Sunset Park in 2002. This was before it was common to film police actions. Flores says the group started with money he received after an incident with the police in 2002. In 2015, the group became a 501(c)(3) organization. This means it is a non-profit group that works for the public good.
The organization grew from the Sunset Park neighborhood in Brooklyn. Many people in this area are of Puerto Rican heritage. The name "El Grito" means "the cry" or "the call" in Spanish. It refers to famous independence movements. These include El Grito de Lares in Puerto Rico and El Grito de Dolores in Mexico.
El Grito de Sunset Park also has connections to the Young Lords. This was a Puerto Rican activist group from the past. The founders of El Grito were inspired by social movements in Latin America. For example, Flores saw organizing efforts in Oaxaca, Mexico, in 2006 and 2007. Jason Del Aguila, another co-founder, worked in Guatemala and El Salvador.
What El Grito Does
El Grito de Sunset Park does many things to help their community. They organize an art festival. They also speak out against gentrification. Gentrification is when a neighborhood changes, often becoming more expensive. This can sometimes make it hard for long-time residents to stay.
A big part of their work is filming police activities. When they first started, they would film police during the Puerto Rican Day Parade. Sometimes, these events could be tense. Over time, the group began to film police all year round.
In 2012, the group supported a rent strike in Sunset Park. A rent strike is when tenants refuse to pay rent. They do this to protest bad living conditions or unfair practices. El Grito de Sunset Park also creates videos that celebrate Hispanic music and spoken word poetry.
In 2015, the group started its own Puerto Rican Day Parade and Festival. After Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico in 2017, they helped gather and send supplies. Their videos have also made a difference. In 2014, one of their videos helped a teenager in Sunset Park avoid charges. In 2015, another video helped a Mexican street vendor. This vendor had been accused of attacking a police officer.
