Dear Editor:
I am writing in response to the malicious character assassinations against Carmelo Garcia. It is a shame that people have nothing better to do than to write letters filled with negative remarks and ignorant comments. In the past two issues of the Hoboken Reporter, I have read letters claiming Mr. Garcia is a hypocrite; they criticize him for speaking out for his beliefs and for serving as a positive role model for the Latino Community. I am not here to retaliate against those who are spreading venomous rumors about Mr. Garcia. I write this letter in the hopes that the community of Hoboken, including Hoboken’s Latino community, unite to make a positive change. These recent letters criticizing Mr. Garcia claim that Mr. Garcia does not care about our community, that he is a hypocrite who cannot be found on election day. These allegations can easily be refuted.
I have known Mr. Garcia for over thirteen years. In that time, I have known Mr. Garcia to be an energetic, responsible and hard working young man. He has the ability to mobilize young people who are otherwise apathetic towards our government. Mr. Garcia always speaks his mind. I have personally seen Mr. Garcia go door to door to talk to Hoboken’s residents, urging them to get out and vote.
Mr. Garcia promotes the idea that each and every person’s vote counts and matters. Mr. Garcia reaches out, not only to the Latino community, but to the Hoboken community as a whole. He has been involved with the Team 4 Civic Association in the capacity of vice president. He has been a positive role model to underprivileged children in the community. He is an example of how a student who graduated from Hoboken High School can be successful without abandoning his community or denying his culture.
Mr. Garcia serves as the Treasurer for Hoboken’s Puerto Rican Cultural Committee. In this capacity he helped to organize a scholarship fund for Hoboken’s youth. Mr. Garcia has also been involved with Hopes Head Start, as well as with Ameri-Corps. It is a tragedy when we, as Latinos and as Hobokenites, are divided in such a way that we try to diminish the impact of each other’s accomplishments. If any of you have a problem against Mr. Garcia, or if any of you do not agree with an opinion he has expressed, get in contact with him and voice your opinion. Mr. Garcia is very open minded and welcomes the input of his community.
These attacks are the very reason why Hoboken’s youth is not as involved in politics as it should be. The negative comments back and forth serve no purpose but to alienate people. Mr. Garcia has worked very hard to make our community a community where all of its citizens feel like his/her opinion counts. I urge you all to stop the verbal assaults and look into the facts before you insult Mr. Garcia. These verbal assaults are ignorant and simply untrue.
Wanda Roman