NEW ROCHELLE, NY — The New Rochelle City Council and City staff have pulled $10,000 in funding for a planned Memorial Day event at Hudson Park in the wake of a controversial statement posted on Facebook by event organizer Peter Parente.
At the City Council meeting held on Tuesday, March 12, 2019, it was decided to re-allocate a $10,000 commitment to fund an annual Memorial Day event organized by Parente.
The decision to pull Parente’s funding was couched as a response to a recommendation of the New Rochelle Veterans Advisory Committee to provide veterans services rather than provide funds for one single event. In reality, the decision was a response to Parente publishing an angry, vile rant on Facebook in which he appeared to call for killing immigrants, muslims and Democratic presidential candidates.
For many years, Parente organized a Memorial Day Parade, the largest such event in Westchester County. The parade route ended at the City-owned Hudson Park with various patriotic displays, food, drinks and live music. After a dispute with City officials several years ago, Parente created a new event without the parade at Glen Island Park, a County-owned property.
Since January, Parente has been planning to move the event back to Hudson Park. He had begun preliminary discussions with City staff last week. Today, Parente learned that the City is not supportive of an event at Hudson Park. It remains to be seen if Parente will be given a permit for Hudson Park.
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Former New Rochelle Veterans Advisor Peter Parente : “I am not a racist”
Freedom of speech! Who is going to do what he does to the degree he does it. He get many people involved in the community. Rethink what you are doing. Making hasty decisions hurts more then one person
I agree that Peter has done many good things over the years like organizing some fantastic parades, veterans events, 9-11 displays and much more but the person responsible for the decision to pull the funding is Peter Parente so you ought to address your remarks to him.
The person Peter Parente has become is not the person I once knew. He has become embittered.
He has freedom of speech. He does not have freedom from consequences.
Let me ask you a few questions:
Do you believe that New Rochelle residents who are Hispanic would feel welcome at Hudson Park on Memorial Day at an event run by Peter Parente?
Do you believe that New Rochelle residents who are Muslim would feel welcome at Hudson Park on Memorial Day at an event run by Peter Parente?
Do you believe that New Rochelle residents who are Democrats would feel welcome at Hudson Park on Memorial Day at an event run by Peter Parente?
Do you believe that New Rochelle residents who are liberal would feel welcome at Hudson Park on Memorial Day at an event run by Peter Parente?
Do you believe that New Rochelle residents who are socialists would feel welcome at Hudson Park on Memorial Day at an event run by Peter Parente?
I cannot imagine any person who meets those descriptions would feel welcome given Peter Parente’s opinions. As group, those people represent a majority of New Rochelle residents .
So, why on earth would the City Council allocate taxpayer money for Peter to put on an event in a public park where most of the people who paid those taxes are not welcome?
See my point?
Dear Mr. Cox,
Thank you for your defence of liberty.
No US soldier fought or died to defend religious or political hate.
I have always had great respect for Peter. He and his family have done so much good for New Rochelle, I was proud to be in the same city as Peter. But then he went off his tracks.
Peter, you know I respect and care for you. I implore you, get help. Go to the VA. Get yourself right, and get this nasty series of activities behind you.
Most importantly, don’t hang with these other slugs defending hate. You are a better man than that. I know.
-Bill Mullen
Peter is right. The self righteous, holier than thou Democrats are destroying this nation. They can do no wrong and insult, smear, and attack conservatives any way they please with impunity. But if a conservative speaks out against them and their policies, they will be destroyed for life.
If all that Peter Parente said is what you describe do you think his brother-in-law (Council Member Lou Trangucci) would have requested the Council remove Peter from the VAC?
Give that one a good think.
Hey Bob, You are a real lowlife. You never served our great nation like Pete did and you are not a veteran. You should have no opinion on this subject if we apply your 1st amendment rights principle to this situation. So please shut your mouth. Nobody really cares what you think.
The City Council removed Peter Parente from the Veterans Advisory Committee and then rescinded the $10,000 contribution to the UVMPA for a Memorial Day event at the request of Lou Trangucci, Peter’s brother-in-law. Lou denounced Peter’s Facebook post. So, you ought to direct your concerns about that to Council Member Trangucci.
I do not recall that Lou Trangucci served in the military so perhaps you can explain to him your ideas on how only people who served in the military have a right to an opinion.
As for as your views on Muslims which I am not going to publish or your idea that Muslims are not welcome to “our” Memorial Day event I would point out that last I checked you do not live in New Rochelle and do not pay taxes here and so any such event is not “your” event in case.
So readers know who is defending Peter Parente (by attacking me for Lou Trangucci’s actions), Mr Morganthaler is a political operative who worked on two Congressional campaigns for Jim Russell, a White Nationalist and notorious Anti-Semite:
Westchester’s ‘White Supremacist’ Candidate
https://jewishweek.timesofisrael.com/westchesters-white-supremacist-candidate/
For those who do not recall, Russell was disavowed by his own party when he was the Republican candidate for Congress against Nita Lowey in 2010.
The Anti-Defamation League called Russell a “white supremacist with anti-Semitic overtones.”
Thanks Frank for making my point for me.