On St. Paul’s West Side, a winter of fear gave way to celebration last weekend as thousands returned to the streets for the annual Cinco de Mayo parade and festival.
The celebration marks one of the first large Latino celebrations after months shaped by federal immigration enforcement. On the West Side, a hub for immigrant communities, residents’ and businesses’ routines were uprooted as families stayed home due to immigration enforcement.
But under a warm spring sun, Cesar Chavez Street was filled with families and friends moving between dozens of vendors selling elote, horchata and handmade goods. In the parking lot of restaurant El Burrito Mercado, attendees admired rows of polished, decked-out cars and motorcycles while musicians and dancers performed across the festival grounds…