Post-Fest Riot Dismays San Jose / Official considers moving Cinco de Mayo celebration

Everybody loves a party, but after the riot and looting that marred San Jose's Cinco de Mayo festival this weekend, city officials are mulling ways to trim the guest list for the enormously popular event.

The parade and fiesta, which drew an estimated 400,000 people to downtown Sunday afternoon, deteriorated into chaos as police tried to clear a crowd of 2,000 from Santa Clara Street.

A small group that had been drinking and flashing gang signs went wild -- attacking police, smashing windows, looting three businesses and destroying a gas station, police said.

The violence was quickly quelled by police, but the event has added fuel to the debate over whether large festivals help or hurt downtown San Jose. Many callers to City Hall are demanding that the festival be moved.

"The question here is how big is too big," said Scott Knies, executive director of the San Jose Downtown Association. "And, I think we may have crossed the line this year."

The problem police faced on Sunday was that there were two different Cinco de Mayo festivals -- one organized event inside the festival site, and an unorganized street party that formed along Santa Clara Street. The street party turned sour as revelers left the festival and began streaming back toward their cars, only to be harassed and attacked by some of the gang members gathered on the sidewalks.

City Councilman David Pandori, whose district includes downtown, toured the area shortly after the riot and was dismayed to see the rows of damaged shops and hundreds of buildings marked with blue gang graffiti. No damage estimates were available yesterday.

Pandori said he may propose that next year's festival be moved from downtown to the county fairgrounds.

"In a free society, people are allowed to walk on the sidewalks and talk with two or two hundred of their friends," Pandori said. "But you put that together with gangs and alcohol and large events, you have a recipe for problems.

"We are always going to have a Cinco de Mayo festival in San Jose," Pandori said. "The only question is where is the best place for it."

Mayor Susan Hammer met with police officials yesterday to review the incident, and will meet with other community groups to seek solutions.

"We've got a track record of putting on festivals like this with no violence, and we think we can find ways to continue doing so," said Hammer's spokesman, Kevin Pursglove.

Officials at the American GI Forum, which sponsors the annual event, were not available for comment yesterday.

The San Jose Downtown Association is holding a special meeting today to allow business owners and residents to talk to police and city officials about the riot. The meeting is set for 8:30 a.m. at Bella Mia Restaurant at 58 S. First St.