29 thoughts on “Asynchronous Assignment on “Newark, 1974””

1. Option One:

   In Victor Fragoso’s play Newark, 1974 Aurora is debating the importance of Puerto Ricans’ involvement in politics with her neighbors and why it is good that a political figure, Joseph Backscratcher, will attend a community festival to speak. The community in which Puerto Rican have resided is at stake as the play suggests that the political representation in New Jersey is perhaps corrupted in the sense that the government can’t be trusted. Aurora says, “There will be important people there. That’s why I’m going. Joseph Backscratcher will be speaking tomorrow. That’s what I call a community leader! He’s running for a position in City Hall. And he’ll do a lot of things for the Puerto Rican community if he gets elected”(p.g. 147). Aurora argues that Puerto Ricans can make a change for their community if they are involved in the political world. However, Female Neighbor 1 argues that individuals who are engaged in politics do not care about improving the community as they make false promises. Female Neighbor 1 says, “I don’t trust those political intriguers. They all do the same thing. They promise the community heaven and earth, with cold and hot water…”(p.g.147). Female Neighbor 1’s argument signifies that their community in New Jersey is at stake due to political individuals’ false promises. Which, doesn’t help make their community a safe haven but can make the riots and police brutality worse.

   1. I agree that the Puerto Rican community is at stake throughout the play. Their needs are overlooked and their rights are ignored, but they have no political representation fighting for them. Joseph Backscratcher is seemingly the only Puerto Rican candidate, yet they don’t trust him. They know he does not care for their community as much as he claims he does. We see how much is at stake for their community after people in their community were killed and injured by the police. And we also see how little Backscratcher is actually willing to do for his community. It is simply a “little disturbance” in the eyes of the Mayor and Backscratcher (152). The protest turned riot is all the community can do to protect their people from those in power who refuse to acknowledge their struggle. Towards the end of the play, the words spoken by Female Neighbor 4 humanize the Puerto Rican community and justified the riots by saying “[it is] because we are human beings, not animals, because we have self-respect, like everybody else, because we want rights that are ours, because we want to be respected”(157). It is their respect and rights that are at stake and they are willing to risk their lives for them.

   2. I agree that what’s at stake is that the political representation in New Jersey is corrupted. I say this because I believe the people in the community, specifically Puerto Ricans, want many changes, but it seems like they keep getting broken promises. Some people like Aurora think electing Joseph Backscratcher will make a difference, others think having Puerto Ricans elected will make a change, and some think that there is no hope. The 1974 Puerto Rican riots in New Jersey happened decades ago and many people across the country are still experiencing police and government mistreatment in 2022. This is why I would have to agree with Female Neighbor 1 because so many politicians make a lot of empty promises. It definitely does not help make the community a safe haven and of course, if the community is bad then everything else is going to be bad.

   3. The Puerto Rican community is very distrustful of political figures in power. As mentioned, aside from Backscratcher there seems to be a lack of political representation that stands and takes action for the Puerto Rican community. The community sees that politicians like Backscratcher don’t truly care about them but only care about what is beneficial to them. In Scene 6 Female Neighbor 3 says “But really a bunch of punks are to blame for all that violence at the Park.” The Female Neighbor 4 responds by saying “It wasn’t a bunch of punks…Those you call ‘punks’ are our youth and they’ve lost their faith in the future. Because there is no future in a disgusting ghetto like this one… in the end, they see no other way to express themselves than through violence.” It’s clear that the lack of political representation and false promises has led their community in New Jersey to be at stake. Members of the community have been made to feel like they have to use violence to be heard. The community is tired of having their needs and rights ignored, all that anger accumulated led them to feel they have to resort to violence to finally get the change they’ve been asking for.

   4. I agree with you that what’s at stake in the conversations/debates about Puerto Rican political representation in Newark is that the most vital issues to the community are taken into consideration and resolved by those in power. In the play, all the Puerto Rican neighbors seem to agree about the importance of having adequate representation for their community, but ongoing debate occurs over the topic of whether those who currently represent them (the mayor) or those who wish to (Joseph Backscratcher) truly have their best interests at heart, as they claim to. While some youth are optimistic and want to have faith in their leaders, such as with Aurora Troublemaker and Joseph Backscratcher, a majority of the older Puerto Rican population in Newark simply have been burned far too many times by the governing powers, and refuse to trust in these “leaders.” Surely enough, the distrustful seem to be right, as we see in a later scene that the mayor and Joseph Backscratcher make a deal to “scratch each other’s backs,” engaging in quid pro quo politics which are not unusual in government. Ultimately, the Puerto Rican people in the play decide that if they are not heard by their representatives, then they must take matters into their own hands and represent their own interests themselves. They create a ‘People’s Committee’ comprised of community-chosen representatives that present their demands.

   5. Hey Bryan I’m not a fan of politics so I share the same sentiment as neighbor 1. The relationship between minority and justice is something very harsh and non-empathic. Minority’s aren’t usually taken care of when it comes to their issues being heard so the fact that Puerto Ricans are fighting for social justice is not even surprising. I just wish there was a world someday where justice and minority’s can coexist with integrity and honesty.

   6. Your comment made me realize a lot more to the text than I originally noticed. There is so much political unrest in this text as well as no-one is really trustable in any situation of the text. The mayor is a backscratcher and some residents believe that he will take care of the Puerto Rican community if the Puerto Rican community votes them in but also there’s no guarantee that will definitely happen. He is a Puerto Rican political figure but race does not matter in this situation as they are just a stepping stone for backscratcher to getting what he wants. Another thing I notice is that that the Puerto Rican community does not know what to do as they can find someone that supports them but they assume that someone of their own race would support them. The community needs to educate one another more to find a person that will support the community the way that they need. Until then when will that happen, it will be backscratcher being in charge for a long extended period of time.

2. I agree that the play suggests that the political representation of Puerto Ricans is corrupted since when the mayor was shown that the community wanted the Director of Police, he says “Oh, no, he’s my friend. I can’t do that” (156) and that firing him is “unreasonable” (157). Although he offers an alternative: “I’ll ask the Police Commissioner to investigate these issues and give me a detailed report” (157), this is something that the community does not want. Since the Mayor has the power to fire the Director of Police but is deciding not to do so since the director is a friend, he is showing that the political atmosphere is corrupt. To add on, the only reason Backscratcher spoke to the Puerto Rican community is because “they [the community] need to see an authority figure from their own community in order to calm them down” (152). As this person commented, this signifies Female Neighbor’s argument about political corruptions since here, the mayor is supposed to address the Puerto Rican community and make promises to help them with police brutality but by having Backscratcher talk instead, he just wants the Puerto Rican community to be calm and, in a way, forget about this just because there is a Puerto Rican addressing the situation.

3. Option Three: Within the play, there are considerations amongst all characters in what method of organizing to demand proper social justice is most effective to bring the desired results of the Newark community. Backscratcher and The Mayor, with the enforcement of both Policeman, represent the “proper” method of justice, going through the channels and establishments put in place for the people, the female neighbors at the end of the play consider a pacifist approach/inaction, blaming their community for the violence that occurred at Branch Brook Park or the option to organize, and the considerations of a violent approach to demand social justice, as considered by Female Neighbor #4. There is not an agreement, or consensus reached on what the most effective way to have their demands met is, but the image and description illustrated at the end, with The Community breaking the fourth wall, speaking to the audience, demanding to them, is to evoke an emotional reaction, to the growing inaction and the increased police brutality and violence towards their community, to make the audience aware of these issues that are result of failures in the systems and institutions set in place meant to protect The Community.
   It is clear within the play, that Backscratcher and the Mayor, are not there to protect The Community, at least not in a genuine way, and set up the question of whether government officials/politicians are serving their own interests or protecting their communities. The Mayor is unwilling to fire the Director of Police, serving his interests because that is his friend, and Backscratcher, speaks to The Community, ensuring promises to fix the issues which continue to progress and heighten as the play closes, but never really taking action to ensure social justice.

   1. Great observation Natalia! I agree with you, in the play it is clear that the interest of the community isn’t something that matters to the Mayor or to Backscratcher. It is obvious that they both are very corrupt and the only reason that they are in politics is for their own benefit. This is seen when the Mayor tells Backscratcher “Maybe we can work something together. You know, you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours” (156). Both clearly want to work something out that will benefit them both, not the Puertorican community that is begging to finally have them do something for them. They acknowledge that they will not be able to accomplish anything with both of them, as they are aware of the fact that Backscrtacher and the Mayor are actively pretending to care, only to ensure that they benefit. Another sentence of this is when Backscratcher tells the police officer that the two guys were crapshooters, leading to the death of one of them, and the injuries of others. Even after this happens we see that Backscratcher does not feel any remorse, and instead is looking for a way to benefit from this. This then leading him to tell the Mayor that he is the chairman of the Emergency Council, and working with the mayor to benefit himself.

   2. I like that you brought up the idea that these government officials are using their political power as a technique to serve their own interests instead of protecting the community and complete those big goals they set up during election. I wonder if the character, Aurora Troublemaker, who is a big fan of Backscratcher, would still admire him after knowing he is a hypocrite. One method represents in the play to demand social justice is through protesting. Many community member self-initiated to gather upon the Mayor’s building, however this is not efficient because the Mayor doesn’t want to help them gain equality, he only wants to settle this problem that is why he want Backscratcher to assemble another group to act as the negotiator instead of really choosing one from the protestors.

4. In the play, “Newark,1974” there is a lot of need for more Puerto Rican representation in politics. Puerto Ricans are facing police brutality and corruption by people who basically don’t care about them. Just like female neighbor 1 said “I don’t trust those political intriguers. They all do the same thing. They promise the community heaven and earth… (147). Politicians don’t take into consideration the interest of the people they are fighting for. They only care about their own interests and making money for themselves. Aurora thinks the opposite of that. She thinks that having someone like Joseph Backscratcher will do a lot for the Puerto Rican community and it will help make a difference. Specifically this community in New Jersey Puerto Ricans are tired of politicians giving them promises that they don’t keep. They want their voices to be heard and want some change, “Liberty, amnesty, and free medical treatment for those injured. A committee from the community to review the Police Department. The firing of the director of police” (156). The mayor does not want this to happen especially the firing of the director of the police because “he’s my friend” (156).

   1. Hi Roxanna, I think you gave a great analysis of how “Newark 1974” speaks about the absence of Puerto Rican representation in the local political landscape in New Jersey. I thought it was especially interesting that we eventually learn Joseph Backscratcher tried to solve the problems the Puerto Rican community endures through the political system he’s embedded in, but to no avail since there is still a disconnect between him and the needs of the community. This play explores the integral conflict of whether solutions to racial and ethnic discrimination and inequality can be created within the existing political system or if there must be a systemic overhaul to rectify past injustices and create change. The Puerto Rican community makes up a substantial part of the Newark community but does not have a direct part in the city’s local government.

      This theme of a “part without a part” was also prevalent in our last unit. Marcos Gonsalez explored this theme in “Pedro of the Americas” when he writes of Rosalino, arguing his story and perspective are an inextricable part of Latin American history. But his story is excluded from the dominant narrative established by the embodiment of colonization, D.H. Lawrence. Like the Puerto Rican diaspora of Newark without a direct pipeline between their demands and the local government, Rosalino is a “part without a part” in the narrative of the Americas and Lawrence, whose story will be taken as the truth by popular discourse.

   2. I agree with Roxanna, Aurora believes Joe Backscratcher will represent the Puerto Rican community. Yes, he’s Puerto Rican but does he see the same values as the community does, not anymore. Maybe he has helped before when he was still living in that neighborhood. Now that he has better himself, he wants to keep better himself even if he has to drag his community down. The community sees it, explains why they don’t support him. Just because you have someone coming from the same country as you, does not mean they will see things your way or represent you. The community has to speak up and since they been quiet for so long, their neighborhood has gotten worse. I find it funny in the scene when the Mayor asked Joe, if had the power to calm down his community and he replied yes. Backscratcher wasn’t able to calm down, instead he did the opposite, releasing all the anger out. Maybe it was for the better, the people have finally spoken.

5. “Newark, 1974,” a play by Victor Fragoso, deals with debates about Puerto Rican political representation in Newark, New Jersey. The Puerto Rican community’s liberty and livelihoods are at stake without true representation. In the play, Aurora Troublemaker believes that Joseph Backscratcher, a political figure running for a position in City Hall, is beneficial for the Puerto Rican community because there should be more Puerto Rican representation in politics. However, the neighbors argue that a Puerto Rican politician would be the same as any other politician because politicians make big promises but never deliver since they’re only interested in power and money. “Yes, but we need Puerto Ricans who represent their people, and not their own interests. Otherwise, what does it matter if they’re Puerto Rican or not?” (147). Members of the Puerto Rican community have a meeting after the act of police brutality in Branch Brook Park and debate about their course of action because not complaining hasn’t given them anything except aggravation, injuries, and death. “‘Yes, but we can’t let opportunists like Backscratcher to come and represent us, because they’ll want whatever benefits them, not us.’ ‘Then, let’s choose our own representatives, from the community’“ (155). The neighbors conclude that they need their own committee with representatives chosen by the community because politicians are opportunists.

   1. I agree with your comment about the community not needing more politicians that only look out for themselves. Joseph Backscratcher may be a part of the community, but he is not looking out for them, he is only looking to uplift himself. This situation shows why representation alone is not enough, and why the actions of prospective representatives need to be considered thoroughly before they are voted in. I really liked that the neighbors were not fooled by the Mayor and Backscratcher, and decided to speak up for themselves and voiced their urgent concerns. they did not wait for an elected official to speak for them or to be blatantly lied to again. the system kept failing them, so they are taking matters into their own hands.

6. The debates within the play argue about how crucial Puerto Rican involvement in politics but also in the community is. Initially there is an example of how the children are coming home with black eyes, which goes to show how they are neglected. As the play progresses we also see an example of police brutality within the Puerto Rican community which results in someone from their community who was not doing anything bad/illegal to get killed. This infuriates and initiates the community to take a stand because they cannot just stand to watch someone get killed and when he has done nothing wrong. The community tries to reason and attempts at approaching this in a civil manner but are quick to realize that in doing so nothing will really change. There is also this notion that all politicians are the same whether or not they are Puerto Rican and make claims that they will do everything in their power to better the community, as female neighbor 1 states “once they’re up there … what they care about is losing their jobs and making some money”(147). Since they know any civil attempts are not going to work they resort to making a statement and in doing so resort to rioting as this is their final attempt at changing the course of action for the Puerto Rican community in Newark. They are tired of being oppressed and just want to be respected because they are constantly just “accept(ing) everything they do to us, without making a sound” female neighbor 4 states which goes to show for long this has been happening(157). This was bound to occur and though it was not the manner in which they wanted to approach they feel that it is the only want politicians are going to take notice of what is actually going on. What is seen here is the campaign for Puerto Rican representation in the community which can only be fought for by the community not some random politicians.

   1. I agree throughout most of the play there is this dynamic between the Puerto Rican people within the community and then the officials and authority figures. You point out a lot of the important parts in the text, from the scene in the bodega to the events that took place in the festival, which all show the violence towards them. This concept of unfairness and ignoring the needs of the most vulnerable starts to really bother the community since they see that nothing is being done to help them, not even the Puerto Rican man who is running to be their representative within the government. We see this in the present day when representatives that are from the same background as minority groups promise to make a change but become part of the problem. Furthermore, Backsratcher’s character shows that he is someone who wants power and money more than to put the community’s needs first. At the festival, the people are quick to raise questions due to the distrust and Backsratcher fails to answer them or even connect to them. Your concluding point “What is seen here is the campaign for Puerto Rican representation in the community which can only be fought for by the community not some random politicians” really encapsulates the need for community and unification in order to see justice.

7. There is a lack of Puerto Rican representation in New Jersey. The mayor believes that the community needs someone that “understands them” and can “calm them down by speaking to them.” The debate is that Puerto Ricans in the community feel like a target, and that their voices are not being heard. They are not convinced that Backscratcher will do anything for them, as they bombard him with numerous questions and concerns. The mayor seems to lack compassion or care towards the community as he says “I’m very sorry but I cant waste my time with you.” Instead of doing his job, he wanted a leader elected that would be “the voice” for all Puerto Ricans, but he still does not hear their concerns. What is at stake is the Puerto Rican community being protected and having a leader who actually cares about them. Puerto Ricans are subjected to police brutality and we see the attack by CrapShooters which causes a riot through the community.

8. Option one.
   The Puerto Rican people are not happy with the political figures in power, they feel misrepresented. As with many politicians we see corruption here, Backscratcher who’s a Puerto Rican him self is an example of corruption/misrepresentation, his decision are for his own benefits and not the Puerto Rican people of New Jersey. Female Neighbor 1 shines a light on this issue and she says that politicians only gives the people false promises and hopes. A second scene that brings out the corruption during Newark 1974 is the scene where the community suggests the mayor to fire the director of police but the mayor responds with “He’s my friend”. The people aren’t being heard and this lead to violence, the younger members of the community who are called “punks” have lost their faith on their leaders and in return turn to violence to express their frustrations, the community turns more into a ghetto and protests and violence embark throughout the community as the people believe it will be the only way their voices which have been ignored with peace will be heard. Female neighbor 4 says towards the end of the play “We want rights that are ours, because we want to be respected”. The police brutality and injustices that they’re facing kept being ignored so this is the last and only option the community had left, violence fought with violence.

9. OPTION ONE

   In this play I think that the Puerto Ricans are disrespected at every level of society and even with Joseph Backscratcher he is not treated like someone running for a position in City Hall. He is called Buttscratcher by the Mayor, showing that although he is needed to help the Mayors image, at the end of the day he is just a Puerto Rican. A lot of the neighbors believe that their demographic is not properly taken care of and through Backscratcher they gain a voice, he is the one hearing the concerns and interacting with them. He is the voice of the voiceless and with this he is not only voicing for Puerto Ricans but the government, he has to play both sides to reach peace. Their main problem is the power struggle, the police run rampant in their neighborhoods while these people work hard for a honest living, while this happening they are being targeted by unknown threats. One female neighbor says, “We Puerto Ricans are pacifists. People are going to say we are savages” (P.g 157) This specific group just wants to be treated normally like anyone else would, they even say that the “black” demographic has benefits while they do not. Backscrather is at a constant battle between his two lives, he is a Puerto Rican man but also a member of the government so how can he possibly do it all? It is a lose-lose situation where on one hand people have concerns he cannot handle but his position in the power scale requires him to.

10. This play was interesting because the reader is able to understand that there are issues within the Puerto Rican community itself, which adds to our understanding of the political climate in Newark, NJ in the 70s. To provide some background knowledge, Joseph Backscratcher is in the running for obtaining a position at City Hall. This position would somehow allow him to make changes for the Puerto Rican community, but even his last name is showing the reader the reality of the situation. He seems to have yet to think about the things he is actually going to do for the community, when they ask him specific questions in person. We also read a conversation between Joseph and the Mayor after the community beings to protest and appear to be organizing an act that would get the government’s attention. In it, they both agree to have Joseph speak for the Puerto Rican community to “calm them down”, and that he was “at [the Mayor’s] disposition”. These actions and conversations show that although some in the community believe the possibility that some real change would appear, there is always a chance that they will do things just for the benefits of their job title. What is it stake for the community is stated bluntly at the end of the play by the community themselves: liberty, amnesty, free healthcare, reviewing of the police department, the firing of the director of police, and for investigation of the incident at the Branch Brook Park. Their rights are at stake and the mistreatment they see in their communities further perpetuates it.

11. In the play Newark, 1974 by Victor Fragoso, Aurora and her neighbors are discussing the value of Puerto Ricans participating in politics and why it’s good that Joseph Backscratcher would speak at a local festival. I can definitely agree that the corrupt nature of New Jersey’s political representation is at issue. I believe this because the Puerto Ricans particularly want a lot of changes, but it seems as if a lot of what is spoken doesn’t really end up happening. Many believe that electing Joseph Backscratcher will change things for the good while others have different opinions on his role. The NJ Puerto Rican riots occurred many years ago now but still to this day people continue to suffer abuse at the hands of ours government and police nationwide. This protest that turned into a riot revealed alot of truths behind how the people actually felt during this time.

12. In “Newark, 1974,” there was a great representation of the difference between an official political response vs. a people’s response. In the play, we see that the Mayor is friends with the Head of Police (commissioner) and the people of the Puerto Rican community want him gone, but the mayor doesn’t want to fire his friend. It is such an insane but real situation that could happen (and has happened). My belief is that a political response is made and directed towards silencing communities instead of listening to them. The audience see this when the neighbors describe Backscratcher (the one responding to the incident) as an opportunist. Backscratcher is someone only out to promote himself and uses the Puerto Rican community to do that. Whereas a people’s response addresses the families and the community, it places a focus on listening and hearing what the people want instead of what politicians think communities should hear (which can be self-serving). The People’s Committee, the group of Puerto Ricans in the community focused on the people’s wants created a list of demands for the Mayor. This committee had the right idea, they saw a problem, analyzed it, and responded to it. This is far different from the Mayor’s office they saw a problem and immediately tried to figure out what they could do to make the problem disappear.

    1. ^Option Three

13. Option 1: Describe the debates within the play about Puerto Rica political representation in New Jersey. What is at stake?

    Throughout the plot of the play, we are able to see how many Puerto Rican’s who live in Newark are uneasy about some of the living and lifestyle conditions that they deal with on a day to day basis. Puerto Ricans are treated unfairly and quite frankly are unable to put trust in many if not all political figures. Further, many people in the community argue that there needs to be people specifically Puerto Ricans with more authoritative power. The Puerto Rican community isn’t sure what to do with the positions that they are all in so they lay out all their problems and concerns to a official. I feel like Backscratcher is the only glimpse of hope for the Puerto Rican community because their community is on the line of becoming worse overtime.

14. OPTION ONE

    In the play the debates are incredibly important because all of the members of the community face specific issues, which we hear about later on at the Puerto Rican Event. An example is that one of the ladies of the community has a husband in jail, who is apparently innocent. They also seem to be facing issues of poverty, and low budgets (which would explain lack of quality education for their children). This means that this community needs someone to vouch for them, however they have no trust in the government. Yet, Aurora is naive and believes Mr. Backscratcher is a good representative but when he is faced with questions he is incredibly unprepared and has no plan of action for any of the issues faced. Instead, he contributes to over policing which results in worse problems for the community. This shows that politics are incredibly important to this community, and all.

15. Throughout the play, the neighbors feel underrepresented and unprotected because they are Puerto Rican. Aurora believes that Backscratcher is going to finally make the changes everyone in the community has been wanting. The neighbors disagree and say that Backscratcher is just going to take advantage of the position and he’s just gonna be in it for the money. The neighbors want things to get fixed in their community and not to be judged for being Puerto Rican. An official political response shown in the text is when Backscratcher stands up in the festival and tries to calm down the crowd because they’re not obeying the mayor. The response of the Mayor was to get himself out of the situation instead of trying to calm the crowd down. The people’s response was to also leave because they see that they’re not being taken seriously.

    This is going to be an ongoing situation because a lot of latinos feel this way. Underrepresentation and stereotypes are what we can all relate to.In my father’s country Ecuador, Indingenous people are always getting treated the worst and the political system doesn’t do anything to help them. It’s sad because they try their best to preserve the country’s nature and they’re the ones who get the most negative feedback from it. The response of the indingenous people is that they’re angry and they protest for their rights and just to receive respect and equality

    1. OPTION 3

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