Nuyorican Manifesto
 Juanra FernAndez
 Nuyorican Caf6

Somos o no somos...I'm a hippie; I'm a yuppie; I'm a nuyorican poet.

 These are terms used by many to describe their sense of belonging to
 a generation or a movement. I feel that I belong to one of those, too.
Although nobody has given it a name, I can walk down any street in Old San
Juan and point out these individuals and the projects they are involved in.
 We are dedicated to creating alternative lifestyles within the urban
experience of San Juan. We believe that San Juan has the potential of
becoming one of the great metropolitan centers of the world and that a vibrant
counter culture is instrumental to that end.
 We need a great city. We have a great affordable university. We have a new
museum of art and a museum of contemporary art in Santurce and the
conservatory of music is moving to a colonial structure in Miramar. But we
still need a car and a couple of hours in traffic to move from one to another.
Even if we decide to bike it, we might go by a couple of neighborhoods that
would not be safe after-hours. To the extent that we can properly reurbanized
and plan for the unification of Old San Juan, with Miramar and Santurce, all
the way to Rio Piedras and the University, we will get closer to that great city
that we need. Through our individual projects and perhaps votes or activism
we are committed to working for that goal. Some of us are going even further,
following Michael Moore's advice and running for office. The reknown music
sociologist Angel Quintero (Chuco), author of iSalsa, sabory control!, ran for
Puerto Rico's House of Representatives under the theme of a habitable city.
 We believe in working for ourselves and strive to make our projects as
independent from the man ("el tipo") as we possibly can. We are well prepared
academically and have a committed dedication to our projects. We believe
that art, undervalued by "el tipo," should be approached as a self-endeavor
(auto-empresa/gesti6n). We are determined to do whatever it takes to make
our projects viable and durable. What it usually takes is the indescribable
hard work of the artists themselves. I personally know some who, after
dedicating eight hours a day to their instrument, spend a couple of hours