CLEVELAND — At 787 Market and Cafe in Cleveland, Monday was a busy night, as usual. The shop provides Puerto Rican products and groceries for those in the community, but lately, the talk has not been only about food, but about former president and currently Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's latest rally.
During the event at New York's Madison Square Garden on Sunday, comedian and Youngstown native Tony Hinchcliffe took the stage. The host of the well-known "Kill Tony" podcast, made a series of crude remarks, including one about Puerto Rico that has ignited a firestorm.
"There's literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now," Hinchcliffe said. "I think it's called Puerto Rico?"
Though Hinchcliffe later referred to the remark as a joke, Puerto Ricans in Cleveland and elsewhere aren't laughing.
"I believe there's a time and place for everything," Henry Quinones, owner of 787 Market, told 3News. "I know he's a comedian, but it's just — that wasn't the time or the place, and it just wasn't funny."
José Feliciano, a Hispanic civic leader and native of Yauco who has called Cleveland home since he was 2, says he was "absolutely shocked" by Hinchcliffe's words. He believes jokes like that undermine the Puerto Rican community, as well as set a narrative about who Puerto Ricans are.
"One, I was hurt, and the second one was I was really mad," Feliciano said. "There's a misunderstanding that, somehow, there is such a concept as 'Puerto Rican citizenship.' There is no Puerto Rican citizenship. That concept doesn't exist."
To be clear, Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory, and Puerto Ricans are American citizens. You don't need a passport to visit the island, and once on the mainland, Puerto Ricans can vote for president.
The Trump campaign distanced itself from Hinchcliffe's remarks by saying, "This joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign." However, Trump's running mate and current Ohio U.S. Sen. JD Vance somewhat downplayed the comments, telling a crowd, "I think that we have to stop getting so offended at every little thing in the United States of America. ... I'm so over it."
Puerto Ricans are not the only ones offended. Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump's Democratic opponent for the presidency, responded earlier Monday by saying, "It is absolutely something that is intended to, and is fanning the fuel of, trying to divide our country."
Puerto Rico is a short plane ride from Miami. It has some of the best beaches in the world, and the only rainforest in the United States. It's culture is rich, and it's men and women serve in the U.S. military.
Quinones says all Puerto Ricans, whether Republican or Democrat, are proud Americans. He's disgusted to hear someone call them "garbage."
"It's a little ignorant to think that our fellow Americans (are) garbage," he added. "I think it just bombed. It wasn't a good joke."