On Monday, the Como Day Parade brought together family and friends, local businesses, community leaders, and a fleet cool cars. There was also lots of candy for the neighborhood.This event is in its 70th anniversary and aims to allow residents of the historically Black neighborhood to celebrate Independence Day as they wish. Roy Brooks (Tarrant County Commissioner for Precinct 1) said that Independence Day and the Como Parade are tied to the celebrations on Juneteenth.Opal Lee, Juneteenth's grandmother, said that we were supposed to be in celebration and recognition of freedom from Juneteenth through the 4th of July. This is what the community has done.This is the first Como parade that will follow ComoFest on Saturday, which is a family-friendly event meant to bring residents together to celebrate and foster neighborhood pride.Community members were concerned about whether the parade would continue after an earlier Sunday morning shooting that left eight people hurt near the ComoFest location.After several men had an argument on Horne Street in the 3400 block, ComoFest was less than one mile away, the shooting took place.Fort Worth police reported that eight people were injured, the majority of them innocent bystanders.The shooting took place well after ComoFest was over. However, neighbors were curious if the parade would be affected or if there would be a large police presence.Residents who witnessed the shooting at ComoFest said that it was unrelated and that the suspects were not from their neighborhood.Mayor Mattie Parker was present at the parade Monday and stated that while events such as the shooting don't represent Como but events like this do.She said that this community should have its Fourth of July parade. So, despite the terrible events of this weekend, I am actually glad that we are having this parade to celebrate family and faith, community, and the history and culture of Como.Continue the storyThe event featured speeches by city council members, Neil Noakes, the Police Chief and other community leaders.Parade began at 10 a.m., with local businesses and car clubs driving vintage restored cars and custom Corvettes, handing out candy to the attendees, greeting old friends, and playing music.Henry Green, a Como resident, said that the event's importance was lost last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He was happy to see Como residents of different ages taking pride in their neighborhood.He said that it is important to bring everyone together. We have a generation gap right now that makes it difficult for young people to relate to older people. But this brings everyone together.Resident Inez Dorsey described the celebration as a homecoming, and she is looking forward to meeting someone.She said that it is like seeing old friends you didn't see in years. It's like a family reunion.
