BEING GARIFUNA-Happy Land Social Club Fire Tragedy--In Rememberance

[TheElvis54]

I knew this guy as a child, I even got into a fist fight with him and his brother ganging up against me. They both ended crying and running to their mother.

That was 48 years ago the week before I arrived in the US.

This guy was very stranged even as a child. He looked like if he had the devil in him. I am surprised no one has found the number 666 burned in his scalp.

I did not realize he was the person that killed all of those people until recently. I did not even know he was in the Country.

[BeingGarifuna]

@TheElvis54 Thank you for writing TheElvis54.

Teofilo Colon Jr

Being Garifuna

[Railer505]

@mamacita221 Umm 9/11 is often not considered a "fire" - when 10 Malian immigrants died in a Bronx fire in 2007 Happy Land came up since they said that was the worst fire since then. Then again a 9-alarm fire in Brooklyn in 2006 was considered the biggest fire in NYC in 11 years but not including 9/11.

[hotters7060]

@mamacita221 Well you don't have to have a an attitude with me! If you can't talk to me with respect than don't post anymore comments to me! I asked you a simple question and you answered me in a rude way!

[allahduafe]

I lived in New York on the 70s,and I remember those little clubs on the side of the street,must of them had only one door,they were called (sal,si puedes) wish means,get out,if you can.The fact,that they still exits by 1990,is unacceptable,this was the citys fault...

[hotters7060]

@allahduafe Is the 9/11 attacks the worst fire in New York City? The Twin Towers were hit by 2 airplanes and collapsed! But they say that Happy Land Club was the worst fire in New York City! But what about 9/11?

[Railer505]

The sad thing is Julio Gonzalez had nothing to lose by the time he set the fire... had no money, no friends, and Lydia was done with him. I bet he enjoys prison more than the life he was going to live.

[holywar911]

@Railer505 you are so right... 

[Railer505]

@holywar911 My favorite of those headlines was 'Happy Land That' - I'm guessing that's the NY Post?

[holywar911]

@Railer505 ??????

[Railer505]

@holywar911 I can tell by the typeface

[hotters7060]

@Railer505 He should have just left his girl friend alone and moved on with his life. When girls broke my heart I used to get really angry. But as I got older, I realized that I was wrong and I should have just left it alone instead of acting like a fool. I realized that it was not worth it. That is what Julio Gonzalez should have done. He could have gotten himself a new job and a new girl friend. He had no right to kill 87 people at Happy Land Club. He killed innocent people for nothing.

[Railer505]

@hotters7060 Correct, I'm not denying that 87 innocent people lost their lives that night, but you also need to take into account the safety in the club - and the fact that there was only one exit (which is where he set the fire) and no windows. The fact that his ex-girlfriend survived was that she had worked at the club for some time and had an idea of how to find an alternate exit. Remember: burns are usually not what kill in fires; it is the gases that spread through the club floor.

[hotters7060]

@Railer505 The gases were very poisonous and that is why so many people in Happy Land died. It was the inhalation of the smoke that killed them. The fire was very intense. This was 20 years ago. This happened on March 25, 1990. At that time I was about 6 years old. That was the worst club fire in the history of New York prior to September 11, 2001.

[Railer505]

@hotters7060 As tragic as 9/11 was, it is often not considered a "fire" - in 2007 there was a fire in the Bronx that killed 10 immigrant children from Mali - and the news reports said it was the deadliest NYC fire since Happy Land. Also note that exactly 79 years before Happy Land, tragedy struck at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in that infamous fire.

[hotters7060]

@Railer505 The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory got burned on March 25, 1911 in Manhattan NYC. That was one of the deadliest fires in history. But September 11, 2001 was worst than Happy Land and Shirtwaist Factory. But people said that the Twin Towers collapse because of the fire and the jet fuel. They say that the Twin Towers collapsed due to structural failure but I think they must have planted bombs in those buildings. Thats why they fell.

[Railer505]

@hotters7060 You should consult Crime Library's article on Julio Gonzalez, called "River of Tears: Happy Land" - tells all about what led up to his decision that fateful night, and what factors made him have nothing to lose.

[hotters7060]

@Railer505 I have read part of the article. Julio Gonzalez came to the United States in 1980 in a boat. He went to prison for something that he did in the armed forces. Ten years later he lost his job in Queens. He used to work at a warehouse in Queens New York City. His girl friend broke up with him after seven years. Julio Gonzalez argued with his girl friend and then he got kicked out of Happy Land by a security guard.

[hotters7060]

@Railer505 After Julio Gonzalez was kicked out of Happy Land, he decided to go to a gas station and buy some gasoline. Julio Gonzalez was very drunk on the night of the fire at Happy Land Club. Julio Gonzalez threw some gasoline at the only front door of Happy Land Club. The fire started on the stairs and then it got bigger and went up the stairs and smoke filled the entire room where the people were dancing. 87 people died as a result of the smoke!

[Railer505]

@hotters7060 I was living in Manhattan in 1990 but I was one year old. I didn't even know about this tragedy until they brought it up in light of a 2007 Bronx fire that killed 10. First carnage I remember seeing on TV was the Oklahoma City Bombing.

[holywar911]

i lost 2 friends in the happy land fire......god bless them all... :(

[azar7834]

@holywar911 I lost my Aunt in the Happy Land Club fire. I was six years old when my Aunt died on March 25, 1990. I miss my Aunt so much!

[holywar911]

@azar7834 god bless her.....it was a sad day for many ppl.....:(

[azar7834]

@holywar911 Thank you so much! And God bless you too! Its been 20 years since my Aunt died that night at Happy Land! I will never forget her! I will always think of her until the day I die!