By COLlive reporter
Photos by Itzik Roytman
The West Indian-American Day Parade took place Monday, marching down Eastern Parkway from Utica Avenue to Flatbush Avenue, with heavy police presence.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo was there, as well as New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio, Borough President Eric Adams, Senator Jesse Hamilton many others.
For the most part, the Jewish residents of Crown Heights kept away from the parade which celebrated Caribbean food, music and dancing with colorful costumes.
And for good reason. Local news reported that the Labor Day parade was once again marred by violence, as police were investigating multiple shootings near the parade route.
A man and a woman were killed and five other people were injured in three shootings and two stabbings during J’Ouvert celebrations along the West Indian Day Parade route in Brooklyn early Monday morning, police said.
Police say they doubled their enforcement around J’Ouvert after a stray bullet struck and killed 43-year-old Carey Gabay, an aide to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, at last year’s festivities. Around 3,400 officers were assigned to the event Sunday, compared to last year’s 1,700. Forty-five cameras were set up, and 250 light towers were deployed.
Mayor de Blasio and NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton had promised that there would be “the most extensive security ever” at this year’s J’Ouvert celebration, a year after Gabay was shot and killed at the overnight festival in Brooklyn, which draws as many as 250,000 people to Prospect Park before the West Indian Day Parade.
“In planning these events, we always plan for the worst and hope for the best,” said Bratton. “We met repeatedly with the organizers, met with community, business, religious leaders in an effort to ensure a safe event.”
“Despite these high hopes, we had unfortunate tragedy once again,” he said. “That will not deter us or what we’ll do next year.”
Crown heights is just as bad during tishrei!!! Come on people this is not just *our* nneighborhood there is a rich history of Caribbean Americans who also want a clean, fun time. If you don’t like it stay out
It’s nice to have any celebration for everyone , but please keep the garbage and take it out with you … This year it was disgusting , tons of garbage everywhere ….. Police were overtired to watch the barricades and people who wouldn’t take their cars anyway were looking for best parking options ….. Why to close all parking in a residential area ….. Reroute the parade from Grand Army Plaza to Atlantic Mall or around the prospect park or 5th Ave of Brooklyn or all Utica from eastern parkway till kings plaza mall …. Too much for pressure for… Read more »
who said anyone brought their kids maybe they were walking by, so quick to judge… maybe 770 should close down during the parade…
Sanitation trucks roar down the St until well past midnight THANK GD!!! What a disgrace …… Filth…
A good reason not to bring children to the parade or to go oneself is the pritzus, the sheer lack of human decency & self respect…..
Not only the music, the sights and lack of Tznius is not good, also for Jewish adults. What we see has an impact on us!
We still respect decent Non-Jews, but there are parts of their culture, that are not for Jews!
The sanitation department was still cleaning the service roads and neutral grounds when I walked by Eastern Pkwy. & Kingston around 10pm.
1) the reason most Jews stay away from the parade is not “violence” as reported above. The parade is not attended by the community for other reasons — I think most of us know what they are. 2) the violence reported did not take place during the main parade. It takes place at night/early morning like much of the other violence in our neighborhood. It just so happens that part of the cultural event takes place late at night. 3) We are not the only ones in CH who don’t want violence. I think the wonderful photos of this event… Read more »
Why shouldn’t such a choshuvah parade take place on 5th av like all parads! Why the discrimination !!???
Photographer gets his subjects very well. A good roundup of
pictures covering many facets of the parade.
I gave out some 7 Noachide cards, which are usually well received. The Rebbe wahts us to spread this info to the world.
Send this parade to 5th Avenue ….enough for our meighborhood, we are locked up, police are scared of these thugs….
Having followed this parade for the last two decades, I must say your photography was off the chart awesome and the best Ive seen in a while.
Keep up the great work!!!
The parade was over at about 6:00 then came the sanitation dept to clean the parkway which was over at about 7:00 , why was the parkway and the cross streets closed until 9:30?
BS”D
don’t understand how any Frum person brings their little children to these things
the music is pure KLIPPAH and has an adverse effect on ones child’s Neshama
Was anyone using this opprotunity for teaching the non jews about the the seven laws of noa???????
Wow what a crowd