Crown Heights Residents Skeptical Of J’Ouvert Safety Efforts

CROWN HEIGHTS, BROOKLYN – After years of violence at J’ouvert, the annual celebration of Caribbean culture in Crown Heights, residents here are skeptical that recently announced safety measures will be effective, though some welcome the efforts.

The steps include changing the start time of J’ouvert, which has traditionally begun around 2 a.m., to 6 a.m. The NYPD also plans to deploy hundreds of additional officers to the celebration and screen for weapons and banned substances at designated entrances.

"The timing doesn’t really make a difference," Jordan Diaz, 21, said Friday while waiting inside a Norstrand Avenue barbershop blocks away from the site of J’ouvert. "If somebody is out there to cause harm, they’re not really focused on the time."

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During last year’s celebration, four people were shot, two of them fatally. In 2015, two were killed, including Carey Gabay, a lawyer for Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office.

Authorities have attributed the violence to gang members who come to J’ouvert with the intent to settle grudges.

"It’s going to happen regardless. There’s people out here, they don’t really care about cops, they don’t care about nothing," said Diaz, who works in sales.

Crown Heights resident Leon Jean, 43, was unsure whether revelers will heed the new start time, saying, "People don’t listen."

"There’s nothing the city can do. These people don’t obey the law," he said of perpetrators of violence.

A street vendor who gave his name as Ossie said he plans to sell flags and other items at this year’s J’ouvert. He’s taking a wait-and-see approach to the safety steps.

"It’s going to be a new experience," said Ossie, 60. "You can’t say this 6 o’clock [start] is going to be bad because the law enforcement has to try something."

The night before J’Ouvert, which falls on Labor Day on Sept. 4, the NYPD plans to close Empire Boulevard from Flatbush to Norstrand avenues and Norstrand Avenue from Empire Boulevard to Midwood Street. The festivity precedes the New York Caribbean Carnival Parade, though the events are not officially affiliated.

Describing the new safety measures at a Monday press conference, Mayor Bill de Blasio said, "Picture what happens on New Year’s Eve in Times Square.

"You are not bringing big bags, you’re certainly not bringing anything that could be a danger to anyone else. You’re not bringing alcohol. It’s a very controlled environment."

Retired nurse Margaret Williams, 70, welcomed the changes, saying the city should in fact expand its efforts beyond the immediate vicinity of J’ouvert.

"Why can’t it be contained? It has to be contained... in a specific area, and it ends. Goodbye, good night. Have a nice day," she said.

"If they add more police, I’m in favor of that," she said outside a Norstrand Avenue bodega. "We need that."

A duo hanging out on Norstrand Avenue near Sterling Street was strongly opposed to the changes, especially the new start time.

"It’s a spiritual thing for us to be manifesting late in the hour and dancing," said Joseph Berg, 27. "I feel like they’re discriminating against our culture as African-Americans.

"They have no jurisdiction over it because Labor Day is for laborers," he added. "Why the f--- are you putting a timeframe on my J’ouvert?"

"If they really want to stop violence, they gotta start from the head," said Berg’s friend, Jason McDavid, 38. "You can’t start from the feet if you wanna destroy violence."

Back in the Roberto Barbershop at 936 Norstrand Ave., customer Jason Willer said the new safety measures wouldn’t change how he celebrates J’ouvert – partying with friends on his stoop and visiting others’ homes, though avoiding the streets.

"If changing the time is going to keep it, then do whatever it takes to keep it," he said.

"It does kill the vibe, though."

Lead image by Terrence Jennings via AP.