Crime & Safety
De Blasio Says Brooklyn's J'Ouvert Parade Shouldn't Be Shut Down
Following this year's fatal shootings, some say the J'Ouvert celebration is too dangerous and should be cancelled.
ONE POLICE PLAZA, MANHATTAN — Mayor Bill de Blasio said Tuesday that he doesn't support cancelling the J'Ouvert parade, despite the high-profile gun crimes that have taken place near the event in recent years.
In 2015, Caray Gabay, an aide to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, was caught in what police describe as gang-related crossfire and killed.
That lead the NYPD to significantly increase its police presence at J'Ouvert this year. But despite that effort, on Monday morning, two more people — 17-year-old Tyreke Borel and Tiarah Poyau, 22 — were both fatally shot in the parade's vicinity.
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On Monday, The New York Post reported that de Blasio said cancelling the event in the future was "on the table."
The paper also quoted Brooklyn Councilman Brad Lander as saying that "big changes are needed," adding, “I’m open to canceling it next year."
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But at a press conference Tuesday, de Blasio said he didn't support ending a long-standing community tradition.
The mayor didn't say what security steps he favors going forward, instead stating that "there's going to be a very specific after-action review" concerning what happened Monday night.
"This event grew organically in the community," De Blasio said of J'Ouvert, adding that it is "part of peoples' lives. Our job is to make it safe."
De Blasio and outgoing NYPD commissioner Bill Bratton also said that other large cultural events, such as the St. Patrick's Day Parade and the Puerto Rican Day Parade, also had a history of violence, but had become safer over the years. The same, they said, would have to happen with J'Ouvert.
"We have to fix it, and we have to do more, and we will," Bratton said.
The mayor also emphasized that the West Indian Day Parade itself, which follows J'Ouvert, was largely crime-free, despite drawing about 1 million spectators.
According to the NYPD, during the parade, there were 7 felony arrests, 10 misdemeanor arrest, and 24 summonses issued.
J'Ouvert itself saw 250,000 spectators, according to the department, with 11 felony arrests and 4 misdemeanor arrests. Those arrests led to the capture of two illegal guns, according to the NYPD.
Pictured at top: Bill de Blasio speaking at a pre-J'Ouvert press conference last week. Photo by John V. Santore
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