West Indian American Day Parade Attracts Thousands , Amid Huge NYPD Presence

CROWN HEIGHTS, NY — Thousands of revelers crowded the streets of Brooklyn on Monday morning for the annual West Indian American Day Parade, joined this year by hundreds of cops who crowded the parade route in an increased show of security.

The parade, which draws local politicians, musicians and residents dressed in elaborate costumes, is preceded by a predawn - and not officially connected – celebration known as J'ouvert. Last year, four people were shot and two were killed in the lead up to the parade. In 2015, a lawyer in Governor Andrew Cuomo's administration, Carey Gabay, was shot and killed by a stray bullet during what police think is a shootout between rival gangs.

Gabay was out celebrating J'ouvert with his brother when he was mortally wounded in the crossfire.

This year, in an attempt to curb spurts of violence, city officials implemented new rules and screening procedures. Eastern Parkway, the Brooklyn boulevard down which revelers march during the West Indian American Day parade, was swarming with cops starting on Sunday evening, and residents trying to enter the area to get to their homes or to the parade were searched for weapons.

Officials likened the new security procedures to Times Square on New Years' Eve. The official start time of J'ouvert was moved from 4 a.m. to 6 a.m., and a noticeable police presence crowded the neighborhood.

"It's like there's more cops than people up here," said Derrick Mitchell, a lifelong Fort Green resident who said he comes to the min parade every year. "Don't let a handful of a**holes mess it up for the rest of the people."

At least two people were shot in Brooklyn on Sunday night, but it's unclear if the violence was connected to the parade celebrations. On Monday, two people were reportedly injured in assaults along the parade route, although police were not immediately able to provide details about the incidents.

Scores of politicians joined in the parade, including Mayor Bill de Blasio and First Lady Chirlane McCray. Cuomo also marched, making headlines before the celebration by refusing to endorse de Blasio, a fellow Democrat, in his upcoming mayoral primary.

De Blasio, the front runner in the upcoming mayoral race, has long had a chilly relationship with his Cuomo, and the two have traded barbs in recent months over Cuomo's handling of the city's Metropolitan Transportation Authority and de Blasio's management of the jail on Rikers Island. (For more information on this and other neighborhood stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

Cuomo explained that he was refraining from endorsing de Blasio because, as a Westchester resident, he wouldn't be voting in the upcoming primary elections on Sept. 12

"I don’t vote in the primary election. I’m a Westchester resident," Cuomo said on Monday before the parade. "I’m not voting in this election, so I don’t have any primary endorsements at this time."

Lead image credit: AP Photo/ Kevin Hagen. Secondary image credit: Ciara McCarthy / Patch.