Quantcast

Mayor Eric Adams, NYPD Commissioner outline security measures for J’Ouvert and West Indian American Day Parade

NY: Thousands celebrate the West Indian Day Parade.
Caribbean Americans celebrated their culture as they paraded up Eastern Parkway at the West Indian Day Parade. File Photo by Gabriele Holtermann

At a press conference at Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn, Mayor Eric Adams and NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch outlined the NYPD’s security measures for one of the city’s largest annual events, J’Ouvert and the West Indian American Day Parade on Aug. 29.

Mayor Eric Adams held a security briefing ahead of J’Ouvert and the West Indian Day Parade on Labor Day. Photo by Gabriele Holtermann

The vibrant traditions draw hundreds of thousands of spectators every year. While Adams and Tisch announced that, at this time, there were no known specific, credible threats to the J’Ouvert Festival or the West Indian American Day Parade, both emphasized that thousands of NYPD officers would be out in full force to ensure “safe, secure, and peaceful celebrations.”

“There is nothing like Carnival,” Adams said. “We’re excited about the music, the energy, the fashion, and fun that is associated with it. And this community knows how to throw on a great party, and we want to make sure that everyone can enjoy it in a very safe way.”

“This will be the largest police deployment of the year, even bigger than our deployments for New Year’s Eve in Times Square, even bigger than our deployments for July 4,” Tisch noted.

NYPD Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch shared the security and safety measures the NYPD put in place for J’Ouvert and the West Indian Day Parade on Labor Day. Photo by Gabriele Holtermann

Spectator access to J’Ouvert, the pre-dawn celebration marking the start of Carnival, will begin at 2 a.m. — four hours before the event kicks off at 6 a.m.

Tisch announced that there will be 13 security checkpoints along Empire Boulevard and Nostrand Avenue, where all spectators will be screened with handheld metal detectors by NYPD personnel before entering the viewing areas. Street closures in the area will begin at 11:30 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 31, and will remain in effect until 11 a.m. on Monday.

Flatbush Avenue will be closed from Grand Army Plaza to Empire Boulevard. Empire will be closed from Flatbush across to Nostrand; Nostrand Avenue will be closed from Empire Boulevard down to Rutland Road.

Some of the security measures for the West Indian American Day Parade, which kicks off at 11 a.m. at Rochester Avenue and Eastern Parkway, include the NYPD’s Emergency Services, Counterterrorism, Bomb Squad, canine units, and field intelligence officers. Additionally, helicopters and drones will surveil the parade route, assisting NYPD officers on the ground. The Joint Operations Center will monitor fixed and mobile cameras along the route and surrounding areas, while intelligence teams will monitor social media for potential threats.

“Response units will be deployed to investigate any reports in real time,” Tisch said. “As always, there will be assets that you will see and others that you will not see. While cops will be out there to keep you safe, we ask everyone to stay alert. If you see something suspicious or something doesn’t feel right, tell a uniformed officer or call 911.”

Past celebrations, however, have been marred by violence. Last year, a gunman opened fire along the parade route, killing one person and wounding four others. 

Tisch announced that this year, the NYPD will install two rows of barricades, as opposed to just one, along the parade route.

“Spectators may not jump barricades to join performers or marchers, and any unauthorized individuals on the route will be removed and may be subject to arrest,” Tisch warned.

The commissioner also urged spectators to use public transportation due to street closures, which will begin at 6 a.m. when Eastern Parkway will be shut down between Ralph Avenue and Utica Avenue, as well as the surrounding side streets. Rockaway Parkway, Buffalo Avenue, East New York Avenue, Portal Street, Rochester Avenue, and Union Street will also be closed. At approximately 10:30 a.m., Eastern Parkway will be fully closed from Utica down to Grand Army Plaza. All northbound and southbound streets feeding into the Parkway will also be closed.

Tisch and Adams further announced the deployment of 2,500 police officers to keep New Yorkers safe over the Labor Day weekend.

Building on the mayor’s effort to take guns off New York City streets and combat gang violence, the NYPD has identified parks where gang violence occurs.

“Those parks will have 24/7 police presence,” Tisch announced. “2,500 uniformed members of service who are going to be walking foot posts, both on our streets and importantly, in our parks.”

When asked about the mayor’s announcement to deploy 1,000 additional NYPD officers to patrol the Bronx, Adams wouldn’t provide any details on which areas of the Bronx the officers would be policing.

Mayor Eric Adams held a security briefing ahead of J’Ouvert and the West Indian Day Parade on Labor Day. Photo by Gabriele Holtermann

“If we tell you where they’re located, then the bad guys will know where [the cops] are located. That’s the purpose of not broadcasting exactly how we’re going to implement our enforcement,” Adams said. “They’re going to be doing foot patrol. They’re going to be on the ground, interacting with the public, addressing quality of life issues, making sure our parks are safe.”