© Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
(New York, NY) — The NYPD says thousands of police officers will be on duty for Monday’s J’ouvert Festival and West Indian Day Parade in Brooklyn, a festive event that’s been marred by violence in the past.
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch says with one million people expected to turn out to celebrate Caribbean music, culture and pride, this will be the largest police deployment of the year.
She said that the NYPD presence will include the emergency service unit, K-9’s, the mounted unit, counterterrorism teams, field intelligence officers, the bomb squad and police deployed to nearby parks. Tisch also said there’ll be drones, helicopters, weapons screenings at all 13 entry points and for the first time, a double layer of police barriers. She made it clear there’ll be “zero tolerance” for violence of any kind.
The annual celebration of Caribbean culture features calypso music, steel band floats, dancers, colorful costumes and mouth-watering food. One-million revelers turn out each year for J’ouvert and the West Indian Day Parade and Carnival that follow it.
Last year, a shooting happened at the beginning of the parade route along Eastern Parkway and Rochester. At least three people were shot and all three survived their injuries. A stray bullet also struck a firetruck.
