PROSPECT HEIGHTS, Brooklyn (WABC) — Around one million people will converge on the streets of Brooklyn for the New York Carnival Parade on Monday, and with it, an army of police officers.
Given the violence sparked along the parade route in recent years, the police presence on the ground and in the air is aimed at keeping the crowd safe for this year’s celebration.
“This will be the largest police deployment of the year, even bigger than our deployments for New Year’s Eve,” said NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch. “In Times Square, even bigger than our deployments for July 4th.”
Approximately 2,500 police officers are set to surge the streets of Brooklyn for Labor Day weekend in advance of the elaborate costumes, spirited dancers and much-awaited live music for the overnight J’Ouvert celebration and New York Carnival Parade, a treasured street festival the city works tirelessly to secure.
“Last year’s event was a success,” Mayor Eric Adams said. “We did have a shooting, but when you look at the over 700,000 people who were here, they did the right thing.”
Last September, a man was killed, and four others were injured during the parade, when a gunman jumped over a police barricade, stood on a cement divider and opened fire, targeting a group of people.
The shooting has prompted changes.
“The other thing that you are going to see this year is specifically along the parade route is a moat, which is an extra layer of barricades that hopefully will keep that route more intact,” Tisch said. “It’s two layers of two rows of barricades, as opposed to just one row of barricades.”
The mayor and police commissioner have been under intense scrutiny after gun violence over the last two weekends, which has included a mass shooting at a Brooklyn nightclub, separate shooting incidents in the Bronx where four people were killed and a half dozen others were injured, and the death of an East Harlem grandmother who was shot in the face and killed by a stray bullet.
“The key is we have to stay focused on what we need to do, and that is safety,” said Pastor Gil Monrose of the New York City Office of Faith-based and Community Partnerships. “Everyone coming out, having a good time and everyone go back to their home safe.”
The weekend surge of NYPD officers will encompass the entire borough, not just Eastern Parkway, focusing on parks that are known hotspots for gang and crew activity. Violence interrupters who were on the ground last year will back again this year.
“We’re taking the time to mediate conflict and giving out resources,” said Camara Jackson, CEO and executive director of Elite Learners Inc.
“Some people may have a relationship with a particular gang or set, and then we, you know, we talk to them. We have conversations with them,” said Steven Gilyard of Elite Learners Inc.
WABC-TV Channel 7 is a proud sponsor of the New York Carnival Parade, and will stream the event live on abc7NY.com, our mobile and connected TV apps, and on YouTube starting at noon on Monday (Labor Day).
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