Yes, there was some trouble last night, and I'll quote the note from Vinnie below. But let me just say that to conflate the two - random stupid violence and J'ouvert and the West Indian Day Parade - is really knee-jerk. Every year it's a rush to blame the City's biggest celebration for the acts of a few knuckleheads with firearms. Considering that there's a party on every block for miles around, it's incredible there isn't MORE violence. I'm not forgiving it; I'm just saying that those who rush to judge probably don't go to the parade, probably don't come from the Islands, and probably have no idea how joyous an occasion it is for hundreds of thousands of non-violent revelers. An AP story went out on the wire to papers across the country saying NY West Indian Parade Marred By Nearby Slaying. What? Like there's not a slaying or three in Central Brooklyn every weekend? For some reason people love to knock the parade over this. I'm not buying it. Most of the violence is related to alcohol consumption anyway, not the parade itself. Sounds like this time around someone was more on dust. It's a terrible tragedy of course anytime someone is killed, and I don't mean to minimize that. But look at the times. 3:30 am and 5 am. Yes, J'ouvert kicks into high gear around those hours, but no reason to trash the whole shebang.
My only complaint is the volume of the floats! As an aging rocker, I'm telling you that the volume coming off the trucks is actually incredibly dangerous. I know, I know, Islanders love their loud music. So do I!! But folks I know a thing about the terrible effects of sustained 125 plus decibel levels, and I have no doubt some floats are pumping levels closer to 140 or 150. I've seen little kids dancing around right in front of those speakers. So sorry if I sound like a namby pamby, but I think someone really ought to measuring the volume right off the stacks.
Here's the police report, which I'm repeating only because it happened right in our backyard. My condolences to the family of the victim. (Note the menacing location of an unrelated firearm in the second incident.)
Monday, September 1, 2014 at around 330 AM prior to the Jouvert parade on Empire, one male identified as Derrik Goodings fired several shots from a handgun
into a crowd of revelers for unknown reasons. Two individuals were stuck with bullets one with non life threatening injuries and unfortunately the other a 55 years of old male was struck in the chest and pronounced DOA at
Kings County Hospital. Bullets also struck an unmarked
Police van in which a Detective was sitting in shattering the window.
Near by Officers immediately gave chase and one Officer fired a single shot at the perp. The perp
was arrested after a short foot pursuit and a fireman was recovered at the seen.
Monday, September 1, 2014 around 5AM one 22 year old male was shot in the foot for unknown reasons inside the basketball courts located on McKeever Place behind Ebbets Field. During an evidence search one firearm
was recovered from a garbage pale but we do not believe this firearm was used in this crime. Anyone with information please call the 71 Precinct Detective Unit at 718-735-0501
1 comment:
Completely agree with you. My partner is Haitian, I'm Irish. We do jouvert and the parade. Tuesday after, I despair at the coverage and say, of course there was a shooting last night- it's a holiday weekend in Brooklyn ffs!! (Not condoning it of course, just saying.)
Post a Comment