Today I pushed my way through all odds to attend the Emergency Press Conference by the West Indian American Day Carnival Association (WIADCA).
To see the Borough President, Council members, Statesmen, WIADCA members, as well as Carnival committees, press and ordinary West Indian / Caribbean people in attendance was a great feeling.
The Emergency Press conference was called together last night for today at Borough Hall by WIADCA President Mrs. Yolanda Lezama-Clark, due to the negative press the parade receive after a few shootings at the event, and even in Brooklyn throughout the weekend.
When I got there Assemblyman Karim Camara was speaking and he was talking about his annual experience at the parade with his two young daughters and the need for it to be a safe environment because the parade is one of the city’s biggest family events.
Camara made a powerful statement when he said, “This is not a carnival problem, or a Brooklyn problem, this is a national epidemic. Gun violence needs to be stopped!”
In a passionate speech by Former NYC Councilmember for Brooklyn’s 40th District, Dr. Una Clarke spoke on behalf of her daughter Congresswoman Yvette Clarke.
Mrs. CLarke was fired up when she directed her attention to the NY POST and their biased and offensive press coverage of the West Indian American Carnival.
“New York Post, we know our own story you don’t have to tell our story!”
The powerful community matriarch also took the opportunity to let Mrs. Lezama-Clark publicly know, “you have a community behind you.”
But it wasn’t until she touched on the fact that our people clean the floors, own businesses and hold positions in the government that the audience went into an uproar when she concluded,“…We run everything in this city!”
Though WIADCA put a lot of the blame of the violence at the parade on the NYPD, it was noted that it was not totally the NYPD’s fault. Many speakers were emphatic by mentioning gun violence as a national issue, a government issue, an unemployment issue and not a West Indian American Carnival Day issue and that more emphasis should be placed on those major issues than the cancellation of the parade.
Somebody suggested that WIADCA should change the route of the parade, I am not sure who was brave enough to say that in this meeting, however, the question was greeted with uproar by the Council members, WIADCA and every West Indian / Caribbean person in attendance – in unison they all replied, “NO!”
In my opinion, the press conference was not really about solutions but just a matter of addressing the bad press the parade got this year and has consistently gotten in the past in regards to the violence that erupt.
There was this one particular Caucasian reporter that kept asking about alcohol at the parade and it being the cause of the violence. Mrs. Lezama-Clark vehemently dismissed that notion that alcohol is sold at the parade. Noting that the city stopped the sale of alcohol about 5 years ago after violence erupted at the Puerto Rican Day Parade. Though it was a good question, the reporter asked the same question over and over about 4 times! Suprisingly, no one threw a show at her.
I was given the opportunity to ask a question, however, Mrs. Lezama-Clark never answered my question.
“What is WIADCA going to do year round and not 2 months prior to the parade to break the stigma that West Indian / Caribbean people and their parade are violent.” She didn’t understand my question *crickets* What????
It took another reporter to piggy back on my same question and ask it, to which she responded, “WIADCA and the NYPD will be working together to build a Task Force.”
Here’s what Assemblyman Karim Camara had to say after the conference:
It was indeed an emotional press conference.
I look forward to see the improvements and changes this organization will put into place for the future and hopefully they will actively start a “NO TO VIOLENCE” campaign.
Do you have any suggestions for WIADCA? Leave a comment below and we will send it in to their office.
DISCLAIMER: Members of the press are REQUIRED to credit JAYBLESSED.com for this copyrighted story.
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September 7, 2011 at 3:24 pm
I suggest that WIADCA work with the band leaders on keeping those who did not play to pay mas out of the bands.
September 7, 2011 at 3:26 pm
Great job Jamie!!!!!!!!!!!
September 7, 2011 at 7:21 pm
Thank you Simone.
September 7, 2011 at 3:28 pm
I would have to say I believe a lot of the violence was indeed alcohol fueled!! With my own eyes I saw very young men with “open containers”. Pouring directly from the the bottle mouthfuls of grey goose and henny…… It was definitely a contributing factor…
September 7, 2011 at 3:47 pm
[...] What happens after the Emergency Press Conference by WIADCA? | Jay Blessed Media __________________ STATUS UPDATE: (6/11/11) Nigerians are great people [...]
September 7, 2011 at 3:58 pm
As somebody that has been around the carnival for a good 20 years I can say I have always have problems with how WIADCA handles the whole Labour Day weekend. It has always seemed to me like a front for somebody to collect thousands of dollars for doing 2-3 months of actual work. What is WIADCA doing in the winter months? I have never (as much as I can recall) heard from them. Not an event, not a peep from them. All the way until it starts to warm up a lil bit & they know Mas coming around. Then it’s “chi-ching” & the dollar signs starts rolling through people’s eyes.
The West Indian/Caribbean Parade on Eastern Pkwy has been for years, if not still, the largest parade in North America. It should take a whole year of sitting down with the police for logistical & tactical planning to keep ppl safe. The main problem as I see it is this. It seems WIADCA is happy for the lil scraps the city is giving them rather than fight and push for more. Every year the parade is less and less. First it was shortened hours, then it was a shortened route etc. With the amount of $ that this parade generates for the city alone & with the amount of West Indians we have within the 5 boroughs, we should have a much more powerful say within our own city. And with WIADCA being 1 of our more recognizable association to our city’s government, they should be at the forefront of pushing through for us. Its also our fault to for not pushing WIADCA to do it. We happy for the lil jump up we get a chance to have then go back complaining when we still get treated as third class citizen by our Gov’t & especially by our Police Dept. You can’t expect police to treat us fairly if they don’t even have n understand of what we are about.
But I would like to ask JayBlessed.com to ask WIADCA a few question for me tonight on your program:
1. After Carlos Lezama relieved his post as head of WIADCA, What was the process of choosing his daughter to be the President? Was this Nepotism?
2a. Are their any young ppl with say on WIADCA’s Board? (And I mean like 30-35 & or younger)
2b. If no: Why, if the Bands are now being run by young people or have young people as major players in their organizations, hasn’t WIADCA accept some fresh faces?
3. What does WIADCA give back to the caribbean community on a whole after all this money is made for the Labour Day weekend?
I have more but I’ll stop it there
September 7, 2011 at 4:23 pm
I personally think the WIADC need fresh blood. Look at the photos and see the problem right there. Can anyone say out of touch? smh. The statement with in the article that states ” The powerful community matriarch” alone can have you shaking your head again. Gun violence have always been an issue regardless if there is a parade, or not, the people that fire them are the same ones that will still have them and use them for evil if there were no parade anyway. It makes no sense. As the years progress, the parade have gotten worst, the organization of it have gotten worst, ever since the founder died, it have just been a mess. People such as myself have chose to stay home for the 3rd straight year just because of this foolishness that is going on.
Why not change the route ? surely it will help deter people from having to go pass sections of the community that are just drug invested and riddle with crime. Please do not make it out to seem as if the whole of crown heights is safe, it is not. If this violence of having innocent people killed due to gun violence and other factors then as a West Indian national myself, i say this parade needs to be shut down. You have people bringing their families and you have others bringing guns and i for one that if i know people with guns are going to be at this event, how much of a fool would i be to risk bringing my family there?
I think the truth needs to be told that these people do not care about the safety and concern of the people that attend this event, remember that this event generates millions of dollars to the city for which i rarely see that money coming back into the community, much less crown heights. So question, where is all that so call money going? and to who? I mean we have venders that are not even Caribbean related selling unrelated Caribbean products and food, so who is really benefiting off our people?
The atmosphere of the event is no longer inviting, it is not safer as we can see regardless if there were over 10k cops, crazy people are still going to do crazy things. The problem is not much the event, but the type of people that are now attending it and the disorganization of this association in running it.
Miami carnival is much better, great location, weather, scenery, mature people, better organized, just better overall experience. As for this parade, go at your own risk if your the type that likes being in iraq.
September 7, 2011 at 4:27 pm
I personally think the WIADC need fresh blood. Look at the photos and see the problem right there. Can anyone say out of touch? smh. The statement with in the article that states ” The powerful community matriarch” alone can have you shaking your head again. Gun violence have always been an issue regardless if there is a parade, or not, the people that fire them are the same ones that will still have them and use them for evil if there were no parade anyway. It makes no sense. As the years progress, the parade have gotten worst, the organization of it have gotten worst, ever since the founder died, it have just been a mess. People such as myself have chose to stay home for the 3rd straight year just because of this foolishness that is going on.
Why not change the route ? surely it will help deter people from having to go pass sections of the community that are just drug invested and riddle with crime. Please do not make it out to seem as if the whole of crown heights is safe, it is not. If this violence of having innocent people killed due to gun violence and other factors then as a West Indian national myself, i say this parade needs to be shut down. You have people bringing their families and you have others bringing guns and i for one that if i know people with guns are going to be at this event, how much of a fool would i be to risk bringing my family there?
I think the truth needs to be told that these people do not care about the safety and concern of the people that attend this event, remember that this event generates millions of dollars to the city for which i rarely see that money coming back into the community, much less crown heights. So question, where is all that so call money going? and to who? I mean we have venders that are not even Caribbean related selling unrelated Caribbean products and food, so who is really benefiting off our people?
The atmosphere of the event is no longer inviting, it is not safer as we can see regardless if there were over 10k cops, crazy people are still going to do crazy things. The problem is not much the event, but the type of people that are now attending it and the disorganization of this association in running it.
Miami carnival is much better, great location, weather, scenery, mature people, better organized, just better overall experience. As for this parade, go at your own risk, or just don’t attend at all. Unless there are major serious changes, i think this event needs to be shut down.
September 7, 2011 at 4:43 pm
Just read your article and viewed the photos. Our parade safe. I’d encourage the WIADAC to join in anti violence/anti gang/anti gun campaigns year round and use the parade as a tool to push the message.
DJ’s, entertainers all need to get on… board and really push and champion the cause.
Off course, I also think the NYPD needs to review there tactics. In retrospect, it seems like every maybe 5yrs we have incidents, then a tightening on how the parade is policed. Off course, the need for discretion is imperative, since the bad apples are few in number to the million or so patrons, simply having a good time.
Thanks for the update Jay. I would of most definitely made an effort to attend, but it was too short a notice when I found out about it.
September 7, 2011 at 5:22 pm
I really believe that if the parade area were extended two blocks on either side of the parkway, it would ease congestion and allow for an easier flow of pedestrian traffic. Instead of having all the vendors jammed onto the parkway, some of them should be allowed to set up on the cross streets running the length of the parade route (Utica, New York, Nostrand, Bedford, etc.) This way, there would be more space on the parkway for masqueraders and spectators to enjoy the carnival.
The way the intersections are blocked off I find to be very dangerous in an overly crowned situation. I was within 50 feet of that shooting between Nostrand and Rogers and was in that crowd trying to negotiate the intensely crowded intersection. That shooting took place approx. 75 feet from that intersection and I knew it was dangerous. I had just been saying to my boyfriend that it is too crowded and we have to find a way out of this crowd. Him being very tall, he was able to direct us out of that sardine can situation and we stopped for some food. Had we continue up the block, we would have been caught in that mayhem! I believe in that instance, the shooting happened when too many people started pushing and shoving to get out of the crowd and some cowardly idiot decided to shoot into a massive crowd. That was much too close for comfort for me.
The other idea a friend of mine floated Monday night, would be to move it to the Flatbush Ave. strip leading to Floyd Bennett Field where the carnival would terminate and the party could continue there. This way, it would be an easier flow, less undesirable elements, and easier control for law enforcement. I’m sure most WI people wouldn’t approve and at first I really didn’t like the idea much but, it seems like a viable option.
My Dad started taking me to the parkway from the time I was 5 years old, way back in the seventies when there was a total of 50,000 on the parkway. That included masqueraders and spectators! To see the carnival grow and become as it is now has been wonderful. I think I still have a picture from 1975 of us sitting on loungers watching the parade!
I would hate to see carnival leave the Parkway but, if it would make everyone safer and the parade more enjoyable with more space to move about, I would suggest either expanding the Parade perimeters on either side or moving it to Floyd Bennett Field.
Suzanne
September 7, 2011 at 6:41 pm
Guns and alcohol are a lethal combination and both were VERY present at the festivities. YES indeed, there was an outrageous amount of alcohol, including “Nutcrackers” consumed and SOLD openly on jouvert, and on Monday on the parkway. Anyone saying otherwise is being disingenuous or straight up lying. Interestingly enough, the NYPD did nothing about it. This was a recipe for disaster.
So much needs to be done. What happened cannot occur again. WIADCA needs to reach out to the community for help with forums and discussions not just labor day time, but throughout the year. Also, infuse a newer, fresher approach with more young people…better educated people…new blood! What worked thirty years ago cannot work now. Leave the nepotism and cronyism behind! Let’s save Carnival in Brooklyn before it is lost forever.
September 7, 2011 at 11:18 pm
I believe that to call for an end to the parade over the acts of a few miscreants is to be ignorant to the cultural & historical significance of carnival in general & would be a slap in the face of the creative expression of a people who’ve made significant contributions to the development of the city. There has been a very clear trend @ all the North American Carnivals to begin phasing them out (DC Carnival this yr was a farce) & this “upsurge” in violence this past Labor Day will only add fuel to the fire of those who’re calling for it’s end. But bottom line is, let’s face it, it’s kinda hard trying to explain the significance of your culture to people who either don’t have 1 or are of a different cultural background, or in some instances just don’t care. Not only don’t the city officials care (all this marching they do @ the start of the parade is just for show, they could care less about us or our parade) but what’s worse is that many West Indians who’re in a position to give us a stronger voice higher up also could care less about the culture, they don’t even wanna be in Brooklyn that entire weekend much less stand up for the parade.
A friend of mine wrote this piece that I felt was rather poignant:
A Note About The West Indian Day Parade
(Treat The Disease, Not The Symptoms!)
By Jason DJfocus Alleyne
In the wake of the shocking violence that marred the Carnival Weekend celebrations in NYC (47 shootings during the weekend, including 5 immediately following the parade), there is a call by many to cancel the cultural celebration which has been a staple in New York City since the 1930s and in Brooklyn since the 1960’s. First and foremost, I would like to say that my prayers go out to the families and friends who were affected by these horrific and senseless acts of violence. However, canceling the parade would serve as not only a devastating blow for the more than 600’000 West Indian immigrants in New York City (this figure, based on the most recent census DOES NOT include the thousands of first generation Americans in New York City who are born to West Indian parents and strongly identify with their West Indian-American roots), but also does not address or solve the larger and more pressing issues of illegal guns and rising violence in the borough of Brooklyn.
Let us first start with the latter and some of the just plain “inaccurate” information that is often perpetuated by those against the parade. There are many voices, and they have been loud and present for years, that would have you believe that the West Indian Day Parade is a breeding ground for violence, illicit behavior, and public drunkenness that no other cultural group celebration in the tri state area or East Coast has. This argument and I have long felt this, has severe racial undertones and is simply not true, since the St Patrick’s Day Celebrations in the tri state area and East Coast have LONG given police and law enforcement officials’ headaches, yet doesn’t receive the public scrutiny that the West Indian day has. In 2010, Hoboken officials arrested 34 individuals from their St. Patrick Day Parade, and reported 2 sexual assaults. In Newport, Rhode Island, their celebration included 95 arrest of individuals from everything to public drunkenness, public nudity, and illegal weapons charges. In Albany, NY, there St. Patrick’s Day Celebration on March 12th caused what local police officers and STATE TROOPERS described as a “riot” as hundred of drunken celebrating college students caused a melee that resulted in 40 student arrest and thousands of dollars in property damage to vehicles and business, as well as the injury of two police officers. Now, New York City ONLY RECENTLY managed to turn the tide on years and years of incidences at their St. Patrick’s Day Celebration only because recently, police have put in an absolutely ZERO TOLERANCE toward open containers with a high visibility police effort to enforce it. Confiscation teams patrol the parade and Central Park, and any alcoholic beverages will be seized at the parade and from passengers on mass transit heading to the celebration. The reality of the situation, as I see it, is whenever you mix rowdy individuals celebrating their cultural or ethnic heritage with the free flow of alcohol, there are going to be incidences unfortunately. This is not a black and white thing…this is a PEOPLE thing. What makes the issue much more complicated in the case of the West Indian Day parade is the social ills of the area which it is held, which unfortunately, like a cancer that starts from one organ and travels throughout your whole body, infects the Carnival celebrations. In 2010, New York City reported 536 murders in the 5 boroughs. Now while Bloomberg will readily say that numbers are down in terms of our murder rate, what is staggering about this number is the borough in which almost half of these murders occurred…you guessed it..BROOKLYN. 42%…almost half of this 536 were committed in the borough of Brooklyn. Add this to the steadily growing flow of illegal guns from out of state into New York City, particularly Brooklyn and the Bronx (an undercover sting in April 2010 by a SINGULAR police officer lead to the confiscation of over 150 illegal handguns and semi-automatic weapons in Brooklyn) and you have a powder keg for disaster when a large gathering occurs, BUT THE DISASTER is not the fault of the large gathering. TREAT THE DISEASES…NOT THE SYMPTOMS PEOPLE. Elimination of the parade will not curve the growing issue of violence in Brooklyn.
In terms of the former, let us deal with the cultural significance of the parade and what it means to so many first and second generation West Indians in New York City. For many native born West Indians, whether due to financial constraints or document issues, people are unable to make it back to their native countries for the various carnival celebrations that occur throughout the islands all over the year. From Kiddie Carnival, to Dimanche Gras, to J’ouvert, to Mas, the Labor Day parade provides a time where “a piece of home” engulfs the parkway and the city for many of these individuals. For many West Indian-American individuals such as myself, Labor Day is a time for us to be proud of our rich cultural heritage and to celebrate with the same gusto and fervor that our parents did back on their native islands. I have only had the privilege of experiencing the beauty of Trinidad during my summers growing up, and have loved all the time I have spent with my family down there in my 26 years. Due to school and now work, I have never found the time in February to experience Carnival. For many of us, Labor Day in New York is so integral to our cultural connection and is a time of such pride in who we are and where we come from. It would be CRIMINAL to now void us of this experience. While I am often quick to chastise West Indian Americans who are what I call “Parkway West Indians” (Individuals who only claim their roots when Labor Day comes around and know little to nothing about the culture. In the same breath, I recognize that this day is important FOR ALL West Indian Americans..from the ones who are genuinely connected through their upbringing and knowledge of their culture, to those who don’t get their rag until j’ouvert morning..lol
I hope that these words resonate with some of you, and to those of you who disagree, I welcome your opinions on the matter
-DJ Focus aka Jason Alleyne
September 8, 2011 at 12:19 am
ONLY THING THAT SHOULD BE DONE IS TO GET RID OF ALL THOSE OLD FARTY MEN AND WOMEN ..AND BRING IN NEW BLOOD WITH FRESH IDEAS…
September 9, 2011 at 11:22 pm
[...] A fatal shooting in Crown Heights has been controversially linked to the celebration, much to the anger of some in the Caribbean community in NYC. [...]
September 10, 2011 at 10:33 pm
My take on this may be a bit different from everyone else’s. I am not from BK, I am from Long Island. I am not Carribean, I am of European heritage. I have gone to the parade for over a decade. I love Soca music, I love Carribean culture, I love Carribean food and the beautiful Carribean people. I have taken my wife and three daughters to the parade for many years.
This year, my eldest daughter, who is a freshman at Fordham, brought a couple of classmates from out of town, one from Chicago the other from Nigeria. After the violence that occurred Monday, I question the wisdom of bringing these girls to the parade and putting them in harm’s way. What if something had happened to these girls? How could I explain this to their parents, that I had encouraged their attendance at an event that may not be safe?
I have a radio show on WUSB, Stony Brook. I have always encouraged Long Islanders to go to the parade. I have decried the lack of mainstream coverage the parade receives. After all, it is the biggest gathering of people in North America and NOBODY outside of the Caribbean knows about it. The carnival brings hundreds of thousands of people to NYC. My daughter counted 25 different states’ licence plates as we walked the mile to the parade. People come from all over the West Indies to attend. It should be an event that every New Yorker should want to attend and feel safe while doing it. Can we say that this is the case?
If nothing changes, nothing changes. The organizers of the parade have to look at something differently. I agree 100% that the congestion on the parkway needs to be addressed. This definitely causes an unsafe situation, both among the spectators and the marchers. I agree that the parade should be limited to people who have come to mas. Fortunately the injuries suffered at the wheels of the parade trucks have been reduced, but this may be but for the grace of God.
Either the venue must change or the venue must be changed. Move the tents and tables to the side streets and leave the parkway for marchers and spectators. Ending in Floyd Bennett should be considered. In any case, new thinking and new ideas must be brought to the table.
I have called and messaged the organizers to come on the air to discuss this. I am still waiting to hear from them. If anyone associated with the parade would like to discuss this on air, email me at johno@wusb.fm.
Good luck and God bless to all.
Peace,
Salvage & Recovery Radio
Every Monday Night 8 to 10 pm EST
WUSB 90.1 FM, Stony Brook, LI, NY
http://www.wusb.fm – johno@wusb.fm
Listen online @
http://stream.wusb.stonybrook.edu:8090/listen.pls
September 11, 2011 at 9:28 pm
Hey John,
You are not the only who has not gotten any response from WIADCA. Last week I reached out to the organization via their social network to have one of their reps. as a call in guest on my podcast (www.blogtalkradio.com/jayblessed), however, I never got a response back.
Simple things add up to big things.
Simple neglects add up to bigger neglects.
December 6, 2011 at 10:29 am
[...] the 2012 West Indian Day Parade, I want to see if WIADCA will do ANYTHING to facilitate discussions, break down West Indian [...]