Assembly Member Walter Mosley late yesterday became the first lawmaker to call for for the suspension of the J’Ouvert celebration portion of the West Indian Labor Day Parade in Crown Heights.
Mosley’s decision came following yet another deadly J’ouvert, the all-night party before the parade – this year which included four shootings and two deaths, despite police doubling their numbers to patrol the event and putting up scores of floodlights all throughout Crown Heights/Flatbush/Lefferts Gardens area.
The increased presence comes amid years of deadly violence on J’Ouvert, and in particular the shooting death of attorney Carey Gabay last year. Gabay was considered a rising star in Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Administration.
One of the shooting incidents occurred in Mosley’s district which includes Crown Heights, Prospect Heights, Fort Greene and Clinton Hill.
“I am at a loss for words as to the level of violence that took place at last night’s annual J’Ouvet celebration. As thousands of individuals came together for a night of cultural celebration, four acts of violence took place resulting in the untimely death of two individuals. I applaud the herculean effort of the NYPD, the Borough President’s Office, City Hall and my colleagues in government for deploying 3,000 officers and 200 light towers, along with countless added resources and volunteers, last night to ensure the safety of revelers and local community residents,” said Mosley.
“However, it cannot be tolerated that this event has appeared to become a predetermined point of destination to settle individual disputes through violence. After long consideration, it is with a heavy heart that I call on a suspension of the J’Ouvet celebration. I can no longer support this event and hope for the best when it comes to the well being of our fellow New Yorkers. This celebration of cultural heritage, on a day fought so hard for by our brothers and sisters in the labor movement, has unfortunately become synonymous with gun violence and until we as a community can collectively come together to address the root cause of these violent acts I cannot lend my support to it going forward. My thoughts and prayers go out to the families and friends of the victims of this terrible events,” he added.
Both Mayor Bill de Blasio and Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams said all options are on the table on further actions to solve the J’Ouvert violence, but stopped short of calling for a suspension of the celebration.
“As New York City and the NYPD conduct a full review of the tragic loss of 17-year-old Tyreke Borel and 22-year-old Tiarah Poyau during this past weekends’ J’Ouvert parade, it is important to keep all options on the table to make the event safe and ensure that New Yorkers feel comfortable in their communities regardless of the time of day, while also redoubling our efforts to address the gang activity that is too often the driving force behind the violence and loss of life in the borough year-round,” said Adams.
But Democratic District Leader Geoffrey Davis, whose 43rd Assembly District is in the heart of the parade area footprint, and who heads the James E. Davis Stop Violence Foundation, also leaned towards calling for the suspension of the event.
“We had numerous meetings with the borough president, the NYPD and the organizers of J’Ouvert before the event. The police were doubled, flood lights were all around the route and surrounding area, and I made my self personally available throughout the night,” said Davis.
“While I certainly respect the culture, the traditional significance and the history of J’Ouvert, saving lives is more important. So as a victim/survivor of violence, I understand exactly what these families are going through and the lifelong lasting effects the families of victims of violence go through. I agree with Assemblyman Mosley that perhaps this program needs to be suspended until further review. My condolences to the families,” he added.
Davis also wanted it noted that violence is a systematic disease in America, particularly in inner city communities. “We understand that, but we have to deal with J’Ouvert,” he said.
