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2 Killed at J’ouvert Celebration in Brooklyn 2 Killed at J’ouvert Celebration in Brooklyn Despite Security Steps
(about 4 hours later)
Despite a huge police presence, hundreds of floodlights and pleas to refrain from the violence that has marred the celebration of West Indian American Day in Brooklyn, this year’s festivities, which began overnight, again turned deadly. This year, J’ouvert was supposed to be different.
Two people were shot and killed and at least two others were wounded early Monday in separate shootings near the eastern edge of Prospect Park, which was crammed with revelers at the predawn festival known as J’ouvert, according to police officials. Fed up with the annual spectacle of violence that has for years tarnished the celebration of West Indian heritage in New York, city officials had announced sweeping security measures leading up to the festivities: double the number of police officers, hundreds of high-powered floodlights, security cameras, a gun buyback program. The Police Department even posted fliers with a blunt warning to revelers: “Do not shoot anyone. Do not stab anyone.”
The violence began about 3:50 a.m. when a young man, thought to be in his late teens or early 20s, was shot in the chest near the corner of Flatbush Avenue and Empire Boulevard. He was taken to Kings County Hospital Center, where he was pronounced dead. During the same shooting, a 72-year-old woman was shot in the arm; she was expected to survive. With all of the additional resources, Police Commissioner William J. Bratton said, hopes had been “very high” that bloodshed, like the shooting death last year of a lawyer in the administration of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, could be avoided.
About 30 minutes later, and not far away on Empire Boulevard, a 22-year-old woman was shot in the face during a dispute, police officials said. She was taken to Kings County Hospital Center, where she was pronounced dead. “In spite of those high hopes,” Mr. Bratton said on Monday, “we had an unfortunate tragedy once again.”
And around 6:50 a.m., an unidentified man was shot and wounded near the corner of Clarkson Avenue and Rogers Avenue. Police officials did not immediately have any details about his condition. Four people were shot, two of them fatally, at J’ouvert festivities, which started in Brooklyn well before dawn on Monday, according to police officials. The two killed were Tyreke Borel, a 17-year-old man who was shot in the chest, and Tiarah Poyau, a 22-year-old woman who was shot in the face. They may have been unintended targets, said Assistant Chief Patrick Conry, the Brooklyn chief of detectives.
Violence at the overnight festival has been a recurring problem. Last year, Carey W. Gabay, a lawyer who worked for the administration of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, was killed after he was caught in the crossfire of a shootout between rival gangs. Another man was fatally stabbed in a separate episode last year. The two shootings occurred within a block of each other on Empire Boulevard just east of Prospect Park, the heart of the celebration, which takes places hours before the far larger West Indian American Day Parade.
In response, the Police Department planned to double the number of uniformed officers assigned to this year’s festivities. The department also installed 200 floodlights and granted the predawn parade an official permit for the first time in its 22-year history. The police estimate the event draws about 250,000 people. A 72-year-old woman and a 20-year-old man were also shot in the volleys of gunfire that broke out between 3:30 and 7 a.m. Both were expected to survive.
Yvette Rennie, the president of J’ouvert City International, the group that was given the permit and organizes many of the events, walked along Empire Boulevard shortly before dawn Monday and, when asked about the violence, said that she did not have time for an interview. She did not immediately return a call later Monday morning. The violence left city officials crestfallen and struggling to figure out what more could be done to increase security at the event. People drawn to J’ouvert, a contraction of the French term for daybreak, say it is a tradition they used to celebrate in their native Caribbean countries. Under the cover of darkness, people transform themselves into royalty wearing crowns and rhinestones, or into oil-coated dancers and painted pranksters.
The violence was a setback for an event that has been the lesser-known cousin of the far larger West Indian American Day Parade, which is organized by a different group. People drawn to J’ouvert, whose name means daybreak, say it is a tradition they used to celebrate in their native Caribbean countries. But along with colorful costumes and dancing in the streets, there has been another constant: violence. Over the past decade, 21 shootings and other violent acts have been recorded at J’ouvert celebrations, according to Assistant Chief Steven Powers, the Police Department’s Brooklyn South commander.
Under the cover of darkness, people transform themselves into royalty, wearing crowns and rhinestones, or into oil-slicked dancers and painted pranksters. Some people create mini-clouds out of baby powder that also scents the air. At a news conference on Monday morning, Mayor Bill de Blasio said that the additional security measures “were exactly the right things to do,” but added, “We didn’t get the results we wanted.”
The wee hours of Monday started peacefully if not chaotically. The police kept shifting barricades, confusing people who were trying to find the beginning of the J’ouvert parade. Asked whether the parade should be moved or canceled, the mayor said only that “every option will be on the table.”
The floodlights also created a different mood, regular attendees said. Some people said it made the event seem safer, while others found the illumination overbearing. Serrano Smith, a street vendor, said that the crowd seemed smaller than in previous years and that he had plenty of unsold flags of Jamaica, Guyana, Trinidad and other Caribbean countries. “Last year, I didn’t have enough hands to sell,” he said, adding that the threat of rain and winds from the remnants of the post-tropical cyclone Hermine probably contributed to the smaller crowd. He compared the J’ouvert festivities with other large New York City celebrations like the St. Patrick’s Day Parade and the Puerto Rican Day Parade, both of which were once far more raucous.
Though the crowd might have been smaller, the police presence was not. “All of those previously violent events were brought under control,” Mr. de Blasio, a Democrat, said. “We will find a way to keep this one under control.”
Janet Lewis, 68, who was regal in sequins, a white ball gown and silver accessories to match, said she felt safer than in the past. She recalled how last year’s killings had shaken her. “It was frightening for us,” she said. Mr. Bratton said there were many elements of the overnight celebration that the department had no control over. Unlike some other events, the parade does not require attendees to pass through security checkpoints or metal detectors.
Ms. Lewis said that as she got older she could not make it through a full set of activities, including the parade. J’ouvert, she said, is her chance to participate. “I do the morning and after that, I go home and get some rest,” she said. What also sets J’ouvert apart is its location and timing. Many large parades and festivals are held during the day in relatively low-crime areas in Manhattan. The West Indian American Day festivities play out overnight along a stretch of Brooklyn with persistent pockets of gang violence.
But the peace did not last long. Around 3:30 a.m., police vehicles were winding through the streets as if they were floats with sirens blaring and lights flashing. The noise mixed with the soca played by steel bands and the reggae that blared from car stereos. Gang rivalry has been at the root of much of the bloodshed in recent years, according to police officials. Last year, it was a bullet fired in a shootout between gangs that police officials said killed the Cuomo administration lawyer, Carey W. Gabay, as he celebrated with his brother. On the same night, another man was fatally stabbed in a separate episode.
The wee hours of Monday at this year’s celebration started peacefully, though somewhat chaotically. The police kept shifting barricades, confusing people who were trying to find the beginning of the J’ouvert parade.
The floodlights also created a different mood, regular attendees said. Some people said the lights made them feel safer, while others found the illumination overbearing.
Serrano Smith, a street vendor, said that the crowd seemed smaller than in previous years and that he had plenty of unsold flags of Guyana, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and other countries. “Last year, I didn’t have enough hands to sell,” he said.
Janet Lewis, 68, who was regal in sequins, a white ball gown and silver accessories to match, said she felt safer than in the past. She recalled how the killings last year had shaken her. “It was frightening for us,” she said.
The peace this year did not last long. Around 4 a.m., police vehicles were winding through the streets with sirens blaring and lights flashing. The noise mixed with the soca played by steel bands and the reggae that blared from car stereos.
The din was so loud inside Prospect Park, where bands and crowds had gathered, that few heard the gunshots not far away on Empire Boulevard.The din was so loud inside Prospect Park, where bands and crowds had gathered, that few heard the gunshots not far away on Empire Boulevard.
As people marched toward Empire Boulevard, considered the informal heart of J’ouvert, ambulances quickly departed and the parade route looked the same as it had before the shootings. People stepped over yellow and blue police caution tape as if it were the Silly String that some parade-goers were spraying on one another. It was there, near the intersection with Flatbush Avenue, that Mr. Borel was shot once in the chest around 3:50 a.m. The 72-year-old woman, who was not identified, was hit in the arm in the same shooting, officials said. Both were taken to Kings County Hospital Center, where Mr. Borel was pronounced dead.
A young man, who would identify himself only as J.C., led a group in song as another young man beat percussion on a wooden box that he used as a chair. J.C. sang Tupac Shakur lyrics — “Keep ya head up” — as people responded with, “Ooh, child, things are going to get easier.” About 30 minutes later, and not far away on Empire Boulevard, Ms. Poyau was shot in the face during a dispute, police officials said. She was pronounced dead at Kings County Hospital Center.
The shootings did not give them any pause. “There’s shootings every day on this planet,” J.C. said. “We’re still celebrating. We have a lot to celebrate.” Assistant Chief Powers said the large crowds made it difficult to distinguish who fired the shots. By Monday afternoon, the circumstances of the shootings were still not clear and no arrests had been announced.
Lisa LaCroix, 46, wore a plastic crown in celebration of her native Trinidad and Tobago. “We really were hoping this year it would be better without an incident,” she said. “We just want to come out and have fun. It’s really sad this situation happened this morning.” After the ambulances departed, people stepped over yellow and blue police caution tape and the party continued.
A young man, who would identify himself only as J.C., led a group in song as another young man beat percussion on a wooden box.
J.C. said the shootings did not give them any pause. “There’s shootings every day on this planet,” he said “We’re still celebrating. We have a lot to celebrate.”
Still, the violence was a setback for an event that has been the lesser-known cousin of the West Indian American Day Parade, which is organized by a different group and attracts millions of spectators. For the first time in its 22-year history, the predawn J’ouvert parade was given an official permit. The police estimate the event draws about 250,000 people.
“We really were hoping this year it would be better without an incident,” said Lisa LaCroix, 46, who wore a plastic crown in celebration of her native Trinidad and Tobago. “We just want to come out and have fun.”
William Howard, the president of the West Indian American Day Carnival Association, which organizes the separate West Indian American Day Parade, said he hoped revelers would not dwell on the violence and instead focus on the positive celebration of Caribbean culture.
“If you have a few knuckleheads that are going to continue to create violence,” Mr. Howard said, “how can you separate them out?”
Before the West Indian American Day Parade on Monday, City Councilman Jumaane D. Williams, a Democrat who represents several Brooklyn neighborhoods, said that he had come out “because I have a right to celebrate my culture,” but that he had almost decided to stay home because of the violence.
“I’m sickened by it,” Mr. Williams said. “I’m saddened by it.”