NYPD to deploy thousands of officers for West Indian Day Parade, police officials say

The NYPD, city officials and community groups said Thursday they will be doubling down with thousands of officers and special drone coverage to keep the West Indian Day Parade and J’ouvert festival safe over the Labor Day weekend.

The J’ouvert festival, a special parade event which is a prelude to the big parade, will begin at 6 a.m. Monday and will proceed from Grand Army Plaza, several blocks down Flatbush Avenue and end just before the main parade starts at about 11:30 a.m.

Street closures in advance of J’ouvert will begin just before midnight on Sunday and will continue throughout the festivities. For the 56th West Indian Day Parade, pedestrians will be allowed to cross the parade route on Eastern Parkway and down Flatbush Avenue when float traffic permits, officials said.

Those wishing to attend the separate early morning J’ouvert parade event will have to enter the route at one of 13 screening points where everyone will be subject to searches, police said.

“Last year we had one of our safest and most successful Labor Days on record, and we intend to achieve the same results this year,” Chief of Patrol John Chell told reporters at a briefing with NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban at Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn.

Toward that end, thousands of city police officers will be on duty covering the J‘ouvert festival, the main parade and related music and cultural events, Chell said.

In the past, the West Indian Day festivities had been marred by deadly violence and shootings, notably in 2015 when crossfire in a gang dispute killed Carey Gabay, 43, an attorney and aide to then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo. 

After such a history of violence, city hall, the police and community groups, as well as crisis management teams have come together over the years to strategize on how to keep incidents down. Drone coverage will be used to monitor backyard parties and keep tabs on gatherings, officials said.

Chell noted that last year police were able to shutdown a noisy gathering at a known gang location with no trouble, possibly preventing incidents that could have been sparked had the party been allowed to continue. In 2022, officers seized 27 guns and received reports of three shootings over the four-day holiday period, Chell reported.

“We are going to be firm but fair,” Chell explained about policing strategy for the parade. “We will apply the law when we have to, we will give people breaks. And be compassionate and make arrests when we have to.”

By Anthony M. DeStefano

tony.destefano@newsday.comtonynewsday

Anthony M. DeStefano has been a reporter for Newsday since 1986 and covers law enforcement, criminal justice and legal affairs from its New York City offices.