September 4, 2007
West Indian Day Parade Dazzles Again
Millions of people flocked to Eastern Parkway to celebrate the West Indian American Day Parade yesterday. This was the 40th year of the parade, which had floats, dancers, and bands interacting with the crowds. Many of the spectators wore or waved flags of native countries and enjoying delicious food.
Many politicians marched in the parade, including Governor Spitzer and Lieutenant Governor David Paterson, who said, "This day is for everyone. Everybody is Caribbean today." Mayor Bloomberg drew laughs when he said he was the only person in his administration who could call himself a West Indian because he's in Bermuda all the time. And Police Commissioner Ray Kelly was one of the grand mashals.
There was one report of violence: A 26-year-old man was shot twice in the leg at Troy and Eastern Parkway and three people were taken in for questioning. Last year, there was a shooting and stabbing and, in 2005, a man was shot to death.
Many people took beautiful photographs of the parade. Here are some from ultraclay!, FlySi, EricaJoy and mcbnyc.
Photograph by mcbnyc on Flickr
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wow, she is SMOKING hot
Mayor Bloomberg drew laughs when he said he was the only person in his administration who could call himself a West Indian because he's in Bermuda all the time.
Bermuda's a long way from the West Indies.
"Many of the spectators wore or waved flags of native countries and enjoying delicious food."
this sentence needs some work
No West Indian Day Parade would be complete if there aren't any shootings and people being shot. Just wouldn't be the same.
Shootings and stabbings have a long tradition with the people from the West Indies. Not only do they do it on their festival days, they also do it day in and day out throughout the city. Tradition dies hard amongst these transplanted people.
"And Police Commissioner Ray Kelly was one of the grand mashals."
Somebody get this chick a grammar handbook or something!!!
English motherfucker ..... DO YOU SPEAK IT?
sooo many ebony hotties
gots me sayin aw lawdy!
me luvs the Caribbean and west indies.
thems are hard working people. anyone remember an old in living color sketch of a Jamaican family?
mmm.. i always like a little hot chocolate to start the day.
I'm sorry I missed this and Jouvert but the panorama was very tiring. To mirror my plea from the other thread, does anyone have photos or video from the panorama competition at the museum?
Nothing about this description sounds "dazzling." I've been before and it really is a great day, but I wouldn't believe it based on this non-review culled from other news outlets.
If Gothamist went, then write about it. Otherwise, why just summarize other accounts?
I'm waiting for the grammar police to join forces with the insinuating racists and form one super-annoying comment troll which will rage through the comments section, implying that poor syntax is a result of excess melanin. Fingers crossed.
i'm waitings for some ebony hottie to pull the junkaloo butt plug from number 12's tight white bread azzz
I attended the parade (near the Botanical Garden stop on the S shuttle stop) It's supposed to start at 11:00 but doesn't really get rolling til around 12.
We saw the part of the parade largely made up of "the man" - police, corrections officers, firefighters, insurance companies, McDonald's, politicians, airlines, Curtis Sliwa & Guardian Angels! *. Thumbs up to Rep. Yvette Clarke - had a band, dancers, and a convertible to wave from! This was OK so far as it goes. Some DJs, bands, dancers, etc. V.I.M. gave out free socks!
Then around 1:00 - nothing!
About 2:00 Chuck Schumer strolled down the road all by himself, flanked with a small army of security, shouting out to the crowd with a bullhorn. LAME!
Finally around 2:30, with nothing more coming over the horizon, we got tired of standing around and bailed (there was still a massive crowd ready to stick it out.)
What's with that massive gap in the parade? I can see putting in an intermission to give the vendors a fair shake, but jeez!
*We wanted to shout out "Angels! Come out to playyyyy-yay!" but didn't have the beer bottles to clink together :-)
Is it just me, or is the older chick to the left of the picture flashing some left-hand ebony nipple?
oh, the annual hijack, harass and destroy my neighborhood festival.
bit of a nipple...not a big deal compared to 2 bra-less chicks marching in front of my window at Nostrand Ave at 9am yesterday, I don't think they were older than 20. There was a guy recording them so maybe they're on youtube somewhere. Cops were escorting the group they were in but they didn't care , neither did they for the people openly drinking. Good- everybody had fun.
Here's the parade in a nutshell:
A big ass flatbed semi truck comes by with about 10,000 speakers on it cranking some bad music. The crowd goes nuts jumping up and down. You buy some jerk chicken and a shandy. Another big ass flatbed semi truck comes by with about 10,000 speakers on it cranking some bad music.
Etc.
I live in East Flatbush. The entire weekend was just a torrent of police sirens and helicopters shining floodlights down and gunshots...far moreso than usual, that is...and this morning when I left for work, the streets were absolutely trashed. Garbage and food and broken glass everywhere, discarded flag bandanas all over the place...just gross. So nice for all the kids to walk through on their first day back at school. Despite its reputation, the neighborhood is normally fairly well kept; this was disgusting and disappointing, and tons worse than last year. I don't get it.
yeah, totally glad i didn't leave my apartment yesterday or i could have been shot in the leg. leave it to brown america to go out guns blazing on an occasion that should be a celebration.
Too bad Chuck Schumer's attractive wife Iris Weinshall (former DOT commissioner may she R.I.P.) wasn't in feathered regalia to keep him company.
shouldn't you blame the clean up on the sanitation dept? I mean they're the ones at the ready when NYE at Times Square is over and the same with the st. patrick's day parade. they line up at the ready behind the last parader.
I wonder if this is because those two parades are in Manhattan and this is in Brooklyn where it gets neglected. they'll probably blame it on the holiday too.
So, I don't get it, too.
I'm coming to grips with the realization that I do not, in fact, love a parade. Nothing to do with this one-- just generally.