J'Ouvert and West Indian American Carnival celebrations draw hundreds of thousands as NYPD boosts security: 'We are all one'

"Hundreds of thousands of revelers, and candidates in the crowded mayoral race, took to the streets of Brooklyn Monday for the West Indian American Day Parade - amid an increase in security following a fatal shooting at last year's event. The roughly two-mile route for the official, annual parade kicked off at 11 a.m. on Utica Avenue near Lincoln Terrace Park, with festival goers traveling westward toward the Brooklyn Museum, as a beefed-up deployment of NYPD officers kept the peace."

""I like it like this. The cops are around. They are with the people," said Harold Harvey, 71, a Grenada native who grew up in Trinidad and Tobago and has lived in Crown Heights since 1979. "Their heavy presence will keep away the people who come to make trouble," said Harvey, noting he was thankful for the increased security presence as he watched bands pass by on Empire Boulevard."

Hundreds of thousands of revelers and mayoral candidates took to Brooklyn streets for the West Indian American Day Parade amid increased security after a fatal shooting last year. The two-mile route began at Utica Avenue near Lincoln Terrace Park and proceeded west toward the Brooklyn Museum, with a beefed-up deployment of NYPD officers maintaining order. Attendees included Mayor Eric Adams, major party mayoral nominees, Gov. Kathy Hochul, Rev. Al Sharpton, and New York Attorney General Letitia James. Cops danced among parade-goers; many celebrated in flags while legions gathered before dawn for J'Ouvert, smeared in paint, oil, and powder. Older Caribbean-born residents expressed gratitude for the security and pride in preserving cultural traditions across generations.

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