NYPD goes all out to make J’Ouvert safe
The NYPD is adding enhanced security measures for this year’s J’Ouvert celebration early Monday in Crown Heights, preceding the main West Indian Carnival and Parade on Eastern Parkway that night.
The J’Ouvert participants’ gathering site and parade route in Crown Heights will close to the general public on Sunday night, and hundreds of additional cops will provide security at 13 secure entry points that morning. Participants and spectators will be screened for weapons and alcoholic beverages, according to the Daily News. In addition, backpacks and other large bags will be banned.
“We learned with last year’s success that each of us has the ability to make J’Ouvert a safe and highly enjoyable event,” Police Commissioner James O’Neill told the Daily News. J’Ouvert, short for “jour ouvert” or “the opening of the day” in French, is a traditional Caribbean celebration that begins carnival day. Calypso, steel and soca bands march through the streets playing their music as their followers dance behind them.
