the nypd is organising the west indian j'ouvert parade in brooklyn despite being cancelled for the second year in a row over covid fears
The Indian Delta variant forced New York City to cancel its official J’Ouvert festivities for the second straight year, but that didn’t stop Brooklyn’s Caribbean community from staging its own unofficial party before the crack of dawn on Monday.
With the New York Police Department keeping a close eye on the events, hundreds of Brooklynites dressed up in Caribbean garb descended on Eastern Parkway in the early morning hours of Monday and danced to the sounds of whistles and drums.
J'Ouvert, which marks the official start of Caribbean carnival, is a tradition started by freed slaves after emancipation. Many were decked out in colorful costumes while waving the flags of their native Caribbean homelands.
The formal part of Brooklyn's J'Ouvert is the steel drum parade, but celebrations often begin hours earlier.
The streets of the Crown Heights and Flatbush neighborhoods fill up with people eating and drinking at barbecues and parties, carrying the flags of their countries, dousing one another with paint, and walking or dancing along with family and friends until daylight.
Large chunks of the West Indian community that resides in parts of Crown Heights and Flatbush have not been vaccinated, according to city data.
Figures show that only 28 percent of black New York City residents between the ages of 18 and 44 are fully vaccinated, compared to 49 percent of Hispanics, 52 percent of whites, and 82 percent of Asians in the same age group.
A New Yorker waves the flag of Haiti during unofficial J'Ouvert celebrations near Brooklyn's Prospect Park on Monday
Hundreds of revelers danced and partied in the early morning hours of Labor Day - unbothered by the city's decision to cancel the official celebration
Hundreds of revelers walked along Eastern Parkway near the Prospect Park section of Brooklyn early on Monday morning
NYPD officers look on as revelers celebrate unofficial J'Ouvert festivities in Brooklyn before dawn on Monday
A contingent of NYPD officers secured the procession, which was held peacefully.
Last week, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that the city’s official J’Ouvert celebration would be cancelled and the Caribbean Carnival Parade would be significantly scaled back due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
A little over one-third of New York City residents remain unvaccinated - which factored into the decision.
Both events are expected to be staged at full capacity next year.
J'Ouvert celebrations took place near the Brooklyn Museum in the early morning hours of Monday
J’Ouvert usually begins at 4am on Labor Day on the streets of Brooklyn
J'Ouvert, which marks the official start of Caribbean carnival, is a tradition started by freed slaves after emancipation
The formal part of Brooklyn's J'Ouvert is the steel drum parade, but celebrations often begin hours earlier
The streets of the Crown Heights and Flatbush neighborhoods fill up with people eating and drinking at barbecues and parties
Revelers carry the flags of their countries, douse one another with paint, and walk or dance along with family and friends until daylight
Curtis - aka King Jab1 - poses for a photograph outside of Brooklyn Public Library on Monday
The Indian Delta variant forced New York City to cancel its official J’Ouvert festivities for the second straight year, but that didn’t stop Brooklyn’s Caribbean community from staging its own unofficial party before the crack of dawn on Monday
Brooklyn's J'Ouvert festivities have been marred by violence in past years, but this year's event was peaceful
Celebrants walk by the First Baptist Church during unofficial J'Ouvert celebrations on Monday
‘It is a smart approach. It is a healthy approach,’ de Blasio said last week when asked about the decision.
‘This is never easy for people to postpone a cherished tradition, but it’s the right thing to do and a great alternative has been put together.’
The mayor said that the decision to pare down the events was made by organizers, though he expressed his support.
The image above shows a woman at the J'Ouvert festivities at the intersection of East 53rd Street and Clarkson Avenue in Brooklyn on Monday
The celebration takes place before the West Indian Day Parade, which features Caribbean costumes, dancing and food
Revelers enjoy themselves on the streets of Brooklyn for J'Ouvert before dawn on Monday
Two revelers look on as they sit in a Vespa in the early morning hours of Monday in Brooklyn
The mayor said that the decision to pare down the events was made by organizers, though he expressed his support
Partygoers smile as they walk and drive their motorcycles near the Brooklyn Museum on Monday
The mayor defended the decision to cancel J’Ouvert even though the city has allowed other mass events like the US Open to take place
The Big Apple now requires proof of vaccination for people attending indoor venues such as restaurants, gyms and shows, as the city tries to get back on its feet.
The mayor defended the decision to cancel J’Ouvert even though the city has allowed other mass events like the US Open to take place.
Just three days before the start of the Open, de Blasio required fans who attend the matches to be vaccinated.
The decision caused a backup at the Queens complex and sparked outrage from many who did not have proof of vaccination or have not gotten the shot.
De Blasio said that ‘every event is its own reality.’
‘Big events out in communities are one thing,’ the mayor said.
‘The events we’re talking about could attract hundreds of thousands of people at a given moment - that’s one thing.
‘A controlled event in a stadium is another thing, but the bottom line is the same.
‘We need people to be safe.’
A reveler takes part in the J'Ouvert celebrations in Brooklyn in the early morning hours of Monday
NYPD officers look on as the procession takes place along Eastern Park in Brooklyn on Monday
The procession goes past the Brooklyn Museum near Prospect Park in the early morning hours of Monday
Partygoers enjoy themselves at the unofficial J'Ouvert celebrations in the Prospect Park section of Brooklyn on Monday
A man records the festivities on his cell phone as a young boy next to him looks on in Brooklyn on Monday
Partygoers enjoy the unofficial J'Ouvert festivities in Brooklyn before dawn on Monday
NYPD officers and onlookers watch as partygoers stage unofficial J'Ouvert festivities before dawn on Monday
Brooklyn's J'Ouvert festivities have been marred by violence in past years.
Last year, a mother and son were among five people wounded by gunfire when shots rang out at the intersection of Nostrand Avenue and Crown Street in Crown Heights.
In 2016, 17-year-old Tyreke Borel was shot in the chest and died. A 72-year-old woman was grazed in the arm by a bullet at the same location.
Soon after, a 22-year-old woman, Tiarah Poyau, was shot in the head just a block away and also died.
Some 300 people gathered for the pre-dawn procession last year to celebrate J'Ouvert. Video obtained by DailyMail.com shows festivalgoers screaming in terror and fleeing after gunshots rang out.
Just as he did this year, Mayor Bill de Blasio canceled the official J'Ouvert celebration due to the coronavirus pandemic.
But many people got up early to recognize J'Ouvert - a pre-dawn party that signifies the launch of Carnival in Caribbean nations - before daybreak on Monday anyway.