A man holds up a fake rifle during J’Ouvert, ahead of the annual New York Caribbean Carnival Parade in Brooklyn early Monday morning. (MARK KAUZLARICH/REUTERS)
A Brooklyn State Assemblyman called Tuesday for J’Ouvert to be canceled altogether after the fatal shootings of two revelers.
Assemblyman Walter Mosley, whose district includes Prospect Heights and parts of Crown Heights, applauded the “herculean effort” of the NYPD, City Hall and others — but lamented it had not been enough.
“It cannot be tolerated that this event has appeared to become a predetermined point of destination to settle individual disputes through violence,” Mosley said.
“After long consideration, it is with a heavy heart that I call on a suspension of the J’Ouvert celebration.”
Mosley appeared to be the first elected official to call for an end to the predawn celebration, which precedes the New York Caribbean Carnival Parade.
Early Sunday, Tyreke Borel, 17, and Tiarah Poyau, 22, were shot in separate incidents near Flatbush Avenue and Empire Boulevard. Police believe neither were the intended targets.
State Sen. Kevin Parker, whose district includes Flatbush and East Flatbush, questioned how officials could even go about canceling J’Ouvert, which received its first permit this year. The celebration is also loosely organized street parties spanning several neighborhoods.
“We have in our community a violence problem, not a J’Ouvert problem,” Parker said.
“There’s violence going on between these same people every day of the week, not just on Labor Day. Getting rid of J’Ouvert, even if we did it, wouldn’t speak to any of the issues we deal with 364 days of the year.”
Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Sunday he would not make any decisions about next year’s revelry until he’d completed a “full review.”
“All options are on the table,” he said.
Like de Blasio and Gov. Cuomo, Mosley said the scourge of guns was at the root of the predawn celebration’s problems.
“I can no longer support this event and hope for the best when it comes to the well-being of our fellow New Yorkers. This celebration of cultural heritage, on a day fought so hard for by our brothers and sisters in the labor movement, has unfortunately become synonymous with gun violence,” Mosley said.
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