New York Trinidadians to get "a parade of sorts" after NYPD cancelled independence march
A "Last Lap Jam" at Resorts World in Queens on September 12 replaces the inaugural Brooklyn parade, as Pastor Louis Straker Jr warns of division over individual island parades.
NEW YORK, United States. Trinidadians in New York will get "a parade of sorts" on Saturday, September 12, after the New York Police Department (NYPD) cancelled their inaugural Independence Parade in Brooklyn on safety grounds.
Organiser Tiffany LaPierre said the celebration would take the form of a "Last Lap Jam" at Resorts World New York City, 110-00 Rockaway Boulevard, in Jamaica, Queens, from noon to 7pm.
"I feel amazing!" said LaPierre, who is organising the event with Juju and Terry. "We were disappointed that the Trinidad and Tobago Independence Day Parade was cancelled, and Resorts World gives us the opportunity to celebrate our Independence Day in style in a safe and exclusive location."
"We want all Caribbean people to come out and celebrate with us," she added.
Soca artists Denise Belfon, Anselm Douglas and Natasha Wilson will perform, along with moko jumbies, ole mas and New York steel orchestras. DJs Blingers, Young Chow and Mad Man Maddy will play, with Wassy and Executive as masters of ceremonies.
A pastor "torn"
The original parade had been due to start at Church Avenue and Ocean Parkway on August 30. Its cancellation angered many Trinidadians in the city.
Pastor Louis Straker Jr, lead pastor of Reflections Church in Brooklyn and son of a Trinidadian mother and former St Vincent and the Grenadines Deputy Prime Minister Sir Louis Straker, said he was "torn", though not because he believed the parade should have gone ahead.
"The permit was denied by the NYPD, citing concerns about the proposed route and traffic management," he said, pointing to the recent Jamaican parade. He said police had expected 2,000 to 3,000 people at that event, but some estimates put the crowd at more than 10,000.
"Quite simply, this is unsustainable," he said.
Risk of division
Straker said the cancellation could create division. "If Jamaica can have its parade, why can't Trinidad and Tobago?" he asked, warning that questions of favouritism would inevitably surface.
He said a rise in 311 noise complaints, linked to gentrification in Brooklyn's Caribbean neighbourhoods, could instead become a unifying cause, and noted that Eastern Parkway is among the widest corridors in the borough.
"It is time for our people to unite and think beyond our respective individual islands," he said.
