Labor Day carnival ‘racist attack’ condemned
By Nelson A. King
Josue Pierre, a Haitian-born
Democrat running in the 40th
Council District in Brooklyn, on
Saturday joined 35 of his fellow
City Council candidates in
describing as racist and calling
on Staten Island Councilmember
Joe Borelli to apologize for
calling for the end to Brooklyn’s
popular West Indian Day Carnival
Parade.
In a story posted in Caribbean
Life on July 8, Republican
Borelli also wanted all activities
surrounding the carnival to end
as well, arguing that the parade
requires a “beefed up and visible
police presence” that the New
York Police Department (NYPD)
can no longer afford.
The candidates sent Borelli a
letter demanding an immediate
apology for his “overtly racist
attack” on the parade, described
as one of the most popular in
New York City.
“We are deeply disgusted by
your racist call to end our West
Indian Day Parade,” the letter
reads. “Every single parade, no
matter which part of our wonderful
diversity as Americans it
celebrates, requires additional
police resources and disrupts
local communities.
“Yet, you single out only one
– a parade celebrating the rich
traditions and culture of New
York’s extensive West Indian
community – which is mainly
Black – to target for elimination,
fabricating a preposterous and
bigoted argument that brings
shame to the office you hold and
our City,” it adds.
“You need to apologize and
consider whether you are fit to
remain in office if you cannot
understand and address your
own bias for the greater good of
our City and its residents,” the
letter to Borelli continues.
The 35 signatories joining
Pierre, included Crystal Hudson
(CD-35), Whitney Hu (CD-38),
Brandon West (CD-39), Shahana
Hanif (CD-39), Patrick Johnson
(CD-39), Rita Joseph (CD-40),
Brian Cunningham (CD-40),
Edwin Raymond (CD-40), Blake
Morris (CD-40), Wilfredo Florentino
Caribbean L 8 ife, July 17-23, 2020
(CD-42), Gardy Brazela (CD-
46), Shirley Paul (CD-46) and
Mercedes Narcissis (CD-46).
“As a Black Caribbean Haitian
American, I know dog
whistle politics when I hear it,”
Pierre told Caribbean Life. “Mr.
Borelli is a defender of a corrupt
status quo in which Black
and Brown people are killed by
police without consequence; and
having lost the battle to protect
violent cops in the Council, is
now seeking to punish communities
that demanded substantive
change and to be protected
and served, without being brutalized,
in exchange for the taxes
they pay.”
“That’s shameful, and he
needs to apologize,” Pierre
demanded.
In a tweet accompanying a
letter addressed to NYPD Commissioner
Dermot Shea, Borelli
wrote: “Each year, there’s several
shootings and homicides surrounding
the West Indian Day
Parade & J’ouvert.
“It’s a danger for cops, revelers
and the public,” he added.
“Without the enhanced police
presence, made possible only by
assigning officers on overtime,
the city of New York can make
no reasonable guarantee that
revelers will be safe,” the South
Shore councilman wrote in the
letter. “This danger also extends
to police officers assigned to
these commands during their
regular shifts.”
Borelli also said in his letter
that the celebration’s violence
is not confined to the vicinity
of the parade but can be felt
throughout the neighborhoods
and precincts surrounding the
annual celebration.
“Still, these stats do not tell
the full story, as they reflect
people shot only in the immediate
vicinity of the parade route,”
he wrote. “A fuller picture can be
painted by examining the spike
in shootings throughout the
affected precincts during this
weekend each year.”
But the Council candidates
shot back in their letter to Borelli,
saying: “There is no debate;
Black Caribbean communities
deserve respect and support
from law enforcement, not
just as taxpayers, but as human
beings.
“You cite gun violence as a
rationale for your not-so-veiled
bigotry, but this kind of grandstanding
does nothing to address
the root causes of gun violence;
and it is completely disingenuous
to pose this as a solution,”
they write.
“Councilmember, you do not
speak for the communities that
host this event nor should you
pretend to know what is best
for us,” they add. “Have you
ever had the pleasure of attending
our parade to vibe to our
music and enjoy our extraordinary
cuisine? Do you understand
its cultural significance
for thousands of Caribbean New
Yorkers? Why did you single out
only one parade, one that is of
particular significant for Caribbean
New Yorkers while ignoring
all others? Can you look
within yourself to see the racism
and implicit bias that your words
represent?
Haitian District Community
Leader, Josue Pierre. `
Jonathan Ystad
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