Days before the planned celebration in Flatbush, the NYPD denied organizers a permit for the Trinidad and Tobago parade due to concerns about the route, traffic and police staffing, according to Time Out New York.
The celebration was scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 30, to begin at Church and Flatbush avenues at 2:00pm and head toward Prospect Park in honor of Trinidad and Tobago’s 64th Independence Day.
Documents obtained by PIX11 show that the NYPD rejected the proposed route on Aug. 20. It stated that prior experience with that route caused concerns about an unreasonable disruption to traffic, including established bus routes.
The event would’ve been another major celebration in Little Caribbean, after Brooklyn hosted the first Jamaica Rising Day Parade along a similar route earlier this summer.
Organizers for the Trinidad and Tobago parade had scheduled a day of steelpan, music, family activities and a picnic.
The event date marks a milestone in Trinidad and Tobago’s history, as the country gained independence from the United Kingdom on Aug. 31, 1962, after decades of movement toward self-government.
The NYPD’s notice of denial states that alternate routes and dates could be discussed with organizers going forward.
