Residents of Crown Heights were not happy with the layer of added security in the streets ahead of the annual West Indian Day Parade, as reported by the Gothamist.
Each year, the NYPD lines Eastern Parkway with steel barricades to make way for the parade. This year, however, residents told the Gothamist that two additional barricade lines were seen along the road, causing issues for residents to access their cars.
Residents also said that elderly and disabled neighbors cannot easily be dropped off for access to their front doors and that emergency responders may not be able to easily access fire hydrants. Residents also expressed concern about accessing food vendors during the parade itself.
“I don’t feel respected,” resident Tina Willis, 61, told the Gothamist. “Why are you blocking us in?”
“It’s uncomfortable,” said Phillips Tyrone, 79, resident of Eastern Parkway. Tyrone uses a walker and had to wait for a taxi this past week on the parade route. “You got to walk around the whole block if you’re going to cross the street,” he said.
Anthony Raganella, former head of the NYPD’s Disorder Control Unit, said that the additional barriers may give police more time to react if someone tries to rush into the parade route to cause harm.
Brian Saunders, president of a local NYPD precinct community council, said that his biggest concern is everyone’s safety.
Residents are also frustrated about the timing of extra security measures. “The parade is not even until Monday,” said Suz Echols, 39. “Why are they already blocking off access?”
Willis also noted that her neighbor called local police to complain about the barricades, and was told she could move them across the street.
Nonetheless, the event is scheduled to take place on Monday, Sept. 7 from 11:00am to 6:00pm. Street closures will affect portions of Eastern Parkway, Flatbush Ave., Empire Boulevard and Nostrand Ave.
