Isadora Wright said the West Indian American Day Parade in Brooklyn was a success on Monday.
“It was great. The environment was very, very good. And the feelings, I feel good,” she told NY1.
Wright said there was tons of dancing and good food. “It was a delicious and delightful enjoyment to celebrate Jamaica and people all over the Caribbean,” she said.
But when Wright went home and turned on the news, she heard about a string of violence near the festivities.
“I don’t like that,” she said. “No, it’s not a great feeling we come to enjoy ourselves. We enjoy it in peace, not violence. This gun shooting is ridiculous.”
According to police, 10 people were hurt in six different shootings and stabbing incidents in the area surrounding the parade — all just blocks apart.
In total, three people were shot, one person was slashed and six people were stabbed, officials said. One person is in critical condition, and the others are stable.
So far, there has been one arrest, according to officials.
Four people were stabbed on Carroll Street and Utica Avenue at 5:48 a.m., officials said. Minutes later, a 20-year-old male was slashed in the face on Eastern Parkway and Nostrand Avenue.
Later Monday, around 4 p.m., a 24-year-old was shot in the rear on Nostrand Avenue. Just after that, a 37-year-old female was shot in the ankle and a 19-year-old male was grazed in the leg on Eastern Parkway and Kingston Avenue.
Then, after 5:30 p.m., a man was stabbed in the leg on Eastern Parkway and Brooklyn Avenue, according to officials. At around 9:30 p.m., a man was stabbed multiple times. He is still in critical condition.
Officials said that all the other victims are in stable condition.
Historically, the parade has been marred by violence, including four separate shootings last year. That has caused some people to think twice about attending.
“I like to go for the festivities, the food, to eat, the people, but it’s the violence that deters you from going,” Joseph Williams said.
Glenn Nivar attends the parade every year.
“It’s kind of frustrating. It makes me not even want to come out here because I don’t know if something could happen to me,” he said.
Hundreds of thousands of people turn out for the parade every year. The vast majority are there to celebrate their culture and community.Nivar says the violence takes away from the fun.
“The culture, the music and everything, it brings people around and have a good time. So I don’t sometimes understand why the violence comes and why it happens in the parade,” he said.
This year, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch and city officials decided to make the parade 30 minutes shorter.
NY1 asked them what they might change next year to curb the violence, but they have yet to respond to our request for comment.