Post by billfish on Sept 3, 2022 19:05:21 GMT
Well....it's Labor Day weekend again and that means "Jouvert" and" The Shootout On Eastern Parkway" AKA The West Indian Day parade
My firehouse was in that neighborhood and to say it was interesting and eventful would be an understatement
Back around 1983 then Mayor Koch threatened to end the WI parade due to the violence....7 people shot and killed before, during and after the parade.....it was like the OK Corral !
There was even a guy who had a heart attack on the corner of the Brooklyn Museum on Eastern Parkway and some good Samaritan West Indian witch doctor carved his chest open with one of those old "007" murder knives....when questioned as to WTF he was doing, his response was " I be doing cardiac massage mon ! "
It was like the wild west and the parade ending route was down St Johns Place right past the firehouse
And it was a sight to behold....drunk and stoned (or both) revelers stumbling down the street pissing between the parked cars and on the sidewalk, including one baby hippo sized woman taking a dump in the gutter while the Mt Everest sized speakers on the floats blared out a cacophony of noise.
One year, a guy fell off a float and was crushed and killed by the wheels....no one even knew he fell as the music was so loud !
The street was always so crammed with floats and people that the Department would put us out of service for 2 hours after the parade officially ended since it was impossible to get out of the firehouse due to the traffic and people
And as the parade goers made their way off into the sunset and the music faded away, the endless wail of sirens could be heard signaling a long night ahead
I can't help but wonder what it will be like this year since the city and state emptied the jails of the murderers, rapists, thieves and other model citizens ?
If you are in Brooklyn Monday and decide to see the parade and festivities you may want to arrive in your armored personnel carrier and be sure to wear your body armor and Kevlar helmets....if the past is any indication, you will need them
www.fox5ny.com/news/jouvert-2022-in-brooklyn
My firehouse was in that neighborhood and to say it was interesting and eventful would be an understatement
Back around 1983 then Mayor Koch threatened to end the WI parade due to the violence....7 people shot and killed before, during and after the parade.....it was like the OK Corral !
There was even a guy who had a heart attack on the corner of the Brooklyn Museum on Eastern Parkway and some good Samaritan West Indian witch doctor carved his chest open with one of those old "007" murder knives....when questioned as to WTF he was doing, his response was " I be doing cardiac massage mon ! "
It was like the wild west and the parade ending route was down St Johns Place right past the firehouse
And it was a sight to behold....drunk and stoned (or both) revelers stumbling down the street pissing between the parked cars and on the sidewalk, including one baby hippo sized woman taking a dump in the gutter while the Mt Everest sized speakers on the floats blared out a cacophony of noise.
One year, a guy fell off a float and was crushed and killed by the wheels....no one even knew he fell as the music was so loud !
The street was always so crammed with floats and people that the Department would put us out of service for 2 hours after the parade officially ended since it was impossible to get out of the firehouse due to the traffic and people
And as the parade goers made their way off into the sunset and the music faded away, the endless wail of sirens could be heard signaling a long night ahead
I can't help but wonder what it will be like this year since the city and state emptied the jails of the murderers, rapists, thieves and other model citizens ?
If you are in Brooklyn Monday and decide to see the parade and festivities you may want to arrive in your armored personnel carrier and be sure to wear your body armor and Kevlar helmets....if the past is any indication, you will need them
www.fox5ny.com/news/jouvert-2022-in-brooklyn
