Alas! I can safely check off a near disaster parade experience in New York City off my bucketlist. I often hear from friends about how dangerous the Labor Day parade could be. Often times, I let it fall on deaf ears, always optimistic and glass half full. Well, today begged to differ. What started off with politicians and dignitaries making their customary walk down the parade… luckily long after their departure, soon turned soar. It proceeded with the usual hard thumping, bumper grinding, dance hall style march down Eastern Parkway. Suddenly, what felt like an avalanche, a stampede of paraders started running upwards the parkway, while shouting at onlookers yet to catch on to what was happening, to RUN! The nosy journalistic instinct in me wanted to run towards the mayhem. A lady running towards me, involuntarily grabbed me to run away from the chaos. The moment I broke free, I couldn’t help myself but to wander towards it. I soon learned later that 6 individuals had been shot and in critical condition, and one unluckily person with gunshot to the head. As the saying goes, the show must go on. The parade resumed to regular programing like nothing happened. Only in New York!
How did it come to this?! I’m still puzzled! The parade itself is starting to take on a more commercial atmosphere with TV stations, banks and insurance companies, et.al, now staging floats of their own to march down the parade route. Just about facing the same fate as the Pride March.
Needless to say, will security be stepped up next year? The NYPD is already breaking at the seams with what looks like excessive presence of police at this particular parade. I now totally understand and appreciate the reason why. I just wonder how much more security would be needed to prevent the unthinkable from repeating itself. Whew! God help us all.
For video reel of the parade, please see it on Instagram .
Mayor Eric Adams
Gunshot aftermath
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