Mayor's J'Ouvert festival comments come under fire

Mayor Bill de Blasio is coming under fire for comments made this week about the violence at Monday's J'Ouvert festivities. The mayor suggested at a news conference Tuesday that violence at the J'Ouvert

News 12 Staff

Sep 9, 2016, 6:32 AM

Updated 2,778 days ago

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Mayor's J'Ouvert festival comments come under fire
Mayor Bill de Blasio is coming under fire for comments made this week about the violence at Monday's J'Ouvert festivities.
The mayor suggested at a news conference Tuesday that violence at the J'Ouvert festival is typical at other large city parades such as the St. Patrick's Day and Puerto Rican Day parades.
De Blasio later clarified his comments by saying, "I was speaking in the context of an event that has obviously been around for decades and we have to fix."
Some residents said that violence should not be getting in the way of a community celebrating its culture, whether it be with parades or artwork.
According to a spokesperson for the mayor's office, de Blasio made the point that past parades and large-scale events had varying degrees of issues that have all been effectively policed into safety, and that he's working to do the same with J'Ouvert.


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