Posted to Crown Heights News on

For The First Time In Years, The Labor Day Festivities Spilled out in Front, and onto the steps, of 770

by CrownHeights.info

Year after year, as tens of thousands of revelers from across the tri-state area and beyond descended on Eastern Parkway for the famous Labor Day Parade, the NYPD would set up a series of double barricades in front of 770. This provided safe passage too and from the entrance of the building and ensured that a perimeter was kept to keep the revelers away. This year, that was missing.

In its place, the NYPD had simply placed a single line of metal barricades that went from the corner of Eastern Parkway and Kingston Ave past the Even Hapina, leaving the entire Kingston Ave steps and ramp to the women’s section wide open to passers-by. Those passers-by took full advantage, sitting on the steps and using the ramp to view the festivities. Thankfully a well-placed set of barricades blocked the top of the steps, containing the revelers to the steps and ramp themselves.

“Someone dropped the ball,” a Crown Heights resident who was there at 770 throughout most of the day told CrownHeights.info. “Initially, earlier in the day, there weren’t many people so it wasn’t much of an issue. Then it got full real fast.”

The problems of the missing barricades could have been significantly worse but for the action of a single NYPD officer.

The standing barricade line passed the Even Hapina in front of 770, then stopped, leaving the ramp down to the rear entrance to 770 and the front of the main building of 770 wide open to the public. Seeing this, the officer took the initiative and commandeered two barricades, which he placed at the top of the ramp leading to the rear of 770, even standing with it to make sure they remained.

Thankfully, no damage was done, and besides some garbage, nothing bad happened this year by 770.

But the question remains. What happened to the barricades this year?

A request made to the NYPD for information regarding the barricades has not yet been returned as of the posting of this article.

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66 Comments

  • Me

    I don’t know if anything bad happened, but I saw a male reveler trying to enter the ezras nashim, as well as 2 female revelers going down the steps to the mens shul

    • Jo

      Maybe they had to go to the bathroom, the world is not so bad that people are gonna damage a church, and when it does happen it not Caribbean people because they are pretty much religious people, ya understand

    • Jen

      Where in the Caribbean have you ever heard religious places are being destroyed? Caribbean people are very religious and spiritual. We have churches and temples, etc next to each other. In Suriname there’s a mosque and synagoge next to each other. Why would we destroy this synagoge then? Yes, we’re black (much like how many of you have it in your genes), but we don’t really misbehave like that.

    • Jeff

      Funny how I live in nyc & don’t understand what actually is 770, what street is this and why such a issue over it?

  • It's time for change direction of the parade.

    There’s many large Ave in Brooklyn.

    They can use Atlantic Ave, all the way, and many other.

    This cause problems each year. Why keeping the head down to the sand

    • Anonymous

      Y should the parade change? Eastern Parkway is the heart of Brooklyn and the central melting pot of these West Indian cultures.

      WE dominated this area for years!! From style, food, housing, culture, community etc! …… it must stay on Eastern Parkway

    • Marcus Roman

      Please people this happens once a year. The parade will nut be moved. If you were not born here you have no say. Parade is at least 100 years old. Get over it!!!

    • Think Outside the Box (of Brooklyn)!

      Just about every other ethnic group has their parades on 5th Ave. In Manhattan. There is absolurely no reason why this parade cannot move there too!

    • Keesha

      Why are you guys so entitled? No other churches are barricaded why don’t you move your church to Ocean Parkway,Bayridge,Flushing since you have issues it’s just a building like all the other buildings on Eastern Parkway

    • Tami Jensen

      The parade will continue for the next 100 years and onward. The parade will take place on Eastern Parkway as it always has been… Atlantic Avenue is not an option. It is as an option however for you to move to Atlantic Avenue or out of the country

    • The Most Honorable Lucian Highgrade

      Dream on it will NEVER happen…..unless they want another riot. “They” have been trying to do this for decades

  • Ellisa

    Either change the location, or provide police protection for the sacred residence. This is an easy fix.

    • Kristina

      You have no reason to be scared when the Jewish or other ethnic groups hold their festivals and gathering you don’t think people of color are scared too. Stop with the excuses.

    • Tami

      If you are scared, please consider relocating. Your are not scare when you hire us to push your babies up and down eastern pkwy

    • Delores cummings

      This parade has been the foundation of brooklyn for many years. Why think of moving it, just because it passes by a religious building. Stop given such people so much power. This Land Is Our Land as well. Not all parades are on 5th Avenue. Africian American Parade isn’t routed along 5th Ave. The Caribbean Parade is a three day process, imagine housing that parade along 5th Ave. The business suffer

    • Concerned resident

      @ Tami, i dont think you have realised, we dont employ blacks to look after our kids anymore. For the most part, we employ latinas, who actually want to work

    • Mike Romanno

      Why is 5th Ave more suited this parade, because here in Bklyn the entire area. In every direction is in LOCK DOWN MODE for OVER a 24. hour period and that’s not right. On 5th Ave, a non-residential area and a non-business area due to the Labor Day holiday, is far mire appropriate for this festival.

  • Anonymous

    The community has designated liaisons to the police.
    Did they not know we need a double fence?
    They should have alerted the police to their mistake early on in the day.
    You can blame the mayor, etc., but leaving the security of 770 to someone else is not in our best interest.

    • Angelica

      God give us (means)everybody to enjoys His creation. The last time l check no man ever created the earth give and offer light only God Himself. People if you want isolation so badly ,then find somewhere else and make yourself comfortable. Brothers and sisters lookout for the well been of others. Let us live together and not like the middle east where brothers cannot live in peace together. Love

  • Moshe Z

    If we had an actual Vaad Hakal maybe things would change.

    Time for current Vaad to resign and elections held for new Vaad

  • Edwin Jones

    The ppls above, I don’t know where their writing comes about; yet every year someone dies or gets stabs at Juve.
    My solution: one needs to stop all above for the next 5yrs where most violence will halt @ Juve. Moreover, I know when providing these restrictions above will reduce violence to zero while parading.

  • It's time to stop acting like Brooklyn is not for everyone

    Why should they change the direction of the parade that has been going on for over 50 years? When other activities are going on through the year and empire and other streets are blocked no one complains. We all live in this city and should all embrace each other not just one community be for real !

    • Bklyn

      I agree, BROOKLYN is for all of us. Not just one set of ppl , why should the parade move jut to please other nations. Eastpkwy is the HEART of the the Caribbean community

    • Sam

      Brooklyn is for all of us. Eastern parkway is for all. It is time to stop helping those who relish , in having adversarial relations in our community.
      STOP THE HATE, SPREAD THE LOVE AND OUR CROWN HEIGHTS BEAUTIFUL DIVERSITY.
      LONG LIVE THE PARADE.

  • CH Resident

    The parade will not be moved, we can get that in our heads – although it’s surprising that the Carribean community does not see Brooklyn as a step down, when every other ethnic parade is on 5th Avenue

    There is NO excuse for the lack of barriers around 770. It was shocking to see people on the plaza and steps, etc
    This responsibility lies with our own leaders! They were there but did nothing

    • Anonymous

      Exactly. Starting to believe they did this on purpose to cause an uproar to the community so they can partition to band the parade.

  • Concerned resident

    To Kristina and Jay.
    Your parade is violent, people get shot and stabbed every year. Your youth do not know how to behave, so yes, we have a right to be concerned.
    As for who was here first, this neighborhood was entrelily Jewish until your people moved in during the 60’s & 70’s and destroyed a nice middle class peaceful neighborhood and most Jewish people fled the crime your community brought .

    • Former CH resident

      Bravo. About 60 years ago Crown Heights used to be a beautiful, middle class Jewish neighborhood. My mother lived there for years and I lived there when I was young. Good public schools. No crime. Then things changed.

    • Reason45

      All the racists on here showing themselves and lying to boot not even telling the truth that many Caribbean people have lives in Crown Heights owning their own homes for years since the 60&70’s and all the violence that has ever happened around the parade has been purpatrated by Americans not the Caribbean people who attend the festivities. We not going anywhere! Tell your lies walking ?

    • Crown Heights Resident

      You were not here first. Stop. Instead of looking at history through an objective lens you are limiting your knowledge to you culture and beliefs only. The world is big and in flux. Change happens. Learn to live with everyone in our melting pot city. Not try to drive others out. Who says ignorance is bliss. Not.

    • Keesha

      Oh so when your kind running around here loud,drunk and disorderly we have no say like when Kingston is closed from Empire to Eastern Parkway speakers playing loud music you guys leave the streets filled with trash and your festivities aren’t even as large but it’s just as loud and left dirtier than the whole parade route but who am I to judge

    • Gladwin

      My relatives came to Brooklyn Crown Heights area in the the 1930s and 60s . If any stabbings happen side streets near the Parkway it said that it happened at the parade.

    • The Most Honorable Lucian Highgrade

      Well we are here to stay this is not Israel this is the United States . We built this community it’s ours as well we contribute to it economically. You do you….and when you do nobody complain Labor Day is once per year GET OVER IT.

  • Mushkie

    Tell the organizers that they can NOT have the parade on 5th Ave. Watch how they will holler and insist that they WILL have it on 5th Ave!

    Use your brains!

    The more you say they shouldn’t use Eastern Parkway, the more they want it.

    But try telling them that they are forbidden from holding it in Manhatten – yep, they will show you who is boss!

  • Jay Brooks

    Our brilliant Mayor once called his coworkers, NYC Cops, crackers. A corrupt racist thug.. Do u think the security was lax on purpose?

  • John D

    Sounds like a lot of Deep Rooted Racism in these Comments alot of that you people talk! The history of hypocrisy over a parade!? Get over yourselves. Brooklyn is for everyone ! Sounds like they want to Gentrify a simple parade as well!!

  • Rex West

    You’re not even Jewish. Hasidics are a cult. You make your married women shave their heads, forbid them to drive cars and won’t even let your little girls ride bicycles. So parade participants sat on your steps. Big deal, get over it. Hasidics who use 199 Lee Avenue, Bklyn mail drop for all of the real estate management and development companies they own should be more concerned about fair rents.

  • Myself

    Just LISTEN to Yourselves…..to those who refer to West Indians as “those people”…..STOP IT. Caribbean people are of MANY CULTURES…INCLUDING YOUR OWN….but you wouldn’t know that eh!…..since your intelligence is so LIMITED…GO LEARN something valuable instead of burying your heads in IGNORANCE.

  • Making it Real

    It not about Carribbean or African American because Or religion because in the past people of Carribbean heritage have caused issues doing parade. Get over that silliness because Black is Black in America that’s why Black people cannot process in America that ignorant separatist attitude free your mind

  • Me

    This is so sad. The Jewish and Caribbean cultures have been living in Crown heights for a very long time and getting along with no issues quite honestly and it’s people like you trying to divide and conquer always with the negative redirect. The irony is you’re supposed to be of GOD. No one was harmed or hurt neither was the building. So accept all people like the most high intends. SMH!

  • Roxanne

    Racisim is a poison. Cure yourself. It’s based on the belief that one person is better than the other. It is impossible for one person to be superior to others. Only idiots would believe that is true. If they didn’t want people to sit on the steps or be near the building the owner of the place should have made sure it was protected.

    • Concerned resident

      stop stabbing, shooting and attacking us, and we will drop the “racism”.

  • Anonymous

    It’s NYC, not Israel. Remember that West Indian people pay way more taxes than those of the religious community who continously take freely from those who work hard, so in the end, “you” have NO say.

  • Meir

    Instead of living in a paranoid state of fear, Jewish community learn to share sbd live w/ others. As for crime- plenty if frum Jews in prison by the way. Most carribean people are fine citizens

    • I know, right?

      All the shootings, stabbings, muggings, etc. – all just “paranoia,” no truth to them. Tell it to the Okunovs or the Goldsteins, for example.

      As for Jews in prison, why don’t you consider how many are for criminal assault (vanishingly few) vs. white-collar?

  • M J

    The carnival should stay. Crime is not happening one day a year in Brooklyn. Labour Day. Months, weeks before labour day how many serious incidents was happening by different nationalities. Leave OUR celebration. Was 770 damage. People just want to rest for a few. With all respect. Caribbean people love all

  • Blackmate1

    As we know the Parade has Some issues with Crowd Control…It also Contributes $300 Million Dollars in a Single Day to the City’s Economy…The Caribbean Parade is a Beautiful Event that takes Place All Over the World…From England to America…Food is the Best Beautiful Handmade Costumes and People…Music Steel bands and Plenty of Organizers… Remember who Provides the City’s Services…

  • Anonymous

    You would think after all the passing years the NYPD would have learned from their Juve experiences. Perhaps something went wrong? Eastern Pkwy is home to the Caribbean community and it should stay that way. The parade has such a massive turnout the NYPD should have a Juve commitee to critique each parade- what worked, what needs to be improved, etc. If it should be 5th Av state your reasons.

    • Dory

      As an African-American (non-caribbean) born/raised in Bklyn, I disagree that Eastern Pkwy is the center of the Caribbean community. Eastern Pkwy has never had an ethnic label as it crosses/Intersects with many ethnic communities. I would support moving the celebration off of Eastern Pkwy because of traffic disruption and revelry. Hasidics should not complain bc they get free NYPD patrol every sabb

  • Carol

    I think the parade should stay on Eastern Parkway¹. There can always be problems when masses of people are joined together. Thank God no one was killed. Leave these people alone for this one parade. The earth belongs to God, not man.

  • Anonymous

    To all the people who made comments good and bad . The only they are keeping the Parade is because this is the only festival that help every one, the masquerade who buy’s materials for their costumes, the vendors who provide drinks and food for every one the city is benefiting in many ways. But the Jewish people wants it off the parkway because they selfish and feels that they own N.Y. city.

  • The Most Honorable Lucian Highgrade

    I don’t understand ” them” one the largest parade runs thru your neighborhood and you don’t see or profit from the economic ability. In God we trust green is green.

  • Dory

    As an African-American (non-caribbean) born/raised in Bklyn, I disagree that Eastern Pkwy is the center of the Caribbean community. Eastern Pkwy has never had an ethnic label as it crosses/Intersects with many ethnic communities. I would support moving the celebration off of Eastern Pkwy because of traffic disruption and revelry. Hasidics should not complain bc they get free NYPD patrol every sabb

  • Butchy Williams.

    I’m reading alot a comments talking about Caribbean people are religious people and would never harm a church is that a fact. Well I’m here to tell you that’s a damn lie. Some of you people worship the devil. This is the thing I don’t like about certain Caribbean people.
    They try and throw all the bad stuff on Black Americans during this time.
    Caribbean people boost the crime rate in America.

  • Observer

    I like the way they say this parade is there for 50 to 100 years. True but 50 and 100 years ago there was no violence or afraid there will be violence
    And if they or their leaders like the bigot Sharpton can or wont control it as seen the last few years there is violence so it has to be shut down before it gets even worse

  • BrooklynButterfly

    This is a once a year parade Why should the direction of it be moved ?? EVERY YEAR I see some of the Jewish people mixing in with us and parading and this year I saw a Jewish man have a table right on Kingston looks like him and his two Hispanic workers selling icee or Pina Colada drinks he was smiling collecting that money . During their festivities they spill out all over Kingston