West Indian Day Parade Marches Through Brooklyn

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) - An estimated crowd of three million lined Eastern Parkway for the annual West Indian Day Parade Sunday.

The parade celebrated the culture of the Caribbean islands, with parade participants and spectators dressed in bright feathered costumes.

1010 WINS' Glenn Schuck reports

Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Michael Bloomberg were among the dignitaries at the parade.

WCBS 880's Jim Smith describes the parade

A woman from Trinidad and Tobago said the entire West Indian community looks forward to this parade.

"This is what we live for, especially Caribbean New Yorkers. This is what we live for every year," the woman told 1010 WINS' Glenn Schuck.

A few morning showers didn't deter some parade goers, who celebrated all day.

"We'll probably get back home about 6, 8 o'clock tonight so yeah, just a whole day of partying in the streets, brilliant," one woman told 1010 WINS' Steve Sandberg.

1010 WINS' Steve Sandberg reports

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn is the parade's Grand Marshal.

"The best part is when they come out with the costumes, that does it. It's really pretty," another woman told Sandberg.

There were road closures due to the parade through Brooklyn.

WCBS 880's Marla Diamond reports

The NYPD doubled its efforts to keep everyone at the parade safe.

There was a brief dispute involving Occupy Wall Street protestors at the parade.

About 20 protesters were told that they had to leave the parade because they didn't have a permit. They said they'd been invited to march alongside the Transit Workers' Union.

Police later let them back onto the route. But they had to give up their signs.

"There's a major commitment of resources on the part of the department. Policed this parade for actually over 40 years and we've learned a lot and we think our deployment strategies are the right ones," police commissioner Ray Kelly told WCBS 880's Marla Diamond.

The parade was marred by violence last Labor Day. A bystander was killed by a stray bullet hours after the parade when police fired on an armed suspect.

This year saw some violence near the parade route; a 24-year-old man died after being stabbed in the neck, a 20-year-old man was arrested in connection with the killing.

A 27-year-old man was stabbed to death near Bedford Park and Eastern Parkway. A 24-year-old man and a 32-year-old woman were also reportedly shot on Eastern Parkway. Both were expected to survive.

(TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

In:
• Eastern Parkway