Labor day 2010 Part 2 of 11
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Shorter Labor Day Carnival Irks Participants
By KHALILA BLAKE, Teen Community Contributor
Kree Grumbs
Sugarcane Restaurant's carnival section, Chloris, in the costumed band Ramajay, is a part of their 2010 West Indian American Day Carnival presentation, La Femme
Sixteen-year-old Brooklyn resident Khalila Blake has participated in the West Indian-American Day Carnival since she was 3 years old. Her parents were born in Trinidad and her aunt, Charmaine Gumbs, owns Sugarcane Restaurant on Flatbush Avenue, serving Caribbean cuisine. Blake wrote this article while participating in a College Now Journalism class at Baruch College, where it first appeared online in The Paw Print.
Nerissa George usually gets up at 6 a.m. on Labor Day to give herself enough time to get into her costume and head out onto Eastern Parkway for the West Indian-American Day Carnival. This year, however, she can sleep in an extra hour because of Mayor Michael Bloomberg's new five-hour limit on parades and street fairs. The carnival now begins at 11 a.m. instead of its former 10 a.m. start.
I'm still going to participate, but this really sucks, said Nerissa George, 17, who has participated in the carnival for six years.
In an effort to save $3.1 million in police pay, Mayor Bloomberg announced in February that he would limit the time allowed for public celebrations or cultural events such as the West Indian American Day Carnival, which will be reduced from eight hours to five.
The West Indian American Day Carnival is a Caribbean-style celebration designed to mirror those in Trinidad, Grenada, Barbados and other West Indian islands, where the carnivals are the biggest cultural events of the year. The entire country comes to a halt for a few days in order to celebrate and palance, a word used by Trinidadians to reflect a sense of enjoyment, fun and partying.
There is unity, and we come together as one and celebrate who we are, said Bria Murray, a 16-year-old participant in the carnival. The celebration on Eastern Parkway acts as the closing ceremony to the summer season to many West Indians that live in New York City.
According to some, the event doesn't even fit into the Mayor's policy limiting parades. This is not a parade, it is a carnival, said Joseph Charles, founder of Sesame Flyers, whose 1,500 member band is the largest participant in the festivities
Others note that the city may lessen the economic benefits of the parade by shortening the time and route.
You cannot save money by cutting down time, said Marlon Smart, costume designer for the carnival bands Sesame Flyers and Ramajay. As the city's largest street celebration, it generates $24 million in tax revenue annually, according to the West Indian American Day Carnival Association officials. That is eight times the amount that the government is trying to save by limiting parades citywide. The cut down means less revenue for the city, said Mr. Smart.
But others saw the city's logic. The writer of the popular cultural blog When Steel Talks did not want his real name used, but explained, The economics work in favor of the city. The city will invest less in terms of police and other utility support, and yet reap the same economic benefits. For example, the MTA is going to make the same amount of money, regardless of the time factor.
Some people that attend and participate in the parade blame bandleaders for not being on time. This is a complaint of many participants: masqueraders spend a lot of time waiting for costume bands to move along the parade route. Costume bands and bandleaders make the carnival exciting for viewers; therefore, if they are late the entire parade is delayed.
Then they begin turning bands off the parade route because they are so late, said Irma Blake, who has been attending the parade for the last 15 years.
Last year, three hours were wasted, added Ms. George.
Mr. Smart, the costume designer, said people will still have a good experience, despite the time restrictions.
It could be two hours, and they would have a good time, he said.
Carnival is meant to be a two-day celebration, and five hours just isn't enough time, said Ms. Blake. But, she said, I'll still go. It's my culture.
Edited by Jessica C. Wakeman
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