The sounds and rhythms of steel bands, calypso, socca, reggae, and konpa music entertained carnival revelers, as the 36th annual West Indian Carnival marched down the street of Eastern Parkway.

Carnival celebrations usually started around 9:00 AM in all previous years, however this year the event did not begin until about 1:00 PM due to the relentless summer rain. Carnival participants slowly made their way into Eastern Parkway, but by 3:30 the parade attracted more than 800,000 people. Politicians such as Senators Hillary Clinton and Chuck Schumer, Governor George Pataki, Mayor Mike Bloomberg, Reverend Al Sharpton, State Controller Carl McCall all walked and waved their way down Eastern Parkway, in hopes to gain Caribbean vote and confidence.

"Many of the participants often line up along the sidewalk of Eastern Parkway selling Caribbean food, music, souvenirs, and homemade crafts.

Wearing exotic, flamboyant, and elaborate costumes masqueraders pulsated to the latest exhilarating Caribbean rhythms. In the past, the greatest number of participants came from the Eastern Caribbean region including Trinidad & Tobago, Barbados, and Jamaica

Though these countries have maintained a steady presence on the parkway, since 1999 hundreds of thousands of Haitian Americans have been coming out in support of Haitian music (Konpa). This year thousands of Haitian participants followed T-vice, Sweet Micky, and Djakout Mizik on the parkway. It seemed the streets were not wide enough to hold the large number of Haitian immigrants following those respective bands. More and more Haitians culminated along Eastern Parkway's sidewalks to dance to the hot sound of Konpa. Unfortunately, a small group of Haitian's vagabonds have yet to learn how to have fun peacefully without engaging in a pushing and shoving match.

Most carnival floats did not make it to the Grand Amy Plaza because of the 6:00 PM curfew imposed by the city of New York. The police had prevented many Caribbean floats from venturing further than Nostrand Avenue and kept a joyful crowd from jumping onto the parkway whenever the music moved them. Even though this year's carnival did not manage to have 2 million people, it was just as exciting and splendor as ever.

For the first ever Sweet Micky and Dajkout Mizik made it to Grand Amy Plaza without any incident of violence. emplifies that."

Despite the phemonenal sucess of Haitian music along the route of Eastern Parkway in the last 5 years, Haitians have not gotten anyrecognition by Caribbean Carnival organizer and judges mostly because Haitian sponsors and bands prefer to their efforts on having big musical floats on the parkway instead showcasing Haiti's true cultural heritage.

It would be nice to see an increased in participation of the French West Indies islands in masquerade competion and other carnival festivities. In recent years Haitian immigrants have been coming to eastern Parkway in larger number, but Haitians still have not earned any respect when it comes to decision making and other areas. When will Haitians display their cultural tradition and heritage on Eastern parkway? The same question must also be asked of Martinique, and Guadalupe. How can this truly be called "West Indian Day Parade" with out the full participation of all West Indies islands?

In the mist of all the celebrations, many carnival observers left Eastern Parkway disappointed vowing never to return again because of violent incidents that occurred on the route to Eastern Parkway. In its 36 years' history, the West Indian Day Carnival is no stranger to violence, but this year has been one of the most violent in recent memory. The 2003 Labor Day Carnival was dedicated to the memory of slain City Councilmen, James Davis. Despite this noble symbol, 21 year-old, Anthony Bartholomew was shot and killed after bumping into a masked shooter on Monday. Bartholomew a native of Canarsie, Brooklyn was an aspiring teacher and a new father. Another man had his throat slashed on the same block an hour and a half later. Sunday night during Jouvert, there were three reported shootings.

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Early Monday morning, on the corner of Bedford and Empire, Heritage Konpa witnessed a police officer responding to a fight in which an individual might have pulled out a night, nano seconds later several police officers withdrew their weapons in respond to this incident. Everyone in placed had feared for their lives and seek for shelter behind cars and poles.

Carnival organizers have to address the issue of increasing violence in the west Indian Day Parade parkway, at the same time New York City Police officers have to rethink their policies to restrict and constrict carnival goers from participating in Labor Day Carnival festivities. We do understand that NYPD have to maintain law and order on the parkway, but their escalating presence and attitudes tend to increase tension among carnival participants. If you've ever attended the Irish or Porto Rican Day Parade and the Dominican Day Parade in New York, NYPD tend to adapt a hand off approach except under extreme circumstances. Caribbean immigrants often feel that they are being target as potential criminals.

Caribbean community leaders and Caribbean citizens must be better organized politically in order to demand better treatment for the Caribbean community. The American news organizations unfairly protayed the parade as a dangerous place because of the unfortunate shooting and stabbing incident which took place along the route of Eastern Parway. The majority of Caribbean immigrants come to Lador Day Carnival to celebrate their cultural heritage not to solicit violence.

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