UPPER MANHATTAN — As revelers prepare for a weekend of celebrating the 29th Annual Dominican Day parade in Midtown, police and pols are promising increased enforcement for partygoers who break rules over the weekend.
Elected officials gathered with the commanding officers of the 33rd and 34th precincts on Friday to warn that there would be zero tolerance for any violence, illegal noise and raucous parties over the weekend.
“The parade is an opportunity for all of us to come together and take ownership of our neighborhood," said Deputy Inspector Jose Navarro, of the 34th Precinct. "We look forward to everyone in the community doing their part by following the normal rules and guidelines and cooperating with law enforcement.”
Although the parade follows Sixth Avenue, between 34th and 56th streets, the party often returns to Washington Heights, where people of Dominican heritage make up a majority of the population.
State Sen. Adriano Espaillat, State Assemblyman Guillermo Linares and City Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez urged residents and visitors to “cooperate in maintaining law and order during, before, and after the parade.”
“The Dominican Day Parade is an amazing expression of the progress made by Dominican Americans and the diversity of Northern Manhattan," Espaillat said. "We need to make sure our community continues to set the bar for positive participation and the parade is not overshadowed by negativity and chaos.”
Last year, police sprayed mace at revelers who crowded their cars and threw glass bottles, according to a YouTube video posted of the event that DNAinfo reported on last summer.
The video shows the party continuing well into the night after the parade, filling the streets of Washington Heights and Inwood with loud music, car congestion and raucous partying.
During last year’s parade a pregnant teenager was reportedly stabbed in the back of the head at the corner of 47th Street and Seventh Avenue as the parade marched past.