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U.S. NEWS Tuesday 22 augusT 2017

Hours for NYC’s Caribbean festival shifted to fight violence

By COLLEEN LONG cluding two fatally. In 2015,
Associated Press an aide to Democratic
NEW YORK (AP) — City of- Gov. Andrew Cuomo was
ficials shifted the start time killed by a stray bullet.
of a pre-dawn festival cele- Some had called for the
brating Caribbean culture celebration to be can-
and are taking other secu- celed, but organizers said
rity precautions to stem vio- it was too important to the
lence ahead of the West In- Caribbean community and
dian Day Parade this year. chafed at the suggestion it
J’ouvert usually begins at 4 was intrinsically hospitable
a.m. on Labor Day on the to violence. At a news con-
streets of Brooklyn but will ference Monday, police,
start this year at 6 a.m. Bar- organizers and lawmakers
riers will be placed along acknowledged the need
the route. Revelers will to prevent violence but ex-
have to pass through metal pressed gladness the event
detectors, and no alcohol would go on.
or backpacks will be al- “We have struggled to
lowed. Light towers will be keep our culture alive,”
placed at entry points to said Yvette Rennie, the
make it easier to see. Thou- president of J’ouvert City
sands of additional officers International. “But this time,
will be on patrol and will the struggle is a bit differ- In a Monday, Sept. 5, 2016 photo, participants blend in to the crowd of spectators as they march
during the West Indian Day Parade in the Brooklyn borough of New York. City officials shifted the
police party areas outside ent. It is with guns. And we start time of the pre-dawn festival celebrating Caribbean culture and are taking other security
the barriers. are working closely with the precautions to stem violence ahead of the West Indian Day Parade this year.
Police say the precautions mayor’s office, with elected (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)
are similar to security dur- officials, to help because ... The name, J’ouvert, means earlier. The streets of the walking or dancing along
ing New Year’s Eve in Times they’re all our children.” daybreak, put together Crown Heights and Flat- with family and friends until
Square. The changes were The tradition originated in from the French words bush neighborhoods fill up daylight. Last year, 17-year-
the result of community the Caribbean and is cel- “jour” and “ouvert.” with people eating and old Tyreke Borel was shot
and lawmaker coopera- ebrated in several North The formal part of Brook- drinking at barbecues and in the chest and died. A
tion. Even after stepped- American cities with West lyn’s J’ouvert is the steel parties, carrying the flags of 72-year-old woman was
up security last year, three Indian communities, includ- drum parade, but celebra- their countries, dousing one grazed in the arm by a bul-
people ended up shot, in- ing Boston and Toronto. tions often begin hours another with paint, and let at the same location.q

NTSB:

Worker urged evacuation before Minnesota school blast

By AMY FORLITI report released Monday by nehaha Academy alum. immediately,” the report and still hospitalized Mon-
Associated Press the National Transportation The NTSB report said DuBois said. DuBois also searched day in satisfactory condi-
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Safety Board. heard the release of natu- for other people as he ran tion. According to local
maintenance worker at a Two longtime school em- ral gas and smelled it. He upstairs, the report said. media reports, Duffey had
Minneapolis school that ployees died in the Aug. went to the school base- Receptionist Ruth Berg, 47, a leg amputated.
partially collapsed after an 2 collapse at Minnehaha ment where contractors and custodian John Carl- The NTSB said the explosion
explosion earlier this month Academy. The preliminary had been working on mov- son, 82, were killed when happened as two contrac-
had smelled natural gas report doesn’t identify the ing a gas meter, then ran the building fell. Nine peo- tors were installing new
and used a radio to tell oth- maintenance worker who back up the stairs and used ple were injured, including piping to move gas meters
ers to evacuate less than urged people to evacuate, a hand-held radio to tell maintenance worker and from the school’s base-
a minute before the blast, but the school identified others there was gas in the soccer coach Bryan Duf- ment to the building’s exte-
according to preliminary him as Don DuBois, a Min- building and to “evacuate fey, who was critically hurt rior. q