Sadly, gun violence once again reared its ugly head on Brooklyn’s Eastern Parkway at the annual New York Carnival last weekend, which was preceded by an incident-free J’Ouvert celebration and many other Caribbean carnival-inspired happenings throughout the city.
Labor Day Monday’s New York Caribbean Carnival Parade — the culmination of a five-day festival of music, food, and culture — was marred by a shooting incident that took the life of 25-year-old Denzel Chan and wounded four other people. One of the wounded was a 16-year-old boy, the suspected gang member’s intended target, police sources said.
Following a violent shooting in Queens on July 4, and annual bursts of fatal gunfire accompanying holiday weekends nationally, the U.S. lives up to its ranking of having more gun violence than other high-income nations.
The crime-free pre-dawn J’Ouvert parade and most of the march on Eastern Parkway was achieved through protective actions by the NYPD and collaborative efforts with community organizations. Following the Eastern Parkway shooting, police seized more than a dozen guns. Thirty-five firearms were confiscated in the nearby Brooklyn precincts over the Labor Day weekend, most of those arrested for the illegal weapons were gang members, according to the NYPD.
While recognizing the right of all Americans to honor their heritages, House Minority Leader Leader Hakim Jeffries, who attended the carnival, took accurate aim at gun violence in America as the cause of the event’s violence.
The city’s many Caribbean-connected Labor Day events included boats rides, fetes, and concerts — such as the Reggae Fest at Brooklyn’s Barclay Center starring Mr. Vegas and others; the Rise Up NYC concert in Queens where Trinidad and Tobago star Machel Montano received the “Entertainer’s Key to the City” from Mayor Adams, and Montano’s performances at Harlem’s Apollo Theater that concluded with the “Calypso Uptown” show starring Montano, Lord Nelson, Gypsy, Lyrikal, and others.
Remembering Jeanette Hosang
The death of Jeanette Hosang — co-founder of the successful Royal Caribbean Bakery (RCB) and Caribbean Food Delights (CFD) companies — has sparked a deluge of condolences to family and friends, who remembered that her hard work and dedication helped to build and maintain the family-run firms. HoSang died Aug. 30, after a battle with heart and kidney ailments. She was 78. HoSang served as served as president of RCB and vice-president of CFD.
“Mom was such a strong person. She went through so many health challenges and surgeries that many would not survive,” said Sabrina HoSang Jordan, who is CEO of Caribbean Food Delights, one of the firms founded by her mother and father, Vincent HoSang, in the Bronx in 1978. The CFD and RCB later relocated to Tappan, N.Y. and Mt. Vernon, respectively.
CFD is “the leading Caribbean frozen food manufacturer of Jamaican Style Patties, providing for Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club, BJ’s, Costco, and other leading stores and commissaries around the world,” according to its website. The couple also established the RCB retail, wholesale and online operations selling Jamaican bakery goods, the JerkQ’zine eatery in Mt. Vernon, N.Y. and the charitable Vincent HoSang Family Foundation.
Praise for Dave Martins
From throughout the Caribbean region and the diaspora, fans of Guyanese singer-composer-bandleader Dave Martins continue mourning his death with continual praise for his steadfast commitment and musical contributions to Guyana and the Caribbean region. Martins, died on Aug. 19 in Guyana. His widow, Annette Arjoon-Martins, told the world of his death in a Facebook post.
Known for his patriotic “Not A Blade of Grass” anthem, other popular tunes, and his work with the Tradewinds band, Guyana President Irfaan Ali praised Martins for his music that resonated well beyond Guyana’s boundaries.
Also among the hundreds of tributes was the remembrances of Amanza Walton-Desir, Guyana’s shadow Minister of Foreign Affairs, one of the Guyanese women and men and residents of the Caribbean who came of age in the 1970s and 1980s to the soundtrack of Dave Martins music. “He was the consummate storyteller,” she said.
