WFUV: Sen. Espaillat calls on community to maintain order in preparation of the Dominican Day Parade

Every year thousands of New Yorkers attend the annual Dominican Day Parade in Midtown West.

By Claudia Morell
Friday, August 12, 2011 - 3:49pm

As the city prepares for the annual Dominican Day Parade on Sunday, lawmakers are urging parade-goers to keep celebrations tame.

New York State Senator Adriano Espaillat, Assemblyman Guillermo Linares, and Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez said they are teaming up with the NYPD to make sure this year’s celebrations are not tainted by a small group of people bringing disorder to the community.

This comes after last year’s parade, when violence broke out at a post-parade celebration on St. Nicholas Avenue in Washington Heights. There were also a large number of summonses issued for underage drinking and public consumption of alcohol.

Assemblyman Linares said safety was his main concern as many children and families will be present for the festivities. He assured the NYPD would not tolerate any disruptive behavior.

“We call on all of our neighbors to cooperate with law enforcement, including the 34th precinct to continue to keep us safe, particularly during the most important celebration highlighting the contributions of our community to New York City and Country,” said the Assemblyman.

Senator Adriano Espaillat urged local stores that carry alcohol to close early, and to be vigilant when checking IDs to curb underage drinking. He was especially concerned with sugary energy drinks that carry alcohol.

“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,” said Senator Espaillat.

The parade will take place on Sunday, August 14th starting at 11:00 am.  It will kickoff at 35th Street and 6th Avenue.

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