Law Enforcement Officials and Community Leaders Call for Cooperation in Maintaining Law and Order During Upcoming Dominican Day Parade

(New York, NY) – Today, Senator Adriano Espaillat (D – Manhattan/Bronx) was joined by fellow elected officials and local law enforcement representatives in calling for cooperation from the Northern Manhattan community in maintaining law and order following the upcoming Dominican Day Parade.  Senator Espaillat, Assemblyman Guillermo Linares, Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez, NYPD Commanding Officer Jose Navarro (34^th Precinct), and NYPD Commanding Officer Brian Mullen (33^rd Precinct) appealed for orderly participation in parade-related festivities.

Senator Adriano Espaillat (D- Manhattan/Bronx) said: “The Dominican Day Parade is an amazing expression of the progress made by Dominican Americans and the diversity of Northern Manhattan. 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.”

 Senator Espaillat, his fellow elected officials, and NYPD representatives laid out specific reminders to ensure a great experience for all who participate in the festivities:

• Cooperate with police officers patrolling Northern Manhattan following the parade.
• Obey all alcohol consumption laws. No public consumption of alcohol will be tolerated.
• Establishments that sell alcohol should consider voluntarily closing early.
• Everyone should do their part to keep the neighborhood clean so sanitation workers can finish their jobs as quickly and swiftly as possible.
• Establishments that sell alcohol should be extra vigilant about selling alcohol to minors and ask for identification.  

NYPD Commanding Officer Jose Navarro of the 34^th Precinct said: “The parade is an opportunity for all of us to come together and take ownership of our neighborhood. NYPD will do its part by deploying extra police officers. We look forward to everyone in the community doing their part by following the normal rules and guidelines and cooperating with law enforcement.”

 New York State Assemblyman Guillermo Linares said: “We’ve worked hard as a community to make Washington Heights one of the safest neighborhoods in the City. We call on all of our neighbors to cooperate with law enforcement, including the 34^th 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.”

 "This weekend many New Yorkers will be participating in the Dominican Day Parade. This event is an opportunity to celebrate the contributions made by the over 1 million Dominicans in the United States.  In New York City, there are over 100,000 Dominicans in school from kindergarten to high school, we are extremely well represented within the City University system, and our accomplishments extend even further to the arts and to our strong community of small businesses.  In celebrating all of this at the parade, I want to remind everyone who participates that the permit for the parade is only along 6th Avenue from 36th Street to 56th Street" said Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez.

The Annual National Dominican Day Parade will take place on Sunday, August 14 starting at 11 am. The parade will kickoff at 35^th Street/Avenue of the Americas and march up to 56^th Street.

Photo Caption: Standing in front of the 34^th Precinct, Senator Adriano Espaillat, flanked by Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez (left) and Assemblyman Guillermo Linares (right), calls for better cooperation with law enforcement to ensure safety and order following Sunday’s Dominican Day Parade.