Caribbean Carnival organizers: it's not quite over just yet

Posted on the DC Caribbean Carnival's Facebook page:

This morning the DC City Paper wrote an article that states DC Carnival is Cancel(led). This is not true. We attended a meeting last night with the lower Georgia Avenue Business Community to provide an update on DC Carnival 2012. We express(ed) the financial challenges the Carnival is facing with respect to City services and that we are exploring alternatives to Georgia Avenue this year. We never mentioned canceling the Carnival but I guess this makes for bigger and better news. This confirm(s) to us that we are facing an uphill battle to sustain our culture in this ever changing DC community. We no longer can depend on the City to help us. This is a wake up call for us to help oursel(ves). If we do not mobilize as a community and show the City that we are important and we do make a difference then the headlines might prove to be true.

In other words: it might be premature to say that event is cancelled altogether, but if it does happen, it's likely to be very different from the festival we've grown accustomed to.

Caribbean Carnival cancelled this year due to budget issues

At tonight's Georgia Avenue Community Development Task Force meeting, DC Caribbean Carnival organizer Roland Barnes announced that the event will go on indefinite hiatus starting this year, reports Housing Complex:

"Unless someone is able to wave a magic wand in the next 24 hours, there will be no parade on Georgia Avenue," Barnes said mournfully. "The reality of the last few years was that donations and sponsorships were in one direction, and costs were in another direction."

The parade is still about $200,000 in debt to the city, Barnes said, and would need at least that much again in order to put on the parade, which had been scheduled for June 23 and 24. While previous mayors have done what it took to make the event happen, this administration isn't interested.

"We have seen a 180-degree turn in terms of support for this event," added the event's executive director, Loughton Sargeant. "It was only a matter of time before the city was going to pull the plug."

The news comes after the release of a study by the Howard University School of Business quantifying the Festival and Parade's impact on local businesses. Researchers estimated last year's attendance at 400,000 attendees—which seems high—and figured they spent $21,637,166 total, generating $1,298,230 in sales taxes. Needless to say, every single one of the 50 businesses surveyed was in favor of continuing the parade, and even extending its route (it had to be cut short on account of finances last year).

Update: DCist reports that the festival itself may happen, just not the parade.

Georgia Avenue post-Caribbean Carnival homicide victim identified

From WTOP:

Police have identified a man who was shot and killed near the Howard University campus in Northwest Washington.

Forty-three-year-old Robert Foster Jr. of Washington was one of four people shot near the route of the Caribbean Carnival parade late Saturday afternoon. Two other men and a woman were shot and survived. The parade had largely passed, but many people remained near the route when gunfire sent people fleeing.

Police have said the shooting apparently stemmed from a neighborhood dispute and was not connected to the parade or the university. Police have not identified any suspects or revealed a possible motive.

Councilman Jim Graham says the man may have been an innocent bystander.

Caribbean parade 2011 in pictures

Lots more after the jump

Caribbean Carnival's truncated route ends in violence

According to the Washington Post, five people were taken to the hospital earlier this evening with knife and/or gunshot wounds. Another report brought the number to six. I'll update as I hear more information. The incidents occurred in the 700 blocks of Gresham Street and Columbia Road, close to the end of the Caribbean Parade route.

Aside from this sad ending, the shortened parade route has been the source of controversy. At the end of the parade Muriel Bowser tweeted:

"Thousands of people on Georgia Avenue looking for rest of the Parade. This short route is a disaster. #lostrevenue"

A series of tweets between Bowser and Paco Fimbres of Mayor Gray's Office for Neighborhood Engagement (ONE) ensued, with Bowser stating that the Gray administration had disrespected the Caribbean community by approving the truncated route, causing confusion for parade attendees and revenue loss for the shops on Georgia Avenue. She also accused the Mayor's office of breaking promises (though I'm not exactly clear on what the promises were; again, I'll update as I get more information) (UPDATE: Bowser clarified via email: "I'm told that Candidate Gray promised [the organizers] support of status quo with parade this year. Mayor Gray refused to meet with them.")  Fimbres responded:

"No promises were broken. All involved knew exactly what the plan was...At the time plans were finalized no objections were raised."

This is shaping up to be quite a story. I'm hoping the full parade route can be restored next year...sans the violence.

UPDATE: Now hearing one person stabbed at Georgia and W Street, 4:30 pm; four people were shot at Georgia Ave and Gresham St, 5:15 pm (one has succumbed to injuries)

Caribbean Festival preparations: list of street closings on/around Georgia Avenue for this Saturday

As I noted last month, the Caribbean Parade will commence at Georgia and Kansas Avenues this year, instead of the usual commencement point at Georgia and Missouri Avenues. So this means Brightwood is not as directly affected by the parade as it has been in the past, but if your plans for that day take you south on Georgia, you'll have quite a few street closings to contend with. Here's the lowdown from MPD:

The following street closings will begin at 6:00 am and are expected to reopen at approximately 4:00 pm:

Parade Staging area:
• Upshur Street NW from Georgia Avenue, NW to 13th Street
• Iowa Avenue NW from Georgia Ave to Allison Street NW
• Georgia Avenue NW from Kansas Ave to Allison Street NW

Parade Route:
• Georgia Avenue NW from Kansas Avenue to Florida Avenue, NW


The following street closings will begin at 6:00 am and are expected to reopen at approximately 9:00 pm:

Festival Perimeter area:
• 9th Street NW from Florida Avenue northbound to end of circle
(By the Sherman tower dorms of Howard University)
• 8th Street NW from V St to Barry Place
• Barry Place NW from Georgia Avenue to Sherman Avenue

All street closures and listed times are subject to change based upon prevailing or unexpected conditions.

Motorists could encounter possible delays if operating in the vicinity of this event and may wish to consider alternative routes.

The Metropolitan Police Department and the D.C. Department of Transportation also wishes to remind motorists in the vicinity of this event to proceed with caution as increased pedestrian traffic can be anticipated.

Caribbean Carnival parade faces financial challenges, considers shortening route

Looks like the Caribbean Carnival, scheduled to take place on Saturday, June 25, is having some financial trouble, which could lead to a shortened parade route.

The route normally runs down Georgia Avenue, beginning at Missouri Avenue and terminating at Barry Place NW (that's about three miles), but this year, according to the carnival's website, the route will begin at Kansas Avenue, which will shorten the route significantly (by approximately 1.5 miles). The organizers haven't given up hope that they might be able to run the usual three-mile route with the generous support of neighbors like you, though; if you look deeper into the carnival website, you'll find a donation page that contains more of the story:

DC Metropolitan Police Department has proposed shortening the parade route from the current route along Georgia Avenue from Missouri Avenue NW to Barry Place NW approximately 3 miles; to Georgia Avenue between Missouri Avenue NW to Kansas Avenue NW (a 1.3-mile route). If this proposed change takes place it will severely affect the true essence of the Carnival Parade in addition to adversely imping(ing) on business owners along the portion of the Georgia Avenue corridor that will be excluded.

I'm wondering how Brightwood/Brightwood Park residents feel about this...would people be happy to have the parade start further down Georgia Avenue, or would they miss it? I personally hope the northern section of the Caribbean Carnival can be restored; I think it's a blast to have a once-a-year day-long party in our normally quiet little residential neighborhood.

***UPDATE*** I got in touch with the festival organizers, who confirmed that the parade will indeed begin at Kansas Avenue this year. Big loss for Brightwood and Brightwood Park!