Cambridge Carnival Was Targeted For Violent Retaliation

CAMBRIDGE, MA — Cambridge Carnival President Nicola Williams said she was outraged Thursday afternoon when Cambridge Police Commissioner Branville Bard called an emergency meeting to tell her that a threat of violence had been made against the city's annual Caribbean Festival. But she determined that given the credible threat she and her committee then had no choice but to cancel the Sept. 8 event.

"When the Commissioner meets with you at your office and tells you that a gang is planning to use your event as retaliation against an act of gun violence what choice do you have?" she said in a phone interview with Patch Friday afternoon. "We can't put a thousand people in jeopardy. It was their recommendation that we cancel the event. We rely on law enforcement to provide us with that information. We're not the law."

Williams said she was told the violence was planned in retaliation to gun violence that occurred at last weekend's Caribbean Festival in Boston where a gunfight broke out in front of police offers in the vicinity of the J'ouvert Parade on Talbot Avenue early on Aug. 24. Four people were reported shot that day in Boston in the area of the festival.

"I hate that we have to cancel this year," she said. "I am outraged that someone would want to use our event to hard our residents."

The decision to cancel the annual Cambridge Carnival over safety concerns just nine days before the event's 27th year in the city spurred passionate debate among longtime carnival attendees and those who feel the Caribbean festival is being unfairly targeted as more dangerous than similar events in the city.

Williams said she understands some of the skepticism regarding the motives for the cancellation, but vowed to continue to work with the community, committee members and the city to put on cultural events like the Cambridge Carnival.

"We are not a violent event and we don't support violence," she said. "Our event is a celebration of art, culture, music, dance and food. We will bounce back. We deserve to be able to celebrate our culture in the streets."

Williams notified the public of the cancellation through a joint statement with the city shortly after meeting with her volunteers Thursday night.

"For the past 26 years, the Cambridge Carnival has been an important cultural event for the City of Cambridge and the greater region," the Carnival Committee posted on its Facebook page Thursday night as a joint statement with the city. "However, there have been increasing safety concerns associated with this year's event due in part to the gun violence that occurred last weekend in the immediate vicinity of Boston’s Caribbean Carnival Parade.

"The safety of the Cambridge community and those planning to participate in this event or any Cambridge event is paramount and will always serve as the highest priority as it pertains to making difficult decisions like this. We greatly appreciate the community and expected participants' understanding with this decision," the statement concluded.

A request for further comment from city officials on the cancellation was referred back to the joint statement.

Williams said she had to fight to have the Cambridge Carnival last year after two people were shot in the area of the Cambridge festival in 2017.

She added that some of the anger and disappointment over the cancellation of this year's festival is indicative of how special it is to the city's residents of Caribbean heritage.

"This is not the end of the Cambridge Carnival," she said. "Some people would say to throw in the towel on the event, but we're resilient. You see how much it matters to people when people find out they are going to lose out on this day and realize how valuable it is to them."

Williams said an open public meeting will be held at a time and venue to be determined next week to talk about where the Cambridge Carnival goes from here. She urged those who want to see more Caribbean cultural events in the city to get involved with the planning of future events at cambridgecarnival@gmail.com.