Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani: Good afternoon, everyone. I'd like to thank Police Commissioner Tisch and NYPD leadership for joining me today as New York City prepares for this weekend's Dominican Day Parade. We are joined here by our chief of patrol, Phil Rivera; our chief of special operations, Wilson Aramboles; we are also joined by Congressman Adriano Espaillat; and Lincoln Hospital CEO and National Dominican Day Parade immediate past chair, Cristina Contreras. As we all know, the Dominican Day Parade is one of the largest parades in our city. And it is one of the most joyful days of the year. There's nothing quite like the sound of bachata, the aroma of sancocho as it fills our city streets, the joy of New Yorkers coming together to celebrate a heritage that is so integral to our city's history. Romeo Santos will play; neighbors will dance alongside neighbors; a city that always feels alive will feel even more so. As many of us know, more than one in eight New Yorkers have Dominican roots. The story of New York City cannot be told without them. I was privileged to have been a part of this parade last year to share in this incredible culture and energy that defines our city's vibrant Dominican community, and I'm deeply honored to be marching once again, this time as the mayor of our city, to celebrate our Dominican New Yorkers.
This coming Sunday, we expect more than 400,000 people to line the sidewalks along Sixth Avenue for the occasion. We take seriously our responsibility to protect every New Yorker who will attend this celebration as we do with any other major event or public gathering. Our administration has developed a comprehensive security plan to ensure that this parade runs smoothly and that it runs safely. In just a moment, Police Commissioner Tisch will provide the operational details of this plan. But first, here is a brief of what New Yorkers should expect. Uniformed officers will be stationed throughout the entire parade route and across the surrounding area. There will be an increased police presence on and around Sixth Avenue. And our CMS partners will have teams on site along the parade route. While there are no known specific or credible threats against the parade at this time, we will continue to coordinate closely across government, as well as with our state and federal partners, to ensure that New Yorkers can celebrate and can be safe while doing so.
We know that this parade is being celebrated over a weekend where temperatures are rising into the 90s and humidity is soaring. I want to encourage every New Yorker to prepare for this heat by staying hydrated, staying cool wherever possible and by looking out for your neighbors. You can also stay up to date by texting NOTIFYNYC to 692-692. NYPD and NYCEM will also be sharing additional updates across their social media accounts. And we do all of this as we know that our city has hosted this parade safely and seamlessly on many occasions in the past. This parade will be no different. Now I would like to invite Police Commissioner Tisch to provide further information about our security plan and what New Yorkers need to know. Thank you very much.
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch: Thank you, Mayor Mamdani, for being here with us today. And a special thank you goes to Congressman Espaillat for joining us, for his decades of service to New Yorkers and for his continued support of the men and women of the NYPD. Congressman, you have been a leading voice on critical public safety issues, not just in your district, but across the city. And that leadership has extended to this parade, where you have worked closely with the NYPD, year after year, to help keep this celebration safe and successful. And I also want to thank everyone at the National Dominican Day Parade organization who work year-round to make this event one of the highlights of the summer.
This Sunday, thousands of New Yorkers and visitors will gather along Sixth Avenue to celebrate one of our city's most vibrant communities. Rich traditions and deep cultural pride will be on display at the 44th annual Dominican Day Parade. And the men and women of the NYPD will be out there to make sure it is safe and it is secure for all. At this time, there are no known specific credible threats to the Dominican Day Parade, nor any information pertaining to potential gang-related violence. But as always, the NYPD, along with our law enforcement partners, remain vigilant. Our department has been preparing for this event for months, working closely with organizers, community groups, city officials and others on a comprehensive security plan. Here's what you should know for Sunday. Like last year, the parade will kick off at 11 a.m. with marchers starting at Sixth Avenue and West 38th Street and proceeding northbound to West 55th Street.
We're expecting large crowds, as the mayor said, along the entire route. And Sixth Avenue will close to all vehicle traffic from 34th Street to 42nd Street, beginning at 10 a.m., including all cross-town traffic. Then at 10:30 a.m., the closure will extend from 42nd Street to 55th Street and remain in effect until the end of the event. Both Fifth and Seventh Avenues will also be impacted that morning and for the duration of the parade, with no west or eastbound traffic towards Sixth Avenue along the entire route. Once the parade gets underway, pedestrians will only be able to cross Sixth Avenue at the following locations: 39th Street, 42nd Street, 48th Street and 51st Street. Street closures will make it difficult to drive or park anywhere near the parade route. So, if you're planning to attend, we strongly urge you to take public transportation.
Please remember that alcohol will not be permitted. Open container laws will be enforced among marchers, all other parade participants and spectators alike. Also, any items that obstruct another spectator's view are subject to removal. As was the case last year, access to the parade route will be carefully controlled. Only authorized vehicles and properly credentialed participants will be permitted on the route, and all vehicles will be subject to appropriate safety checks. We also ask spectators to remain behind the barricades and everyone participating in the parade to follow the directions of the organizers and NYPD officers, so the event can move safely and smoothly from start to finish. New Yorkers can expect an increased police presence throughout the area to include uniform officers posted along the route; traffic agents at intersections and crossings; as well as personnel from our emergency service unit, our mounted unit, K-9 Harbor, counter-terrorism teams and more.
Our helicopters and drones will also be deployed during the parade to assist our officers on the ground, providing comprehensive coverage in real time. And as always, there will be security assets that you will see and those that you will not see. One other thing to note here, the NYPD's deployment and enforcement operations will not end when the parade does. Officers will be out in full force Sunday night, both topside and in transit, to ensure that the celebrations that follow are peaceful. While cops will be there to keep you safe, we ask everyone to stay alert. If you see anything suspicious or if something just doesn't feel right, tell a uniformed officer or call 911 right away. All of that work has one purpose: to make sure New Yorkers can come together and enjoy what Sunday is really about. The Dominican Day Parade is a day of tremendous pride: a celebration of Dominican culture and heritage and the extraordinary contributions Dominican New Yorkers have made to this city. That pride is felt throughout the NYPD, where thousands of Dominican members serve this city at every level of our department.
And this Sunday, I will be especially proud to march alongside our chief of special operations and the highest-ranking Dominican officer in the NYPD, Chief Wilson Aramboles. Chief "Rambo," as we affectionately call him, leads some of the most highly trained and capable members of this department. They are the cops that our cops call when they are facing the most dangerous and complex situations. He represents the very best of this department, and I'm proud that he will be out there representing both the NYPD and the Dominican community on Sunday. And I especially want to thank every member of the NYPD who will be there working this weekend. You have truly gone above and beyond this summer, and Sunday will be the next in a long line of major deployments you've worked over the past weeks and months. No matter what this department has asked of you, you've delivered. And I thank you for making this parade and every other event in this city possible. We encourage everyone attending to enjoy the day, to celebrate responsibly and to be safe. It is now my pleasure to turn it over to the representative for New York's 13th Congressional District, the chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the first Dominican American to serve in the United States Congress, the Honorable Adriano Espaillat.
Congressman Adriano Espaillat: Thank you, commissioner, and thank you to the New York City Police Department, Chief Aramboles and Chief Rivera. I know them both, and I know the great work that they did both in Northern Manhattan and the Bronx. And, of course, I started my public service career as president of the 34th Precinct Community Council back in the 80s, when crack ravaged Northern Manhattan. I know firsthand the great work that the police department has done - men and women of the police department have done throughout the years. And so, we're asking the community to participate and to come to our annual parade and Avenue of the Americas. We will continue to celebrate our heritage in this great city, and we want everyone to do orderly. We want them to have fun, but we want them to do it orderly. And that requires, of course, that the leadership of the parade and the electors coordinate and cooperate with the police department. That's why I'm here today, to express my full support to the police department and to tell them that we will be working with them to ensure that the parade continues to be one that people can enjoy, that Dominicans and friends of the Dominican community - Dominican community is close to a million strong in the City of New York. We want them to enjoy their parade, their heritage, their celebration, but we want it to be safe. And I know that it is characteristic of our families to be law-abiding and to follow the rules. So, we will be working with the police department to ensure that that is the case.
Estamos aquí para asegurar que todos participen este domingo en el festival, el desfile y festival dominicano en la sexta avenida con la comisionada y con los policías. Y también para asegurar que se haga de una manera organizada y en orden, que no exista ningún incidente violento, que podemos disfrutar del desfile, pero hacerlo de una manera organizada y en orden.
Translation: We are here to ensure everyone participates this Sunday in the festival - the parade and Dominican festival on Sixth Avenue with the commissioner and the police officers. And also, to ensure everything proceeds in an organized and orderly manner, with no violent incidents and that we can enjoy the parade while maintaining order and organization.
Estamos colaborando con el departamento de policía para asegurar que esto sea así el domingo, que no pueda suceder ningún incidente, que empañe realmente la historia y el buen nombre del desfile dominicano. Le pedimos a todos, particularmente a los jóvenes, que actúen de una manera como es característica de los dominicanos de seguir las reglas. Naturalmente pueden y van a gozar del desfile, pero que lo hagan de una manera decente y organizada. Muchas gracias.
Translation: We are working with the police department to ensure this is the case on Sunday - that there is no incident that could really tarnish the history and reputation of the Dominican parade. We ask everyone, particularly young people, to follow the rules and behave in a way that reflects the Dominican tradition of following the rules. Of course, you can and will still enjoy the parade, but please do it in a decent and orderly manner. Thank you very much.
Cristina Contreras, CEO, Lincoln Hospital; Former Chairwoman, National Dominican Day Parade Board: Good afternoon, everyone. My name is Cristina Contreras, and I'm the immediate past chairwoman of the board of the National Dominican Day Parade. The Dominican Day Parade is always a moment of joy, pride and happiness for the Dominican American community in the city and state of New York. This year, we're celebrating 44 years of the parade in this great city. And our theme this year is culture and identity. I'm humbled by the opportunity to serve in this capacity for the last four years and to organize the biggest Dominican parade in history. This is a moment for the Dominican community to celebrate and honor our contributions to the City of New York and this great country. I'm thankful for the partnership between this organization, the local elected officials, Mayor Mamdani and New York City Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch, as well as our Congressman Adriano Espaillat, who has never missed the parade and has been a phenomenal partner in ensuring that we continue to have a successful event every year.
I also want to highlight the partnership with the New York City Police Department and applaud the commissioner, Tisch, and her team for the guidance and support in ensuring the safety of all attendees and that we have the proper resources to guarantee a successful and safe parade. With that, I also want to say thank you to all the supporters of this parade, but especially the Dominican American community in New York City, who have allowed me to lead this event for many years. This has been an honor of a lifetime, and I'll continue to support the parade for the years to come. And I want to highlight that Chief Wilson has been one of our former honorees, so congratulations again; it was a pride for us. And also, Chief Rivera, thank you. And thank you to everyone. Muchas gracias, and let's keep it safe and enjoy our Dominicanidad. Thank you.
Question: I have a question about the set-up of the parade - you talked about - one of the things you mentioned was encouraging parade goers to stand behind the barricades. So, for this parade, like was implemented in previous years for the Caribbean Day Parade, will there be a moat [inaudible]?
Police Commissioner Tisch: Yes, we are going to do a double moat at this parade and that is becoming standard for basically all of our parade routes where the roadway, the width of the roadway, can accommodate it. So yes, you will see that again this year at this parade, just as we did last year.
Question: And how effective has that been?
Police Commissioner Tisch: In 2024, at some of our parades, we had issues with people jumping over the barricades, and so the double moating really came out of those issues that we saw. And what the double moating does is it gives our officers more of an opportunity and time to make sure that that route remains clear of unauthorized people.
Question: Commissioner and mayor, I was wondering if given the events two weeks ago in Bronx, is there a specific concern about gun violence and gang violence?
Police Commissioner Tisch: So, we're always concerned about gun violence and gang violence. And what I think that you are referencing is some gun and gang violence following the Bronx Dominican Day Parade. And so yes, we will have enhanced deployments of our teams that deal with guns and gangs, particularly once the parade concludes, to ensure that we do everything we can to avoid those issues this weekend.
Question: Obviously you are not new to this, but can you peel back the curtain a little bit on how you screen for that with 400,000 people [inaudible]?
Police Commissioner Tisch: So, as I mentioned, we will have a large number of officers at the parade, but as has been our pattern, generally most nights of the week, but particularly on summer weekend evenings, we do an enhanced deployment of officers and our gang and gun teams in the locations where we know that violence has historically occurred. And those enhanced deployments at the right times and in the right places is what I believe has been a major contributing factor to the unprecedented low numbers we're seeing in terms of shooting incidents, shooting victims and homicides in this city. Sunday will be no different. Thank you.
