Houston Caribbean Festival 2014- Jou'vert - Paying for Pushing with your Life

Since 2009 I have been attending Houston Caribbean Festival's Jou'vert celebration. I love the scary dark African allure the event leaves me with. I love the themed groups covered in oil and blowing fire, I love the music, country flags and black people celebrating. However this year's Jou'vert left me trampled, scared, running for my life and witness/nearly-victim to a shooting that left a 16 year old young black man dead from a gunshot wound to the face, another young man in critical condition with a gunshot wound to the neck, two other young black men shot in the upper body that are expected to survive. There were also two females treated for injuries from being trampled as crowds rn in panic.

Jou'vert, this year was held in the same place as 2013, in a large open-air rodeo arena that can easily hold 5,000+ people. The arena property is situated on a large lot perhaps 25-40 acres, mostly grassy areas for parking. The event, while largely poplular for 20 years with carribean-americans and africans living in the US, has began gaining local fame with the urban hi-hop youth during radio advertising through 97.9 the boxx. This year the expected turnout was 5,000 attendees, but the effective advertising brought an estimated 10,000 party-goers. The staff was far beyond overwhelmed and could not control crowds near the entrances and exits. When approaching the entrance, I met al least 500-600 people confused and jammed into close quarters on a one way street, unsure of ticket locations, unsure of entrance locations. I myself, spent a few minutes waiting for entry only to be redirected toward the real entrance. I finally made it inside of the event, with no search of me or my bag. As I waited for my freind D, I saw the crowd force past security in droves, again with no searches, no tickets collected. It was enough to make you want to go home, but I expect large crowds at Jou'vert, I expect pushing and shoving. So we went to the arena where we noticed a much larger crowd than 2013. We went into the stands to take a picture, then made our way to the arena floor to party it up! We may have enjoyed a full hour of vibing before litterally being run over by a stampede of half-nude paint-covered children. All the people were young, too young to be in Jou'vert. I , 34 years old, shouldn't be partying with a 16 year old boy.

After the shots were fired, perhaps during the run, I heard a taser going off, people running back and forth in panic. I saw police walking around with huge rifles, a body being wheeled out, people running from exits saying we were not being allowed out, people crying on cellphones recanting the incident expressing their fear, people escaping over 20foot+ fences and a car wreck. I thought it better to leave out throught the back exit and did not see anymore violence after that, but heard on police radios about the fighting at the exits. There are rumors about stabbings and fighting but I did not see any of that.

I have heard many negative statements against American blacks bringing violence to the event.

Regular patrons to Houston Jouvert have witnessed the erosion of the festival over the past few years. Local Hip Hop radio station 97.9 The Box’s G.T., a popular DJ of Caribbean descent, has been instrumental in the commercial growth of Houston Jouvert over the years.

Nonetheless, the question often echoed among West Indians is how do you reconcile the message of Bob Marley’s “One Love” within a music mix that includes Rick Ross?

http://antilliacultura.com/2014/07/05/popularity-houston-jouvert-threatened-urban-appeal/

Violence is apart of the Jou'vert culture, included along with rage, anger, mourning, and joy. This violence is evident at Jouvert celebrations in both Isalnd and state functions. St. Thomas and Brooklyn's 2011 Jouvert parties were both ended in gunfire and murder. Point Fortin, Antigua was shot up in 2010. In Trinidad's 2012 Jouvert a woman was raped by three men, a 14 year old was stabbed and a 31 year old man was shot.

So, for the record Houston's jourvert has not been a consistent source of violence. However, being that the event is sytematically violent, I could be lead to believe that it is the perception of Caribbean people that Americans are violent. I don't believe this. I believe the Mission of the Carribean Festival is failing, which is to promote and preserve the carribean culture to Houstonians and the world. Many of the party goers were not educated on the history of Jou'vert or the purpose, the only purpose mentioned was that it was a paint and foam party. What history and culture can be gained at a paint and foam party?

The criminal element will always try to gain access to functions, as security routinely searches attendees at almost every function worldwide. Promoters know the importance of this function, especially within expected large crowds. HCF was understaffed as I myself was not searched, and several people simply rushed past staff without showing a ticket or being searched. Security was overwhelmed and appeared unfamiliar with aggresive crowds and how to reimplement control. The staff were threatening patrons, and unprofessional. HCF should look to the promoters of the event to question aptability in organizing an event that has drawn a crowd of 10,000. Obviously there was oversight in staffing, security, promoting and education.

Another point of interest is the promotion and preservation of the Caribbean culture. I love the culture, simply for the level of African identity Caribbeans were able to retain. I really respect how strong the identity is and how diverse the people are. All of the things that I love about the culture were hardly diplayed at Jou'vert this year, instead there was a mix of hip-hop and carribean, the music is similar if you compare dancehall and hip-hop, but for a community with bellies full of hip hop it seems nonsensical to play Rick Ross, Rich Homie Quan and Ace Hood. It is not for discrimination of Hip-hop it is for promotion and preservation of the culture.

I was terrified that I would get shot, angry that I waited all year for Jou'vert to have a vision imprinted in my mind of murder. Angry that Jou'vert was set up for the people, but instead of showing off in the Caribbean way, we disrespect the culture by bringing in guns. I'm angry because as a woman from the U.S. descended from slaves, Jou'vert is the closest thing to an African American Independence celebration. It is the ties with the long ago culture that I love and support. It is important to link together in our struggles because we are from one motherland, and have nearly the same stories to tell.

What was missed at 2014 Houston Caribbean Festival Jou'vert was flags and colors, there was hardly any of that this year. I also missed the bands. There was no one covered in oil stick fighting, no blue devils, no stilt walkers. It was simply half Jouvert, half urban Houston Party that ended in murder.

I send my condolences to the family of the young man that was gunned down for pushing in a crowded arena. Black-on-black violence is a shame that we carry along with the saddness of the loss of young life and potential. May God receive this young man and give the family peace and comfort that I am sure was shattered July 4, 2014.