WAVE OF VIOLENCE
Cops hunt suspects in another deadly rash of shootings
Yesterday, at the ungodly hour of 6 a.m., BPD Superintendent-in-Chief William Gross found himself caught up in the infectious spirit of J’ouvert, the eclectic, Mardi Gras-like parade that begins the annual Caribbean Festival on Blue Hill Avenue.
It was impossible for Gross to ignore the pulsating rhythm of the drums, or the good cheer and exuberance of the wildly costumed marchers.
“People were enjoying themselves,” Gross said. “They were happy and that felt good, especially given all that took place just a few hours earlier.”
Between midnight and when the J’ouvert parade stepped off yesterday at 6 a.m., one person was shot dead and at least four were wounded in an outburst of gunplay eerily reminiscent of the violence that ended the life of 26-year-old Dawnn Jaffier during last year’s J’ouvert celebration.
All too mindful of what happened last year, the police beefed up their patrols in the surrounding streets and even shortened the route of the J’ouvert parade.
And even though cops took six guns off those streets last night, it made no difference.
“It’s not the parade,” Gross said, “it’s the house parties where people are up all night partying.
“We made it to 1:54 a.m. without a shooting,” he sighed, “and then it started. The usual defenses are down and it becomes easier to find whoever it is you’ve got a grudge with. And that’s exactly what we saw last year.”
Yesterday, Gross did not hide his anger at what he called “the disrespect of callous thugs who — on the anniversary of a tragedy that took the life of a lovely and talented woman like Dawnn Jaffier — would engage in the same kind of mindless violence. It’s disheartening.”
Even when police are able to relieve potential shooters of the guns, Gross said they are very often greeted with little more than a shrug.
“They’ll look at you and say, ‘Yeah, I know … goin’ to South Bay for a year. That’s no problem.’ Going to jail is like a vacation for many of them.”
The other sobering reality, which has been repeated countless times in recent shootings, is the absence of any trace of conscience.
“Time was,” Gross sighed, “that gangbangers back in the day would at least display some consideration for people who weren’t on their radar. But not anymore. These kids, they’ll shoot into a crowd, not caring who’s standing nearby.”
Last year, it was Dawnn Jaffier who was “standing nearby,” enjoying a parade she loved. Yesterday, a shortened version of the J’ouvert parade did not dampen the celebration Dawnn Jaffier reveled in.
But the kind of mindless violence that stole her life a year ago, that was still too close for comfort.