Mayor Adams vows no ‘grinches’ will disrupt Thanksgiving parade, praises heightened security

Mayor Adams vowed Wednesday there’ll beryllium nary “grinches” creating havoc astatine the 98th yearly Thanksgiving time parade, with heightened information prepared for the beloved event.

At a quality league successful beforehand of a dazzling Macy’s balloon, the politician said there’ll beryllium much constabulary connected the streets on the Thursday parade way — and zero tolerance for “violence and disruption” astatine the famed parade.

“I privation to instrumentality the infinitesimal to archer those grinches that judge they are going disrupt the parade, it’s not going to happen,” the politician said. “Just arsenic we responded past year, we are going to beryllium connected apical of those who effort to interrupt the parade successful anyhow possible.”

Last year, protestors stormed the beloved Thanksgiving time parade — calling attraction to the Gaza warfare with demonstrators jumping barricades connected Sixth Ave. adjacent W. 45th St., and others gluing their hands to the asphalt on the parade route. The objection forced immoderate of the parade’s floats, balloons, and participants to navigate astir the protesters arsenic cops struggled to determination them disconnected the street.

AP Photo/Andres Kudacki

Pro-Palestinians protestors get arrested by the constabulary during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade connected Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023, successful New York (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)

“We’re prepared,” Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey declared. “Last twelvemonth we had to woody with it and we didn’t let it to halt the parade. We were capable to propulsion the parade over. We allowed the parade to proceed and we were capable to instrumentality the protestors in.”
Maddrey said determination were immoderate 40 arrests astatine the 2023 parade.

Adams believes the acquisition of the NYPD, and however it deploys it constabulary power, makes the section well-prepared for immoderate imaginable threats to the parade.

“The New York City constabulary section managed implicit 3,000 protests since October 7 (1923),” Adams said. “The numbers are astronomical and we were capable to let our large events — from New Years solemnisation to the Israeli time parade to truthful galore different events — due to the fact that we deployed the antheral powerfulness accordingly.”

Parking and conveyance postulation volition beryllium constricted successful the area, and New Yorkers are being urged to instrumentality the subway to and from the event.

Newly tapped Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said determination would beryllium an summation successful constabulary beingness on the parade way and successful surrounding neighborhoods with canine units, transit officers, aviation team, and cops connected ft patrol each activated for the parade.

Drones are different plus that could assistance woody with ample crowds, Tisch said.

“For tomorrow, we tin archer you determination are nary credible oregon circumstantial threats to the parade astatine this time,” she said. “Our intel analysts  and counterterrorism officers person been preparing for this each twelvemonth successful adjacent collaboration with our federal, state, and section partners.”

“As a erstwhile expert myself, I cognize firsthand however incredibly detailed, thorough and methodical this enactment is and indispensable be,” she added. “We person to get it close 100% of the clip and we expect a palmy parade this year.”