Why our Carnival continues to have stormers

I wrote this on Sunday evening, but decided to go with positive first, so I posted on the road pictures. But... 

So, many bands didn't get to be judged due to the shit storm of stormers that infiltrated the judging area. 
What else is new? This surprises you? That has happened before, and will continue to occur, as any long time Toronto Carnival mas maker or masquerader knows. Oh, you thought it would be different this year? I know. The positive, optimistic, hopeful among us want to believe that this year, it will work. This year, the changes we need will come. This year, _____ will fix the problem. 

Believe me, I understand the frustration of choosing THE costume, preparing for & awaiting Carnival day for months, only to be swarmed by non masqueraders in what is supposed to be a parade. The Lakeshore at it's worst is a claustrophobic nightmare where you get pushed around, costume damaged, cussed out, harassed, and assaulted. And now, the CNE is turning into the Lakeshore. People continually ask "why can't we get it together, and put on a proper Carnival and parade like other cities?" 

Because:  
No matter how many times you change this parade, take it out of downtown, reverse the route, switch up the starting point, put it into the CNE, off the Lakeshore, IT DOESN'T MATTER AS LONG AS YOU AREN'T ADDRESSING THE LACK OF SECURITY, which always has been, and will always remain the main issue.

Trini-in-Toronto says we taught them they can storm. Well, I think we haven't stopped them from storming. When parade spectators started chipping in to the back of the band over 20 years ago, THAT WAS WHEN bands and organizers should have looked at this as a potential problem. When you refuse to look ahead, foresee the possible escalation of a situation, that shows poor planning. It also shows, frankly, a lack of care. Securing masqueraders should have been dealt with long ago, so that today's generation knows not to do it. But it's too late. This generation now KNOWS they can storm Caribana. 

Trini-in-Toronto says the blame is on ignorant West Indians. Well, I say no, it's Canadians. Let's be real about who's storming. Majority are teens and 20 somethings with West Indian parents or grandparents. And then you've got the other parade spectators who just go with the flow, get caught up in joining in with whatever the crowd is doing, they don't know any better, don't understand that they are ruining something. 

When people like to say Carnival works well in Trinidad because "Trinis respect the mas" - um, naw, don't fool yourself, they respect not getting their ass beat. The brute force packing weapons securing the bands perimeter that will throw them out of the band is what they respect. 
Mas disrespect

Let's be honest about the competition that exists between the 3 big bands. It's a competition, so of course there's always been hating on costumes, attacking leader's intentions, and their success. It's natural to defend & support a band you play(ed) with, and criticize a band you haven't. Blaming the band you have a rivalry with for the chaos at judging is an automatic reaction. It's happened before, and will always happen. (Remember just 2 years ago in 2016, when masqueraders from the Band of the Year said how much they loved it, had such a great time on the road, called it "the best Carnival ever"? Yet their rival band had a different experience, nothing but storming at judging? Hmmm, sounds familiar, huh?Stormers for the win
So again, if there was ACTUAL SECURITY at judging, and oh, this extraction team we were promised for 2 years, then masqueraders wouldn't be allowed to go back, only forward! 

It is so clear that harping about, in a very limited way, buying a costume/don't storm, or attempting to provide mas education can't stop storming. So really, the only question EVERYONE should be asking, and continue to ask, until we get an answer is why does the FMC not provide security? 
And for the love of all that is good, please STOP insulting us by playing your old broken down tune crying that it's the role of the Toronto Police force. 

Want to crash Toronto Carnival?

Thinking of CRASHING the Toronto Carnival parade?

THIS is carnival?

As much as I LOVE The Walking Dead, being overrun like this has NO place on the parade. If you've never seen such a shot before and question it's authenticity, yes, this is accurate. This image really does represent the truth of what happens on carnival day. When I've been trapped along the Lakeshore like above, I felt crushed by this stampede who swarmed in and took over. Notice that there are no visible exits from this - you're stuck in this claustrophobic madness for a good while before you can manage to maneuver your way out. 
And remember, this is what spectators see. Think of all those who travel from out of the country to see mas, and this is what they see. No costumes, just a massive sea of people.  

I don't know what stormers think they've created here with this, but I know this isn't carnival.

18 year Toronto Carnival (Caribana) photo journalist's account of the parade

 The following was sent to me from a blog reader & community photo journalist.

 

  Len C. photographs

The four photos showing the fence broken over, and hundreds continue to
cross into the mas bands. I saw revellers just calling it quits and left their
mas band and not continue down Lakeshore. A number of mas bands making thru to the
end would not have its full compliment of paid members and with stormers like a city street.
 When you look at the numbers storming the fence many were hoisted up and like a stampede coming thru that broken down fence and when I saw stormers being pushed forward by other stormers -  its a recipe for some to possibly get trampled.  Who is liable should that happen?

 

As a media journalist covering Toronto Carnival (Caribana) for the past 18 years and contributor to a number of media our Grand Carnival parade from the staging area and crossing the VIP and judging area goes fairly well and when it proceeds along Lakeshore over the years thousands climb over the fence or breaking the fence down with crowbars, bolt cutters and storming the mas bands to the point wheres stormers outnumber masqueraders jamming them up to the point where the mas bands have difficulty moving and proper spectators the enjoyment of seeing a Carnival parade at its best.

Revellers pay up to $300 for their reveller costume and when stormers overrun their space and
many are intoxicated bringing their own alcohol creates a dangerous situation for the mas bands.
Over the years, many that play mas have dropped out for safety concerns and feel whats the point of being in costume and get over runned by stormers.  Also for the many who volunteer their time to make mas and take their holiday time to do what they like best is to see a wonderful Grand Carnival parade without Hinderance and they wonder why do this anymore.  The first few bands usually manage to make it thru and by mid afternoon the following mas bands have to contend with stormers and it breaks the flow of the parade.  All mas bands have the right to travel the 3.5 kilometer route without intrusion as each and every performer pays for that right.

Once the last mas band to go down Lakeshore by all means let the crowd enjoy a street parade
following the last band. As a media journalist, just watching those breaking the fence and storming the parade is an indication more must be done to stop this.  I saw this at 3 locations and other photographers have encountered the same along the route. Who is to blame? Should a number of injuries or even a stampede take place where the fence is broken down and perhaps some could be trampled.

I spoke to several American tourists with tween  age children and they watched the fence breaking and could not believe what they were seeing and video what they saw and decided to leave fearing safety for their children and said with so many street people mixed in with the mas bands and they were in the $5 no seating area in CNE grounds along the fence on Lakeshore. Seeing what they
saw said they will no longer attend Carnival in future and enjoy other Toronto sights.

The photos of the fence busters says it all. Security and police would be overwhelmed by the shear
numbers storming the parade and especially when the fence is broken at various locations. The fence busters were in the $5 no seating and one can see groups shaking at the fence to find the weakest link in the fence and all it takes is a few with crowbars to hack away.

We know the mas bands continue along with many long time revellers to work with all concerned
to come up with a solution that true carnival spectators can enjoy a full parade with all mas
bands and mas bands and revellers be able to show mas as a mas band and not a jumble of revellers and stormers.

Also many have told me they enjoy the King & Queen Show and will not attend the parade to see the
costumes the way its suppose to be.

There will always be stormers, but the goal is to keep it as low as possible

Readers, continue to send in your photos, videos and/or comments about your experience. 

Mas disrespect

 

You've seen this or others just like it, the all too familiar image of mas disrespect all over the Internet 

Photo courtesy of King Trinbago, a member of

 Toronto Masqueraders Association (TMA)

It was when the bolt cutters came out that people should have put to rest any beliefs that something can be done to stop these stormers. If the image of guys scaling tall fencing and someone prying it open doesn’t tell you that, I don’t know what will. (People said they spotted a cut opening in a fence, and a guy with bolt cutters.) This was a deliberately panned act. Where do you think that guy got the cutters, from a vendor along the Lakeshore? Of course he bought them to bring to the parade with the intent on getting in.  Respect de mas? That was a slap in the face to everyone involved in the parade – we’re talking the creatives, financiers, management and buyers - who are the bands, the FMC, the (main) sponsor, Scotiabank, and the masqueraders. 

It’s not like you can blame the mob mentality any longer. You know, the theory that’s been proven true time & again that when people are in a mob, they let the frenzied vibe take over their better judgement and get crazed. So once one guy creates a gap in a barrier, more people follow, thinking it’s alright. And when you see people walking through an open barrier, you just follow the crowd and figure there isn’t anything wrong with it.

We’re not talking about that. 

There are thugs who know we’re trying to keep them out, and they consider that an affront to their entertainment. They figure they have a right to be in the parade. They know the reputation our carnival has had for as long as I can remember (15 years playing mas people, 15). And they don’t want to be told this year to stay on the other side of the fence just because there are some recent rumblings about not breaking into the parade.  So a masqueraders association formed in 2013 after a noticeable amount of people began to complain on Facebook. It’s nice to know we’ve got a collective voice. It feels good to vent together and encourage people to respect de mas. I like to know I’m now not alone in my frustration over it ruining my mas experience. 
I’ve been complaining officially on here about the storming problem since 2009. Here's my 1st post. Here is Trini-in-Toronto's most recent post and another one from 2013. We all talked a lot about stormers last year. And of course you must remember last year's attempt at wrist bands and how us (paying! legitimate!) masqueraders were being blamed for the congestion?

Did you know The first Respect the Mas was in 2011? And this was the 2nd one - Off the Road. Another stormer post of mine --> K - 2011 and T-i-T's --> S - 2011. There are also more in 2012 , 2011 and 2010.

But for all of our efforts, which are greatly appreciated, there are more people out there with ill intent. People intent on saying “f your mas, this is a street party, and we want in!” 

So for all the constant childish bickering between the separate groups (and you know who they are) whining “well, it’s so obvious what the solution is: __insert brilliant idea___.” or, the misinformed who sound like a damn broken record the way they continuously “blame the bank” – what I ask you is this:

What would you do about the guy with the bolt cutters? How would you stop him?