It was indeed a very good Carnival Tuesday. The predictions of a less than colourful Mas because of all that has gone on worldwide since September 11 and here at home since December 11, in my view, did not to come pass.
While the big time bandleaders, accustomed to making enough money and more to take them through the year until the next Carnival, may not have as much in the bank this time around, there was plenty to see at Adam Smith Square where I sat in the shady stand on Tuesday viewing 'mas uninterrupted.'
The steady stream of bands started for me with Harts' "Latin Fire" at 11 a.m. (Poison's "Erotica" being the only band that I missed) and ended with Legends' "Nostalgia" at 7 p.m. But by this time it was already pretty obvious that Minshall's colourful and well clothed "Picoplats" which had gone by late afternoon were going to give Legends' bikinis and bras a run for their money for the Band Of The Year title which they had won for the past couple of years.
Overall, there was plenty of colour, plenty of steelbands, plenty of bikinis and bras but also plenty of good costuming, and plenty of masqueraders so that there were very few 'see through' bands. And the bands moved quickly through the Ariapita Avenue venue so there were no dull moments really.
Not surprisingly, Masquerade's "And The Rains Came" designed by one of the best, Wayne Berkeley, placed third in the Downtown Band Of The Year competition. Wayne, although not 100% fit, did come out to the Flying Fish Children's Carnival, earlier in the month. The one major problem at the Adam Smith Square venue are the thousands of spectators who surge onto the roadway where the bands must parade instead of standing on the pavements and nearer to the curbs. Take for instance the last band that everyone waited until nearly 7 p.m. to see, "Nostalgia", those who sat in the stands never saw more than headpieces and standards as the unruly crowd was well into the middle of Ariapita Avenue mixed into Legends' thousands of masqueraders.
A time by which the police seem to have returned to barracks as I could discern not one uniform in the crowds at Adam Smith Square that night. So let me pass on a word of advice to Deputy Commissioner Snaggs, who has in last Thursday's Newsday promised "an increased police presence for next year's Carnival season", not only must there be a greater police presence next Carnival, the presence must be extended to the end of last lap even if there will have to be shifts to cope with it all. Can you imagine the amount of pickpocketing that must have taken place in the swarming crowd at the corners of Ariapita Avenue and Carlos and Murray Streets, not to mention the traffic jam in the area of the Western Main Road and St Clair Avenue, where two uniformed policemen stood helplessly by.
Remember this is no longer the 50's or 60's, we live in times of vicious and violent crimes, where the criminals carry out their acts which have become bolder and bolder, whether or not there are people around, broad daylight or dark night. Even more amazing is the fact that the citizens seem to be either paralysed with fear or just couldn't care less, and are actually standing by and watching, without interferring, as the crimes are perpetrated.