VICE - J’ouvert: Brooklyn’s Dirty Masquerade
While J’ouvert is a cultural cornerstone for the city, it’s become a subject of controversy. J’ouvert is a wild, pre-dawn street masquerade that marks the beginning of Caribbean Carnival. Over the past decade, more than 20 people have been shot and killed in and around the festival, leading many to associate the event with violence.
Carey Gabay, a former aide to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, was fatally shot by a stray bullet in 2015. Last year, Tyreke Borel, 17, and Tiarah Poyau, 22, were the victims of gun violence. Participants from the Caribbean neighborhoods claim authorities have changed the narrative of J’Ouvert (Creole for "daybreak"), which was created to celebrate the emancipation from slavery. Now that the timing of the celebration has changed, the community believes the lack of respect for tradition could bring forth new problems.
Role: Associate Producer
J’ouvert’s tradition represents rebellion and freedom from slavery for West Indian communities around the world. New York City’s J’ouvert is one of the most famous, bringing out more than 250,000 revelers every year who party through the night dressed in elaborate costumes or smothered in paint and powder.
In our first episode, Gonzo decides to exploit the fear and loathing surrounding the chaos of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and criminal convictions in New York City, discovering a moral conundrum between media, politics, and the American Dream.
Gonzo hustles to get the inside scoop and the perfect sensational content: talking to everyday New Yorkers about their fears; interviewing Councilman Yusef Salaam of the Exonerated 5, who sues Trump for lies during the presidential debates; even hiring ex-Congressman George Santos, who faces multiple criminal convictions, to do his bidding as GONZOVISION’s political correspondent on Halloween, days before the election.
After Trump wins, Gonzo reports at the president-elect’s criminal sentencing in New York City, and discovers just how powerful the fear and loathing is, as George faces his fate… but is ultimately freed from prison by President Trump, and shares his Gonzo reporting on Halloween in 2025, teasing the next episode.
