Dear Media and organizations: Pleasure document and let your networks know of this inexcusable attack from Toronto Police at Caribbean Carnival. Thanks. Bob
Dear Mayor Rob Ford of Toronto, Canada:
Sir:
I was extremely upset by what happened at the Caribbean Carnival Parade on Sat., Aug. 4,2012, by Toronto Police and therefore this letter I wish you would also give to Police Chief Bill Blair.
Whether it was his decision or someone below him, a major disaster and stupidity of biblical proporations took place near the end of the parade I wish to relate to you here.
For background on myself, I am 70, July 10, dance like a 'trini' still, thank G-d and this was my 9th or 10th year dancing in Toronto's 'Carabana' or Caribbean Carnival. It is my 149th carnival playing 'mas', which I have been doing for 23 years and have been to Trinidad these many times as well as going to the circuit that's emerged from Trinidad Carnival.
I have also produced two in Miami Beach and am working on one right now called: "Carnivalsoftheworld.com", which will be in Downtown Miami on May 5, 2013 and that information is enclosed below.
We will start the North American cicuit that goes to Atlanta, Orlando, DC/Baltimore, Montreal, Toronto, Boston, New York and Miami finishes the circuit with other smaller carnivals in-between and all of it growing.
When I talk with business leaders in Miami, Toronto is my model on how to get 1million, peaceful loving folks from every background to unite in harmony with one of the great events in the world so desperately needed in these very dangerous and violent times.
We also hope to get the King and Queen costumes from Trinidad for our Carnivals of the World Parade and also to bring them to other carnivals. We also hope to get the bands from every other carnival to join with us to promote their own carnivals. Imagine if all the bands in Toronto came down to Miami and partied in our 'party capital of the world' also?
Why Toronto? Because after 45 years you have one of the best and biggest carnivals with glorious costumes, large and small and the diversity to match it all and you have the spirit and cooperation of the vast community on many levels including sponsorship from Scotiabank, which is missing in most of the other carnivals always struggling for the funding to produce great and greatly needed events like these and what we are trying to do as well and one reason I drove from Miami to be in Toronto to offer ours for those tired of 'winter' and also to meet up with many folks I know from other carnivals.
I play 'mas' with Black Sage Carnival band in Toronto, who work throughout the year in building and branding a band and product that is just terrific.
You, Mr. Mayor should go to their 'mas' camp and see for yourself how many people are involved in making a great band, with great costumes, large and small of unique artisanship, and what it takes to pull off such an effort. You should bring with you the Toronto Police dept. as well.
The planning, the designing, the purchasing of materials, the actual building of the large costumes and all the time and effort to dress up hundreds of masqueradors and to feed and offer drink which was critically necessary, especially this Sat.
If Buffalo was 96degrees and not this hot since 1887, then Toronto was even worse and the sun was brutal coming from the concrete and was certainly the hottest weather I've experienced in Toronto.
Black Sage had even organized a bus from the 'mas' camp, gave us times to be at the Exhibition area which was 10AM when I began dancing and drinking water not to dehydrate. They also had truck rentals for the large costumes and mine was one of them, which was also being constructed on the spot so that we could all enjoy ourselves, be in a large contingent for the judges and our impact and the results of that judging that might also win for the costumes and potential prize monies as well that would help with the expenses, let alone the recognition of a job well done and all the joy that could be a part of it. A 'thank you' party was also being planned for everyone participating. This is the joyous combinations of those participating who make it possible.
Then there are the masqueradors who spend good monies to participate with terrific costumes that attracted many cameras focused on us both inside the initial gathering spot and also on the 'road' till we reached the area to lead into Lake Shore.
We were next to last in the parade and here is where the insanity took place from the Toronto Police.
Half of our dancers, already having a ball dancing, including myself and taking lots of pictures with strangers also dancing with us but in pure joy of it all, and then the police decide it is time to fence in the gate so that half of our band was now left outside of it including all the big costumes for competition and what the crowd was also waiting for.
The Toronto police said that 'time was up' and we were too late to get in and that was it, no matter how we protested that this wasn't our fault and half of us were already inside and another ten minutes and both our 100 masqueradors and the 50 behind us would be with the thousands already let in, including ouor truck and the last one behind us.
The Toronto police said 'absolutely not'. Our time had expired and they had two stories from two separate police with red on their caps: One said to me, they had already expanded it by 40 minutes and one said 25 minutes. In either case another ten minutes and all would have been fine and dandy.
But no: 'The clock' was this arbitrary criteria to close us out, treat us as the criminals, dump on our whole great and positive process and produce in one extremely stupid move of utter pettiness and cheapness and I can't even find the words to state my and our dismay and frustration at this 'lock out' for no real reason and leaving us all bitter at this truely low class crisis we were all of a sudden in the middle of.
I went to one officer, since my profession is marketing and public relations and asked him if this was worth making so many enemies out of so many potential friends?
Mr. Mayor: I am President of Shalom International and since Oct. 2007, we have now done 543 rallies/events and 1730 news interviews to keep Jerusalem and Israel United and to fight terrorism and we've never had a problem and I have dealt with police from the White House to the Vatican to Jerusalem, Geneva, NY, Miami and all over the country and will also be at the GOP and Dem. Conventions.
I NEED carnival to take down my stress levels and so I happily do ten + a year. Toronto is especially great and so I willingly schlepp and drive up and back and I have a large costume I even had to bend to put into the car. Our section was called: "Scarlett Macaw" and three of them were on my costume besides one on my headpiece and all of it looking great.
So the effort to come to Toronto to perform and party hearty and be with many others on the same wave length was thwarted by such a stupid police policy.
I have great respect for the police for I work with them all the time and know what they have to go through.
I'm also aware of the recent shootings and killings in Toronto and how this has put everyone on the edge, but the Editorial in the Toronto Star, (8/4/12 and enclosed), emphasized how important this parade was now, especially because of all the other conflict, violence and stress.
The Toronto and visitor community needed to be connecting on the positives, not being polarized once again by foolishness that went awry.
To trivialize all that went into making this band possible and all the other bands possible as any could experience the same crisis another time and the hundreds of people who are part of it and to deny Toronto and all visitors the visions of who we are and how we dance to the music we offer and potential media and prize recognition, in toto was a complete public relations disaster for those in charge of Toronto Police who made these really dumb decisions.
How can Toronto fight crime without the support of the people and their trust?
How can the Toronto Police break this trust and stomp on everything good we were doing?
If there was indeed a much longer parade then that means even more of a success in expanding and enhacing one of the best in the world. What is wrong with this? After 45 years this is a huge success and role model for everyone else.
But to cut us off at the legs with 1/2 our group in and no more than 150 masqueradors left in the whole parade is a complete outrage deserving of universal condemnation for if these decision makers are in charge of security for the city of Toronto, you are indeed in bigger trouble than you thought.
Instead of giving a break and adding to the healing, no, the decision, let me repeat, a very stupid decision was made to penalize us, treat us like garbage and that we don't matter and to polarize us versus the Police, who already have enough charges of racism, brutality, abuse and other issues to contend with.
I'm truely at a loss in how to explain this.
When I left and walked a great distance to my car, which also cost $9 to park, I was stopped many times for photos of my costume and to take pictures with others. In every case I was glad to accomodate and in every case I explained what had happened and they were all in disbelief that anything like this could happen.
What excuses can be made for such mediocrity and stupidity, when the police need all the support they can get and now this aweful scenario I have described.
It would take me an hour to get out of Toronto and I decided to go back into the U.S. and not spend any more monies but to write this paper to you from Athens, W. Va. where I will be for a few days before I go to carnival in Norfolk, Va. on my way home.
However, I am fowarding this to everyone I can, including my own 5000 mailing list, plus all the band leaders and carnivals directors I know around the U.S. and world.
I am reaching out to all the diverse groups, chambers of commerce and visitor and convention folks and hotel and restaurant people about this incident so they fully understand the economics as well as need to reduce the stress and not to add to the stress. No business person in their right minds would agree with what the Toronto police did.
I'm also reaching out to the media, Scotiabank, other sponsors and every other name to let them all know that the efforts to produce such a phenomenon such a Caribbean Carnival cannot be treated as if it doesn't matter either to the Caribbean community, or the total community that was dumped on by our absense and only because those that made these decisions ought to be shown the door.
It is ironic that this celebration of freedom that emerged from slavery still has the police enslaved by their own agenda and 'politics' and to hell with the rest of the community. What an embarassment.
Of course police security is great, but when that isn't the issue and our pleas are the issue and ignored, than dampening our spirits is absolutely the wrong thing to do and reflects on everyone.
In the Caribbean Times International publication is a front page photo of Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair and two mas models on either side of him and a great picture and totally different from the picture I have described.
In the same paper is a story of two other Canadian Police authorities who just quit in Trinidad and Tobago which is the Police Commissioner Dwayne Gibbs and Deputy police comish, Jack Ewatski who got $millions from the T&T government to reduce crime and was another massive disaster. They quit before being fired for not meeting their obligations to reduce crime. Apparently, T&T thought that Canada might have something to offer, which isn't there to begin with.
I stated for the last 23 years to the T&T government, that "More Carnival, means less crime, more monies made, more time spent having a great time, more jobs, more of all the good stuff." Instead, the government is consumed by oil and gas and treats its own culture and heritage by throwing it a bone instead of really moving on marketing, we offered and doing carnival year-round on some level as a commodity and industry that is now missing. The monies T&T threw away on Gibbs and Ewatski, could have gone into nurturing the culture instead and that would have reduced the crime big time.
The myth that Canada has all the answers has been blown and the answers on Carnival you do have, is being tampered with that is against all interests.
I am writing this to sound the alarm and nip it in the bud before it gets even worse and you manage to kill the goose laying those golden eggs.
Bigotry is bad business and bad for business.
Carnival is the answer the Trinis and Caribbean community has expertise in that the world desperately needs before it destroys itself.
Punishing everyone for the actions of a few never worked before nor will it now.
You have to give respect if you want it back and the cooperation of the community at large.
Imagine, the parade went 25 minites, even forty minutes overtime. What a crime. What if it went an hour overtime or two hours. I just don't get it.
A million people spending $450millions and they were an hour overtime? Have you lost your minds?
Perhaps this needs to go to Ripley's 'Believe it or not' section. No matter who I talk to, no one can believe what the Toronto police did and how they behaved and in this issue they have a major blow to their credibility and image.
So, so sad and so unnecessary.
But what do I know. I only led the opposition to Anita Bryant and Jerry Falwell's anti-gay witchhunt, which made 'gay' a household word, brought millions out of their closets, formed thousands of groups as a result and have done over 38,000 media in a lifetime of activism starting with helping to end 'Jim Crow' in Miami and my synogague being bombed by the KKK in Miami back in the 1950's.
So you know why I need carnival and everyone does need carnival too.
Put on a costume, Mr. Mayor and see what I'm talking about. You become a new and wonderous person, expressing yourself and your freedoms with the greatest music and dancers in the world.
If this isn't a winning formulae, what it?
The City of Toronto should put up whatever it takes in finance and attitude and everything else to make this an even bigger, even greater event and have more monies pouring in and not the pettiness and grief we have experienced.
I await your response.
Yours Faithfully and in Shalom,
Bob Kunst
Marketing Director
www.carnivalsoftheworld.com
www.stoproadrage.us
We are involved with 3 major efforts for jobs, enhanced revenues and tax base, reducing stress, uniting the many and diverse cultural groups in S. Fla. and their national and international networks and to strengthen these communities as well as bringing them to be visible to the wider audience on who they are and what they have to offer as well as branding Miami as 'carnival central' in the U.S. and one of the key carnival markets in the world.
More tourism and those revenues are also key to this effort. While we have huge local populations, the carnival experience, that is the heart and soul of these cultures, is also an opportunity for them to be with us in May, after they've had enough of winter from up North, as well as an opportunity for all governments to expose what they want the world to know about and investors they are also seeking. This is a great opportunity to say 'thank you' to all they do business with and also to mix great business with great pleasure.
The Fortune 500 needs to know that this very unique market of homeowners and business folks, travel and spend monies to nurture their culture on every level.
In Trinidad alone, 'kiddie carnival' has 20,000 kids in costume with parents and teachers dancing with them, that takes two days just for their exciting parades.
Carnival brings everyone together on every age level, every income level and in glorious colors for THE SHOW'.
We are very excited that ATT/Yellow Pages is already on board with us and we will be on the front cover of the telephone directory for 2013 with this focus.
Any company wanting to secure a major relationship with this market will benefit on a massive and cost effective level. The 'carnival' market in the money market.
Let us help you in this win-win situation.
EXPO:
1. Gateway to the World Expo at the Miami Beach Convention Center, September, 2013, Hall 'D', where we can sell 612
10x10 booths. Dates to be announced.
2. Expo costs could be $150,000-$200,000.
a. Booth sales: $500,000 to $600,000.
b. Entrance fees also for food/wine/rums etc. besides consumerism, travel, body-mind,home, business, pets, culture etc. $100,000 to $200,000+.
c. Sponsorships.
d. Grants.
e. Advertising.
f. Fetes/entertainment
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A.
Costs for advertising are in the $100,000 range to guarantee the traffic to satisfy both the vendors as well as to document this success for future events. If we can move 10,000 to 30,000 for the 3 day event that would be one huge success. Serious advertising would bring us much more in traffic. Sponsors will get huge exposure through this effort.
B. Another potential for Miami Beach is to do a Sat. day parade for 10 blocks and very limited as to the number of vehicles (10-15) and then a fenced-in 'beach party' with admission charge, which would cost us $200,000 and a potential
$1million in revenues regarding entrance fees, VIP, Booth sales, sponsorships, merchandize, booze sales,etc.
C. Another possibility for Lincoln Rd. on Miami Beach is to take a country per block with the same foods, music, costumes, which Miami Beach Mayor wanted to do. This would be a freebee and sponsorships would pay for it all.
D. More special 'shows', fetes, launches, parties, during the year and Calder, Hialeah Park, Gulfstream have already showed interest and could be developed with all the Casinos as just one outreach, as well as hotels and tourism destinations.
E. Getting the businesses in each ethnic community to bring their best to this wider audience and support themselves and their own cultures and to bring their countrymen and women from around North America and their home countries, to also be here.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PARADE:
1. CARNIVALS OF THE WORLD PARADE, Downtown Miami, May 5, 2013. At this point we have a 30 block parade and 10 block party by the Miami River. Staging is at Miami River and SW 3St to NW 3rd St. Parade goes along lst St. to 3rd Ave., then North to Flagler St. and West to lst Ave., North to 3rd St. and West to 2nd Ave. and South to Flagler St. and West to Miami River. The City of Miami Police want $100,000 for this route.
2. Parade route could be extended into Calle Ocho and add another 30 blocks. The longer the parade the more participants and especially those with large costumes. Also, many businesses along the route can also have a piece of the action. Police costs will triple with the new route.
3. This also being Cinco de Mayo, there will already be 20,000-30,000 at Brickell Village starting late in the afternoon we can aleady negotiate with for our efforts. It is easy walking distance as well as Metro-mover and trolleys. Metrorail means masses downtown as well as parking at stations into Downtown.
4. Getting each ethnic groups that does carnival, to do their version, together, in one giant parade and pick up where the Orange Bowl Parade left off would be a huge extravaganza. We have 20 countries already involved and can get more based on sponsorships. We need $300,000 just for these expenses. involving trucks and floats. Very large parades can involve up to 300 units and much advertsing possibilities.
5. This will be a moving parade, not 'Calle Ocho'.... which is stationary and is not 'carnival'.
6.We can bring in runners from Mercedes-Benz Corporate Run and ING Corporate Run and running clubs; Wheel Chair contingents an honor our veterans; Bikers; Motor cycles; antique cars; high school bands and all floats and bands for the Carnival contingents, and invitees from other major parades from Mummers in Philly ,to Rose Bowl Parade in Pasadena, Key West's 'Fatasyfest', to 'Gasparilla' in Tampa. Mardi Gras floats from New Orleans, etc..
7. 'TASTES OF THE WORLD' AT THE END OF THE PARADE venue. We have spaces in the 10 blocks for hundreds (400-500) of food, beverage and internatioal market booths.
8. Making this one of the premier events in North America annually in May, after Passover and Easter and when the hotels need the business and opportunities to fill the hotels, car rentals, plane seats and gain that revenue for ourselves and the sponsors and community at large, let alone to apply for grants with proof of these efforts and international promotions for our sponsors..
9. Get King and Queen Costumes from Trinidad and 100 carnivals in the world to establish Miami as the only city in the world with 2 carnivals. Every six months. When you need it, we have it. We start the circuit in May and Miami/Broward One Carnival finishes it in Oct.. The circuit starts in Atlanta, Orlando, DC/Balt., Toronto, Boston, NY and Miami for the major events. There are 60 other carnivals that have emerged from Trinidad-Tobago Carnival. Brazil carnival stays in Brazil. We want all of them participating with us here from this network and all the other countries represented here who do carnival back home to do it together here and pick up where the Orange Bowl Parade left off. If we have major money-prizes we can move mountains here for those who would be here to show their cultures and carnivals.
10. Part of our inventory is to offer a 4-color magazine; do our own cable tv; connect via streaming tv to the global community;poster and song contests, our own film/dvd and document this grand effort....also for grants.
11. Our 'model' is Toronto's 'Carabana' (Aug. 4, 2012) which gets 1 million, 200,000 from U.S. who drop $300millions-$400millions into the local economy, Toronto's #1 money-maker, sponsored by Scotiabank. NY's Carnival will get 2-3millions.
a.. We have already promoted this effort in Trinidad Carnival, Atlanta, Orlando, Tampa, Lauderdale Lakes, Hollywood, Baltimore and Atlantic City Carnivals and in Aug. Toronto, Norfolk, Va., Boston and in Sept.- Brooklyn, Long Island, Jax. and in Oct. in Miami.
b. Bringing bands and carnival promotions from every other carnival to be with us and to promote themselves and our sponsors is just one of our strategies.
c. Complimenting the parade and Expo with a number of other fetes and celebrations as part of making the first week in May our biggest party yet. Miami/Broward One Carnival has 44 major parties connected to it and their band launching will be in late Aug. at Hialeah Race Track. Most of these promoters are from NY and we want to leave the monies locally.
d. Show and promote the wide diversity that lives here and plays here (Toronto does, Miami needs to and is a missing link); show the great business opportunities that exist and we want to expose to a wider audience and move from being 'Gateway to Latin America', lost to Houston in Feb. 2012 and become instead: 'Gateway to the World' for parade, Expo, Paradise projects. When Forbes lists Miami as 181 out of 200 cities to do businesss in and for career opportunities, the ethnic divides and in many cases 'banana republic' politics has created this mess, we can help resolve through this process of uniting everyone via music, dance, culture, food, drink, arts, crafts and carnival which is the formulae that will work on all other issues.
e. We can become an annual 'Super Bowl' with Carnival/Culture, not to be taken for granted, but enhanced as a commodity like gas and oil.
Budget considerations:
1. Police- $100,000 for the 30 block parade/policing party venue along Miami River.(Should we add 30 blocks this figure is double as well as numbers Cleanup, Fire Dept. figures.
2. Cleanup- $20,000
3. Fire Department-$20,000
4. Insurance-$20,000
5. Other fees- $5000
6. Magazine-100,000- $100,000- Selling ad space pays for magazine.
7. Our own Cable tv show- 6 hours weekly in Miami-Dade/Broward, for a year is $100,000-selling tv ad space pays for programming itself and only one in the world.
8. Pole ads,(1200 for $60,000 for 30 days), billboards, bus ads, street banners-, radio ads- $50,000 to $100,000
9. Full time social media-$30,000.
10. Outreach to all carnivals in the world and our own 'band' at each carnival-$100,000.
11. Office etc.- $50,000
12. Merchandize- tee-shirts, etc.- $50,000
13. Personnel: $500,000
14. Documentation/marketing- $50,000
15. Sell booth space, sponsorships, booze, merchandize just for the parade and also tied into Expo and Replanting prices.
16. Talents/artists/ethnic bands/floats: $250,000
17. When Miami Carnival takes place in Oct., there will be 44 major parties here from promoters from NY who take the monies and leave. We need to budget multiple events and keep the monies and jobs here. $300,000.
18. Saturday Parade and Beach Party.$200,000.
Basics: $2,500,000. And if we brought in $300millions to $400millions to the local economy and adding to the tax base?
The more we have the more we can do and more exposure for any sponsor, locally, nationally and globally.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
12. "REPLANT PARADISE" with 1 million native and color trees to add to the 13% tree canopy in Miami due to canker, blight, hurricanes, over-development, etc. and heal and enhance G-d's miracle creation here. "Green" businesses who ignore the diversity in our midsts regarding culture, can now move from this aspect. Re-creating the 'Garden of Eden' in all of its glorious color will be a major boon for everyone including to slow down to smell the roses and eye what Paradise really looks like for homes, business, public right of way, etc.
A. This can be organized per business and media surrounding it.
B. This can be organized via products/specials and promotions and tied to Publix etc.
C. This can be organized through garden clubs, universities, while helping the growers in S. Dade and jobs, jobs, jobs.
D. Use this opportunity to raise $millions and recognize all participants, like planting a tree in Israel campaigns.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
13. "TASTE OF CARNIVAL" AT PORT OF MIAMI FOR EACH CRUISE SHIP IN DOCK. Jobs and funded by corporations, grants and Miami-Dade County on how to nurture the 4 millions who come from MIA to the ships and back and give them a reason to stay and also to get in the mood before the ship departs.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
14. Marketing all of the above to the travel agents around the world, those doing conventions and expos, those who must have carnivals, those 71 countries represented in Miami including 38 Consulates and 28 chambers of commerce.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
15. Bring on board the Fortune 500 etc. to become sponsors for this unique opportunity to unify the community (see Miami Heat Champions); to provide jobs; to increase major revenues; to enjoy ourselves, reduce stress and have the biggest and best party in the world and all tastes from around the world and urge the world to be here to experience all of it and all of our sponsors will have more exposure and good will than they could ever dream of.
WHOA, THE SHOW, THE REAL MIAMI-MIAMI BEACH.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
16. Imagine the cost of one Super Bowl 30 second ad that goes for $3millions and everyone has already forgotten versus those monies used for accomplishing the above and more and a win-win for all concerned making it possible.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
17. MASSIVE EXPOSURE AT MINIMUM COST on every level here. Cadillac exposure on a bicycle budget.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
18. BREAKING THE LOG JAM OF EACH GROUP AND ITS 'TERRITORIAL POLITICS' TO STAY ONLY WITHIN THEIR OWN COMMUNITIES INSTEAD OF REACHING THE WIDER AUDIENCE ON THE BEST THEY HAVE TO OFFER AND THE 'REAL YOU' AND TO GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY THEY ARE A PART OF. IF WE DANCE WITH EACH OTHER, WINE, DINE, SEE THE REAL CULTURES, COSTUMES, ARTS, CUSTOMS, CRAFTS, ETC. THEN WE CAN MOVE TOGETHER FROM THESE POINTS TO THE OTHER ISSUES.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All of these issues are real and all possibilities and opportunities are real as well as monies being sought after.
Many corporations need good will and wide exposure and have the resources to spend and we can maximize impact for every dollar spent and develop this legacy and permanent signature statement, as exists with the Boat Show, Auto Show, Coconut Grove Art Show, NASCAR, Air Show, etc.
One vital example for Miami is the Ultra Music Festival for 150,000 in Downtown Miami over 3 days and each paying $300 just for the event, not including transportation, hotels, food, etc. Those attending haven't been exposed to 'soca' music from Trinidad or Samba from Brazil or Salsa from Latin America and Caribbean carnivals. Imagine the thousands on Spring Break finally getting a major dose of these great music sensations? Revenues to be made? Enjoyment to be had?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Who are we trying to reach out to:
1. Cubans-900,000 just in Miami-Dade. What did they do for carnival in Cuba, not Calle Ocho which isn't carnival.
2. Colombians-500,000. Barinquila, Colombia gets 1 million for their carnival.
3. Haitians-500,000 and they get 1 million in Port O Prince, Haiti
4. Trinidad and Caribbean- 500,000 at least, possibly double that who have been doing carnival for 100 yrs. and 45 in N. America and Canada and 27 yrs. in Miami.
5. Mexicans- 200,000 in Miami and 300,000 in Orlando.
6. Brazilians- 300,000 in S. Fla. and 50,000 in Orlando.
7. Puerto Ricans- 200,000 in S. Fla. and 300,000 in Orlando and they do their parade in NY.
8. Jewish community- 750,000 in Fla.
9. We have 180 ethnic groups in Miami. 25,000 Bahamians. 10,000 Koreans, etc.
10. All of these groups in all of North America and Canada and from their home countries AS PART OF THE 15MILLION TOURISTS THAT COME HERE ANNUALLY.
11. 100 carnivals in the world: Nottinghill in London that gets 1 million; Rotterdam, Netherlands which gets 1 million in summer. One of they key carnivals in Euriope is in Basel, Switzerland and no connection with Art Basel in Miami Beach and we would make that connection. Italy has two major carnivals. Canary Islands, all through the world and we would want each of them here with us.
12. Everyone! The market that already exists is monumental. Imagine the rest of the world we could introduce to all of this phenomenon?
There is no end to the expansion, promotional and creative efforts that Carnivals of the World would embrace.
ENJOY YOURSELVES AND GIVE BACK AND GIVE US THE 'REAL YOU' AND THE BEST YOU HAVE TO OFFER.
AND WHO COULD DO IT BETTER AND MORE OFTEN THAN ANYONE THAN THE SUN AND FUN CAPITAL OF THE WORLD?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We are presenting these opportunities for really making Miami/Miami Beach the greatest cities in the world for what we have to offer, which is alot. Nurturing these efforts means success on every level and for everyone who invests with us into this phenomenon.
The picture here compliments what is already in motion, plus adding a whole new direction from us with this unity in the community. Imagine the great and positive spirit of the Miami Heat victory and to incorporate that energy with all of these efforts, which can be done with the proper support.
We can make this difference for everyone.
Yours Faithfully,
Bob Kunst
Marketing Director
305-864-5110
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| From: | Robert Kunst (stoproadrage@hotmail.com) |
| Sent: | Mon 8/06/12 11:57 AM |
| To: | Robert Kunst (stoproadrage@hotmail.com) |
Toronto's Caribbean festival and parade: welcome tonic against despair
Caribana
ANDREW WALLACE/TORONTO STAR The annual Caribbean festival is a brash display of jubilation. (July 31, 2010)Yes, solid action must be taken against gun violence. But despair must also be resisted. And there seems no better way than through the brash display of sheer jubilation that culminates Saturday in a parade that has become North America's largest costumed march.
Formerly known as Caribana, and now called the Scotiabank Toronto Caribbean Carnival, the event is a highlight of summer. More than a million people typically turn out — drawn by shimmering costumes, the thumping beat of rival bands, and a chance to cut loose, dance and party.
It's important to get the same healthy response this year. The best answer to Toronto's recent spate of shootings isn't to hide away but to boldly celebrate the city. And this incandescent Caribbean carnival is one of its greatest treasures.
New York run by the Swiss? Toronto is much more than that now — thank goodness — and this event proves it, year after year.
The 2012 festival has been underway for more than two weeks and, aside from the grand parade, it also features concerts, competitions for carnival king and queen, a junior carnival, rugby, an all-night fish fry, Caribbean beach breakfast and more.
It has come a long way since it began 45 years ago, when a modest crowd of West Indian origin threw a party on Olympic Island to celebrate Canada's Centennial Year. Today, there's no louder, brighter or more boisterous expression of multicultural Toronto.
It's just the tonic this city needs to soothe its pain, put its worries in context, and appreciate the full glory of its diversity.
No comments:
Post a Comment