Police closed off Joseph Avenue at Weaver Street and used “pepper balls” on North Street and Hudson Avenue to break up crowds Sunday night as cars decked out with Puerto Rican flags cruised up and down Northeast Rochester streets.
Police watched from the corners, seeking to control street parties and drag racing that have occurred in past years after the end of Rochester’s annual Puerto Rican Festival. Organizers of this year’s festival worked closely with police and northeast businesses to cut down on rowdyism after the festival.
At first, officers moved people who were partying and dancing in the streets onto yards and parking lots instead. A State Police helicopter watched for large crowds gathering and police occasionally asked groups celebrating their Puerto Rican heritage to tone it down.
But as the night got later, the crowds got rowdier. Officers were ordered at some point to put on helmets. Pepper balls, similar to pepper spray but fired from something similar to a paintball gun, were used on those crowds. Police also used an LRAD, a “long range acoustic device” also known as a “sound cannon” to disperse the crowds.