When i use to venture this event the parade wasn't televised. In fact, there was very little police combing the area as well. In between those side streets is where all the action really began. Women on balconies showing breast, bottles cracking people in the head, fights, car windows being broken, free alcohol being distributed all over the place, and all types of things going on. Shoot...you can't even drink in public nowadays. You have to have your stuff camouflaged in a brown paper bag or in a decoy soda bottle.
Also, there wasn't as many people watching the parade like it is today. It was awesome then, now its commercial (so to speak). They never even advertised it on TV then. Unless you ventured the village areas, few uptown people had knowledge of it.
Also don't forget, just because it didn't receive television coverage, doesn't mean somewhere, at some point, a car didn't get tossed over.
It's all good Brother. What you don't know won't alarm you!