August 17, 2009 20:53

NYPD on high alert for 50 Cent event in Queens

Rapper will appear at 'Family Day' on August 30

The New York Police Department is reportedly on high alert for an upcoming event featuring 50 Cent, set to take place in the rapper's native neighbourhood of Queens, NY.

The ‘surprise’ event, which is scheduled for August 30, is expected to be attended by 10,000 people, and one NYPD source says that the police will not be able to "control the area".

A law enforcement source told the New York Post that it's "an outdoor event - people could walk in from anywhere".

When contacted, the New York Police Department said they would have adequate police presence.

Police are planning to shut down a 20-block radius in the South Jamaica neighbourhood of the borough. The event is sponsored by the New York Restoration Project, an organisation founded by actress Bette Midler and 50’s G-Unity Foundation.

The day will feature games, festivities and educational features including clinics, and a facility to apply for driving permits.

50 Cent, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, survived a shooting in Queens in 2000 in which he was hit nine times. The incident remains unsolved.

Although he has not been officially confirmed to perform, the star's publicist Keesha Johnson has said he will make an appearance.

--By our New York staff.
[url="/about"]Find out more about NME.[/url]