MASKS MATTER! We’re Now In Phase Two Of The Re-Opening Of Buffalo & WNY. But Covid-19 Is Still Spreading In New York. Residents are required to wear a mask and practice social distancing in public. STAY SAFE! STAY WELL! PROTECT YOURSELVES AND OTHERS!
June 3, 2020 | FREE |
IN SOLIDARITY!
We Proudly Stand in Solidarity with the Youth and The Peaceful Protest Movement to End White Supremacy, Police Brutality, Systemic Racism and The On Going Legal Lynchings of Black Men and Women in America. Page 8
INTERNATIONAL
Thousands Around The World Join U.S. in Protesting Police Brutality, Systemic Racism Page 2
GENERATIONS
Math Science Technology Students Spread Wisdom in Troubled Times Page 6
COUNTDOWN TO JUNETEENTH FESTIVAL 2020: NOT OUTSIDE, BUT ON-LINE! Page 3
LOCAL
If Minneapolis Police Had a Cariol Horne, George Floyd Would be Alive Today Page 8
PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE PAID BUFFALO, N.Y. PERMIT NO. 164
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INSIDE ROCHESTER
Challenger Community News • t hec hallengernews.com •June 3, 2020
NATIONAL + WORLD ROCHESTER PROTEST UPDATE Thousands Around The World Join U.S. in
Protesting Police Brutality, Systemic Racism
T After a peaceful Black Lives Matter rally ended in downtown Rochester some protestors destroyed police cars and destroyed cars in a parking lot across from the Public Safety Building Saturday, May 30.
Free The People ROC Protest
Protesters gathered Tuesday outside of the Locust Club, the Rochester Police Department Union, to continue to raise awareness and demand change from the local police force. A Facebook post from the local organization Free the People ROC reads, “We invite the community to join us as we continue the movement to demand change for our community by ending police brutality and investing in our community.” Free the People criticized the response of the community after Saturday’s protest, specifically the curfew and the use of tear gas by police. The group met at the Locust Club and specifically called out the police union. “We wanted to acknowledge that the Locust Club is part of the reason why we are seeing so much harm in our Black communities,” one of the organizers said. They said the union has protected racist cops and cops who have murdered Black people. Organizers said the Locust Club has had the chance to do the right thing for decades but it, “have never done the right thing.”
housands of demonstrators around the world have joined protestors in the U.S. in demonstrating against police brutality and systemic racism, from the streets of New Zealand, Australia, Amsterdam. China, Iran, Berlin, London, Paris, and Vancouver, British Columbia, to capitals in Africa, Latin America and the Middle East. The African Union (AU) issued a strongly worded statement condemning the killing of George Floyd. The message from the AU carried even more potency as it was echoed New Zealand by statements from US embassies or ambassadors in Congo, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania all condemning the killing. Artists drew an anti-racism mural in a besieged part of Syria. Lebanese and Chilean protesters offered advice on protection from police abuse. The catalyst for the worldwide outpouring was the brutal killing of George Floyd, 46 caught on camera and viewed around the world. Floyd was handcuffed and pinned to the ground by three White Minneapolis police officers, one of whom, has been charged with murder. But the three other officers involved have not been charged In Toronto, calls to end American racism merged with outrage at the recent death of a 29, a Black woman who police said fell from her balcony after officers arrived at her home in response to what the city’s police chief called a “rather frantic” call about an assault. With Floyd’s death inciting protests in at least 140 U.S. cities, images of street fights between police officers and protesters have spread swiftly across the world, drawing furious comments and calls for action.
Black Veterans Call for Congressional Black Caucus to seek a Hearing on Human Rights Violations Against the United States in the World Court On the behalf of Black Veterans a petition has been issued on MoveOn.Org calling for public support in seeking the Congressional Black Caucus to request a hearing before the World Court on Human Rights violations against the United States of America. Declaring “America’s leadership has no credibility speaking of equal justice,’” the organization said “the nation has maintained a duel system of justice from its inception.” The goal is to collect signatures between now and Veterans Day, November 11, 2020. The petition will be presented to the Congressional Black Caucus to demonstrate public support for the issue of Human Rights in America to be elevated to the World Court.
Challenger Community News • t hec hallengernews.com •June 3, 2020
AREA BRIEFS
Mayor Declares 8 p.m. Curfew in Buffalo for Rest of the Week
Mayor Byron W. Brown has instituted a curfew in the City of Buffalo starting at 8 p.m. each night this week, in effect now and continuing through Sunday night. The curfew comes in the wake of an incident Monday night in which a state trooper was run over by an SUV on Bailey Avenue. Brown said the curfew will last until 5 a.m. each day. Essential workers do not have to abide by the curfew. Mayor Brown
Watch The “Excellence In Education” Awards June 14, 2020 On WBBZ-TV
Imagine the excitement, the fashion and entertainment of the Grammys or the BET or NAACP Image Awards. This is the feel and experience the event host, Friends for A Better Buffalo, would like for the first Excellence in Education Awards Buffalo. The awards event will recognize and reward some of the best Buffalo teachers, support staff and adminisTerrance L. Heard trators and will air across eight (8) counties throughout Western New York, while streaming simultaneously on Facebook. The awards event will include recognition of all finalists, announcement of 2020 winners, award-winning entertainers, and special guest appearances. Award winning entertainers include Saxophonist Will Horton, Buffalo Performing Arts graduate and three time Stellar Gospel Music Award winner, Alexis Spight and Jazz vocalist, Katy Miner. Terrance L. Heard, founder/President of Friends For A Better Buffalo, is also a School Board Member At-Large.
What To Expect From Phase Two Reopening Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on Tuesday announced that Buffalo was ready to move into phase two of the reopening from the state's coronavirus shutdown. In phase two, businesses in several broad categories are allowed to reopen: •Hair salons and barbershops •Office-based businesses like professional services, nonprofit, technology and administrative support •Real estate •Commercial building management •Vehicle sales, leasing and rentals •Retail repair, rental and cleaning •In-store retail shopping
Juneteenth Festival 2020: Not Outside, but On-line! by Jennifer Strickland, Juneteenth of Buffalo, PR Chair very year, around this time, the excitement level of the Juneteenth Festival of Buffalo’s volunteers, and all who are responsible for the Festival’s decades of dominance of the first "teen" weekend in June, is high, exhilarating, and full of enthusiasm. And, though Sankofa Days and the following weekend of events previously scheduled in Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Park, will be presented over virtual platforms, the excitement has transcended as far as this year’s content on the worldwide web, where the reach is unlimited. The experience of going from outdoors and physically connecting through hugs, handshakes, and high-fives, to our new reality of physical distancing, masks, and maximizing the use of today’s technology, is in sync with the Festival’s 2020 theme, “Free and Clear: The Evolution of Juneteenth.” Festival-attendees will journey through clips of nostalgia, brought to the community through 45 consecutive years of the Juneteenth Festival of Buffalo, and stay aboard, as new, often live content continues to support the theme. The Juneteenth Buffalo Board of Directors is excited to announce and present, during the Festival, the exclusive premiere of human trafficking “Shero” Kelly Diane Galloway’s movie, Sold Next Door. A must-see for all, from middle schoolers to seasoned citizens, the documentary brings faces to the stories of former victims of modern-day slavery. Another first for the Buffalo Festival is its collaboration with the Watertown, NY Juneteenth Festival that was cancelled by its organizers, due to the pandemic. Through this ujima (collective work and responsibility) effort, performance artists and special guest, Professor Gloria Browne-Marshall, J.D., prestigious attorney, educator, and author, will participate in the Festival. This year’s festival will come as close as possible to mirroring our previous 44 years of outdoor events held on Jefferson and Fillmore Avenues, and in MLK, Jr. Park. The Western NY community, and anyone in the world, who has access to the internet, will be able to enjoy the variety of options that they’re used to, from the comfort of anywhere, in the world. The 2020 Festival is dedicated to the memory of three remarkable woman who, immeasurably impacted the Buffalo Festival: Bessie Robinson and Claudia Sims, Festival visionaries and founders; and Agnes Bain, Executive Director of the African American Cultural Center. Here’s your weekly Festival update: •Fri., June 5, 2020 – 1 p.m. – Raising of the Liberation Flag (The Red, Black, and Green) at Juneteenth Headquarters, 1517 Genesee St. THIS IS NOT A PUBLIC EVENT. DUE TO SOCIAL DISTANCING REQUIREMENTS THIS EVENT WILL BE BROADCAST, LIVE, ON FACEBOOK AND YOU TUBE .ONLY MEDIA REPRESENTATIVES WILL BE ALLOWED TO ATTEND THE EVENT, BY INVITATION ONLY. The community is encouraged to mount your flags at home, to demonstrate unity within the African American community. Flags can be purchased at Grant’s Variety Store, 1055 E. Ferry St., Bflo., or at Juneteenth Headquarters. Call 891-8801 for sales hours. ***The flag is already raised, in Niagara Square, in front of City Hall, and will remain at full staff through the end of June 2020.*** •Sat., June 6, 2020 – 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. – A “Regional Roundtable” hosted by Ras Jomo Akona with special guest, Prof. Gloria Browne-Marshall – via Zoom, but will be broadcast over social media platforms. •Sankofa Days – Mon., June 8 – Fri., June 12, 2020 – 6:00 p.m. – New content nightly
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•Saturday/Sunday – June 13 -14, 2020 – 10:30 a.m. Prayer and Praise * Parade * Health * History * Arts and Culture * Sports * Edutainment * Education * Book-sharing * Board of Education Arts Projects * Children and Youth Activities * Entertainment * Special Messages * The Maafa Memorial * …and so much more Peace and Love!
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Youth In Revolt
Soweto Uprisig 1976
Young people, who are in the vanguard of the protests today against the systemic racism and the legal lynchings of Black men and women in America, are the newest link in a decades-long chain of youth activists at the forefront of social change across the globe. Here are two such examples of governments driven forward by young protesters. Soweto Uprising On June 16, 1976, an estimated twenty thousand students in Soweto, South Africa left their schools and marched in peaceful protest of their educational system; mobilizing a powerful protest against the apartheid regime's education policies. When police arrived, they began shooting students who would not disperse when ordered. The 20,000 students who took part in the protests were met with fierce police brutality. The number of protesters killed by police is usually given as 176, but estimates of up to 700 have been made The Soweto Uprising became an epic fight that contributed to the end of the racist apartheid regime. Civil Rights Movement Lunch counters. The March on Washington. Edmund Pettus Bridge in SelContinued Page 10
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Challenger Community News • t hec hallengernews.com •June 3, 2020
BUILDING COMMUNITY AMID Positive Examples of Working Together Within Our Communities To Support Ourselves And Our Neighbors During The Covid-19 Crisis
SUCCESSFUL COVID MASK DISTRIBUTION: Erie County Legislators April Baskin and Howard Johnson began their COVID-19 mask distribution effort with a lunchtime event at WUFO at 143 Broadway May 15, geared towards those who live and work downtown. This marked the beginning of their effort to distribute masks throughout the community, with more giveaways that followed. Pictured above, Legislator April Baskin and community activist Sam Herbert were on hand during the event which drew a large crowd.
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Erie County To Assist Licensed Baber Shops and Salons in Preparing For Phase Two of Re-Opening GET ON THE BUS WITH US! COVID-19 DIAGNOSTIC TESTING County will distribute face shields to establishments re-opening for Phase Two
Erie County will be assisting licensed local barber shops and hair salons reopening their businesses by providing face shields for barbers and stylists’ use as they return to work in Phase Two of Gov. Cuomo’s plan to reopen New York. The face shields are part of a supply of PPE acquired by the county to address health and safety needs related to the pandemic and will be distributed at no cost to help barbershops and salons reopen quickly and meet the newly issued state guidelines requiring this additional protection. Employees in this sector must wear both face masks and face shields when providing service directly to their customers. Erie County will also be making hand sanitizer available to these businesses. “We are working to make the re-opening process easier for barber shops and salons by providing the PPE they need to keep their employees and customers safe and also comply with state guidance,” said Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz. “We are in this together and working for all to make this Phase Two re-opening period successful.” To obtain PPE, barbershops and salons must submit their request at www.erie.gov/faceshields .
The Community Health Center of Buffalo, Inc. mobile unit is on the move! Here is our upcoming Schedule: Every Monday 5 pm to 7 pm Until Further Notice
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Every Tuesday & Wed. 9 am to 4 pm Community Health Center Buffalo, 34Benwood.Avenue Thursday, June 4, 2020 9 am to 4 pm Community Health Center Niagara Falls 2715 Highland Ave. Niagara Friday, June 5, 2020 9 am to 4 pm
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Challenger Community News • t hec hallengernews.com •June 3, 2020
GARLIC'S ANTIVIRAL, ANTI-BACTERIAL BENEFITS Garlic: This pungent member of the onion family contains several compoundsincluding allicin that have antiviral, anti-fungal, and antibacterial properties. Together, they boost your immune system. Plus, garlic is an excellent natural blood thinner, helps to lower cholesterol and high blood pressure, and may protect the blood vessels from developing atherosclerosis.
Tips For Protection
eat to live!
For a strong immune system wash your hands, get plenty of rest,and stay hydrated. Plus, good nutrition plays an important role.
WHERE CAN I GET TESTED?
•Leroy Coles Branch Library –Available to anyone who wants to be testted. Call Kaleida to schedule a testing appointment at (716) 859-3222 or by way of their website at www. kaleidahealth.org. Testing Monday, Wednesday & Friday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., 1187 E. Delavan Ave. near Bailey. •Community Health Center of Buffalo – (716) 9869199. Testing every Tuesday and Wednesday Mobile Unit, 34 Benwood Avenue Parking Lot. •G-Health – Call the Nurse Triage Line at (716) 6040504 or download the GBUAHN, GBUACO OR UFO apps to complete a COVID-19 survey. •Kaleida Health – (716) 859-3222 •Evergreen Drive Thru Testing -3297 Bailey Avenue 9 a.m.-1p.m. by appointment. Call (716) 847-2441 and select option 7. •Immediate Care - 2497 Delaware near Hertel. No appt. necessary. Bring ID & insurance card; 9-7p.m.
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Guidance for Cancer Patients During COVID-19 Part 2 Conclusion
Q:What is Roswell Park doing to keep patients and staff safe? Roswell Park is adapting as the situation evolves to closely follow best practices for infection control and guidance from public health officials. To protect our patients, visitors and staff from COVID-19, Roswell Park is restricting visitors in both the hospital and ambulatory/outpatient areas. Other precautions that Roswell Park is taking to keep our patients safe include: •Screening all patients and visitors for symptoms at the front entrance of the hospital. •No one who is sick or suspected or confirmed to have COVID-19 may visit. •Patients, visitors and staff are required to wear masks and should practice scrupulous hand hygiene. •Greatly reducing the number of people on our campus by using virtual patient visits, rescheduling non-urgent appointments and allowing employees who are able to work remotely. •Testing all our patients who are being admitted to the hospital for COVID-19, as well as any patient who's symptomatic or concerned that they have COVID-19, whether they're outpatient or inpatient. We are working proactively to protect the health and safety of everyone at Roswell Park and in our local community. For more information on Roswell Park's policies, and further guidance for cancer patients during the COVID-19 pandemic, visit RoswellPark.org/coronavi| 10.75 in x 5.5 in | CMYK | NO BLEED rus/FAQs.
eat to live
4/28/20 2:18 PM
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Challenger Community News • t hec hallengernews.com •June 3, 2020
Math, Science & Technology Student’s Spreading Wisdom In Troubled Times
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Students create PSA to encourage students to finish the school year strong.
n the middle of the 14215 zip code hit hardest by COVID-19 in the Buffalo area, hope still brews. A handful of the senior class students from MST (Math, Science & Technology, Principal Dr. Eberley), including their senior class president, with Rev. Coplin, Director of Project L.E.E. Inc., created a commercial styled PSA to encourage their fellow students. Working to reach the students where they are, online, they delivered a simple message: “Get on Schoology, do your work, hand it in and study so we can still all pass and/or graduate. Speak life twice; into your life and situation and then to those around you.” This program has been operating in the school for more than four years as the Project W.I.T.T. Program (Wisdom in Troubled Times). The students did an amazing job and it was professionally produced by Expressed Entertainment. The SPREADING WISDOM: Pictured above are students, who commercial styled PSA “Stay Up On Your Work and Speak Life along with Rev. Gene Coplin Director of Project L.E.E. created Twice” is available online at: https://youtu.be/-HFLy_5sMwY or ona commercial to encourage their fellow students. your Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages @projectwitt. We encourage everyone to share it with every school age young person that they know. We have to encourage our youth during this trying time and let them know we still care and we are still here for them. For more information please contact Rev. Gene Coplin at 716-906-0375 or email wittassistant@gmail.com.
We’ve come this far by faith, leaning on the LORD. Trusting in His Holy Word, He never failed me yet!
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Challenger Community News • t hec hallengernews.com •June 3, 2020
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Challenger Community News • t hec hallengernews.com •June 3, 2020
IN SOLIDARITY!
Reflections On A Local Heroine:
If Minneapolis Police Had A Cariole Horne, George Floyd Would Be Alive Today In 2006 then Police Officer Cariol Horne stopped the “legal lynching” of an African American man at the hands of a fellow White officer. As a reward she herself was legally “lynched” – stripped of her job and her pension . A community activist, she is currently working to get Cariol's Law on the books to keep police officers who interrupt police brutality, safe from retaliation.
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n May 25, 2020, the country was shaken by the killing of George Floyd by now former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. Although the sight of Mr. Floyd’s last minutes was traumatizing, there was also a significant observation that can't be missed. Officer Chauvin was accompanied by three fellow officers. Officers when present, are responsible for the safety and well being of all citizens, including those in police custody. However, when a police officer sees another police officer acting outside their training, they should feel empowered to intervene without the fear of retaliation. In 2006 Cariol H. Horne was that police officer when she stopped officer Gregory Kwiatkowski from choking a handcuffed African-American man, Neal Mack, whom he had placed in a deadly choke-hold during an arrest on Walden Avenue. Mack, she recalls, who had been sprayed with mace and in handcuffs, was struggling to breathe. Her actions very possibly saved his life. During the encounter, Ms. Horne was physically assaulted by her fellow officer; an assult which had a physical and psychological impact. Her reward? Cariol, who served Buffalo, New York, as a police officer for nearly two decades, faced retaliation and termination. Ironically and sadly, the Mayor of the city at that time was Black; the chief of police was Black; and the Deputy police officer who fired her, was Black (Byron Brown is still the mayor and Byron Lockwood, who was the deputy, is now the chief of police. McCarthy Gibson at the time was the police chief ). Ms. Horne speaks of how PTSD has interrupted her life since this incident and how speaking out has impacted her livelihood. Although the officer that physically assaulted her served jail time due to another physical altercation, he wasstill able to receive his pension when released, while she was not. And Cariol, her children, and now her grandchildlren, she says, are still targeted by the local police. -CARIOL’S LAWCariol Horne is truly a survivor and a visionary. She has been working to get a legislation called “Cariol’s Law” passed as a state, and eventually a federal, law. Cariol’s Law would basically protect officers who stand up for police brutality. It is a mandatory stature to require police (on or off duty) to intervene and stop imminent abusebeing performed by fellow police officers that may result in significant injury or death to a citizen and be protected from retaliation, abuse, or reassignment. Writes Cariol: “This law will empower police officers to do the right thing, all the time...” -Satff Writer
We Proudly Stand in Solidarity with the Youth and The Peaceful Protest Movement to End White Supremacy, Police Brutality, Systemic Racism and the on going Legal Lynchings of Black Men and Women in America.
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e are proud to support and applaud the thousands of brave, conscientious young people - Black, White, Latino, Asian and others, who have gathered in Buffalo over the past several days to join thousands of others across the country and around the world in demanding justice and an end once and for all, to 400 years of terrorism Black people have experience and continue to experience in this country. The violent reaction of a minority few following several protests may be unfortunate, but we cannot allow it to be a distraction from the legitimate grievances of the overwhelming majority of peaceful protesters. The brutal and gruesome legal lynching of George Floyd - (an unarmed Black man who was pinned at the neck by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin’s knee who was innitially charged with 3rd degree murder and now additional-
stricken by the Blue Plague at some point in their lifetimes – at ages ranging from 12 year-old Tamir Rice, snuffed out in Cleveland in 2014, to 50 year-old Walter Scott , who fell victim to the pestilence in North Charleston, South Carolina in 2015." We need a vaccine for racism. -Staff Writer
VOICES! Activist Nate Boyd, center, (color) was one of the speakers at last Saturday's peaceful protest downtown. Boyd was not the organizer, as has been reported Collage Images by Cams Banks, CM.C. Photography, Jamil Crews and The Challenger News.
ly charged with 2nd degree murder), was compounded by the fact that three other officers who took part in the lynching, Tou Thao, J. Alexander Keung and Thomas Lane had not yet been charged. However the three have since been charged with aiding and abetting 2nd degree murder and 2nd degree manslaughter. A memorial for Floyd is scheudled for this Thursday
in Minneapolis. He was 46 years old. Writes Glen Ford of blackagendareport: "Unlike the still raging Covid-19 virus, which is virulent among Blacks of both sexes, the Blue Plague is especially lethal to Black males of all ages. According to researchers at Rutgers University and the University of Michigan, 1 in every 1,000 Black boys and men will be fatally
"I Can't Breathe": The murder of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man who was pinned at the neck by Minneapolis police officer’ Derek Chauvin’s knee until he died, despite pleading for his life - "I can't breathe"- and calling for his mother....
“I Can’t Breathe: " But One Day We Will Breathe Together”
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Dr. LaVonne Ansari
ommunity Health Centers are comprehensive primary care providers that began during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. We started at a time of unrest to help fight the war on poverty and oppression in underserved communities. Now here we are in 2020 and we’re still fighting the same fight. Our fight has gone on too long and has created decades of pent up anger, suffering, and what we’re seeing now: rage. As the board chair of the Community Health Care Association of New York State, the CEO of the Community Health Center of Buffalo, Inc. an African American woman, educator and advocate for justice living in these troubling times, I want everyone fighting today to ensure George Floyd’s death and the deaths of all who have come before him to know: WE STAND WITH YOU. As human beings, we are the greatest creation on earth. This is a time when our human excellence has to rise up and out work beliefs, behaviors, movements and policies that are designed to oppress our natural instincts to treat
each other with respect and dignity. As primary care providers, we have the responsibility to support underserved communities, we are obligated to stand up and share our voices through our work. While we are not exempt from the institutional racism that plagues our health care system, we are essential change agents at this time. We must start with ourselves as leaders in this movement. We have the will to guide, educate and build new infrastructures based on an anti-racism framework. I feel that we stand ready to work with everyone at all levels, encouraging inclusivity within our communities to be leaders in addressing the social economic injustices in our systems. We know that after difficulty, comes ease. In this moment, we have an opportunity to envision a new reality of “justice for all” with the proper guidance, actions, language, and THE SPIRIT TO BREATHE TOGETHER. “WE STAND WITH YOU!” Dr. LaVonne Ansari is the CEO of the Community Health Center of Buffalo, Inc.
VOICES
Challenger Community News • t hec hallengernews.com •June 3, 2020
A Brief History of Slavery and the Origins of American Policing By
Victor E. Kappeler, Ph.D.
The birth and development of the American police can be traced to a multitude of historical, legal and political-economic conditions. The institution of slavery and the control of minorities, however, were two of the more formidable historic features of American society shaping early policing. Slave patrols and Night Watches, which later became modern police departments, were both designed to control the behaviors of minorities. For example, New England settlers appointed Indian Constables to police Native Americans (National Constable Association, 1995), the St. Louis police were founded to protect residents from Native Americans in that frontier city, and many southern police departments began as slave patrols. In 1704, the colony of Carolina developed the nation's first slave patrol. Slave patrols helped to maintain the economic order and to assist the wealthy landowners in recovering and punishing slaves who essentially were considered property. Policing was not the only social institution enmeshed in slavery. Slavery was fully institutionalized in the American economic and legal order with laws being enacted at both the state and national divisions of government. Virginia, for example, enacted more than 130 slave statutes between 1689 and 1865. Slavery and the abuse of people of color, however, was not merely a southern affair as many have been taught to believe. Connecticut, New York and other colonies enacted laws to criminalize and control slaves. Congress also passed fugitive Slave Laws, laws allowing the detention and return of escaped slaves, in 1793 and 1850. As Turner, Giacopassi and Vandiver (2006:186) remark, “the literature clearly establishes that a legally sanctioned law enforcement system existed in America before the Civil War for the express purpose of controlling the slave population and protecting the interests of slave owners. The similarities between the slave patrols and modern American policing are too salient to dismiss or ignore. Hence, the slave patrol should be considered a forerunner of modern American law enforcement.” The legacy of slavery and racism did not end after the Civil War. In fact it can be argued that extreme violence against people of color became even worse with the rise of vigilante groups who resisted Reconstruction. Because vigilantes, by definition, have no external restraints, lynch mobs had a justified reputation for hanging minorities first and asking questions later. Because of its tradition of slavery, which rested on the racist rationalization that Blacks were sub-human, America had a long and shameful history of mistreating people of color, long after the end of the Civil War. Perhaps the most infamous American vigilante group, the Ku Klux Klan started in the 1860s, was notorious for assaulting and lynching Black men for transgressions that would not be considered crimes at all, had a White man committed them. Lynching occurred across the entire county not just in the South. Finally, in 1871 Congress passed the Ku Klux Klan Act, which prohibited state actors from violating the Civil Rights of all citizens in part because of law enforcements’ involvement with the infamous group. This legislation, however, did not stem the tide of racial or ethnic abuse that persisted well into the 1960s. Though having white skin did not prevent discrimination in America, being White undoubtedly made it easier for ethnic minorities to assimilate into the mainstream of America. The additional burden of racism has made that transition much more difficult for those whose skin is black, brown, red, or yellow. In no small part because of the tradition of slavery, Blacks have long been targets of abuse. The use of patrols to capture runaway slaves was one of the precursors of formal police forces, especially in the South. This disastrous legacy persisted as an element of the police role even after the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In some cases, police harassment simply meant people of African descent were more likely to be stopped and questioned by the police, while at the other extreme, they have suffered beatings, and even murder, at the hands of White police. Questions still arise today about the disproportionately high numbers of people of African descent killed, beaten, and arrested by police in major urban cities of America. Victor E. Kappeler, Ph.D. is Associate Dean and Foundation Professor School of Justice Studies Eastern Kentucky University He is recognized as a leading scholar in policing as well as media and the social construction of crime, among other related fields.
“We wish to plead our own cause. Too long have others spoken for us.” - John Russwurm, Freedom’s Journal. 1827 America’s 1st Black Newspaper
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Charter Schools/Public Schools: Separate And Unequal By Philip Rumore
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n a recent column in The Challenger, Duncan Kirkwood distorts the record of the Buffalo Academy of Science (BAS), fails to reveal its apparently discriminatory policies, and doesn't acknowledge the great financial harm charter schools inflict on BPS students. While advocates for the BAS point to the high English proficiency scores, they fail to mention that only 8% of the BAS students are learning English (English Language LearnersELL) while 18% of our BPS students are learning to speak English {ELL students). Over forty (40) different languages are spoken in our District schools. He further fails to mention that while 20% of BPS students are "Special Needs" students, only 12% are Special Needs students in the BAS. Interestingly, Mr. Kirkwood fails to mention that BAS can and does (as many charter schools do) remove "undesirable" students and sends them back to the BPS. As for diversity, based on the latest New York State Education Department information, 100% of the BAS administrators are white and 0% minority. In the BPS, 58% are white, 42% are minority. A former CFO of the BPS demonstrated that the District was sending $32,888,695 more to charter schools than it would cost if students returned to the District. This year, the District is sending $88,490,600 more to charter schools than it would cost if all the charter school students returned. The reason is that not all of the students that leave the District come from one class or school; therefore, you can't cut a teacher when one or two students transfer. While attempts have been made to have separate funding for charter schools with a proportionate reduction in District funding, charter school advocates have fought against separate funding. Apparently, they want to ride on the coat tails of the District schools and keep their huge surpluses. Mr. Kirkwood suggests that those advocating for a level playing field where charter schools must serve all students in proportion with the school District regardless of disability, lack of knowledge of English, and not syphon desperately needed educational funding from District students, "believe that low-income families should not have high quality educational options or they are carrying the Teacher Union's water". There can be no phony excuses. Charter schools must be mandated to have a student population reflective of the school District's Special Education, English Language Learners and indeed all categories of students. It is called active recruitment and welcoming. They should also have a separate source of State funding. The concern is not with the hard-working students, parents and staff at charter schools. The concern is the unequal representation of students at charter schools in comparison with District students. Mr. Kirkwood, your distortions, refusal to acknowledge the discriminatory actions of this and most other charter schools and the financial harm they are doing to all District students appears, to many, as just an apparently sad attempt to promote yourself. (Mr. Rumore is President of the Buffalo Teachers Federation)
We Are Our Brother’s Keeper! Dear Editor: Are we really our brother's keeper? The answer is yes we are! So we’d like to give a shout out to all in our community who have volunteered to make our Mask Giveaway successful in our effort to help defeat this invisible enemy called Covid-19, which has attacked our community and the world. We thank God for those who care and called. We would also like to thank those foundations, health care organizations and businesses that supplied resources and advice. We thank, GBHUAN, United Health Care, The Oshei Foundation and a special thanks to llmakCorporation as well as our volunteers from Second Chance Ministries - Glynis Lackey, Charlene Miles, Bro. Willie Cunningham, Ava White, First Lady Michelle Boyd, Rick Norwood, Larry Vance, Derrick Foster, and·Genelle Wilson. Please stay safe during this difficult time! Pastor Arthur H. Boyd Second Chance Ministries and GROUP Ministries, Inc.
dear editor
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10 CAO Announces Support of WNED PBS Learn at Home Programming The Community Action Organization of WNY (CAO) has announced that it is supporting Buffalo Toronto Public Media’s PBS Kids Learn at Home programming schedule. Buffalo Toronto Public Media is broadcasting the Learn at Home schedule, weekdays on WNED PBS KIDS. Videos and activities for teachers and families are also posted on their website at www.wned.org/learnathome, social media, and PBS Learning Media’s free online service. Daily postings of these educational resources and motivational support for parents and teachers can be found on the WNED PBS Parents & Teachers group on Facebook. The broadcast programming and digital resources align with New York's state curriculum to provide continued at home learning. CEO of CAO, L. Nathan Hare believes this partnership will help engage school-aged children, teachers, and parents while schools are closed. “These programs are so valuable and range in topics and curriculum content, “ Hare said. “ Below is the Learn at Home programming schedule which takes place Monday through Friday from 6am - 7pm. •Young Learners | Preschool3rd grade: 6am - 10am and 1pm - 3pm •Elementary and Middle School | 4th-8th grade: 10am - 1pm •High School | 9th-12th grade: 3pm - 7pm
Challenger Community News • t hec hallengernews.com •June 3, 2020
New "Love Your Lost Dog in Hamlin Area Block"Grant Program There's a Lost Dog in Supporting Efforts Hamlin area. Color Carmel and white collar around To Stop Spread of the back of neck and in COVID-19 the front. Please,if anyone The new Love Your Block Grant Program is aimed at supporting community efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the City of Buffalo is underway. The Love Your Block Community Response Fund, powered by Cities of Service and administered by the City of Buffalo’s Division of Citizen Services, awards mini-grants, much like the original Love Your Block initiative, this program supports efforts that will help stop community spread of COVID-19. Interested organizations can submit applications for any kind of activity that will help our community to better cope with the pandemic. Mini-grants of up to $500 are available to power COVID-related communitybased projects. These grants are made possible with support from Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS). Applications must be submitted by June 29, 2020. Applications will be reviewed by the Love Your Block team. Learn more about this opportunity at buffalony.gov
sees or has my dog please return to Stella Horto contact 716-970-8276 .
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BLACK HISTORY
continued ma, Alabama.Youth were instrumental in the civil rights movement’s most memorable moments—and they were just as engaged behind the scenes. Together, these young adults desegregated schools in the Jim Crow South, challenged racism during Freedom Rides, and pushed forward voter rights and civil rights
The African American Cultural Center (AACC) is a not for profit multipurpose arts organization dedicated to promoting, sponsoring and developing an appreciation of and alliance to African American Heritage, is seeking an
May 29, 27 June 3,10,17,24
LEGAL NOTICE BID REQUEST FOR BID Mark Cerrone, Inc. is requesting quotes for the Rehabilitation of Slayton Settlement Rd. Bridge Over East Branch Eighteen Mile Creek in the Town of Royalton, Niagara County for all scopes of work detailed in contract documents. Optional DBE Pre-bid meeting will be available upon request at MCI Offices. Documents can be obtained by contacting gbostard@markcerrone.com, Phone 716-282-5244, Fax 716-282-5245 or iSqFt®. Quotes due electronically or in person at 2368 Maryland Ave., Niagara Falls, NY 14305 by 6/3/20 at 2:00pm. Certified Disadvantaged Business Enterprise participation is strongly encouraged.
LEGAL NOTICE BID
The NFTA is soliciting bids for Project No. 12LS1901, Utica Station Bus Loop Rehabilitation, Bid No. E-563 due on June 23, 2020. Website for information http:// www.nftaengineering.com
PBS Kids is available to anyone with a television and can be located at Channel 17.3. For those who have Spectrum TV, the channel is 1276. For Verizon FIOS, the channel is 473. CAO’s leadership team is available over the phone for more information.
Executive Director The Executive Director is responsible for overseeing the administration, programs and strategic plan of the organization. Other key duties include fundraising, marketing, and community outreach. Applicants may submit a Letter of Interest along with your resume and references to: African American Cultural Center, P.O. Box 503, Buffalo, NY 14215 The African American Cultural Center is an Equal Opportunity Employer
LEGAL NOTICE BID Advertisement for Bids May 29, 2020 Williamsville Meeting House: Exterior Restoration Village of Williamsville Williamsville, New York NOTICE OF SOLICITATION OF GENERAL CONTRACTORS FOR THE WILLIAMSVILLE MEETING HOUSE: EXTERIOR RESTORATION, 5658 MAIN STREET, WILLIAMSVILLE, NY PROPERTY OF VILLAGE OF WILLIAMSVILLE, 5565 MAIN STREET, WILLIAMSVILLE, NEW YORK Sealed bids for the Williamsville Meeting House: Exterior Restoration will be received until 2:00 pm, Thursday, June 18, 2020 at Williamsville Village Hall (Attn: Ben Vilonen), where they will be opened and read. Each bid must be prepared and submitted in accordance with the Bidding and Contract Documents and must be accompanied by references of similar projects and a bid security in the form of a Certified Check, Bid Bond or Bank Check in the amount of 10 percent of the bid amount. Bidders must have a minimum of 5 years successful experience in completion of similar projects for State, National or locally registered landmarks. Funding for this project comes through a Community Development Block Grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Agency (HUD). The United States Federal government is committed to providing Minority and Women Owned Business (MWBE) equal opportunity to participate in government contracts. The successful bidder may be required to furnish reports showing the participation of various business enterprises of subcontractors and suppliers on the contract. Effective Friday, May 29, 2020, Bid Documents may be viewed or obtained from Avalon Document Services, 741 Main Street, Buffalo, New York 14203. •A pre-bid meeting will be held at the site, 5658 Main Street, on Thursday, June 11, 2020 at 10:00am. All attendees must wear face masks or face coverings for the duration of the meeting. Proper social distancing will be requested of all attendees. •If you have questions, please contact LaLuce Mitchell at Flynn Battaglia Architects, phone (716) 854-2424 or email (lmitchell@flynnbattaglia.com) inquiries are acceptable. •All Addenda, if any, will be sent via email no later than Monday, June 15, 2020. Please provide email contact information when you purchase drawings. The Village of Williamsville has been and will continue to be an equal opportunity organization. All qualified Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) suppliers, contractors and/or businesses will be afforded equal opportunity without discrimination because of race, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, sexual preference or Veterans status.
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Challenger Community News • t hec hallengernews.com •June 3, 2020
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community calendar Food Distribution on Buffalo's East Side Scheduled for three Fridays in June, 3,000 meals will be distributed to those experiencing food insecurity. On June 5th, June 12th and June 19th, the Herb and Aaron Siegel Foundation will be spearheading an effort to deliver meals across the East Side of Buffalo in order to address food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic. With the support of its partners - the Siegel Foundation will be donating 1,000 meals on each of those days to families during these difficult times. People in need are encouraged to reach out to Back to Basics Outreach Ministries located at 1370 William Street (716-854-1086) to be included in the meal distribution .
The Free Them Challenge
Between June 1 – 18 as part of the Virtual Juneteenth Experience, help end human trafficking by supporting the work of project Mona’s House, the first restorative home for trafficking victims. The challenge is inspired by the forthcoming 2021 Free Them Walk, a 902 mile walk from Virginia to Bufalo to raise awarenes of modernday slavery. For the 2020 Free Them Challenge participants are asked to walk, run, ride, swim or skate 902 miles collectively, asking friends and family to join the challenge by donating $1 for every mile completed. Proceeds will go to Project Mona's House so they can continue their work to end modern-day enslavement and trafficking. Go to thefreethemwalk.com for more details. Participants encouraged to wear masks&practice social distancing. PLEASE EXERCISE YOUR RIGHT TO
VOTE!
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EVEN THOUGH WE'RE CLOSED, COMMUNITY ACCESS SERVICES IS STILL HERE FOR YOU Call us at 716.852.5969 to learn more
Challenger Community News • t hec hallengernews.com •June 3, 2020