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feb. 7, 2019 high 51°, low 39°
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Historian Ann Millin delivered a lecture on suppression of press, speech freedoms and journalists in Nazi Germany before WWII at SU on Wednesday. Page 3
dailyorange.com
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IN THE PAINT
Tanisha Jackson, a professor in SU’s department of African American studies, is the new executive director of the Community Folk Art Center. Page 7
Liberal columnist Steven Kemp urges Syracuse leaders to support a community grid option for replacing the crumbling Interstate 81 viaduct. Page 5
SEE INSERT
on campus
Watson Hall’s water not drinkable By Kennedy Rose and Gabe Stern the daily orange
CLIFFORD RYAN, founder of OG’s Against Violence, looks at the tree marking the spot where his 17-year-old son Duriel was murdered in July 1999 at the corner of West Newell Avenue and Canon Street.
After a string of shootings, one Syracuse activist says he has attended funerals for children
‘TOO MANY TIMES’ Story by Gabe Stern asst. news editor
Photos by Dan Lyon asst. photo editor
C Clifford Ryan stands at a memorial for Mya Killeen, 14, who was killed in late January.
lifford Ryan hung his coat in the atrium of A. Dewitt Funeral & Cremation Services as he had dozens of times before. Ryan was at the Feb. 1 funeral for Mya Killeen, 14, who was shot and killed the week before. He looked to the chapel’s entrance, where people signed a book for Killeen’s family. Two of his signs, which read “OG’s Against Violence,� stood in the foyer for mourners to see.
The recording of a violin played softly from overhead speakers. He took off his gloves. “Man, I’ve been here way too many times,� he said quietly. Killeen is the most recent victim in a string of youth homicides in Syracuse. Half of the 24 people killed in 2018 were under the age of 21, according to the Syracuse Police Department. Politicians across the city are trying to find ways to curb the sudden increase in teen violence, and so are activists. After a chain of shootings in early July 2015, Ryan created OG’s Against Violence to see ryan page 4
city
Syracuse officials sign letter in support of grid By India Miraglia asst. news editor
Fifty-eight Syracuse community members and leaders have signed a letter to Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) advocating in favor of a community gird option to replace the city’s crumbling Interstate 81 viaduct. The New York State Department of Transportation is in the process of putting together a Draft Environmental Impact Statement to determine the best option for the interstate’s replace-
ment — the grid, a tunnel or a complete rebuild of the viaduct. The letter, signed Jan. 23, called for the state to speed up the statement’s release. Signatories included Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh, New York State Sen. Rachel May (D-Syracuse) and state Assemblyman Albert Stirpe (D-Cicero) as well Syracuse Common Councilors, local business owners and activists. In the letter, they said the grid would advance the city’s economy; fiscal responsibility and regional
cooperation; environmental stability; and social, racial and environmental justice. “We believe a Community Grid provides the best opportunity to harness our collective energy and creativity in undertaking meaningful economic and community development initiatives on a regional scale,� the letter read. Black families in the city’s 15th ward were displaced by the interstate, the letter said. Planners “intentionally cut through predomi-
nately Black, working-class neighborhoods� while developing I-81. “There is compelling evidence that the urban renewal programs that produced the I-81 viaduct were a significant contributing factor in creating the segregation, concentrated poverty, and inequality of opportunity that exists today,� the letter read. In 2014, Syracuse was “the ninth most racially segregated metropolitan area in the country,� according to a report
see letter page 4
Watson Hall had no drinkable water yesterday, and as of late Wednesday there was no estimated repair date. A water main under Waverly Avenue broke last week, partially closing the road, according to Syracuse University’s Parking and Transit Services. The break affected water service to Watson, and the main broke three times since last Thursday, Assistant Residence Director Hannah Foley said in an email sent to Watson residents. Water for bathing and toilets is still running, but it’s taken from a different city water main and is not suitable for consumption, Foley said. SU has provided free water bottles to students and will continue to provide them until the water main is fixed. Contractors are working to replace the pipe, and the line was not fixed late Wednesday. “I do recognize that this has been a frustrating experience for all of you and I cannot apologize enough for the inconvenience I know this has caused you,� Watson and The Sheraton Residence Director Liz Odermatt said in a separate email to residents Wednesday afternoon. Campus facilities staff put bags over drinking fountains and placed signage near fountains to prevent residents from drinking out of them, Foley said. Foley said in an interview that she found out about the water break when a student walking along Waverly Avenue messaged her and said that there was water pouring onto the street. Sophomore Oscar Baez, a resident of Watson, said he discovered the water was shut off when he went to the bathroom. He said he doesn’t spend much time in Watson, but he knows other people who were more heavily affected than him. Carmelina Caratozzolo, a sophomore who works at the main desk in Watson Hall, said she was told to give out two water bottles per person. “I think overall people are just annoyed,� Caratozzolo said. “I think a lot of people found other means, (like) going to Kimmel.� krose100@syr.edu @kennedyrose001 gkstern@syr.edu @gabestern326