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Vol. 112 No. 38 | September 23, 2021 - September 29, 2021
THE NEW BLACK VIEW
©2021 The Amsterdam News | $1.00 New York City
SAW IT COMING
(Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office)
School year starts with anger, classroom closures By STEPHON JOHNSON Amsterdam News Staff By ARIAMA LONG Report for America Corps Member / AmNews Staff Writer
aged children. “Not only that, the DOE policy of still sending siblings of exposed children to school makes zero sense. They have no policy in place for cross-contamination and that is a HUGE misstep when trying “The disruption of a classroom clos- to control the spread. ing three days after school began due “Parents have to work.” to COVID exposure is annoying,” said This week, critics’ and parents’ Tamika Hall, a parent of three school- worst fears came true when class-
rooms were closed along with one entire school because of suspected or confirmed positive COVID tests. According to the Department of Education statistics, as of Tuesday evening, there were 1,487 confirmed cumulative positive COVID cases between Sept. 13 and Sept. 21. Of those, 985 were students. There were 170 students recorded on Sept. 21 alone.
One school, P.S. 79 in East Harlem had to close completely after 19 positive COVID tests. According to Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, most of the positive tests could be traced back pre-school orientation. So, what does New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio think about this? Stay
See SCHOOL on page 8
More death on Rikers Island, mayoral candidates weigh in
Some Haitian migrants make it through, will stay in US awaiting asylum hearings
By ARIAMA C. LONG Report for America Corps Member / Amsterdam News Staff
By SAM BOJARSKI Courtesy of The Haitian Times
person this year to die on Rikers Island, fanning the flames of outrage over the deplorable conditions in the city’s most notorious Deaths on Rikers this year are jail complex. escalating with at least five being According to NY1, another desuicides. tainee being held across the See RIKERS on page 6 Karim Isaabdul, 42, is the 11th
and planned to head further north from the border town. Walson Etienne waited at a Del Among the nearly 14,000 mostly Rio, Texas, gas station with a plane Haitian migrants camped on the ticket in his hand. Pulling out his banks of the Rio Grande River, a smartphone, he showcased his few considered lucky were being travel itinerary—a flight to DallasSee HAITI on page 6 processed by immigration officials