NYC commemorates 22 years since 9/11 terrorist attacks
(See story on page 3)
Hostel hostility: City turns to Airbnb listings to eliminate illegal short-term rentals
(See story on page 3)
Mayor targets ‘Kia Boys’ in car theft crackdown
(See story on page 4)
Urban Agenda by David R. Jones, President and CEO of the Community Service Society of New York - See page 5
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(GIN)—In a first for African leaders grappling with climate issues, from droughts to floods, a summit was convened this month in Nairobi, Kenya, with a focus on mobilizing the finances desperately needed for extreme weather, conserving natural resources, and developing renewable energy.
Co-hosted by the Kenyan government, the event was the first time the African Union had summoned its leaders to focus on the concerning issue of climate change.
More than 20,000 participants, including over a dozen heads of state and multilateral organizations, responded to the call by Kenyan President William Ruto, who has been spearheading a new narrative focused on Africa’s switch to clean energy, even as the continent reels from climate-related disasters.
On the final day, African political and business leaders, backed by a continent of 1.3 billion people (a population set to double by 2050), called on the world’s biggest emitters of planet-warming greenhouse gases and its richest countries to keep their promises, particularly the unfulfilled pledge of $100 billion annually in climate finance to developing nations, made 14 years ago.
They also called for reform of the world financial system that forces African nations to pay more to borrow money.
The “Nairobi Declaration,” adopted unanimously, calls for Africa’s vast mineral wealth to be processed on the continent. The Declaration also calls on the world’s biggest emitters of planet-warming greenhouse gases and its richest countries to keep their promises, especially the unfulfilled pledge of $100 billion annually to developing nations in climate finance, made 14 years ago.
The summit offered an opportunity to reframe the African continent, which has enormous amounts of clean energy minerals and renewable energy sources, as less a victim of climate change driven by the world’s biggest economies and more of the solution.
But western calls to invest in the continent in exchange for the ability to keep polluting elsewhere—also known as “carbon markets”—have angered some in Africa who prefer to see China, the United States, India, the European Union, and others rein in their emissions of greenhouse gases.
Carbon markets are “bogus solu-
tions,” said Pricilla Achakpa, founder of the Nigeria-based Women Environmental Program. Her remarks provided a sharp reminder that not all Africans support richer countries using the continent’s green spaces to offset continued polluting at home.
The voluntary carbon market, which remains dominant in Africa, has been plagued by integrity and transparency concerns. Environmental groups are concerned that it is a free pass to keep polluting.
“We reject forced solutions on our land,” Achakpa told summit participants on the event’s final day. She called on the so-called “Global North” to “remove yourself from the perspective of the colonial past.”
The summit is part of Africa’s preparation for the next United Nations climate change conference, also known as COP28, which is scheduled to take place in Dubai from Nov. 30 to Dec. 12.
“In Africa, we can be a green industrial hub that helps other regions achieve their net zero strategies by 2050,” Ruto said at the summit. “Unlocking the renewable energy resources that we have in our continent is not only good for Africa, it is good for the rest of the world.”
Efforts at the summit to increase investment in renewables were given a boost as the Africa Development Bank (AfDB) announced $23 billion in financing “for green growth, mitigation, and adaptation efforts” to the Africa Climate Fund for the next 27 years. The United Arab Emirates also pledged $4.5 billion, while Germany committed $482.31 million to help with the development of green energy infrastructure.
“heavily controlled and centralized” functions were impeding its disaster response. “The immediate hours of any natural disaster are the most crucial,” she said, yet long hours passed before the king made a public statement. “How many lives could have been saved?”
With debris and fallen rock blocking roads to Moroccan villages hit hardest by an earthquake, many residents began burying their dead and foraging for scarce supplies on Sunday as they waited for government aid.
The Friday night quake largely spared the city of Marrakesh and its medieval quarter of the worst destruction, but the earthquake carved a swath of destruction throughout villages in the remote High Atlas Mountains, home to a population largely of ethnic Berbers whose main industries are farming and hosting hikers who come from around the world to see the region’s untouched beauty. Homes here are often built with clay or mud brick, making them especially vulnerable to tremors.
Dozens of countries and foreign aid groups said they were offering manpower, equipment, and other assistance to Morocco, but as of Sunday, the kingdom’s government had only accepted rescue workers from the U.K., United Arab Emirates, Spain, and Qatar, according to a spokesperson for the interior ministry.
“The Moroccan government is completely blocking rescue teams,” said Arnaud Fraisse, founder of Rescuers Without Borders, a French humanitarian group. “We do not understand.”
King Mohammed VI ordered the government to provide shelter and rebuild houses, and called on local authorities to stockpile tents, food, beds, and medicine to prevent a catastrophe. The military took the lead, with state television showing soldiers in fatigues picking through rubble.
a Washington, D.C., think tank, said there was “a lot of social anger” after the king waited 18 hours to make a public statement, which she called a missed opportunity.
“The monarchy is trying to catch up,” Fakir said, predicting that any protests would be quickly quashed in a country where rights groups say many civil liberties are constrained.
Human Rights Watch, in a report this year, cited Moroccan authorities for harassment of activists and critics, and the detention of dissidents, journalists, bloggers, and human rights defenders.
Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony annexed by Morocco in 1975, is classified by the U.N. as a non-self-governing territory and remains a taboo issue, with draconian laws used by Moroccan prosecutors to punish members of the Polisario Front seeking self-determination.
(GIN)—Morocco began three days of national mourning Sunday after suffering its worst earthquake in over a century. The Ministry of Interior said 2,012 people were killed and 2,059 injured, of which 1,404 were in critical condition.
Samia Errazzouki, a Moroccan American historian of North Africa at Stanford University, said in an interview that the government’s
The first three days after an earthquake are sometimes called the “golden period” for rescuers, so this is a critical time for emergency workers trying to rescue survivors in Morocco, said Caroline Holt, a director at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. But she also stressed the need to provide people with clean water and to identify damaged buildings that still pose a danger. “We need to make sure we don’t have a disaster within a disaster,” she said in a statement.
Intissar Fakir, North Africa program director for the Middle East Institute,
Buthelezi, founder of the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) and a South African politician and Zulu prince, was the oldest member of Parliament when he died on Sept. 9. He was admitted to a hospital in July after a failed medical procedure to ease his back pain, his family said at the time.
A controversial figure during the liberation struggle against apartheid, Buthelezi founded the IFP in 1975 as a national cultural movement that became a political force in what is now KwaZulu-Natal province. His party was embroiled in bloody conflicts with the ANC in the 1980s and 1990s.
His last-minute decision to participate in the first post-apartheid election in 1994 brought peace between the two parties. The vote brought the ANC and its leader, Nelson Mandela, to power.
Buthelezi was a champion of his people and a prominent figure in the struggle against apartheid, but his rivalry with the ANC, differing from the ANC’s approach of armed resistance against white minority
This year marks 22 years since September 11, 2001, a day that forever changed New York City. Amid the annual memorials for fallen men and women, the city announced two newly identified victims who died as a result of the terrorist attacks.
Everyday New Yorkers, surviving family members, and elected officials of every caliber paused to offer heartfelt support for those lost and promised to never forget.
“On one of the most horrific days in our nation’s history, thousands of first responders leapt into action and ran to-
wards danger to save their fellow Americans,” said House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries in a statement. “Hundreds lost their lives and many continue to suffer from illnesses from their service at Ground Zero on that fateful day. They represent the best of us and House Democrats are committed to ensuring that these brave men and women receive the support they deserve.”
In a series of interviews, Mayor Eric Adams spoke about where he was and what he was doing back in 2001. He was an NYPD lieutenant in the 88th Precinct at the time and his younger brother was a sergeant. He said he was on the Upper West Side in Manhattan helping out with a campaign on the morning of the attacks. He got stranded when the attack
shut down the subways, so he opted to walk downtown.
“And when I started to get across the bridge, the Manhattan Bridge at the time was closed down. I just saw people in all sorts of dust and particles [of debris]. [There was] the realization that the buildings collapsed [and] had not settled in yet,” said Adams in describing the scene. “I just thought it was the smoke and the soot coming from the airplanes hitting the buildings.”
It is estimated that nearly 3,000 people died in the terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon locations. At least 2,753 people were lost in New York City, but 22 years later, remains are still being identified. Adams
The City College of New York celebrated its inaugural classes of the Moynihan Public Scholars and Moynihan Undergraduate Fellows programs last week, created to honor the late U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, a City College alumnus, and his legacy of public service.
The event was held in the Great Hall of City College’s Gothic-style north campus, a building that dates back architecturally to 1897. The high stained glass windows, ceilings, and enormous mural painting provided a grand background for the event.
In attendance were electeds including Governor Kathy Hochul, Congressmem-
ber Adriano Espaillat, Assemblymember Al Taylor, former Congressmember Charles Rangel, and City University of New York (CUNY) Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez.
“I hope that you feel proud about the work that is being done here and the legacy that it keeps,” said Rodríguez.
The Moynihan Center, formerly the Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership, is on a mission to cultivate diverse leaders in public service and public policy. It is funded by a grant from the Leon Levy Foundation and donations from the Achelis & Bodman Foundation and Bloomberg Philanthropies. The fellowships are supported by the Teagle Foundation, Charles H. Revson Foundation, Jerome Levy Foundation, and Thomas W. Smith Foundation.
City College President Vincent Boudreau said that the center is meant to exemplify a spirit of debate, engagement, and “intellectual excitement.”
“For too long, expertise itself has been devalued in our public conversations, and so the ability to knit the expertise of the university with the wise thought of how we should guide and shape our society is another animating feature of this center,” said Boudreau.
Moynihan was a shoeshine boy and longshoreman living in Hell’s Kitchen in his youth before he attended City College for free in the 1940s and eventually became a national political figure. Many of his colleagues spoke highly of his legacy and how much education changed the trajectory of his life.
Disrupting the disruptor? New York City’s enforcement against illegal shortterm rentals took its first major step last week on Sept. 5 by holding online booking sites like Airbnb responsible if listings were not registered with the Mayor’s Office of Special Enforcement (OSE). Such platforms allow tourists to book homes and apartments from the city’s existing housing stock for stays similar to traditional hotels rather than a sublet or contractual lease.
“Registration creates a clear path for hosts who follow the City’s long standing laws and protects travelers from illegal and unsafe accommodations,
The New York Public Library is offering new, special-edition Hip Hop 50 library cards that feature imagery from the soundtrack cassette of the iconic 1983 film “Wild Style,” directed by Charlie Ahearn— widely considered to be the first film dedicated to hip hop.
You can apply online or at a local branch for a new hip hop library card at any NYPL location near you. Call 917-ASK-NYPL (917-275-6975) for more information.
The Ecology Center will sponsor an ewaste collection event at Brooks Senior Center
143-22 109th Ave. in Jamaica, Queens on Saturday, Sept. 16, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Working and nonworking electronic equipment will be accepted as tax-deductible donations including laptops and desktops, smartphones, tablets, printers, fax machines, TVs, VCRs, and more.
For more information, contact the Ecology Center at 212-477-4022, email info@ lesecologycenter.org or visit https://www. lesecologycenter.org/calendar/st-albans113-43-farmers-blvd/
The NYC Health Department’s Bureau of Brooklyn Neighborhood Health will sponsor a fun health fair to honor community partners who have made a positive impact on public health.
while significantly limiting the proliferation of illegal short-term rentals,” said OSE executive director Christian Klossner over email.
The actions stem from Local Law 18, adopted in 2022, which mandates all short-term rental hosts to register their properties with the city. Approved listings must comply with rules bidding hosts to remain onsite during bookings, with no more than two guests staying during the reservation.
As of this past Monday, Sept. 11, more than 4,000 applications have been filed for legal short-term rental registration according to the Mayor’s Office. Of the 1,000 or so reviewed, 329 were approved, 113 were denied, and 589 were returned to applicants for additional information or error correction.
All unregistered short-term rentals reserved for after Dec. 2 will be canceled and refunded, according to Airbnb. Any bookings prior will not be canceled and the company says it will eat the fee costs after check-in to comply with the new regulations.
While the Airbnb spokesperson says the company currently doesn’t have an exact tally on how many unregistered rentals have been removed since Sept. 5, data-based advocate Murray Cox—who founded short-term rental watchdog Inside Airbnb—says he’s seen around 15,000 local listings removed from the site since the city’s platform crackdown last week. That’s over 70% of existing short-term rentals in the city, he says.
Back in 2017, Cox published a report
See MOYNIHAN on page 29 See AIRBNB on page 29
The “Wellness for All, Wellness for Life” fair, which is focused on youth mental health, takes place on Saturday, Sept. 16, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. It will feature art, crafts and music, free resources for healthy, active living, and information on community events. A film festival will take place from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Event will take place at 485 Throop Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11221.
To register visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/brooklyn-annual-fall-fairand-film-festival-tickets-680840260547. For more information and to request accommodation, contact 718-637-5317 or cjosephleconte@health.nyc.gov.
International Coastal Cleanup Day (ICC) is this Saturday, Sept. 16. The northeast chapter of the American Littoral Society is encouraging folks to take part in their 38th
To say things have gone south for President Biden may be the understatement of the year. On top of fighting off charges that he is too old and unfit for another term in the White House, too out of touch with young Black and Hispanic voters, and incapable of dealing with a plummeting economy, the president is also dealing with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. On Tuesday, McCarthy announced the launch of an impeachment inquiry over Hunter Biden’s foreign business dealings.
Many Democratic leaders were stunned by the announcement, and even
some GOP leaders were baffled, several insisting that there was not enough evidence to proceed.
The announcement comes in the wake of House Republicans having spent a year investigating Hunter Biden contending that the president profited off his son’s dealings, mainly during the time when Biden was vice president. To date, there has been no conclusive evidence of wrongdoing by Biden.
McCarthy said that House investigations have uncovered “a culture of corruption” in the Biden family and that demands a deeper review. “These are allegations of abuse of power, obstruction, and corruption,” he said.
While the House has the power to im-
peach the president, only the Senate has the ability to convict and no president has ever been relieved of duty by an impeachment.
What remains in question is whether McCarthy has enough votes to approve an impeachment resolution. Some Republicans are skeptical and fearful the process could backfire, something the Biden administration has said in response to the possible impeachment. Even so, the threat of impeachment proceedings must be a troubling ordeal for Biden who, more than a year away from the presidential election, has spurred his campaign to action—including a huge amount of money and resources into advertisement.
The age of bizarre and often dangerous social media challenges strikes again as Mayor Eric Adams announces that New York City has had enough of youth car thefts and joyrides targeting Kia and Hyundai owners. The trend has its roots in social media, and is inspired primarily by TikTok, Youtube, and Snapchat videos.
Adams and the NYPD have been grappling with the issue since last September, following national trends, and recently put out a comprehensive plan to decrease the surge of grand larceny auto (GLA) crime among young people.
“Violent crime is down in New York, but this administration isn’t going to stop there. Today, we are announcing bold action that takes a 360-degree ap -
proach to combating car thefts in New York City,” said Adams. “This comprehensive plan focuses on enforcement, education, partnerships, and outreach to help us leave car thefts in the dust. Our administration is serious about New Yorkers’ safety, and today we are taking control of the wheel to bring down car thefts — sending a clear message that if you steal a vehicle in New York City, you will be held accountable.”
Adams said that car theft itself is mostly viewed as a “nonviolent crime” but the consistent pattern of these cars being used in violent crimes, drive-by shootings, and robberies of different commercial establishments is deeply concerning. Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Philip Banks III said at the presser that so far this year there has been an overall decrease in major crimes as compared to last year, but GLA crimes are up approximately 19%.
Christopher Herrmann, John Jay College assistant professor and a former
Tahesha Leila Way, who has served as N.J. secretary of state since 2018, has been named to succeed the late Sheila Oliver as lieutenant governor.
Way is now New Jersey’s third lieutenant governor, after having served as the state’s 34th secretary of state.
“During these past weeks of mourning and remembrance, I have heard the same sentiment expressed by New Jerseyans up and down our state,” Gov. Phil Murphy said at the ceremony announcing Way’s appointment. “It is a sentiment I not only share, but consider a call to action.
And that is this: With Sheila gone, it is now our turn to keep her legacy alive…and to be a champion—like Sheila was—for the voiceless. For the underserved. And for the communities that have historically been left behind.
NYPD crime analyst supervisor, points out that while a majority of property crimes go unreported, car and motorcycle thefts are an aberration.
“People are not [always] aware of when things are stolen from them,” he said. “But [almost] everyone in America has insurance on their car, [and] everyone wants their car found [and] needs a police report. Murder and auto thefts are always reported. Those are two things that we can rely on consistently. Burglary, grand larceny? Not so much.”
There are many reasons for stealing a car according to Herrmann, but keeping the vehicle to drive is very low on the list due to registration laws. And grand larceny auto crimes range from direct jackings—which can involve weapons and violence—to stealing a running, parked car as a crime of opportunity. Neither is a victimless crime but he says enforcement and disincentivization can be tricky given the number of youth offenders.
As National Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated from September 15 to October 15, more people are recognizing the growing population of Afro Latinos in the United States.
According to information in the report “Centering Black Latinidad: A profile of the U.S. Afro Latinx population and complex inequalities,” the number of Afro Latinos in the United States has developed at nearly twice the rate as the population of non-Black Latinos since the beginning of the century.
The report’s authors, from UCLA’s Latino Policy & Politics Institute, used
data from the 2015–2019 American Community Survey (ACS) to evaluate the U.S. Afro Latinx population and look at how far this community has come in terms of education levels, employment, and
homeownership. Their research found that there was a 121% increase in self-identified Afro Latinos from the year 2000 through 2019.
“So today…I am proud to announce that I have selected a proven public servant––with a superb record of accomplishments––to join me in finishing the job that Sheila and I started. Today, it is my incredible honor to introduce New Jersey’s next lieutenant governor: Secretary of State Tahesha Leila Way! And right off the bat, let me say: There is no better person for the job.”
With family and friends present, Way took the oath to serve as lieutenant governor on Sept. 8 and declared it a “solemn honor” to build on Oliver’s legacy.
“Here is my promise to the people of New Jersey,” Way said. “Like Sheila, I will dedicate every day of my life to fighting for the forgotten families of our state. I will do everything in my power to bring down the cost of living, so no parent will have to suffer the indignity of choosing between putting food on the table or keeping a roof over their child’s head. I will protect our fundamental freedoms, so every resident of our state can make their own health care decisions, or access affordable higher education, or simply, marry who they love and live as who they are in their hearts. And, of course, I will work to ensure that New Jersey remains the best—and safest—state to raise a family.”
The 62nd Puerto Rican Day Parade and Boricua Festival will take place in Newark on Sunday, September 17. Music and festivities will be at the Parque Los Leones (Park & Lake). The parade starts at 12 noon at the Avenida Puerto Rico and travels via Bloomfield Ave. toward 1st Ave.
The Puerto Rican Day Parade, Inc., which sponsors the event, said: “We honor the Puerto Rican heritage by declaring every year the third Sunday of September as Puerto Rican Day in the city of Newark. We will host a parade on this day to demonstrate our pride and appreciation for our Puerto Rican heritage.”
For more information, contact Luis Manuel Lopez at 973-771-4677 or visit www.PRDPNJ.org.
“The reason why paying attention to Afro Latinidad is important is because we are making visible any inequalities within our community that follow along racial lines…”
—Dr. Nancy López
As the school year begins, I had opportunity to sit down with Schools Chancellor David Banks to ask him about the unique challenges facing the city’s public school system and how his agency is responding:
Describe some of the challenges of enrolling 19,000 migrant children into the public school system. What special resources do these students need?
By ARIAMA C. LONGAmsterdam News Staff, Report for America Corps
MemberRichard Beavers, 53, runs one of the few Blackowned art galleries in New York City. His galleries in Manhattan and Brooklyn specialize in featuring Black artists from the African diaspora and collections that depict various aspects of Black life and culture, as well as social and political issues.
Established in 2007, Beavers’ contemporary art gallery also aims to be a conscious part of the community and a welcoming space for all types of art lovers. He believes many fine art galleries don’t identify or value Black culture and want to steer artists towards more “palatable” works.
A native New Yorker, Beavers was born in Harlem and raised all over Brooklyn, primarily by his mother and aunt. He eventually settled in Bedford–Stuyvesant. While in middle school, Beavers said that a class trip to a prestigious museum left him disillusioned about art. “I couldn’t really verbalize it at that particular time, but ultimately what I was feeling was that I didn’t see any work in that museum
that was representative of my culture, who I was, or the community that I came from,” said Beavers. “I had a low opinion of art to sum it up.”
Beavers’ mother took it upon herself to change that opinion. She took him to a small art gallery in the city owned by two Caribbean women that featured all Black art. He said that an art piece by prolific painter Leroy Campbell of a man playing saxophone on a stoop really resonated with him. Beavers decided to drop out of formal schooling in the ninth grade and went on to receive his General Educational Development (GED). He said that gallery life and art hooked him.
He started off selling posters, and then sought out mentors and apprenticeships with artists and Black gallery owners to learn about both the business and the craft. He opened his first gallery in the heart of BedStuy in 2007 because he wanted to create a welcoming and accessible art space in his community.
“I’m really intentional with the artists and the work that we exhibit. It’s to raise consciousness, [and] it’s to evoke conversation,” said Beavers. “But it’s also to uplift, inspire, and motivate.”
Beavers’ business model also has a community component that he said is essential. He’s had events like free haircuts for boys going back to school, family photo sessions, book giveaways, prom etiquette classes, and community garden summer internships. Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Art (MoCADA) honored Beavers for supporting Black art at the official opening celebration of the Ubuntu Garden last month.
On display in his galleries now are two exhibits: “Talking Quilts,” a solo exhibition by quiltmaker Dr. Myrah Brown Green about Black guardian angels, runs until October 7 in Brooklyn at 408 Marcus Garvey Blvd. At his SoHo gallery, “In Plain Sight” features eight artists that tackle diversity and invisibility when it comes to power dynamics. It runs until October 14.
Ariama C. Long is a Report for America corps member and writes about politics for the Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://bit. ly/amnews1
Last year, we spent approximately $125M to support asylum seekers. The challenges have not been with the influx of students per se but rather our ability to get the funding and resources we need to provide supports for these families. And that despite the challenges, our school communities have absolutely risen to the occasion, welcoming our newest New Yorkers with open arms. I visit schools constantly, and I am deeply inspired by what I’ve seen: students translating for their new classmates, PTAs organizing food and clothing drives, and so much more.
We continue to quicky enroll hundreds of students a day, and in some cases, our schools closest to shelters are filling up. We don’t want to send a family at a shelter in Brooklyn to a school all the way in the Bronx, so we are looking at schools nearby with available seats and placing students strategically. We also have staff on site at shelters and HERRCs to support families with enrollment paperwork.
As far as resources go, perhaps our most important resources are our 5,100-plus teachers with bilingual or English as a New Language certifications – who, as of last week, are now able to teach under that certification without losing tenure they’ve gained under another teaching license. This will ensure we are maximizing the number of teachers who are best positioned to support our newest students.
There has been a recent uptick in Covid cases. How will the DOE tackle limiting the effects this time around on academic proficiency and classroom instruction?
There is a great deal of work we’re doing to address learning loss and accelerate growth – and this work was needed even before the pandemic. In New York City, 51% of our kids are not reading on grade level. In fact, 64% of Black students and 63% of Latino students are not reading on grade level. We are sounding the alarm on this literacy crisis, which was certainly compounded by Covid, but also predates it.
This year, we are rolling out NYC Reads in nearly all of our Early Childhood Education programs and nearly half of our districts serving K-5 students, with all remaining ECE
programs and elementary schools following suit next school year. NYC Reads pairs highquality literacy curriculum – backed by research in how kids best learn to read, known as the “science of reading” – with intensive coaching and support for our teachers. This shift is going to truly move the needle for our students, with ripple effects across their entire academic careers. So in short, we are combating learning loss with a laser focus on building every one of our students into a strong, confident reader.
DOE is looking at a $730 million budget hole next year with the expiration of federal stimulus funding, which helps fund critical education programs including the city’s Summer Rising program. Are you concerned these programs may be at risk?
Yes, we certainly are concerned -- we have been very vocal about the state of our budget once federal stimulus funding expires. In addition to the programs you mentioned, stimulus dollars support our Community Schools and a variety of learning loss programs. These funds have also allowed us to hold schools harmless, despite enrollment loss, as we finalize their budgets. We are facing very tough decisions, and the truth is, we can’t fix this on our own. Without local and state support, these programs are simply unsustainable, and so we will continue to call upon our partners to help address this looming problem.
After two years as Schools Chancellor, what has been your proudest achievement? If you could turn back the clock, what would you do differently?
In taking this job, I committed to rebuilding trust between NYC families and the school system that serves them. That requires deep and meaningful family and community engagement – and it also requires action. I’m proud of the steps we’ve taken to make good on the fundamental promises of school: keeping kids safe, teaching them to read, and preparing them for bold futures. From NYC Reads to FutureReadyNYC, my administration is not just talking the talk. We are walking the walk and taking action to earn back the trust of our families.
As for something I’d do differently? You know, it’s a tough balance when you’re trying to act with urgency while also planning thoughtfully. A part of me wishes we could have launched some of these key initiatives even earlier in my administration – but at the same time, that would have meant a much smaller window for engagement and preparation. I think we’ve struck a good balance – and I’m excited to see how these initiatives unfold at our schools this coming year! I firmly believe that the best is yet to come.
Fire inspectors at the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) are close to settling a federal race discrimination class action lawsuit against the city for $29.2 million. Considering there are longstanding gender and racial discrimination issues within the fire department, inspectors see this as a win.
This isn’t the first time the FDNY has been sued over racial discrimination.
The FDNY has historically lacked gender and racial diversity among its firefighters, but Black men have been firefighters in the city since the 1920s and Black women since the 1980s. In 2007, the Black Vulcan Firefighter Society filed and won a lawsuit
against the FDNY for continued discrimination in the exam process toward Black and Latino applicants. That suit wasn’t settled until 2014.
Five uniformed fire protection inspectors (FPIs) and FDNY Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Local 2507 members are included in the current lawsuit: Darryl Chalmers, Darren Connors, Glenn Mendez, James Nova, and Fatima Q. Rosemond. The group originally filed back in 2020.
Oren Barzilay, president of FDNY EMS Local 2507, said there are about 400 fire inspectors in the union who are predominantly people of color. A fire inspector conducts regular inspections of buildings, cars, and public activities throughout all five boroughs to ensure compliance with fire safety codes and regulations. They can issue criminal summons and court appear-
ance tickets, and may also face some safety hazards when performing inspections.
“They are treated horribly, even when it comes to identifying their rank at the FDNY,” said Barzilay. “It’s been a problem.”
Barzilay said inspectors wear different uniforms from those of firefighters, are paid less, and are often not highlighted at all for their contributions to fire prevention. Over the last three years, he has spoken out about the life-saving work fire inspectors and EMS do to secure buildings.
The lawsuit alleges racial bias in the city’s pay scale, resulting in annual pay gaps ranging up to $9,000 between fire inspectors and building inspectors, who perform similar jobs but historically have been predominantly white.
Barzilay said the settlement is at least an acknowledgment from the city.
As of now, the settlement is a done deal just yet, though. It’s still awaiting a judge’s approval. If it goes through, fire inspectors and EMS would get increased salaries backdated to September 1, 2023, through August 31, 2024. On average, each class member is slated to receive between $30,000 and $35,000.
The judge might grant approval by 2024. The FDNY responded to a request for comment but did not provide one by post time.
Ariama C. Long is a Report for America corps member and writes about politics for the Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://bit.ly/amnews1
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Oprah Winfrey and bestselling author Arthur C. Brooks appeared at the 92nd Street Y in the Big Apple on September 12 for a conversation about their new book, “Building the Life You Want: The Art and Science Getting Happier,” with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos. Winfrey and Brooks, who writes the “How to Build A Life” column in The Atlantic, lay out their hard-earned wisdom in the book about practical solutions for how to build a blueprint for a more fulfilling life…….
Sherri Shepherd’s top-rated and critically acclaimed daytime talk show success “Sherri” returns for its highly-anticipated second season on Monday, September 18th. Sherri will welcome Wayne Brady to the couch on the first episode to discuss his recent revelation about his long road to self-discovery as well as his projects, “Let’s Make a Deal” and the upcoming revival of “The Wiz” on Broadway. Also, for the very first time, Shepherd will reveal personal details about her summer…..
In New York to promote her motivational memoir “Unbroken: The Triumphant Story of A Woman’s Journey,” billionaire entrepreneur Dr. Trisha Bailey had brunch with iconic former Essence magazine editor-in-chief Susan Taylor at Philippe Chow restaurant . Dr. Bailey later caught up with pal Nate Burleson and international soccer star Jerome Boateng at Carbone. Burleson, who co-hosts CBS Mornings, wrote the foreword to Dr. Bailey’s recently released book. ..
According to People, SZA had a celebration for her new album on September 8 at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York City. The Grammy winner announced she is releasing a deluxe version of her sophomore LP “SOS” with seven to ten new songs. Said SZA, “So the deluxe is like a whole another album, and it’s called ‘Lana.” The entertainer’s real name is Solána Rowe…
books and supplies. The members of St. Stephen AME believe service extends past the walls of the church into the community, and are proud to lend a helping hand and hope to its neighbors.
Rev. Brandon Allen, Elder Elizabeth Crouell with church members and supporters (Bill Moore photos) Rev. Allen, Elder Elizabeth Crouell, and church members
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The United Auto Workers (UAW) is threatening to strike against the nation’s big three automakers— General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis— if tentative contract agreements aren’t reached by 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 14. That could reshape the political landscape in the battleground state of Michigan and potentially unleash economic shockwaves nationwide.
The auto industry accounts for about 3% of the nation’s gross
domestic product and as many as 146,000 workers may walk off their jobs. While the effects would be most immediate in Michigan and other states with high concentrations of auto jobs, such as Ohio and Indiana, a prolonged strike could trigger car shortages and layoffs in auto-supply industries and other sectors.
“Anything that goes beyond a week, you’re going to start feeling the pain,” said Marick Masters, a business professor at Wayne State University in Detroit. “And anything beyond two weeks, that’s when the effects start to compound.”
Doc Killian, who has worked in
a Ford assembly plant in Wayne, Michigan, for 26 years, says he can no longer afford the cars he helps build—crystallizing how the nation’s middle class has been squeezed.
“I think the American public as a whole realizes the impact that the American auto workers have on the economy,” Killian said. “If we suffer, the American economy suffers.”
Biden has built his political career around just such an argument, repeating the mantra that the “middle class built America, and that unions built the middle class.” His administration also has championed organized labor
and promoted worker organization unabashedly, with Biden frequently proclaiming himself
“the most pro-union president in American history.”
Still, Shawn Fain, who was elected president of the United Auto Workers in March after promising a more confrontational stance in negotiating with automakers, countered Biden’s claim on CNN this week, saying,
“I think there’s a lot of work to be done in that category.”
The UAW chief has also sought to broaden his argument beyond just auto workers. He said on a livestream with union mem-
bers that the UAW’s demands are about “raising the standard for workers everywhere.”
“I truly believe that all of America will stand with us in this fight,” Fain said.
Biden also must contend with blunt criticism from former President Donald Trump, the early leader in next year’s Republican presidential primary, who is now pushing for the UAW to endorse him—an unlikely prospect, according to union leaders.
Trump posted online that the “once fabled” UAW “will soon go
Two Black women, one young and the other very young, commanded our attention this week. One of them was loudly cheered in her victory at the U.S. Open and the other tenderly remembered during a lengthy commemoration.
Coco Gauff, 19, won her first major tennis tournament on Saturday in the Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing Meadows, while Ruschell Boone, 48, lost her courageous battle against pancreatic cancer. She died on September 3, and six days later Coco was victorious.
Broadcast for several hours on NY1 on Tuesday, where Boone was an award-winning reporter and anchor, a retinue of friends, colleagues, and family members recalled her phenomenal career from the podium at the Christian Cultural Center in Brooklyn.
Mayor Eric Adams was among those paying tribute to her, and he was the first interview she conducted after returning to the station in March. "We are all better people because we had a wonderful, wonderful person who reported to us and showed us that no matter how much pain you have, you can turn it into purpose," he said. "You never saw her frowning. She didn’t say 'Woe is me.' She said 'Why not me? I want to inspire others.'"
She appeared to be well on her way to complete recovery during a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Manhattan Neighborhood Network's new location in early March, but then things turned for the worse. Even so, she bravely endured the grueling chemotherapy treatments.
We will miss her reportorial versatility, her warmth, and the gregarious attitude that was never diminished, and always present. Presente, Ruschell!
Meanwhile, in another arena, Coco seems to have advanced considerably in her quest to the top of the tennis bracket, and it's a good bet she will soon amass the achievements that Ruschell earned behind the microphone and in front of the camera.
Taking on big pharma’s patent abuse is the right next step for Congress to lower health care costsAlthough this may be an under-the-radar issue for some, it has serious ramifications for the prices Americans pay for prescription drugs—which are the highest in the world. According to one recent study from the American Economic Liberties Project and the Initiative for Medicines, Access, and Knowledge (I-MAK), several of Big Pharma’s most commonly used anti-competitive tactics, including several aimed at gaming the patent system, cost the U.S. healthcare system more than $40 billion in 2019 alone.
As the study outlines, “Drug compa-
nies spend hundreds of millions of dollars advancing these schemes because they have calculated that doing so is significantly more profitable than competing with generics and biosimilars based on price and quality.”
The pharmaceutical industry uses a range of mechanisms to abuse our patent system, including tactics such as “product hopping,” “patent thicketing,” and “evergreening.” All are ultimately aimed at keeping their blockbuster products on the market longer without having to face competition from generic and biosimilar drugs. This in turn locks patients into paying higher prices for prescription medications.
While there are several egregious examples of Big Pharma’s patent abuse preventing competition from entering the market, the most notorious example may be AbbVie’s rheumatoid arthritis drug Humira.
While Humira is set to face competition for the first time this year, during its almost 20 years on the market, AbbVie’s patent strategy for this drug set the standard other companies have followed in terms of fending off competition and securing extended sales by constructing im-
penetrable walls of patents.
Through the years, AbbVie applied for more than 300 patents on Humira, securing more than half of these. Importantly, more than 90% of the patents AbbVie filed on Humira came after the drug was already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), demonstrating that AbbVie was seeking additional patent protection to extend the length of time the drug could be on the market without competition.
This strategy led to obscene profits for Humira and forced patients and the U.S. healthcare system to pay egregious sums of money. Since its launch in 2002, Humira has raked in over $200 billion for AbbVie. To give you a sense of the scale of these profits, last year AbbVie brought in more in revenue ($21 billion) for just this one drug than all 32 teams combined brought in for the National Football League ($19 billion).
In my work at God’s Battalion of Prayer Ministries, I’ve encountered countless individuals and families who have been burdened by the high price
See BIG PHARMA on page 43
Protecting a way of life and the planet
The Porcupine Caribou, on which the Gwich’in have relied for tens of thousands of years for their subsistence way of life, migrate hundreds of miles each spring to give birth to their calves there, so the Gwich’in name rings true.
It was this life that the Biden administration protected for years to come with the announcement last week that it was canceling oil and gas drilling leases in the 19.6-million-acre Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and moving to prohibit drilling in another 13 million acres of protected lands bordering the refuge.
wild places, our country’s largest wildlife refuge, and the only one designed specifically for wilderness purposes. Its continued existence in its pristine, rugged state signals our commitment to nature and our appreciation of its wonder. It’s a symbol of our national character.
But the value isn’t just symbolic. We’re on pace this year to produce more oil in the United States than ever before. Creating a glut will only extend our addiction to fossil fuels when we know that we need to move swiftly in the direction of burning less. The trade-off is infrastructure needed to drill that will destroy the refuge forever.
Protecting indigenous people and their way of life in Alaska should demonstrate that we can stand firm to defend more communities on the front lines of climate change against the unabated greed of Big Oil. An unscathed, unmatched landscape shouldn’t be the test for doing right by our neighbors and by the planet.
Too often, we’ve allowed a few people lacking political power and desperate for economic opportunities to bear the immediate cost of bad environmental choices. The flaw is that more often than not, we all end up paying.
Elinor R. Tatum: Publisher and Editor in Chief Member Kristin Fayne-Mulroy: Managing Editor Cyril Josh Barker: Digital Editor Damaso Reyes: Investigative Editor Alliance for Audited Media Opinion
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It wasn’t just the Gwich’in, who have been fighting drilling for nearly 50 years, and the caribou who won. The Inupiaq people who live at the edge of the Arctic Ocean, polar bears, musk oxen, Dall sheep, and birds you can find in all 50 states have roots in the Arctic Refuge.
That corner of Alaska is one of the world’s last untouched
It’s a trade that the American people repeatedly have said they don’t want to make. In polls in recent years, roughly two-thirds of voters opposed drilling in the Arctic Refuge. After the president’s decision to allow another Alaskan drilling project to proceed months ago, this is the leadership most voters want.
The argument that Arctic drilling will boost U.S. energy independence and national security fall short when you know that all the oil under that part of Alaska is barely a year of the nation’s consumption by many estimates. We won’t drill our way out of the need for fossil fuels, but we certainly can drill our way to irreparable damage to the climate in just a few years.
Whether it’s the cancer alleys created in the communities neighboring refineries along the Mississippi or coastal towns repeatedly crushed by extreme weather, they’re only the first to feel the burden. As the hottest temperatures ever recorded showed us this summer, no one can escape the toll that fossil fuel charges the planet.
Ben Jealous is executive director of the Sierra Club, the nation’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization. He is a professor of practice at the University of Pennsylvania and author of “Never Forget Our People Were Always Free,” published in January.
DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not represent those of the New York Amsterdam News. We continue to publish a variety of viewpoints so that we may know the opinions of others that may differ from our own.
There are no worse examples of a biased and tendentious mainstream media with ulterior motives than that of those who have castigated Associate Justice Clarence Thomas of the United States Supreme Court over the past half-year.
The latest screeching from the media stems from flyspecking Justice Thomas’s latest, amended financial disclosure reports, repeating what has never been disputed, and attempting to cast a dark shadow on otherwise innocent, normal conduct; that a man has affluent friends, and these friends engage in activities typical of those with wealth with their friends.
But apart from the shameless and intentional misinterpretation of this obvious reality, what is omitted truly speaks volumes. There are neither accusations nor even circumstantial evidence that out of the 700+ opinions he has written over his career, the 2,800+ cases he has voted on, and the millions of words he has authored have in any way been compromised to benefit his friends. Even the “bombshell” article from ProPublica, which detailed Thomas’s relationship with his friend Harlan Crow, hidden deep within the article’s body, couldn’t deny the fact that “Crow and his firm have not had a case before the Supreme Court since Thomas joined it.”
Throughout his tenure, neither the media nor any litigant who has appeared before Thomas has alleged that he shortchanged justice in any case for hidden motives. Yet, this ProPublica article, and its subsequent echoes, desperately attempts to construe a narrative that mere friendship with an affluent individual, and receiving treatment no different from that given to other friends, somehow signifies that Thomas harbors ulterior motives.
The arguments presented vacillate between being feeble and outright juvenile; even the cornerstone ProPublica piece only musters the claim that “the details of [Crow’s]
discussions with Thomas over the years remain unknown, and it is unclear if Crow has influenced the Justice’s views.”
In essence, the exposé that was heralded as the revelation of Thomas’s alleged indiscretions ended with not a bang, but a pitiful whimper. Echoing former Vice President Walter Mondale’s sentiments, I’m compelled to ask, “Where’s the beef?”
If the mainstream media endorsed Thomas’s opinions, any whining over his financial disclosures would be muted or inaudible. When liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg openly and injudiciously assailed Donald Trump’s candidacy in 2016, describing him as a “faker” and criticizing both his “ego” and his decision not to release his tax returns, the mainstream media winced for a few seconds and moved on. Ginsburg remained in judicial Valhalla without even an adverse footnote, even though she didn’t recuse herself from numerous cases involving the Trump administration that came before the court.
We also cannot forget that Sonia Sotomayor failed to recuse herself from a case in which the publisher of her book was before the court. When this happened, there was nary a peep.
The obvious problems that can arise from these two cases warrant far more concern from watchdogs than Thomas’s case. After all, why should the liberal justices be held to a less-exacting standard than Thomas? Both take the same oath to support and defend the United States Constitution. Both are role models for the nation’s youth. Indeed, when the liberal bloc of the court had the majority, Ginsburg and Sotomayor were far more influential than Thomas, whose role was regularly relegated to writing pointed, unassailable, and devastating dissents that, unfortunately, had no precedential weight.
Of course, Justice Thomas is not
above criticism. His judicial handiwork is fair game, just as that of every other justice. You can question his reasoning or adherence to precedents. As Chief Justice William Howard Taft instructed, “Nothing tends more to render judges careful in their decisions and anxiously solicitous to do exact justice than the consciousness that every act of theirs is to be subject to the intelligent scrutiny of their fellow men, and to their candid criticism…In the case of judges having a life tenure, indeed, their very independence makes the right freely to comment on their decisions of greater importance because it is the only practical and available instrument in the hands of a free people to keep such judges alive to the reasonable demands of those they serve.”
Journalists, of course, should be evenhanded in their analysis and critiquing of the opinions of all the justices. Clarence Thomas should not be singled out for special treatment, nor should any single ideological bloc of justices be. Journalists should call a spade a spade, no matter which justices’ opinions or actions they are analyzing. Supreme Court reporters should be trained in law to distinguish between the Constitution and partisan politics; they should avoid turning fleas into elephants and shrinking elephants into fleas.
The Supreme Court bears the profound responsibility of interpreting a document penned over 250 years ago by the most visionary minds of its era. Justice Thomas, having personally endured the deep scars of racism stemming from misinterpretations of this very text, embodies the gravity and significance of this responsibility.
Armstrong Williams (@ARightSide) is manager / sole owner of Howard Stirk Holdings I & II Broadcast Television Stations and the 2016 Multicultural Media Broadcast Owner of the year. www.armstrongwilliams.co | www.howardstirkholdings.com
September
Library Card Sign-Up Month. I know many people are flocking to the main branch of the Brooklyn Public Library to snag one of the coveted Jay-Z library cards and experience the extensive collection of memorabilia on display. Whether you are waiting to receive one of the HOV library cards or a more traditional one, you’ll be happy to know that the library cards come in several designs and prints, and are truly your passport to new worlds and adventures, so be sure to head to your nearest library and sign up for a card.
Getting a library card gives you access to not just the millions of books available, but e-books and audio books, research materials, CDs and DVDs, and so much more. The New York Public Library (NYPL consists of the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island systems), Brooklyn Public Library, and Queens Public Library systems have current bestselling novels, books for children of all ages, and resources for those who have special accessibility needs.
Many people can be intimidated when first signing up for a library card, but I have found the help desks at branches large and small to be incredibly helpful. A library card is free for anyone who lives, works, attends school, or pays property taxes in New York State. When you go to your local branch, you must provide a NY State ID or other approved documentation, such as a current college or university photo ID card, employee photo ID card, New York City welfare ID card, Armed
Services ID card, passport, Medicare/Medicaid card, driver’s license, or an Alien Registration photo ID card; or a Social Security card or birth certificate, to name just a few.
A complete list of acceptable identification can be found on their website along with the application. Go to www.nypl. org/librarycard, www. bklynlibrary.org, or www. queenslibrary.org to get started and find out more information.
These three networks of libraries are true gems sprinkled throughout all five boroughs. I have fond memories of sitting on a carpet square at my local library branch in Philadelphia, discovering a new book, and being transported to a new and sometimes magical land. Libraries are places where we go to discover more about the world and ourselves. They are a safe haven for so many people who are curious, helping them to find their tribe of like-minded spirits who believe in the power of words.
If you do not already have a library card, walk into your nearest branch and inquire about an application. As my childhood librarian used to say, “Books are your friends!” They hold surprises, they keep secrets, and they accept you for who you are.
Christina Greer, Ph.D., is an associate professor at Fordham University; author of “Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream”; co-host of the podcast FAQ-NYC and host of the Blackest Questions podcast at TheGrio; and a 2023–24 Moynihan Public Scholars Fellow at CCNY.
A week after Caribbean Community (Caricom) leaders caucused on the current situation in Haiti, a boatload of dehydrated and exhausted Haitians landed over the weekend in Jamaica, with the new arrivals pleading for help and asking authorities not to return them to their homeland because there is little hope for a better life there.
The 36 Haitians indicated that they had spent about two weeks in the open seas, baked by the blazing sun. They survived in a rickety boat as they struggled to make it to neighboring Jamaica in much the same way another group of 37 beached on the island in early July.
The Haitians were apparently aiming to make it to the Florida coast, but were pushed by strong ocean currents to Jamaica where, on Saturday, authorities mobilized to send them back.
Their arrival came just over a week after regional heads of government met
virtually about the situation in Haiti, entertaining an update from a group involving three former Caricom prime ministers who have met with a wide cross-section of Haitian stakeholders in both Jamaica and Haiti in the past two months.
Ralph Gonsalves, the prime minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and a leading advocate for greater regional action on the 15-nation bloc’s poorest and most populous member state, wants the integration movement to continue pressing interim Prime Minister Ariel Henry to help establish a government of national unity to ease the level of strife in Haiti.
“It was felt by us that there was a need for greater action from the Haitian government[,] which had agreed to certain decisions taken at the summit in Trinidad and Tobago [in July]. Caricom is disappointed that the prime minister of Haiti has not taken action towards broadening the governing coalition and has not taken other agreed
actions,” said Gonsalves after the virtual leaders’ meeting. His Surinamese counterpart, President Chan Santokhi, has even stepped up calls for a multinational force to help with the perilous security situation on the ground.
Jamaica, the Bahamas, and other regional member nations have already agreed to contribute military and paramilitary personnel to any such force going to help restore order and support local forces.
“There is a need for Caricom to play a more proactive role at the political level in discussions with Haiti organized by the various interest groups. In this regard, Caricom has to be very much involved in the drafting of the resolution on Haiti to be tabled at the United Nations Security Council. Our input is critical in that regard. On the issue of the lead role to be played by Caricom, there is [a] need for the Haitian government to confirm in writing that it wishes Caricom to find solutions to the deteriorating political and security situation
[that] has contributed to the collapse of all functioning structures of the government,” Gonsalves said.
Caricom is particularly worried about Haiti because there appears to be no let up in the level of violence on the ground there. Latest official reports indicate that nearly 2,000 people have been killed between Easter and July, including dozens by snipers hiding out in hills and abandoned buildings.
In the past year, nearly 150 police officers in several towns have been killed or seriously injured, even as locals have stepped up efforts to kill gang members causing the mayhem.
“There may be persons who may be saying, ‘Why is it that the prime minister has taken the time to deal with this?’ If a problem like this existed in St. Lucia or in Trinidad, God forbid, or anywhere else in Caricom, we might have had a greater sense of immediacy. But the fact remains Haiti is a member of the Caribbean Community. We cannot stand askance,” Gonsalves told lawmakers.
Brahmin, Hindu son of immigrants from Kerala, India, is obviously mentally enslaved.
Why else would he adopt plans and talking points that are obviously white supremacist in nature?
For instance, at the GOP’s first primary debate, Ramaswamy opened with, “My parents came to this country with no money 40 years ago. I have gone on to found multibillion-dollar companies.”
award from the Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans—Paul Soros was the older brother of liberal billionaire financier George Soros—as a first-year law student at Yale.
This past weekend, after listening to another anti-immigrant diatribe from the second brown GOP presidential candidate in a hopeless race, I asked ChatGPT to define the legendary term “mental slavery.”
This is what came back in seconds: “Mental slavery is a concept that refers to a state in which an individual or a group of people are controlled or constrained in their thinking, beliefs, and behaviors by external influences, often to the detriment of their own well-being and autonomy.
“In the context of mental slavery, individuals may adopt and internalize the values, norms, and ideologies of a dominant group or system, even when those beliefs are harmful or limiting to their own interests or identity. This can manifest as unquestioning loyalty to a particular ideology, selfhatred, or a refusal to challenge oppressive systems.”
I’m no psychologist, but I have come to recognize instances of mental slavery that show up, especially in formerly colonized peoples—Black or brown. It is my non-expert opinion that Vivek Ramaswamy, the
On Friday, Sept. 8, Ramaswamy, whose parents support Donald Trump and who, like many Asian Americans, closely aligns with the disgusting diatribe of the indicted Trumpeto, went farther than even The Donald has gone before.
Many in his own adopted party are questioning Ramaswamy’s qualifications to run for the office, despite being born in Cincinnati, USA. He said after a town hall meeting in Iowa that he believes the 14th Amendment does not confer birthright citizenship and as such, children born to undocumented immigrants should be deported.
So far, Ramaswamy, 38, is getting away with this diatribe far more than Ron Death Santis would. Why? The answer lies simply in the fact that Ramaswamy is brown and the son of immigrants.
It is this fact that he likes to use when it is convenient, to differentiate himself from the other GOP candidates in the primary run-up. Yet, at other times, he continues spewing the harmful xenophobic, white supremacist talking points, like any mentally enslaved person would.
It was convenient then, but Ramaswamy, whose father came here on a student visa, then quickly went on to lambaste undocumented migrants crossing the southern border, which he described as an “invasion”—another white supremacist talking point that this brown boy has adopted as his own.
“We will close the southern border where criminals are coming in every day,” said Ramaswamy at the debate, while advocating for the use of military force to secure the border. He has also advocated getting rid of lottery-based visas in favor of “meritocratic admission.”
In his quest for power, Ramaswamy is nothing but a confused, mentally enslaved Indian American, who has proven he would do anything to succeed, even if it means spewing Massa’s theories.
It is why the once-Libertarian is now a GOP candidate, spewing anti-immigrant theories that white supremacists are happy to cheer on as they undoubtedly snigger behind his back.
This is the same man who won a $90,000
At that time, Ramaswamy had been working for several years as an investment analyst at the hedge fund QVT Financial and reported $2,252,209 in total income, according to his tax returns. He also reported a total of $1,173,690 in income in the three previous years. That means Ramaswamy, an American who could more than afford college, lied to take money that should have gone to a real “New American” in need.
Now Ramaswamy has set his sights on the most powerful office in the world and shows he will do and say anything to get up the ladder. But Ramaswamy, in all his self-proclaimed brilliance and millions, is a fool if he believes that white GOP America will elect a Hindu and dark-skinned son of Indian immigrants with a name few can pronounce to be president of the United States.
Mental slavery will only take you so far. In this case, “President Ramaswamy” is definitely not on the cards of the alt-right GOP voters.
The writer is publisher of NewsAmericasNow.com – The Black Immigrant
Advocates for immigrant rights held a conference to discuss some of the obstacles parents need to be aware of as nearly 19,000 migrant children attend New York City public schools this fall.
The new school year kicked off last week on Thursday, September 7. There are many issues immigrant and asylum seeker families need to navigate, including getting accurate information on enrollment, language access, getting vaccinated, childcare, and most pressingly, the potential bus strike.
New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC) Director of Economic Justice and Family Empowerment Liza Schwartzwald said that even before the asylum seeker crisis began last year, at least “1-in-2 students was a child of an immigrant family.” She said all groups of English Language Learner (ELL) students and immigrant students, both old and newly arrived, deserve access to quality education.
“These students are the future of the New York City educational system and it is critical that we support them,” said Schwartzwald.
She added that the city is prepared to issue emergency MetroCards, pre-paid rideshares, and transportation reimbursement where necessary in the event of a bus strike. She said families will receive four trips on trains and city buses to get from and to school, and they will receive notification if their route is affected.
The last New York City public school bus strike was in 2013 , when bus drivers held out for a month on the picket lines in cold weather until union officials called off the strike.
Just before the school year began this year, several families of school bus riders rallied outside the Department of Education (DOE) headquarters on Tuesday, September 5. They were upset about overdue labor contracts for bus drivers, prompting worries of another potential strike. The group reportedly said that school bus drivers need safe service, adequate training, proper wheelchair har-
nesses, and better pay to avoid turnover.
“Passively sitting out these negotiations when you have the power to step in, means actively enabling the destruction of the school bus service that thousands of our kids depend on to get their education,” said Parents to Improve School Transportation (PIST NYC) CoFounder Sara Catalinotto in a statement.
The rallying group also had the support of Public Advocate Jumaane Williams. “Today we stood with @pistnyc and families to demand a fair contract for bus drivers, and for the rights of students—including those with disabilities and in temporary housing—to be protected,” Williams posted on social media . “Whenever profit is the top priority, people suffer, and that’s what will happen here.”
Despite the rally, drivers promised to bus students in the first week of school while the union continued negotiations with the city. NYIC said up to half of current bus routes may be affected by a potential bus strike.
For updates, contact the Office of Pupil
Transportation Call Center at 718-3928855, or email NYC’s Department of Education at transportation@schools.nyc.gov
Groups like Advocates for Children and LSA Family Health Service, also disseminated information about how to enroll kids into 3K and Pre-K, as well as elementary, middle, or high school. They emphasized that translation and interpretation services are and should be available at a family’s request.
Until Sept. 22, certain Family Welcome Centers will temporarily relocate to nearby schools and updated locations can be found in digital flyers available in multiple languages. Normal hours and locations will resume on Sept. 26. For the latest updates on hours and locations, please visit schools. nyc.gov/FWC.
Ariama C. Long is a Report for America corps member and writes about politics for the Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://bit.ly/amnews1
Radical Elders (RE) will have a contingent marching at the March to End Fossil Fuels on September 17th in front of the United Nations.
RE members who spoke with the Amsterdam News say they are excited to take part in the march––and looking forward to, for the first time, physically meeting some of their fellow organizational members.
Following several discussions and ideas about forming some sort of activist group for people over the age of 55, the RE established itself as a national organization and held its first official meeting virtually, on Oct. 27, 2021.
Writer Maritza Arrastia, a Puerto Rican independence and socialism movement activist, is one of RE’s founders. “When I was a young activist, I intended to be a lifelong activist,” she said. “And it seemed like there were so many radical elders, and that it would be great if [we] could come together, bring all of our experience, and try to be part of using the opportunity of the current period to maybe change everything.
“I think not only are we elders, but that the planet has been forcefully turned into a kind of elder planet by climate change. So, it seemed like getting active at this period in our lives was key and I wanted to be part of that.”
The initial Radical Elders meeting kicked
off with a pre-recorded welcome from the activist-journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal. Then the groups’ discussion turned to the plight of today’s elders––and how they are treated as a group in the U.S. Writer Alfredo Lopez, a former leader of the Puerto Rican Socialist Party, told those in the meeting that the way elders are
treated is in many ways a signal of how all people will soon be dealt with in our society. “As capitalism continues to collapse, it’s not only that we are threatened, but our knowledge is lost,” he said. “One of the reasons societies keep older people around is because we have knowledge, we have experience. All that gets lost, it gets lost in society; the perspectives that we bring to life, that’s obliterated. Because on the one hand, we’re dying more early than we could. We’re incapacitated more early, and, in many cases, for a substantial amount of our lives. We’re so freaked about having to survive, [that] we don’t think about being able to contribute.”
When society misses out on what elders can provide it’s not just a shame, it can be detrimental, said Zakiya Alake, a community activist from Boston. She said the importance of passing on historical knowledge, as an elder, is vital.
Alake’s oldest son is 49 and she says she wants him to understand that “Social Security didn’t just magically appear because President Franklin Delano Roosevelt waved his pen. No, it was really [the] radical, militant, largely working-class action in the street that brought us the minimum safety-net programs that we have. And this is important because if we don’t inoculate them…talk about a vaccine! We’ve got to inoculate the successive generations with the spirit to fight for what they need: intelligently, with critical thinking and base-
As part of the March to End Fossil Fuels, the Radical Elders––the majority of whom are older than 65––will see many of its members travel to New York and march for a mile and a half to demonstrate their anger with how the U.S. government is tackling climate instability. The goal is to push President Biden to permanently end the use of fossil fuels.
RE members want to have a large presence on September 17th to show they’re concerned about climate change.
And RE members say they want to remain active and pass on important, activist information to others. The organization remains open to new members who want to be part of a group that is designed to be led by people from the global majority: Black, Indigenous, and other people of color.
“It’s funny, you know, I would get on to the Radical Elders webinars and interact with folks, and it’s not so much that I would hear very left-wing politics espoused,” Alake said. “But it’s in the work that we’re doing.
“We’re saying, it’s not our official tagline, but many of us say, either ‘We’re not done yet,’ or ‘We ain’t finished yet.’ ‘We still have miles to go before we sleep.’”
For more information on the Radical Elders, see their website https://radicalelders.net/ or email them at: info@ radicalelders.net
Freedom of assembly isn’t free. At least not for the NYPD, whose agreement to reform and curtail protest enforcement stems from settling lawsuits led by State Attorney General Letitia James, along with the NYCLU and the Legal Aid Society, over use-of-force tactics against 2020 Black Lives Matter demonstrators. The settlement order was accepted and finalized by federal district judge Colleen McMahon last Thursday, Sept. 7.
“The right to peacefully assemble and protest is sacrosanct and foundational to our democracy. Too often, peaceful protesters have been met with force that has harmed innocent New Yorkers simply trying to exercise their rights,” said James in a statement. “Today’s agreement will meaningfully change how the NYPD engages with and responds to public demonstrations in New York City. As the Attorney General, it is my duty to protect New Yorkers’ rights and this agreement will ensure
that peaceful protesters can make their voices heard without fear, intimidation, or harm.”
The NYPD will soon abide by a scaling tier system when approaching protests, preventing them from deploying heavily armed units like the Strategic Response Group (SRG) unless protest conditions escalate to meet the criteria for a higher-tiered response. It ranges between four progressive tiers: The first only allows for directing routes and enforcing traffic laws, and the fourth permits the NYPD to disperse a protest. However, police can jump immediately to the third tier if there’s probable cause for an arrest, allowing for the SRV’s deployment, according to the Mayor’s Office.
Other reforms include the end of “kettling,” the practice of encircling and occluding protesters with bikes or shields. Police can only surround specific individuals subject to arrest and must guide other demonstrators safely out of the enclosed space. In addition, the department cannot use
With the tagline“Where Health Meets Heritage,” the Black Health Matters Harlem Week Health Summit and Expo featured a wide array of speakers, health resources, and information. Citing “some of the greatest health challenges of our time,” the Summit, held last month at the Alhambra Ballroom in Harlem, featured remarks from CDC Executive Director Mandy K. Cohen, MD, MPH, and Department of Health (DOH) Commissioner Ashwin Vasan, MD, PhD.
Vasan kicked things off by talking about the current status of healthcare among New Yorkers. “In recent times, our health has taken quite the hit,” Vasan said. “Life
expectancy and life spans...[have] fallen dramatically over the last few years. And while COVID might have been the greatest threat that we face in our lifetimes, it’s just one explanation for why our life spans are getting shorter and our lives are getting less healthy.”
Vasan spoke about other contributing factors, including alcohol use, drug use, and overdoses.
He added that not everyone experiences these impacts equally. “Black New Yorkers are suffering the largest declines in health of any group in our city,” Vasan said. “The average Black New Yorkers can expect to live 73 years in New York City compared to 78 years for white New Yorkers. This is unacceptable to me.”
What can individuals do? Vasan offered several possibilities, including:
• Investing in preventive medicine
• Checking your blood pressure
• Stopping tobacco use
• Learning how to use naloxone to prevent overdoses
• Maintaining healthy diet and nutrition
• Ensuring that children and adults are up to date on vaccines and boosters (COVID, RSV, flu)
Vasan concluded by saying that “vaccines save lives” and “Black health matters. Your health matters. It matters to me, it matters to the mayor, and we are committed to centering it. We know that if our city is going to be healthier overall, we have to center the needs of the Black community.”
Vasan then handed the microphone over to Cohen, who focused on vaccination. “There are a lot of threats to our health and our ability to be healthy, but we also have more tools than ever before,
and one of the tools I want to talk to you about is vaccines,” Cohen said. “How wonderful it is as parents that we can give that gift to our kids.”
Cohen spoke specifically about RSV and new tools available to protect children: “Many of us have had friends or our own kids who have been in the hospital with RSV, so don’t let that happen this year. If you have a little baby, it’s time to get their RSV shot.”
Cohen also discussed the drop in vaccinations during the COVID-19 pandemic and implored families to protect children.
“As they get ready for school, put vaccines on their back-to-school checklist.”
Cohen ended her remarks on an upbeat note, saying that she wants “to make sure we’re protecting them from measles and polio and chickenpox.”
In a Q&A session with reporters after their remarks, Vasan reiterated the importance of
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getting vaccinated. “The majority of people hospitalized and severely ill are unvaccinated, so it’s more important than ever to get vaccinated if you haven’t been vaccinated and to get the new booster [when available].”
Cohen talked about the impending release of the new COVID-19 booster, which she said is likely to be introduced “the second or third week of September. We will see the FDA approve a new COVID Booster, then the CDC will make a final recommendation on who should get that booster. I expect that this will be a booster that is widely available to everyone. Again, we’re seeing more COVID already starting to circulate, or know [there’s] going to be more COVID this fall and winter, so likely what you will see from us is a recommendation to get your COVID booster, probably the second or third week of September.”
For additional resources about COVID-19, visit www1.nyc.gov/site/coronavirus/index. page or call 311. COVID-19 testing, masks, and vaccination resources can also be accessed on the AmNews’ COVID-19 page: www.amsterdamnews.com/covid/. The COVID-19 Express site is at nyc.gov/covidexpress. At-home rapid test kits are available for pickup at nyc.gov/covidtest.
By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Special to the AmNews
Among the 225 exhibitors at 2023’s Armory Show, held September 8–10 at the Javits Center, there were galleries showing breathtaking works from artists from around the world. Most of the pieces were efforts to show modern-day African and African diaspora lives in occasionally dreamlike, but more often everyday, circumstances.
The London, England-based Jack Bell Gallery showcased Marc Padeu’s work, exhibiting his efforts to “paint the everyday life of the people around me, my family, and friends.” The Cameroonian-born artist had pieces like “La bague de Roxane (Roxane’s ring)” (acrylic on canvas, 2023), a work that pops with vibrant colors while zeroing in on a joyful, celebratory moment among three female friends.
In the backdrop of his painting “From Fantasy to Escape 5” (acrylic and sgraffito on canvas 2023), Hilary Balu, from Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, showed the expansiveness and lushness the DRC can provide and sets the nation’s people, with their acquired clothing, products, and faraway gazes, as static juxtapositions.
The artist and architect Arthur Timothy also turned his attention to Black lives, by recapturing family poses and embraces that were initially his family’s old photographic images, taken when they lived in Ghana, Sierra Leone, and later England.
The Ghana-based Gallery 1957 included paintings by Timothy such as “Colossus” (oil on linen, 2023), which pays tribute to his late brother, Desmond.
The nonprofit Aperture Foundation featured photographic works by various art-
ists, including Carlos Idun-Tawiah. With “Flower Boy” (Accra, 2023), Idun-Tawiah said he was reflecting on “growing up in a Christian and Ghanaian home,” the artist wrote: “I tried to highlight the ethos of Sundays from a vernacular perspective. I played with visual nostalgia, juxtapositions, color and gesture to fully extract the tenor of Sundays in Ghana from as far back as I could remember.” In “Mommy, Smile” (2023) the artist looked back at his initial interest in photography, and the various disposable and different camera brands he used as he tried to define his style. And with “Hide and Seek” (2023), Idun-Tawiah explained that he had created “a memoir of my childhood friendships and that of many people who grew up in communal environments. This is my own way of highlighting the joy of friendship and community especially among boys, and how quickly yet deeply we get connected to each other through leisure and our aspirations. I also sought to express the beauty of the mundane and how far that goes into synthesizing our communities; like how a ball could bring hundreds of us together on a dusty pitch, to how flying kites and chasing sunsets at the beach felt like therapy.”
“Sitting in Bars with Cake,” based on the novel by Audrey Shulman and executiveproduced by Yara Shahidi, Janet Knutsen, and Teri Simpson, is very well produced.
Inspired by true events, “Sitting in Bars with Cake” follows Jane (Yara Shahidi) and Corinne (Odessa A’zion), best friends since elementary school, as they navigate life in Los Angeles in their 20s. Corinne, the ultimate extrovert, convinces her shy but extremely talented baker best friend, Jane, to commit to a year of baking cakes and bringing them to bars (also known as “cakebarring”) with the goal of meeting people and developing confidence.
During their year of cakebarring, Corinne receives a life-altering diagnosis,
role, and in some ways, it’s a nod to her iconic performance in “Beaches” (1988), profoundly influencing the film’s emotional resonance.
Once the story delves into the issues of loss, the cake-related sequences serve more as a backdrop than a driving force, despite the film’s title. But that’s okay. Life happens and the genuine camaraderie portrayed by the two young actresses and the supporting cast allows the film to successfully navigate this shift in focus. The film also benefits from its authentic Los Angeles settings, providing a refreshing sense of realism often absent in contemporary cinema. While the cake aspect of the story may feel somewhat forced, considering its role as the film’s organizing principle, the genuine and heartfelt portrayal of the enduring friendship be-
Basketball is more than just a sport; it’s a culture uniting Harlem residents. “KINGDOME,” a documentary short by Shawn Antoine II, was recently screened at the Maysles Documentary Center in Harlem. The film vibrantly explores how the Kingdome Classic evolved into a community tradition, while paying homage to those who had a great impact on it.
Kingdome was founded by Terry “Huncho” Cooper in 1984. The tournament takes place in the middle of Martin Luther King Jr. Towers, also known as Foster Projects, and brings together the best young basketball talent and celebrities with the Harlem community. Huncho’s legacy has affected many, including Antoine himself, who was honored when Huncho asked him to produce a documentary on Kingdome’s history.
The 20-minute film features cameos from NBA player Mo Bamba and Harlem rapper Jim Jones—an example of the kinship between hip hop and basketball. Antoine grew up on the west side of Harlem, opposite Kingdome. “I didn’t know too much about that world and I think the biggest thing for Kingdome and its impact on hip hop and Black culture, even the world, is that people needed to be drawn in how I was,” he said.
The documentary pulls the audience in with its captivating characters, raw footage of Kingdome games, and clips of popular New York City music artists like Diddy, Dame Dash, and Teyana Taylor—in addition to shining shots from Harlem’s past.
At the recent screening, viewers were amused by a MySpace reference, the social media platform from 20 years ago. They laughed and reacted at timely moments during the film. Antoine made this screening very interactive, including his openness to feedback.
During the artist talkback after the film, Antoine said he was aiming for more depth in his vision beyond basketball. He wants to produce a feature film that focuses on Harlem’s collective fondness for Kingdome.
“In a longer version of the film, I imagine myself following a player and following Kev [Kevin Joseph] as he’s putting together a tournament,” said Antoine. After asking the crowd for more suggestions, one response hit home from a resident who grew up in Kingdome.
“I have 20 years of seeing the Kingdome happen myself, but I’ve never seen somebody come to my projects and be able to vividly show the community, show the basketball players, the kids, and the people who started it,” said Rodney Noultrie. The Foster Projects resident said this short film was a great way to accurately display the hard work, dedication, and unity associated with the tournament. “It was very important to show how far we come over time and all the
legends and elevation we created as a community for Kingdome to take place,” said Noultrie.
Noultrie told Antoine everything he showcased in the film was “dope.”
Antoine understands the importance of documenting the beauty of a united community, and not a violent one. As a youth, Antoine saw more athletes and musicians in Harlem than he saw filmmakers. Antoine described the support he feels as “amazing.” “I’m a filmmaker. I have to take on this responsibility of telling stories in my community as authentically and as positively as I can,” he said.
Maintaining positivity in Harlem is challenging, especially with gentrification and past neighborhood shootings. According to “KINGDOME,” in the mid-2000s, a child being shot led to the NYPD banning loud music at the tournament. The lack of music inspired Voice of Harlem to im-
provise chanting “no music” over a microphone in rhythm—and people danced to it.
The creativity of “No Music” led to the 2006 viral hit “Chicken Noodle Soup” by Harlem’s own Webstar and Young B.
Antoine referred to Kingdome as a “special place” because it’s enjoyed by youth, older residents, and college and professional basketball players alike. He spoke
about the importance of creating, building, and maintaining different relationships in the process of making his documentary. “It’s such an interesting experience as a documentary filmmaker,” he said. “You’re not just a filmmaker. I think that’s the last thing you are: More importantly, you’re a reporter, [and] you’re a historian.”
Noultrie values the essence of the universe witnessing “the greatest tournament in NYC.” “We are like no other tournament in the city because we are actually from here,” said Noultrie. He anticipates Antoine adding more vital characters to the feature film. “I’m from here and I can help Shawn connect with the community more than the basketball side of things.”
Antoine is very considerate in making sure the correct people are involved with the film, and looks forward to shooting the feature-length version in coincide with Kingdome’s 40th anniversary next year.
For more information, visit www.shawnantoineii.com and his Instagram page at www.instagram.com/shawnantoineii.
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SEPTERMBER 14, 2023—SEPTERMBER 20, 2023
Rebirth of A New Nation: Calm down, the universe is sending signals in all different directions; through your feet, brain, heart, hands, legs, hips, chest—anywhere it feels you need to put your attention during this new moon in Virgo at 21 degrees. The eyes can only make use of what one has been programmed to believe, until one has been introduced to something else for advancement and for gaining knowledge. The strangest things are becoming the new norm in the Aquarian age. We all serve a purpose in this world. Learning your polarity can be your biggest asset in reaching your higher self. “The principle of polarity states that like and unlike are the same, that opposites are identical in their nature and different only in their degree.”
Pucker and muster up as this week ushers in assignment after assignment for your advancement. Cappy, you can handle the load and utilize your effective leadership and management skills to get the job done. What’s the dream you are willing into existence? 2023 is a year of romance, fiancés, health, and attending to personal and business affairs with home obligations pulling on you. Set boundaries. From September 13 around 1:18 a.m. until September 15 around 1:30 p.m. slow it down so you can gasp what data is coming to you as the Libra air kicks in—while earthy Virgo keeps you balanced and centered.
Change, structure, opportunity, and revelations are in your weekly forecast. What a doozy, with an unusual wave of energy knocking at your door, sending chills up your spine and traveling to your head down to your feet. The universe is putting you on notice so pay attention to how your body is responding to the things you eat and the environments you enter. From September 15th around 1:44 p.m. until September 18 around midnight, all the details you need to know will come forth so don’t mind the up-in-theair moments; they’re there for a reason. The 411 is on its way.
New adventures, new environments, and new people to network and extend your services to will be in the air. Inner-stand your personal and business needs rather than wants. When you meet with the bosses and higherups, bring your portfolio of your work, experience, and confidence, and make your move on the chessboard. It’s up to you to take an opportunity even if you are not a qualified candidate. There is something else waiting for you. From September 18 around 12:58 a.m. until September 20th around 9:45a.m. In life you have to go through something that teaches you a lesson to get to the next level.
What a mysterious mystical revelation of dreams coming true, with a universal alignment of being in harmony at a particular time and space. This week, it is what it is: what you see is what you get. While you are present take a deeper look in silence; there is something only for your eyes to see. Listen to the messages from within or the songs in your heart. From September 14th around 6:36 a.m. until September 16th around 7 p.m. everything has its meaning, there is no rhyme, no reason; things and events already occur in the spiritual realm before entering the physical realm. Take notes.
Can you say you are speechless? There are no words that can express what the eyes of the soul capture in a breath of the moment. The feeling is true. Nope, you can’t double-take on this one, you have to seize the moment. The hidden isn’t mysterious, it’s right in your face. Allow your six senses to guide you in the direction of the unknown for what the soul of the body has prepared for you. From September 13 around 1:18 a.m. until September 15th around 1:30 p.m. as weird, odd, ugly, and extraordinary things will appear, adjust your looking glasses and take off the rose tint. Then you can see clearly and hear what you need to hear.
Abracadabra, what is the message you are conveying to the people that the universe has awakened you up to? Your planetary ruler Mercury is retrograde in Virgo, soon to station directly from reaching back into time and space to gather facts. Get ready for a grand yawn and stretch to oxygenate your body for the daily motion activity laid out for you from the universe. Watch the words you speak. From September 15th around 1:44 p.m. until September 18 around midnight, when you speak, make it positive even if you have a potty mouth. Positive vibes can be felt to express your gratitude for the opportunities forthcoming.
Wayne B ChandlerAre you ready to follow your passion and network with people who share similar aspirations? Well, they just might be your best buddies once you get to know them and possibly collaborate on a project. When you open yourself up, crabby Cancer, and stretch those arms of yours, you can soar and navigate to higher realms. Get out your feelings and apply your feelings to end something and to write a new chapter in your life—the partnership will follow. From September 18 around 12:58 a.m. until September 20th around 9:45 a.m. all it takes is faith and a mindset to stick to what you’ve written out or planned and it will happen.
To be at the top of your game or the food chain, as folk call it, there is still so much that goes on behind the scenes that people don’t know nor see. It takes discipline, wisdom, willpower, mind control, and skill to navigate through the bull crap people throw at you. Even what may seem like a monkey-wrench thrown into your plans is an assignment from the divine to progress forward. Schedule a staff meeting for updates and strategies to reach a goal. From September 14th around 6:36 a.m. until September 16th around 7 p.m. inner-stand who will play a certain position within the foundation as key players.
Are you ready for LL Cool J’s “Mama Said Knock You Out” song with Mercury in Virgo stationing directly on September 15? Be ready for “Love TKO,” as Teddy Pendergrass said in his song; it’s a time for some of you Virgos in the world with healing vibes to go chill somewhere and relax. Messages are flying around during this precursor to the Libra air season. It’s best to pay attention to the signs, symbols, and tones of conversation. Energy is fluid, it can get on you and make you feel some type of way like Rich Homie Quan said. From September 13 around 1:18 a.m. until September 15th around 1:30 p.m., listen and then speak.
“What in the world is going on here?” are the words coming out your mouth or voicing silently in your mind. You know you feel that strange vibe and energy in your body. When whatever it is comes to you, be open to receive the information coming forth and be still until it comes. No need to ask around, it will reveal itself to you or you will run right into it. It’s definitely not a mystery nor consequence, you never know who is watching you. Mars in Libra will assist in your discernment. From September 15th around 1:44 p.m. until September 18 around 12 a.m. patience is a virtue.
Everything you have been imagining and experiencing in your body is occurring on site. There is a time and place for things to meet up from the spiritual realm into the physical realm. Give gratitude to the soulful you for patience of the wait-and-see cycle. Listen to the birds chirping. Can you guess the songs they are singing? Some will communicate to you or tune you into a certain vibrations to make the connection to receive the memo.
The song “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands” is a theme song for victory and the things you accomplish. Are you ready for the next voyage? Plans are being made and all you need to do is be the one who walks right in the door and informs them of your skills and experience in certain fields. There will be a test which allows the other door to become available to you. Live in the now, seize the moment, and be the one to make a story out of your work as part of history. From September 14th around 6:36 a.m. until September 16th around 7 p.m., evolution is as good as the people from prior generations.
From pumpkin patches and Halloween-themed events to African American culture gems, plan a fall getaway to Westchester County
By TRACY E. HOPKINS Special to the AmNews
You don’t have to travel far to enjoy the fall foliage and take advantage of all that the crisp pumpkin season has to offer. About an hour’s drive or a Metro North train hop from New York City, the topographically diverse cities and villages of Westchester County will keep your fall weekend or midweek escape calendar booked and busy.
Anchor your trip to the region with a stay at The Opus Westchester (https://www.theopuswestchester.com/), centrally located near the bustling strip of shops and restaurants in downtown White Plains, N.Y. The luxury hotel boasts artfully decorated common spaces and suites, high-end dining options (including Red Horse by David Burke), an indoor swimming pool, and the property’s crown jewel—the Opus Spa, where guests and visitors indulge in pampering facials and muscle-melting massages and body treatments.
Seasonal highlights
Go apple- and pumpkin-picking, sample ciders and maple syrup, and bring home fresh produce and pies at the 13 farms and orchards dotted along the Westchester Farm Trail (https://www.visitwestchesterny.com/things-to-do/outdoors/farms/), including Stuart’s Farm and Wilkens Fruit and Fir Farm.
Explore the lush grounds and gardens and catch a performance at the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts (https://caramoor.org/) in Katonah, N.Y. On Sunday, Oct. 15 at 3 p.m., Caramoor celebrates the Mexican holiday Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, with a free, family-friendly afternoon of music and dance. Looking ahead to the holiday season, reserve a seat for the popular afternoon tea series.
Take a social media post-worthy trip to Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y., for the Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze (https://hudsonvalley.org/events/blaze/), a Halloween season highlight featuring more than 7,000 hand-carved, illuminated pumpkins with synchronized lighting and an original soundtrack set against the eerie backdrop of Van Cortlandt Manor’s 18th-century buildings and riverside landscape. This year, added features include the twirling pumpkin Ferris wheel and a circus sideshow. Purchase advance tickets online. While in Croton-on-Hudson, visit the picturesque Croton Gorge Park (https://parks. westchestergov.com/croton-gorge-park), a
97-acre property at the base of the Croton Dam with impressive views of the dam and spillway. This popular spot for fishing, picnicking, and hiking is open year-round.
“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” lives on in the quaint village of Sleepy Hollow, N.Y.
To hear Washington Irving’s tale of the Headless Horseman in an appropriately spooky setting, sign up for one of the guided, day- or night-time Sleepy Hollow Cemetery Tours (https://visitsleepyhollow.com/plan/sleepy-hollow-cemeterytours/). Through November 12, take a tour of Irving’s home on Sunnyside Lane in nearby Irvington, N.Y.
Take a meditative walk along the Hudson River waterfront in Yonkers, N.Y., to view a public art project called the Enslaved Africans Rain Garden (http:// enslavedafricansraingarden.org/). This urban heritage garden near Philipse Manor Hall is the vision of artist and Yonkers native Vinnie Bagwell and includes five large bronze sculptures depicting freed enslaved people.
Bragwell also created a bronze statue of legendary jazz vocalist Ella Fitzgerald, who spent her formative years in Yonkers. Entitled “The First Lady of Jazz, Ella Fitzgerald,”
Metro-North
Dig into scrumptious contemporary Southern cuisine and Caribbean flavors at Alvin & Friends in New Rochelle, N.Y. Owner Alvin Clayton’s downtown staple is known for its live jazz and colorful original artwork. At the restaurant’s website, the Trinidad native says, “Throughout my travels, I’d always dreamed of one day having my own restaurant; a place to call my own. I wanted it to feel as if I was having friends over for a visit, just as my grandparents had entertained their friends when I was a child.”
The new Renaissance New York Harlem Hotel, at 233 W. 125th St. was the perfect venue for the 12th season of Harlem Fashion Week, whose theme this time was “Hip Hop on the Runway.” It was the hotel’s first public event, and the establishment didn’t disappoint. The Renaissance’s incredibly luxurious design pays tribute to Harlem’s stars, many of whom appeared at The Apollo Theatre right next door.
The mother-daughter team of Tandra Birkett and Yvonne Jewnell, owners of the fashion company Yvonne Jewnell New York, LLC, and co-founders of Harlem Fashion Week, established Harlem Fashion Week in 2016. It’s a much-needed platform for rising Harlem fashion designers. Proceeds from this major event will benefit the continued development of HFW Learning Center, the nonprofit arm of Harlem Fashion Week that’s dedicated to the development of HFW Kids—the next generation of fashion creators.
HFW’s Hip Hop Fashion on the Runway was comprised of a three-day series of interesting events including a Beauty Crawl sponsored by Uptown General; a fashion industry mixer; and a Business of Fashion seminar at Chase Bank at 55 W. 125th Street, where a special panel offered advice for prospective designers stylists, models, photographers, and other folks interested in working in the fashion industry.
This year’s HFW awards went to rapper/ actor Ice T, legendary DJ Hollywood, Melle
Mel, Roxanne Shanté, DJ Ralph McDaniels, Harlem hip hop trailblazer Jim Jones, Beyoncé’s celebrity stylist Zerina Akers, and hip hop educator Christopher Emdin. While we were speaking to Ice T in the HFW VIP suite, he changed into a blue/black patterned leather jacket designed by Foreign Labur that was passed to him. We asked him about his rise to fame. “You know, I started out with nothing,” said Ice T. “I just jumped on every opportunity to make something of myself.” We also met with DJ Hollywood, who got his first job in 1971 and received his license to spin in 1974.
Born 50 years ago, hip hop music introduced a new genre in fashion. Some called it street fashion. The music and fashion styles stay alive through today’s emerging designers, five of whom were introduced at this year’s Harlem Fashion Week.
Robyn Bandele was the first designer in the show. Last Sunday morning, Bandele was interviewed on Channel 4-TV’s “Positively Black,” where she announced her runway debut that was scheduled at the Renaissance New York Harlem Hotel for Harlem Fashion Week that same evening.
Bandele is 6 feet 2 inches tall and she specially designs her clothing line to focus on tall women. On HFW’s runway last Sunday, her clothes were refreshing and stunning. The collection consisted of two-toned patterned pieces, glittery gowns, dresses with splits, and separates in modern styles with contrast trims. Her clothes were wearable and elegant. See more of her sophisticated and tall collection at www.robynbandele. com. Menswear designer Frederick Pore also showed a nice line.
In the realm of literature and thought, a tapestry of voices and visions weaves together the rich narratives of culture, identity, and spirituality. In two distinct yet harmonious books, “Sing a Black Girl’s Song” by Orchester Benjamin and “bell books’ Spiritual Vision” by Nadra Nittle, we are invited on an illuminating journey into the depths of creative expression and spiritual exploration.
These two books, each a distinct work of scholarship and reverence, share a common thread: a deep-seated commitment to amplifying the voices and ideas of visionary women who have helped shape our understanding of literature, culture, and spirituality.
Ntozake Shange, celebrated for her groundbreaking choreopoem “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf,” and bell hooks, renowned for her prolific feminist scholarship and intersectional analyses, stand as beacons of intellectual prowess and artistic brilliance.
In “Sing a Black Girl’s Song,” Benjamin unveils Shange’s hitherto unpublished writings, offering readers an intimate glimpse into the inner world of a literary icon. Through Shange's poignant poetry, prose, and personal reflections, we are afforded a privileged vantage point from which to witness the evolution of her thoughts and creativity. Benjamin’s careful curation and insightful commentary provide an invaluable opportunity to rediscover Shange’s
genius and explore the nuanced layers of her artistry.
Nittle’s “bell hooks Spiritual Vision” journeys through the spiritual dimensions of bell hooks’s work. Beyond hooks’s well-known feminist critiques, Nittle delves into the lesser-explored realm of hooks’s spiritual inquiries, drawing connections between her Buddhist, Christian, and feminist perspectives. This thought-provoking examination encourages us to consider the intersections of faith, feminism, and self-discovery in a new light, offering fresh insights into the complexity of hooks’s intellectual legacy. Together, these two literary works introduce readers to an intellectual and creative landscape where the voices of Black women writers and thinkers resound with power and resonance. Through their words and ideas, we embark on a transformative journey that invites us to question, to reflect, and to celebrate the profound legacies of two brilliant, invaluable Black women thinkers.
Mezzo-soprano, composer, and multi-dimensional artist Alicia Hall Moran brings her indoor ice-skating show to National Sawdust for two sets on Sept. 15. “Cold Blooded” (an “alt opera concept for the ice,” as described on her website) features the Hands Free quartet (James Moore, Caroline Shaw, Nathan Koci, and Eleonore Oppenheim), plus percussionist Jacqueline Acevedo, dancer Olivia Bowman-Jackson, ice dancer Sarah France, and guitarists Brandon Ross and Thomas Flippin. Moran explores contact with ice as an experience and includes some traditional notions of ice skating in an evening of artistry and athleticism. For more info and tickets, visit www.nationalsawdust.org.
Last year, pianist and composer Omar Sosa rattled Dizzy’s jazz club on his debut performance with his native rhythms of Cuba and ancestral sounds ofWest Africa, Brazil, and Central America. From September 15–17, Sosa returns with an extended repertoire that will once again keep his audience in a festive dance mode and hand-clapping to Afro Cuban beats.
Sosa appears with his trusted ensemble Quarteto Americanos, featuring Bay Area artists drummer Josh Jones; saxophonist and percussionist Peter Apfelbaum; and bassist Ernesto Mazar Kindelan, with special guest tenor and soprano saxophonist/bass clarinetist Sheldon Brown (September 17, 5 p.m. set only).
Sosa’s music reflects a multi-layered texture of acoustic and electronic elements, and a deep well of creativity draws on a fresh buoyancy rooted in the spiritual-ness of Santeria to his intense piano chords that become percussive melodies bringing out the groove and soul of it all.
“This band is more free—we have room to interact with more conversation and that’s what jazz is all about. For the show, we will play
many of my original compositions.”
For reservations, visit www.2023jazz.org.
All jazz clubs have great music— an obvious prerequisite for any live music venue—but the Jazz Gallery (1160 Broadway) has proved to be more than a mere performance-driven venue. Since its founding in 2002, the nonprofit organization has introduced and presented some of the most imaginative aspiring and established musicians to New York City. To complement the Jazz Gallery’s invigorating stage performances, they introduced TJG Vinyl Listening Series in 2018, a unique opportunity to participate in a curated listening experience hosted by musicians and jazz luminaries in an informal and ambient setting (it is one of the very few jazz clubs that boasts a beautiful and comfortable waiting space).
On September 18, TJG Vinyl Series will present the exciting piano voyagers David Virelles & Craig Taborn; on October 18, guitarist Bill Frisell and award-winning jazz writer/ author Ashley Kahn; and on November 6, two generations of drummers: Billy Hart and Nasheet Waits. Wine and cheese will be available, along with music and insightful conversation. Each event is $50, mem-
bers $45. A subscription for all three series is $105/$100 for members. For more info, visit www.Jazzgallery.org.
Langston Hughes wrote many poems about the blues: “The Negro Speaks of Rivers,” “Blue Monday,” “Down and Out,” and “The Weary Blues,” one of his memorable poems that became the title of his first book of poetry in 1925. But what happened to the blues in this 21st century, or even in the 20th century? Well, at least during those days, the blues were larger than life, with Big Joe Turner, B.B. and Albert King, John Hurt, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Bessie Smith, and Alberta Hunter; these blues singers were belting out big-deal notes in music halls throughout America. You could hear their distinct voices vibrating jukeboxes from the Mississippi Delta and Detroit to Harlem.
The blues were bum-rushed, highjacked, misappropriated, taken over by patriarchal pretenders. Hughes described it best in his poem “Note on Commercial Theatre”: ‘You’ve taken my blues and gone/You sing’em on Broadway/And you sing’em in Hollywood Bowl/And you mixed ’em up with symphonies /and you fixed ’em/ so they don’t sound like me,” even though the Black roots of the blues
are based on rhythms from Africa, a sound reflected in the shouts, howls, hollas, grunts, and call and response coming from the ancestors toiling in the burning sun of slavery.
Most recently, award-winning novelist, poet, pianist, and playwright Ishmael Reed was wondering what happened to the Oakland Blues, in his essay “The Thrill is Gone.” After his fiery essay, Reed took to the studio, recording his own blues statement CD titled “Blues Lyrics” with the West Coast Blues Caravan of All Stars, featuring saxophonist marvel David Murray and blues guitarist Ronnie Stewart.
“The blues may be close to extinction,” said Reed. “I raised money to produce this CD and asked Ronnie Stewart to assemble some of Oakland’s finest blues musicians to back up the readings of my original blues lyrics.”
The band consists of lead guitarist Stewart, trombonist Art Hafen, keyboardist Michael Robinson, bassist Gregory “Gman” Simmons, and drummer Michael Simmons. Stewart is a music historian and advocate for the Bay Area Blues Society.
“Blues Lyrics” contains six tracks swimming in the blues pond, hot as tabasco sauce on collard greens and cornbread with pigs’ feet in vinegar. “She hurt me so bad on
Christmas Eve, I cried all Christmas Day” are lyrics to the opening track, “Christmas Day Blues.”
Now, Reed isn’t belting out his blues tunes like Big Joe Turner—his timbre is more smooth and mellow, but his rhythmic melody is all blues deep down in your gut. But damn, that Stewart on guitar is hurtin’. Murray’s solos are blistering— Murray usually drops some blues in his original works, but here he’s all in. The blues ain’t dead, it’s survivin’, it’s still livin’ and shoutin’, fightin’ like I’m writin’. Damn—check that track, “Middle Class Blues.”
Six explosive tracks, a blues band full of combustive notes with Reed’s lyrical blues leading the charge. Best blues band I’ve heard in years, dancing in 21st-century swing.
“Yep, you done taken my blues and gone. But someday somebody’ll/ Stand up and talk about me/black and beautiful/and sing about me!/ I reckon it’ll be me/Me myself!/Yes, it’ll be me.”
Yep, Langston’s words are right: “someday somebody’ll /Stand up and talk about me”—that day is here. Look around, your blues ain’t gone, we still holdin on, Black and beautiful. Your blues is on Blues Lyrics by Ishmael Reed, recorded on his label Konch Records, online at Bandcamp and CD Baby.
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and Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) Dr. Jason Graham announced two new identifications—a man and woman whose names are being withheld at the request of their families—as the 1,648th and 1,649th individuals to be found using advanced DNA testing.
“We hope these new identifications can bring some measure of comfort to the families of these victims,” said Adams in a statement. “The ongoing efforts by the Office of Chief Medical Examiner attest to the city’s unwavering commitment to reunite all the World Trade Center victims with their loved ones.”
Some 1,104 victims—40% of those who died in the attacks—remain unidentified, said the city.
“More than 20 years after the disaster, these two new identifications continue to fulfill a solemn pledge that OCME made to
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Hochul worked with Moynihan when she was 28 years old. At the time, it was a dream job to be his staffer. “I was so humbled— that kid from Buffalo, N.Y.—to be able to work with him,” said Hochul.
She said that they were at the helm of the last round of bipartisan immigration reforms that passed in the 1980s. She is hopeful that the center’s inaugural class
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finding a majority of Airbnb hosts offering units in Black neighborhoods were white by mapping and racially-coding the faces of listing accounts to their ascribed rentals. The study was commended by multiple elected officials including Helen Rosenthal, a city council co-sponsor of the bill that later became Local Law 18, but was criticized by Airbnb and shortterm rental proponents for lacking direct racial data of hosts.
“I wouldn’t recommend this for most subjects, but that was really the only way I could do it—I couldn’t send surveys out to Airbnb hosts or trust what Airbnb was saying,” said Cox. “I found that in the majority Black neighborhoods, there was a 500% disparity between the Black demographic of the neighborhood and the inclusion of Black hosts in the Airbnb community…Airbnb was a gentrification tool in Black and Black and brown neighborhoods.”
He points to recent Gothamist reporting, which analyzed recent listings in a
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annual “New York State Beach Cleanup.”
The cleanup will take place from 12 noon to 3 p.m. at the North Channel Bridge on Crossbay Blvd.
Register to join the beach cleanup at https://www.littoralsociety.org/blog/ register-for-the-38th-annual-new-yorkstate-beach-cleanup.
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The nonprofit Montclair Gateway to Aging in Place (mGAP) is working with other organizations to host an architectural design competition.
return the remains of World Trade Center victims to their loved ones,” said Graham.
“Faced with the largest and most complex forensic investigation in the history of our country, we stand undaunted in our mission to use the latest advances in science to serve this promise.”
Adams said that he was afraid on that day, but committed to keeping the city safe and
and other classes to come will carry on the legacy of preserving democracy.
The Amsterdam News caught up briefly with some of the undergraduate fellows at the opening reception who were excited to be working toward a life of public service.
“Being a part of Moynihan fellowship, I feel like we’re all getting the unique opportunity to nurture our passions and finding how we can put those passions toward public service and toward the community,” said fellow Alison Holst, 19.
“I just feel truly honored to have been
seeing it get back on its feet—a sentiment he has very much made the bedrock of his administration.
Ariama C. Long is a Report for America corps member and writes about politics for the Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://bit.ly/amnews1.
given the opportunity and I think that it’s amazing that we’ll be looked upon to make changes and improvements in the fellowship in later years,” added Briana Dominique, 20.
Ariama C. Long is a Report for America corps member and writes about politics for the Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://bit.ly/amnews1.
neighborhoods. She adds that through her work, she regularly sees Black and brown families moving out of the city due to the cost of rent and living—she believes Local Law 18 addresses and prevents such displacement.
The contest, which will be funded by a Partners for Health Foundation and AARP Community Challenge grant, is looking for creative architectural designs for accessory dwelling units (ADUs). Designs should help address the local housing shortage and “explore how architecture can offer a new housing unit on existing single-family plots that will potentially:
● Generate new rental income for the homeowner
● Provide a barrier-free residence on owner’s property
● Conform to a minimum requirement of 6 ft to property line
● Conform to a maximum height of 15 feet to the top of the roof
“All ADU designs must be submitted by current undergraduate and graduate-level students and cannot represent the output of a professional architectural firm. Prize fund is $5,000.”
Register to take part in the competition by September 20. For more information, visit https://montclairgateway.org/adu-faqs/, call 973-5183867, or email to montclairgateway@ gmail.com.
––Compiled by Karen Juanita Carrillo
Bed-Stuy block finding that around 30% of properties were purchased by LLCs, many within the past 10 years.
Mobilization for Justice housing lawyer
Nikita Salehi-Azhan says Local Law 18— like anything else “that throws a wet blanket on the property market”—is a positive step for New York City tenants but further needs to be done to solve the housing crisis, especially for those in Black and brown
“[While] the Black and brown landlord can’t be an Airbnb host with these new qualifications, they can still participate in a sublease agreement, given their lease allows them to,” added Salehi-Azhan. “They can still rent out a room in another fashion, it just might not be able to be [though] Airbnb. So there are other alternatives if somebody is looking for extra cash or they have an extra room in the apartment, but I don’t know that it would hurt a Black or brown landlord more than it would hurt a Black or brown family looking to be tenants.”
Earlier this summer, Airbnb and a trio of short-term rental hosts filed lawsuits against the city over Local Law 18 that were dismissed last month. In an email sent out to city hosts announcing the initial litigation, the company called the regulations a “de facto ban on short term rentals” and predicted the “drastic decrease” of New York City listings. It also mentioned host
plaintiffs’ concerns of sharing private details of their properties to the OSE and potential complexities navigating the registration process—as aforementioned, there are more reviewed applications returned for further information than those approved or denied, combined.
Applications doubled between the judge tossing Airbnb’s lawsuit and last week’s enforcement start, according to the OSE website.
Since Local Law 18 enforcement began, Inside Airbnb estimates around 6,800 short-term rentals remain. The organization’s data map points to under 240 listings in Harlem at press time, a departure from 949 last month. For comparison, around 680 short-term rentals are currently tallied in Midtown Manhattan. But both still exceed Staten Island’s borough-wide count of roughly 180 listings.
Tandy Lau is a Report for America corps member and writes about politics and public safety for the Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep them writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://bit.ly/ amnews1.
Jet magazine’s Jan. 29, 1953, edition cover featured a photo of Hazel Washington and Rosalind Russell.
It was headlined as “Hollywood Business Team,” and captured Washington’s dual presence as an entrepreneur and a screen star. Her film credits gave her the celebrity and capital to forge a place in the business world, one that was bolstered by her partnership with Russell, herself a movie idol.
Washington caught my attention from watching the 1934 version of “Imitation of Life,” starring Claudette Colbert, with Louise Beavers as her maid and later a source of income from their pancake mix.
Washington does not appear in the film until the penultimate scene with Beavers on her deathbed, pleading for Colbert and others to find her daughter, who has deserted her, and bring her back for a final reunion. Washington is in the room, but barely utters a word as she stands dutifully by to comfort the ailing Beavers. Interestingly, the daughter is portrayed by Fredi Washington, no kin to Hazel.
As in so many of her films, Washington is an uncredited actor and, for the most part, she is little more than a spectator—part of the scenery to give a slight nod to the marginalized. In such films as “Ben” (1972) and “Willard” (1971), and in various episodes of “The Bill Cosby Show” (1969), she was listed under the Make-Up Department as a hairdresser or stylist. This occupation was another indication of her versatility and a stepping stone to her more formidable role as a businesswoman.
Very little is known about Washington’s early years, although it is noted on several websites that she was born on August 14, 1906 or 1915, in Dallas.
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own brand of custom-made sweaters and hand-tooled leather works. With a $10,000 initial investment, they set up Hazel, Inc. in Beverly Hills. Among their customers were Lena Horne, Mrs. Jack Benny, Ann Sheridan, and Lana Turner.
When the supply of leather was no longer available because of the war, the couple switched to making stylized sweaters with sparkling trimmings.
Even after shifting to making more glamorized women’s apparel, Washington still found time to make jewelry cases, personalized gift items, and handbags. Her work was highly praised by such screen idols as Bette Davis and Joan Crawford; Van Johnson purchased a portal bar of black kangaroo leather for $250.
There appeared to be a neat division of labor between her and Russell, with most of the handiwork completed by Washington, while Russell looked after the Rolodex of possible contacts and consumers. Whenever Russell was on the road in a production, Washington was invited along to ensure the movement of the team’s products.
The Jet magazine article and several blogs by informed sources contain substantial profiles of her life and legacy.
More about her early years and her relationship with Marilyn Monroe would round out her remarkable days.
Washington came along and thrived during Hollywood’s second golden age and took advantage of her contacts to forge her own enterprise.
Ironically, she went from performing as a maid to actually becoming one, most notably to Russell. Both were creative knitters and forged their skills in designing women’s clothing—tailored mainly in leather for Hollywood stars. As a teenager, she was living in Los Angeles and married to LAPD police officer Roscoe (Rocky) Washington, which means her birth name
is unknown. He, by the way, was the uncle of Kenny Washington, the first African-American player in the NFL. When she wasn’t involved as a fashionista, she authored a column each week in the Chicago Defender, entitled “This is Hollywood.”
For more than a dozen years, beginning just before the start of World War II, the couple marketed their
On May 19, 1962, 10 days before President Kennedy’s birthday, Marilyn Monroe attended the celebration at Madison Square Garden to serenade him with a breathy “Happy Birthday” song. The dress she wore, a $4,000 sheath created by Jean Louis, was delivered by Washington. It took six hours to get Monroe into the dress, an event that Washington observed while sipping champagne. After the event, she jetted back to her home in Los Angeles. She was apparently a close confidante of Monroe since there are several invoices and photos of her on studio sites with the actress.
Washington died on October 13, 1991, in Inglewood, California.
Sept. 12, 1913: Olympic immortal Jesse Owens was born in Lawrence County, Alabama. He died in 1980.
Sept. 13, 1947: Black Panther stalwart Geronimo Pratt was born in Morgan City, Louisiana. He died in 2011 in Tanzania.
Sept. 14, 1973: Renowned rap artist Nas (Nasir Jones) was born in Queensbridge, N.Y.
Fanshen Cox has long been a racial equity leader in Hollywood. Now she’s raising the call for “truth and racial healing” in Tinseltown.
On paper, Cox wears many professional hats: actor, essayist, award-winning playwright, and film producer. She’s also an activist and consultant for racial equity in Hollywood and beyond. Indeed, she wrote the so-called “inclusion rider” that actor Frances McDormand spoke of during her Oscar acceptance speech on live television in 2018.
Talk to Cox, however, and she is passionate about her role as a storyteller: someone who understands that a powerful narrative can influence, inform, and heal—as well as entertain. She believes the stories we tell and are told— about ourselves as well as one another—can stymie racial progress as much as promote it.
“I’ve come to realize that my strength in pushing toward truth and racial healing is in storytelling,” said Cox, president of TruJuLo Productions. The company’s name is a portmanteau of the words truth, justice, and love.
“I realized that what is so important in healing is to speak the truth, and that truth has to be both our personal narratives connected to the context of our systemic history” and powerful institutions that perpetuate imbalances of power, she said.
Cox said she came to understand her true storytelling superpower while working with
her childhood friends, A-list actors Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, with whom she grew up in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She worked at their production company Pearl Street Films and the trio collaborated on “One Drop of Love,” her acclaimed one-woman show about race and being biracial in America.
An exploration of race as a construct, the 2013 show begins with Cox as a census worker asking the audience if they fit into one of four strict categories, including “free white man” and “slave.” While she cycles through a cast of characters and situations, Cox grounds the show in her quest for identity as the light-skinned, blonde daughter of a Black activist father and a socially conscious white mother.
“The more I do this show, the more I realize that the most important thing I can do is have a critical lens on what it means to be mixed,” Cox said in a 2015 interview. “Race was created to maintain the ideology of white supremacy. I’ve had to reflect on what it means to have a mixed identity, and how exploring this identity perpetuates this ideology.”
The play, and her work with Affleck and Damon’s production company, led to Cox co-writing the inclusion rider—language inserted in a performer’s contract that mandates on-set diversity behind the camera. Word about the rider reached McDormand, who received a standing ovation when she mentioned it during her Oscar speech.
Racial equity “was really at the root of cre-
ating the inclusion writer with the two other women,” Cox said—“thinking through how to give [Hollywood power players] tools to make their commitments clear and to hold themselves accountable and their productions accountable.”
Now, Cox is furthering her work and promoting healing through TruJuLo, her Los Angelesbased production company. The goal, she said, is to “nurture storytellers and to create film, TV, and media that look at this process of truth and racial healing in various different ways.”
For example, “we have a short film that we executive-produced about a Jamaican immigrant who tries to integrate a white church in the 1970s,” Cox said. Other topics explore the meaning of gender identity and class, as well as race, with the goal of getting to the truth. Even Cox is still working on what her identity means, and how racial healing can occur.
“I’m grappling with how much space to take up in these movements as a woman who has some white privilege, right, or some whiteadjacency privilege,” she said. “I strongly and proudly identify as Black, but at the same time, I can see the ways that my work and my voice are frequently centered.
“I think that’s, on one hand, important, because I’m carrying a different perspective. And at the same time, it sometimes perpetuates the very thing that I’m hoping I can help to dismantle.”
Ultimately, “I’m pushing to get at the truth and racial healing in all of the projects that we produce,” she said. “And that includes speaking and consulting, and then producing these projects, and continuing to push for the use of the inclusion rider.”
Given her name (it’s Chinese and means “to turn over” or “reveal”), Cox seems predestined to do the work.
“I don’t think I have any choice,” she said. “But I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
This story was produced in partnership with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
Beginning Saturday, Sept. 16, the St. Paul Community Baptist Church (SPCBC) will be hosting its 29th annual presentation of “The MAAFA Suite...A Healing Journey.”
During an 8-day long series of events— from Sep. 16 to Sep. 24––SPCBC will present daily classes; MAAFA museum walking tours; and free, dramatic presentations of
“The MAAFA Suite” on Sept. 17 at 6 p.m. and on Sept. 20-22 at 7 p.m.
“Our commemoration is our attempt to revisit the pain, the trauma, and the horror of the Middle Passage, which we call Maafa,” Rev. Dr. David Brawley, lead pastor of SPCBC, told the Amsterdam News. “Maafa is a Kiswahili word that comes to us from Dr. Marimba Ani, and that word means ‘great calamity’ or ‘catastrophe.’ We have evoked that language to create this commemora-
tion of the Black holocaust.”
“The MAAFA Suite” originated under Rev. Brawley’s predecessor, SPCBC’s famed Bishop Dr. Johnny Ray Youngblood, who believed that putting on a production that dealt with the pain of the Middle Passage and enslavement would give Black people a chance to grieve and deal with a major, painful episode from our past.
Rev. Brawley explained that, though this is a church-sponsored production, it is not
geared exclusively toward Christian worshippers. “For us, this is far beyond just a church event. This is a conversation for the entire African diaspora, to bring us all to the table so that we can think collectively about strategies of healing, strategies of deepening relationships, and developing solutions for our people.”
The more than 20 speakers scheduled to
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take part in the event include Bro. Jamye Wooten, founder and CEO of CLLCTIVLY; Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and New York Times-bestselling author of the “The 1619 Project,” Nikole Hannah Jones; Dr. Wade Nobles, the co-founder and past executive director of the Institute for the Advanced Study of Black Family Life and Culture, Inc.; Rev. Dr. Starsky Wilson, the CEO of the Children’s Defense Fund; Clark Atlanta University Professor of African and African American Studies Dr. Daniel Black; as well as other lecturers from different faith traditions and cultural expressions.
“The idea here is communal healing. It is
going to be, without a doubt, a transformational opportunity,” Rev. Brawley said.
While the SPCBC’s annual Maafa theatrical production is designed to educate audiences, it has also become a vehicle for helping the productions’ performers learn African diaspora history as well.
The church’s planning for the event begins as early as May, when SPCBC members begin reading and learning about Black enslavement in the Americas. Congregation members also take the time to learn about the cultural touchstones that point to Black historical memory. This past year they took trips to reinforce their education; some went to Charleston, South Carolina and to the Lowcountry region, while others went to Johannesburg, South Africa as part of a cultural immersion program. The SPCBC
also coordinated study groups for its congregants, and one group recently finished reading Nikole Hannah-Jones’ “The 1619 Project.”
“This conversation is important this year,” Rev Brawley added. “It’s always important, but this year, we have to think about what’s happening in our world. Here you have, in our nation, there are elected officials and states in our country who are trying to whitewash the record of African-centric contributions to this nation, [and] trying to change the curriculums. What we’re doing this year is we’re centering our children in the conversations. We believe that there are three institutions that need to be brought together in one space and that’s the family, the church, and schools. And we believe the intersecting institution here is the church.
“The church has an opportunity to reach both. So, we’re going to use our platform to help inform families about our culture so that parents have the resources they need to help their children. But also, we’re inviting heads of schools [and] anyone that deals with our children in the academic spaces to be present, so that they can have an understanding of the resources that are available. That’s why we’ve curated such, I think, a robust schedule this year––so that we can help both families and schools.”
All of the events for “The MAAFA Suite...A Healing Journey” are free and open to the public. Opening night will be held at 859 Hendrix Street, Brooklyn, NY 11207, on Sunday, Sept. 17, at 6 p.m. The full schedule for the SPCBC’s “The MAAFA Suite” is available at www.spcbc.com/maafa23
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OUT OF BUSINESS” if Biden “is allowed to pull off his ALL ELECTRIC CAR HOAX. China will build them all. ENDORSE TRUMP!” In another post, the former president appealed directly to rank-and-file union members whose support helped him win Michigan in 2016: “Union leadership must decide whether they will stand with Biden and other far-left political cronies in Washington, or whether they will stand with front-line auto workers and President Trump.”
That referenced new federal rules pushed by the Biden administration requiring two-thirds of new passenger cars sold in the United States to be all-electric by 2032. Trump argued those moves would “murder the U.S. auto industry and kill countless union auto worker jobs forever, especially in Michigan and the Midwest.”
But some union leaders and members have scoffed at suggestions that the U.S. not embrace efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions since manufacturers in China and elsewhere could rush in to produce electric vehicles if the U.S. doesn’t. Fain, who has previously applauded the “transition to a clean auto industry” as long as autoworkers “have a place in the new economy,” said Trump was “not someone who
stands for a good standard of living.”
Davd Green, a UAW regional director in Ohio and Indiana, said the former president “carries no credibility in my book” since “he did nothing to support organized labor except lip service.”
Green said he still considers Biden the most pro-union president of his lifetime. But he hopes the White House won’t stay neutral if there’s a strike.
“We don’t forget,” Green said. “When you’re in distress, the people who are there supporting you — that goes a long way.”
Biden faced some criticism from labor groups last year when he urged Congress to approve legislation preventing rail workers from going on strike, fearing an upending of supply chains heading into the holidays. But, unlike with rail and airline workers, the president doesn’t have the authority to order autoworkers to stay on the job.
Nowhere will the political fallout of an auto workers strike be felt more than Michigan, which Biden won by nearly 3 percentage points in 2020. The state shifted further during last year’s midterms, leaving the governor’s office and Legislature Democraticcontrolled for the first time in 40 years.
Michigan since became the first state in nearly six decades to repeal “right to work” laws limiting union activity that had been approved by the GOP-controlled Legislature in 2012. Still, a strike could shake up politics statewide.
“The UAW is a major player in Michigan
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A middle-income limited-equity housing cooperative in Manhattan’s Chelsea area is opening its waiting lists for studio and one-bedroom apartments.
politics and if there is a strike, of whatever duration, it’ll have a political impact,” said Mark Brewer, former chairman of the Michigan Democratic Party. A strike, Brewer said, would leave Biden having “to speak and act consistent with his previous advocacy for working people.”
That might mean alienating other allies, though, since Biden has in the past received support from top U.S. automakers on the administration’s rules over future sales. And Ray Curry, the former UAW president who was unseated by Fain, had worked with Biden in the past, even attending White House ceremonies.
Biden was nonetheless anxious to meet Fain given the pair’s shared working-class backgrounds, and they sat down together one-on-one in the Oval Office in July. The White House says it has been in regular touch with the UAW since then, and that overall communication is much better now.
“We are engaged regularly with the parties, and of course seek to support negotiations in any way that is helpful,” said Michigan native and longtime Democratic and Biden adviser Gene Sperling, who the president tapped as the administration’s point person on the autoworker negotiations. “But there is no substitute for the parties staying at the table 24/7 to come to what the president wants to be a win-win agreement.”
Union support was instrumental in helping Biden overcome a slow start to clinch the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination,
and it helped him win not just Michigan but Wisconsin and Pennsylvania as he defeated Trump in that year’s general election.
Underscoring his commitment to organized labor, Biden’s lone campaign rally since launching his reelection bid in April came in June in Philadelphia, when more than a dozen of the country’s largest and most powerful unions endorsed Biden for a second term.
So many unions banding together for an unprecedented joint endorsement so early in the election cycle was meant as a show of strength for the president. Conspicuously absent from the event, though, was the UAW. Fain has since said that if Biden wants the UAW’s 2024 endorsement, he’ll have to earn it.
Other union leaders acknowledged what’s at stake for the president.
“Are strikes uncomfortable for an administration?” said Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, which endorsed Biden’s reelection this summer. “Of course they are.”
But, she said, “The administration believes in workers and believes that workers have the power to have a better life through collective organization and through collective bargaining. This is not a soundbite to them, This is a belief system.”
Weissert reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Tom Krisher in Detroit contributed to this report.
Legal Notice
If you were arrested, or arrested and subjected to force, by NYPD officers during the “George Floyd protests” at one of the Settlement Dates and Locations, YOU MAY BE ENTITLED TO COMPENSATION.
* Applicants whose income is up to 50% above the maximum allowable income are eligible for an apartment but will be subject to a surcharge on the monthly carrying charge. **Subject to change.
OCCUPANCY STANDARDS: Studio: One to two persons. One Bedroom: One to three persons IMPORTANT NOTICE: (FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH ANY OF THE FOLLOWING WILL RESULT IN DISQUALIFICATION)
• Applications are not transferable.
• Current Shareholders of Mutual Redevelopment Houses are not eligible to apply.
• Applicants must be a New York State resident.
• Applicant must be at least 18 years old at the time of the lottery.
• ONE REQUEST ONLY PER APPLICANT. Applicants can only be on one waiting list at a development. If applicants have the right family composition, they can apply to more than one lottery. However, if they are selected for more than one lottery they must choose which waiting list they prefer.
• An applicant can only submit a paper entry or an on-line entry. If applicants enter on-line and also mail in a letter or postcard, they have submitted a duplicate request and will not be eligible for the lottery.
• An applicant whose name is selected in a lottery cannot be included in the family composition of any other applicant who is selected in the same lottery for that particular housing development. Failure to comply will result in the disqualification of both applicants.
• This is a middle-income co-op for purchase. There is a minimum down payment of 25% required at closing and the remaining 75% may be financed.
• Applicants must demonstrate financial responsibility according to standards set by the housing company.
• P.O. Boxes are not acceptable as a current address.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: A $250 non-refundable application fee will be required at the completion of the lottery for candidates that are selected. Waitlists are established by a limited lottery. There will be a limit of 400 applicants drawn for the Studio waitlist and 600 applicants will be drawn for the One-Bedroom waitlist. Only applicants that are drawn will be notified
HOW TO APPLY: ONLINE You can now apply to a lottery online through Mitchell Lama Connect. Applying is fast, easy, and you will be able to check the status of your entry to see if you have been selected. To apply on line go to: https://a806-housingconnect.nyc.gov/nyclottery/lottery.html#ml-home
HOW TO APPLY: BY MAIL Mail a post card or envelope by regular mail. Registered and Certified Mail will not be accepted. Clearly print your full first and last name, current address and last 4 digits of your social security number. If you do not include the last 4 digits of your social security number, you will not be entered into the lottery. Do not include the application fee with your entry. If selected in the lottery, the application fee will be requested. Mail post card or envelope to:
DEADLINE: Requests must be received by: OCTOBER 04,
What is this lawsuit about? Am I included?
• This lawsuit is about police action that took place at certain dates and locations during the “George Floyd protest” in New York City in the Summer of 2020.
• If you were arrested, or arrested and subjected to force, by NYPD officers during the “George Floyd protests” at the following protest dates and protest locations and allege any of the Released Claims: May 28, 2020 Lafayette to City Hall; May 28, 2020 Union Square; May 29, 2020 Barclays Center area; May 30, 2020 East Flatbush/the Barclays Center area; May 30, 2020 Harlem/ West Side Highway; May 30, 2020 Union Square to FDR Drive; May 30, 2020 City Hall to over the Brooklyn Bridge; May 31, 2020 Union Square; June 1, 2020 Barclays Center area; June 1, 2020 Midtown Manhattan; June 2, 2020 Foley Square to Central Park; June 2, 2020 Union Square and Astor Place; June 2, 2020 Near and on West Side Highway; June 2, 2020 Chelsea; June 3, 2020 Cadman Plaza; June 3, 2020 Upper East Side; June 4, 2020 McCarren Park; and June 4, 2020 Clinton Hill (“Settlement Dates and Locations”), you may be entitled to money as a Settlement Class Member.1
What does the Settlement provide?
• Under the terms of the Settlement, the City of New York has agreed to pay to each class member who timely files a valid claim form a payment of approximately $9,950.00 (Nine Thousand, Nine Hundred and Fifty Dollars) subject to certain limitations. These amounts will be paid from a Class Fund of $13,731,000.00 (Thirteen Million, Seven Hundred and Thirty- One Thousand Dollars).
• By filing a Claim Form and accepting payment of the Settlement, you give up your right to bring any claim arising from your arrest, the use of force, or any other claim based on the events that took place at the Settlement Dates and Locations.
How do I get money from the Settlement?
To be eligible for any payment, you must submit a signed Claim Form online or by mail by December 22, 2023. Your claim will not be valid if this form is not signed by you.
To get a Claim Form, visit www.NYC2020ProtestSettlement.com or contact the Claims Administrator, Rust Consulting, at the phone number or address below.
In assessing the validity of your claim, Class Counsel or the Claims Administrator
1 For the exact parameters bordering each of the locations, visit www.NYC2020ProtestSettlement.com
may ask you to provide documentation of your identity and/or substantive, objective evidence clearly demonstrating that you are eligible to be a class member.
What are my rights and options in this Settlement?
Submit a Claim Form: By submitting a Claim Form, you give up your legal right to pursue further claims from the events described above. This is the only way to be paid from this Settlement. A Claim Form must be mailed and postmarked or filed online by: December 22, 2023
Opt Out of the Settlement: Get no payment from the Settlement. This option allows you to be part of a separate lawsuit against the Defendants about the claims in this case. An opt-out statement must be mailed and postmarked or filed online by: December 22, 2023
Object to the Settlement: Remain a Class Member but write to the Court about why you don’t agree with the Settlement. You must still submit a Claim Form by December 22, 2023. An objection must be filed by December 22, 2023 with the U.S. District Court, 500 Pearl Street, NY, NY 10007
Go to the Fairness Hearing: You or your own lawyer may appear and speak at the hearing at your own expense. You must still submit a Claim Form by December 22, 2023. Attend the hearing on February 22, 2024 at: U.S. District Court, 500 Pearl Street, Courtroom 24A, New York, NY
Do Nothing: Get no payment and give up all rights to sue the City or other Defendants after July 27, 2023 concerning the events described above. This is only a summary of the proposed Settlement. For more information about the settlement, and to submit a Claim Form, visit www.NYC2020ProtestSettlement.com.
You can also contact Rust Consulting at 1-833-915-1147 or write to: Sow v. City of New York Settlement PO Box 2599 Faribault, MN 55021-9599
Claims will be processed by the Claims Administrator, Rust Consulting. Do not contact the Court or Defendants.
helicopters to intimidate or disperse peaceful protesters, and tools to loosen or remove restraints like “flex cuffs” or zip ties must be available.
NYCLU/Legal Aid Society lead plaintiff Jarrett Payne, a Black New Yorker from Queens, said it was impossible to appraise restitution for “trauma and on-going fear evoked by the NYPD’s brutality.” The 11 plaintiffs’ complaint detailed allegations from a 2020 Manhattan protest and says that police blindsided Payne with baton strikes before handcuffing him so tightly that a pair of scissors broke when officers attempted to remove his bindings. The document also stated that his head bled profusely and no first aid was administered in processing other than a bandage, despite pleas from other detainees.
“I am haunted every day that the NYPD has the authority to harm me if they deem necessary, and potentially use it,” said Payne. “Ultimately, I am proud of the settlement we reached in this case, and that it can potentially bring about more accountability and transparency in future situations. Hopefully, it will signal to more people that they can stand up to their brutality as well.”
A new NYPD leadership position— First Amendment Activity (FAA) Senior Executive—will oversee police protest responses, including the application of the new reforms. NYCLU Senior Staff Attorney Daniel Lambright told the Amsterdam News that establishing a centralized position is crucial for identifying the directly responsible chain-of-command after serving as counsel to the Payne litigation.
“The FAA position creates a lever [for] more accountability,” said Lambright. “We found in discovery that we didn’t know who was making the decisions for deployment [and] operational decisions. All of them were pointing fingers at others, which makes it incredibly hard to litigate and figure out who was actually responsible for the mistakes and the errors that occurred in policing the protests.
“With this FAA executive, that creates that lever of accountability because that person will be responsible for overseeing protests, and it will be easier to identify failures that come about in the future.”
But what does accountability look like after the agreed-upon reforms? Earlier this year, the Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB)—the city’s independent NYPD oversight committee—found that around 145 cops committed misconduct during the 2020 protests. Yet the police watchdog lacked actual disciplinary
powers and mainly recommended actions to then-NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell, who frequently waved them off.
Lambright said relevant officer misconduct still goes through the CCRB, but due to a federal judge overseeing the case, there’s an extra level of accountability to ensure the reforms are taking place and use of force is mitigated at protests on an institutional level.
“If an individual officer hits a protester in violation of the agreement, they should definitely go through the CCRB,” Lambright said. “But it rises to the level of going to the court if we notice, let’s say, in every situation where protesters are getting brutalized by officers, the commissioner is deviating from discipline. If there’s large-scale efforts to not discipline officers that are committing atrocities at protests, then that’s something that we would bring up in the collaborative committee [to] say ‘you need to change this.’
“And if that change doesn’t occur, then that’s something that we might bring to the court’s attention and make them make changes that would ensure that there would be discipline for officers at protests.”
In a video statement, Mayor Eric Adams commended the agreement as an “another step in making the reforms necessary to move our city forward.”
“During the summer of 2020, the frustrations of a global pandemic, a tragic killing, and the use of spontaneous demonstrations throughout the city drew people from all over the country—some with good intentions and some with bad,” added NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban. “This presented many unique challenges for officers, who did their best to protect people’s rights to peaceful expression while addressing acts of lawlessness. Now, the NYPD has re-envisioned its policies for policing protests to deal with these unique scenarios. This agreement represents the department’s commitment to continually improving to ensure the public remains safe and individual rights are protected.”
An NYPD spokesperson pointed to a 20% decrease in actions filed against the department between 2020 and 2022. They also argued that the “cases, and the resulting payments, do not speak to the NYPD’s policies and practices today.”
Tandy Lau is a Report for America corps member and writes about public safety for the Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep him writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://bit.ly/amnews1
Applications are now being accepted on a rolling basis through November 30, 2023 for Studio, 1, 2 and 3 bedroom apartments at 2210-16 New Haven Ave., Far Rockaway, NY
Qualification will be based on Section 8 Federal Guidelines - Income and occupancy restrictions apply
Tenants pay 30% of adjusted annual gross income
1 Household Size includes everyone who will live with you, including parents and children. Subject to occupancy criteria
2 Household earnings includes salary, hourly wages, tips, Social Security, child support, and other income. Income guidelines subject to change
Interested persons may obtain an application by one of the methods:
–
Completed applications must be sent to the address shown on the application form via regular mail only, (no priority, certified, registered, express or overnight mail will be accepted).
Applicants who submit more than one application may be disqualified. Qualified applicants will be required to meet income guidelines and additional selection criteria.
The Fair Housing Act Prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental, or financing of housing on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin. Federal law also prohibits discrimination on the basis of age. This apartment community does not discriminate on the basis of handicap/disability status. The management coordinates com compliance with the non-discrimination requirements contained in HUD’s Regulations implementing Section 504 (24 CFR part 8 dated June 2, 1988)
No Broker’s Fee. No Application Fee
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The New York AMSTERDAM NEWS reserves the right to censor, reject, alter or revise all advertisements in accordance with its rules governing the acceptance of advertising and accepts no liability for its failure to insert an advertisement for any cause. Credit for errors in advertisements allowed only for first insertion.
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All advertisement accepted for publication is classified according to the standard classifications. Misclassification is not permitted.
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In Case of error, notify the Amsterdam News 212-932-7440
SUPPLEMENTAL SUMMONS AND AMENDED NOTICE
Plaintiffs designate New York County as the place of trial. Venue is based upon the County in which the liened premises is situated. Tax Lien Foreclosure of: 1 Irving Place, Unit 17A, New York, NY 10003. (Block: 00870, Lot: 1347).
NYCTL 2021-A TRUST and The Bank of New York Mellon as Collateral Agent and Custodian, Plaintiffs, against Alvin Wong, if the aforesaid individual defendants are living, and if any or all of said individual defendants be dead, their heirs at law, next of kin, distributees, executors, administrators, trustees, committees, devisees, legatees, and the assignees, lienors, creditors and successors in interest of them, and generally all persons having or claiming under, by, through, or against the said defendants named as a class, of any right, title, or interest in or lien upon the premises described in the verified complaint herein; Board of Managers of the One Union Square East Condominium;; New York State Department of Taxation and Finance; United States of America; and "JOHN DOE #1" through "JOHN DOE #100", inclusive the last 100 names being fictitious and unknown to the Plaintiffs, it being intended to designate fee owners, tenants or occupants of the liened premises and/or persons or parties, if any, having or claiming an interest in or lien upon the liened premises described in the complaint, if the aforesaid individual defendants are living, and if any or all of said individual defendants be dead, their heirs at law, next of kin, distributees, executors, administrators, trustees, committees, devisees, legatees, and the assignees, lienors, creditors and successors in interest of them, and generally all persons having or claiming under, by, through, or against the said defendants named as a class, of any right, title, or interest in or lien upon the premises described in the complaint herein, Defendants. TO THE ABOVE NAMED DEFENDANTS: YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the complaint in this action and to serve a copy of your answer, or, if the complaint is not served with this summons, to serve a notice of appearance on the attorney for the Plaintiffs within twenty (20) days after the service of this summons, exclusive of the day of service or within thirty (30) days after completion of service where is made in any other manner than personal delivery within the State. The United States of America, if designated as a defendant in this action, may appear within sixty (60) days of service hereof. In case of your failure to appear or answer, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the complaint.
NOTICE OF NATURE OF ACTION AND RELIEF SOUGHT. THE OBJECT of the above captioned action is to foreclose on a Tax Lien pursuant to a Certificate recorded in the Office of the Register of the City of New York on March 4, 2022, in CRFN: 2022000097156, covering premises known as 1 Irving Place, Unit 17A, New York, NY 10003 (Block: 00870, Lot: 1347).
The relief sought in the within action is a final judgment directing the sale of the premises described above to satisfy the tax lien described above. NOTICE YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME IF YOU DO NOT RESPOND TO THIS SUMMONS AND COMPLAINT BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEYS FOR THE PLAINTIFFS WHO FILED THIS FORECLOSURE PROCEEDING AGAINST YOU AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT, A DEFAULT JUDGMENT MAY BE ENTERED AND YOU CAN LOSE YOUR HOME. SPEAK TO AN ATTORNEY OR GO TO THE COURT WHERE YOUR CASE IS PENDING FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON HOW TO ANSWER THE SUMMONS AND PROTECT YOUR PROPERTY. SENDING A PAYMENT WILL NOT STOP THIS FORECLOSURE ACTION. YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEYS FOR THE PLAINTIFFS AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT To the above named defendants: The foregoing Summons is served upon you by publication pursuant to an order of the Hon. Francis A. Kahn III, J.S.C. of the State of New York, and filed along with the supporting papers in the Office of the Clerk of the County of New York on 7/3/2023. This is an action to foreclose on a Tax Lien. ALL that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of the New York, County of New York, City and State of New York, Block 00870 and Lot 1347, said premises known as 1 Irving Place, Unit 17A, New York, NY 10003. THE DELLO-IACONO LAW GROUP, P.C., Attorney for Plaintiffs, 312 Larkfield Road, Lower Level, East Northport, NY 11731, 631-861-3001. Our File # 20-000009
SUPREME COURT-NEW YORK COUNTY- HILTON RESORTS CORP., Pltf. v. MICHAEL A. GARCIA and CANDICE J. GARCIA, Deft. - Index # 850047/2020. Pursuant to Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated August 10, 2021, I will sell at public auction Outside the Portico of the NY County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, NY, NY on Thursday, October 5, 2023, at 2:15 pm, an interest of an undivided 0.0271980765638990% tenant in common interest in the timeshare known as Phase 1 HNY CLUB SUITES located at 1335 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York. Approximate amount of judgment is $30,314.03 plus costs and interest as of March 27, 2020. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale which includes annual maintenance fees and charges. Clark Whitsett, Esq., Referee. Cruser, Mitchell, Novitz, Sanchez, Gaston, & Zimet LLP, Attys. for Pltf., 341 Conklin Street, Farmingdale, NY.
Notice of Qualification of EDIFICE PARTNERS LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 06/28/23. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 06/20/23. Princ. office of LLC: 1 Rockefeller Plaza, 11th Fl., NY, NY 10020. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served.
SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the princ. office of the LLC. DE addr. of LLC: Corporation Service Co., 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Management of real estate.
Notice of Qualification of GREYSTONE SSG 1 LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/27/23. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 11/13/17. Princ. office of LLC: 152 W. 57th St., 60th Fl., NY, NY 10019. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Secy. of State, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Formation of Jacquelyn Trimlett LLC filed with SSNY on 202308-9. Office: New York County. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to LLC: UNITED STATES CORPORATION AGENTS, INC.: 7014 13TH AVENUE SUITE 202 BROOKLYN, NY 11228. Purpose: any lawful act or activity.
SUPREME COURT-NEW YORK COUNTY- HILTON RESORTS CORP., Pltf. v. JACQUELINE M. TILLAR and BARBARA ANN WYNN, Defts. - Index # 850029/2023. Pursuant to Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated August 9, 2023, I will sell at public auction Outside the Portico of the NY County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, NY, NY on Monday, September 18, 2023, at 2:15 pm, an interest of an undivided 14,000/16,783,800 tenant in common interest in the timeshare known as Phase 2 HNY CLUB SUITES located at 1335 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York. Approximate amount of judgment is $100,534.95 plus costs and interest as of March 27, 2023. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale which includes annual maintenance fees and charges. Georgia Papazis, Esq., Referee. Cruser, Mitchell, Novitz, Sanchez, Gaston, & Zimet LLP, Attys. for Pltf., 341 Conklin Street, Farmingdale, NY.
SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK
COUNTY OF NEW YORK
HSBC Bank USA, N.A., Plaintiff,
-againstArnold Quismorio Bengco a/k/a Arnold Bengco if living and if any be dead, any and all persons who are spouses, widows, grantees, mortgagees, lienor, heirs, devisees, distributees, or successors in interest of such of the above as may be dead, and their spouses, heirs, devisees, distributees and successors in interest, all of whom and whose names and places of residences are unknown to Plaintiff, Rachelle Bengco if living and if any be dead, any and all persons who are spouses, widows, grantees, mortgagees, lienor, heirs, devisees, distributees, or successors in interest of such of the above as may be dead, and their spouses, heirs, devisees, distributees and successors in interest, all of whom and whose names and places of residences are unknown to Plaintiff , Board of Managers of The 322 West 57th Street Condominium, United States of America-Internal Revenue Service, New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, John Doe (Refused Name), John Doe (Refused Name), Defendants,
Index No. 850260/2019
Filed May 4, 2023
SUPPLEMENTAL SUMMONS
Plaintiff designates New York County as the place of trial. Venue is based upon the County in which the Mortgage premises is situated.
TO THE ABOVE NAMED DEFENDANT(S):
Notice of Qualification of FRIEZE US HOLDINGS, LLC
Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/07/23. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 12/21/15. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Formation of E. CASCADE VENTURE LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/04/23. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, 780 3rd Ave., Ste. 4203, NY, NY 10017. The regd. agent of the company upon whom and at which process against the company can be served is Brian Conroy, 780 3rd Ave., Ste. 4203, NY, NY 10017. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the Complaint in this action and to serve a copy of your Answer or, if the Complaint is not served with this Summons, to serve a Notice of Appearance on the attorneys for the plaintiff within twenty (20) days after service of this Summons, exclusive of the day of service (or within thirty (30) days after service is complete if this Summons is not personally delivered to you within the State of New York). In case of your failure to appear or answer, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the Complaint.
NOTICE OF NATURE OF ACTION AND RELIEF SOUGHT
THE OBJECT of the above captioned action is to foreclose a Mortgage to secure $870,000.00 and interest, recorded in the Office of the Clerk of the County of NEW YORK on June 16, 2011, in CRFN 2011000213816, covering premises known as 322 West 57th Street, Unit 41K1, New York, NY 10019.
The relief sought in the within action is a final judgment directing the sale of the premises described above to satisfy the debt secured by the Mortgage described above.
NOTICE YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME
If you do not respond to this Summons and Complaint by serving a copy of the answer on the attorney for the Mortgage company who filed this foreclosure proceeding against you and filing the answer with the court, a default judgment may be entered and you can lose your home.
Speak to an attorney or go to the court where your case is pending for further information on how to answer the Summons and protect your property.
Sending a payment to your Mortgage company will not stop this foreclosure action.
YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF (MORTGAGE COMPANY) AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT.
Dated: Bayshore, New York
May 4, 2023
/s/By: Linda P. Manfredi, Esq.
Frenkel, Lambert, Weiss, Weisman & Gordon, LLP
Attorneys for Plaintiff 53 Gibson Street, Bay Shore, New York 11706 (631) 969-3100
Our File No.:01-092596-F00
Notice of Formation of 302 BEACH 149TH STREET LLC
Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/21/23. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 22 W. 66th St., Apt. #13, NY, NY 10023. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the addr. of its princ. office. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Qualification of 109Co MGMT, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/24/23. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 07/21/23. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, 79 Laight St., Apt. 2F, NY, NY 10013. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, Div. of Corps., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Formation of BRODAR LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/27/23. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, 13-14 W. 54th St., 1st Fl., NY, NY 10019. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Qualification of GREYSTONE SSG 2 LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/28/23. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 06/01/21. Princ. office of LLC: 152 W. 57th St., 60th Fl., NY, NY 10019. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served.
SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Secy. of State, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Human Creative Services LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 06/27/2023. Office: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to 251 West 117th St, Apt 6I, NY, NY 10163. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Qualification of GV MANAGEMENT COMPANY, L.L.C. Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 06/05/23. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 09/01/09. Princ. office of LLC: 1600 Amphitheatre Pkwy., Mountain View, CA 94043. NYS fictitious name: GOOGLE VENTURES MANAGEMENT COMPANY, L.L.C. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State of the State of DE, 401 Federal St., #4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of formation of HUDSON YARDS 5701 LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/10/2023. Office located in NEW YORK. SSNY has been designated for service of process. SSNY shall mail copy of any process served against the LLC 5 Half Moon Isle, Jersey City, NJ 07305. Purpose: any lawful purpose.
Notice of Qualification of GREYSTONE SSG 3 LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/28/23. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 09/17/21. Princ. office of LLC: 152 W. 57th St., 60th Fl., NY, NY 10019. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Secy. of State, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
SVG Plan Trucking LLC. Arts. of Org. filed on 03/23/2023. Office: NY County. SSNY desig. as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to 228 Park Ave S #536671, NY, NY 10003. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.
THE CLARK STANDARD LLC, Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 07/18/2023. Office loc: Bronx County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: The LLC, 1988 Newbold Ave, Apt 2B, Bronx, NY 10472. Reg Agent: Nelson M Clark Jr, 1988 Newbold Ave, Apt 2B, Bronx, NY 10472. Purpose: Any Lawful Purpose.
Notice of Qualification of TUNGSTEN HEALTH HOLDINGS, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/19/23. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 04/25/23. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Qualification of SCOPUS GROUP, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/26/23. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 07/17/23. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 122072543. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Formation of MGHE LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 02/23/23. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 65 E. 55th St., 31st Fl., NY, NY 10022. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served.
SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. Purpose: Hospitality.
Skin Therapy By Susan LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 05/17/2023. Office: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 1123 Bdwy, Ste 712, NY, NY, 10010. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.
23RD & 8TH, LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 01/17/01. Latest date to dissolve: 12/31/2099. Office: New York County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, 261 8th Ave, New York, NY 10011. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.
199 Bowery 10C LLC Arts of Org filed with the SSNY on 7/27/2023. Office: Albany County. NW Registered Agent LLC designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to NW Registered Agent LLC, 90 State St.,Ste 700, Off 40, Albany NY 12207. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.
Notice of Formation of Lobo Creations LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with SSNY on 5/20/23. Office location: NY County. SSNY has been desig. as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail copy to: 165 West 91st Street, #11A, NY, NY, 10024. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
ADAE HOLDINGS LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 08/07/23. Office: New York County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, 121 West 17th Street, 2B, New York, NY 10001. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.
Notice of Qualification of S + B READE STREET, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/04/23. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Maryland (MD) on 07/12/23. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, 7501 Wisconsin Ave., Ste. 1000W, Bethesda, MD 20814. Cert. of Form. filed with Michael L. Higgins, Jr., Director, Dept. of Assessments and Taxation, 301 W. Preston St., Rm. 801, Baltimore, MD 21201. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Qualification of RGNMCA AMHERST II, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/03/23. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 07/28/23. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Operate an executive suite business center.
SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK
HILTON RESORTS CORPORATION, Plaintiff -against- ADEWALE
GEORGE, ENATA GEORGE, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered herein and dated May 5, 2023, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the New York County Courthouse located on the portico at 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on September 27, 2023 at 2:15 p.m. premises being an undivided ownership interest as tenant-in-common with other owners in the Timeshare Unit in the building located at 102 West 57th Street, New York, NY. Together with an undivided 0.00986400000% interest in the common elements. This a foreclosure on ownership interest in a timeshare unit, a studio penthouse on a floating use basis every year, in accordance with and subject to declarations. Declaration of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions dated October 10, 2008 and October 31, 2008 as CFRN # 2008000426142 as recorded in the Office of the City Register, County, City and State of New York. The Timeshare Unit is also designated as Block 1009 and Lot 37. Said premises known as 102 WEST 57TH STREET, NEW YORK, NY. Approximate amount of lien $38,780.17 plus interest & costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale.
Index Number 850060/2022.
PAUL R. SKLAR, ESQ., Referee
DRUCKMAN LAW GROUP PLLC Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 242 Drexel Avenue, Westbury, NY 11590
NOTICE OF SALE
SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK
HNY CLUB SUITES OWNERS ASSOCIATION INC., BY AND THROUGH ITS BOARD OF DIRECTORS, Plaintiff -against- ANGELA N. STEMLER AS HEIR OF THE ESTATE OF HILMA W. NOONAN, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered herein and dated April 4, 2023, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the New York County Courthouse located on the portico at 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on October 4, 2023 at 2:15 p.m. premises being an undivided ownership interest as tenant-in-common with other owners in the Timeshare Unit in the building located at 1335 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY; known as The NYH Condominium. Together with an appurtenant undivided 0.0381% in common interest percentage. This a foreclosure on ownership interest in a timeshare unit, a studio penthouse on a floating use basis every year, in accordance with and subject to declarations. Declaration of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions dated October 27, 2003 and November 3, 2003 as CFRN # 2003000442512 as recorded in the Office of the City Register, County, City and State of New York. The Timeshare Unit is also designated as Block 1006 and Lot 1302. Said premises known as 1335 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS, NEW YORK, NY. Approximate amount of lien $21,676.41 plus interest & costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale.
Index Number 850079/2018.
MATTHEW D. HUNTER, ESQ., Referee
DRUCKMAN LAW GROUP PLLC Attorney(s) for Plaintiff
242 Drexel Avenue, Westbury, NY 11590
SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK
VALLEY NATIONAL BANK, AS SUCCESOR BY MERGER TO ORITANI BANK, Plaintiff -against- WEBRO 2067 LLC, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated April 19, 2023 and entered on April 26, 2023, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the New York County Courthouse located on the portico at 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on October 4, 2023 at 2:15 p.m. premises situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County and State of New York, bounded and described as follows: BEGINNING at a point on the westerly side of Broadway, 72 feet 3 and 3/4 inches north from the corner termed by the intersection of the north side of West 71st Street and the west side of Broadway; RUNNING THENCE west of Broadway at an angle of 67 degrees 56 minutes, 57 feet 2 inches; THENCE North at right angles to the last mentioned course, 5 feet 3 inches; THENCE West at right angle to the last mentioned course, 42 feet 9 inches; THENCE North at right angles to the last mentioned course, 34 feet 4 and 3/4 inches; THENCE East at an angle of 84 degrees 01 minutes 40 seconds to the last mentioned course 88 feet and 1/2 inch to the west side of Broadway; THENCE South along said west side of Broadway at an angle of 118 degrees 02 minutes 20 seconds to the last mentioned course 32 feet 11 inches to the point or place of BEGINNING. Block: 1163 Lot: 32. Said premises known as 2067 BROADWAY, NEW YORK, NY. Approximate amount of lien $12,482,338.39 plus interest & costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale.
Index Number 850181/2022.
JERRY MEROLA, ESQ., Referee
Zeichner Ellman & Krause LLP
Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 1211 Avenue of Americas, New York, NY 10036
Pros & Cones LLC filed Articles of Organization with the NY Department of State on August 3, 2023. Its office is located in NY County. The Secretary of State has been designated as agent of the Company upon whom process against it may be served, and a copy of any process shall be mailed to 767 Third Ave., 38th Floor, New York, NY 10017. The purpose of the Company is any lawful business.
MBSSM, LLC filed Articles of Organization with the NY Department of State on August 3, 2023. Its office is located in NY County. The Secretary of State has been designated as agent of the Company upon whom process against it may be served, and a copy of any process shall be mailed to 767 Third Ave., 38th Floor, New York, NY 10017. The purpose of the Company is any lawful business.
Notice of Formation of BAUDELAIRE LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/21/23. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 445 Park Ave., Ste. 1401, NY, NY 10012. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of formation of Thomas V. Lopez, PLLC Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on July 25, 2023. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against it may be served. The Post Office address to which the SSNY shall mail a copy of any process against the PLLC served upon him/her is C/O the PLLC: 207 East 120th Street, PH, New York, NY 10035. The principal business address of the PLLC is: 207 East 120th Street, PH, New York, NY 10035. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.
Rpbm LLC filed Arts. of Org. with the Sect'y of State of NY (SSNY) on 8/9/2023. Office: New York County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: c/o The LLC, 143 E 47th St, NY, NY 10017. Purpose: any lawful act.
Notice of formation of IMENNOV LEGAL CONSULTING PLLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 08/14/2023. Office located in New York. SSNY is designated for service of process. SSNY shall mail a copy of any process served against the LLC to 99 Wall Street, Suite 4455 New York, NY, 10005, USA. Purpose: any lawful purpose.
Open Concept NYC LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 06/23/2023. Office: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to 408 E. 83rd St., 5A, NY, NY, 10028. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Sweetsandthings LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 10/30/2018. Office: New York County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail a copy to: 135-30 127th St., South Ozone Park, NY, 11420. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.
Notice of Qualification of SRU MANAGEMENT, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/23/23. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 06/28/10. Princ. office of LLC: c/o Blue Haven Initiative, One Mifflin Pl., Ste. 400, Cambridge, MA 02138. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., #4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
No. 156- 96-001917
Ze’phin Que Bey, living and original native American man am of the age of majority and hereby give public notice and make CLAIM OF OWNERSHIP of the Certified Security and/ or Bond No: 156- 96-001917 whose name also appears on the face of the instrument as ZE’PHIN QUE BEY (Trust/ Estate) by reference to the Official Certificate of Live Birth (Title), recorded and filed dated January 22, 1996, in the Office of the Clerk, County of New York County.
ALL INDIVIDUAL(S) claiming an interest in the registered securities no.: 156-96-001917 against ZE’PHIN QUE BEY (Trust /Estate) shall be presented to: Michael Bey at: 64-31 108th Street, Suite 1141 Forest Hills, NY 11375 within 30 days after the publication date of this publications of this notice, September 14, 2023.
No. 156- 89-124861
Che’te Dupree Bey, living and original native American woman am of the age of majority and hereby give public notice and make CLAIM OF OWNERSHIP of the Certified Security and/ or Bond No: 156- 89-124861 whose name also appears on the face of the instrument as CHE’TE DUPREE BEY (Trust/ Estate) by reference to the Official Certificate of Live Birth (Title), recorded and filed dated December 18, 1989, in the Office of the Clerk, County of New York County.
ALL INDIVIDUAL(S) claiming an interest in the registered securities no.: 156-89-124861 against CHE’TE DUPREE BEY (Trust/ Estate) shall be presented to: Michael Bey at: 64-31 108th Street, Suite 1141 Forest Hills, NY 11375 within 30 days after the publication date of this publications of this notice, September 14, 2023.
Notice of Formation of GERHARD PRODUCTIONS LLC
Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/03/23. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 207 W. 25th St. - 6th Fl., NY, NY 10001. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the addr. of its princ. office. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Qualification of WILLIAMSBURG 161 WYTHE AVENUE, L.L.C. Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/05/23. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 08/24/23. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Secy. of State, Div. of Corps., John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
NOTICE OF OWNERSHIP OF CERTIFICATES OF TITLE AND REGISTERED SECURITIES, No. 156-63-404951
Shell Regale Bey, living and original native American woman am of the age of majority and hereby give public notice and make CLAIM OF OWNERSHIP of the Certified Security and/or Bond No: 156-63-404951 whose maiden name also appears on the face of the instrument as SHELL
REGALE WINTERS (Trust/ Estate) by reference to the Official Certificate of Live Birth (Title), recorded and filed dated March 4, 1963, in the Office of the Clerk, County of Queens County.
ALL INDIVIDUAL(S) claiming an interest in the registered securities no.: 156-63-404951 against SHELL REGALE BEY (Trust/Estate) and or SHELL
REGALE WINTERS (Trust/ Estate) being one of the same persons, shall be presented to: Michael Bey at: 64-31 108th Street, Suite 1141 Forest Hills, NY 11375 within 30 days after the publication date of this publications of this notice, September 14, 2023.
NOTICE OF OWNERSHIP OF CERTIFICATES OF TITLE AND REGISTERED SECURITIES No. 156-64-311142
Michael Bey, living and original native American man am of the age of majority and hereby give public notice and make CLAIM OF OWNERSHIP of the Certified Security and/or Bond No: 156-64-311142 whose name also appears on the face of the instrument as MICHAEL BEY (Trust/Estate) by reference to the Official Certificate of Live Birth (Title), recorded and filed dated March 17, 1964, in the Office of the Clerk, County of Kings County.
ALL INDIVIDUAL(S) claiming an interest in the registered securities no. 156-64-311142 against MICHAEL BEY (Trust/ Estate) shall be presented to: Michael Bey at: 64-31 108th Street, Suite 1141 Forest Hills, NY 11375 within 30 days after the publication date of this publications of this notice, September 14, 2023.
Notice of Qualification of VERIS GROUP, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/24/23. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Virginia (VA) on 01/27/05.
SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. VA addr. of LLC: 13800 Coppermine Rd., Ste. 177, Herndon, VA 20171. Cert. of Form. filed with VA State Corp. Commission, 1300 E. Main St., Richmond, VA 23219. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Formation: RADIANT LIFE RESOURCES LLC. Arts of Org filed with Sec. of State of NY (SSNY) on 06/12/2023. Office location: NY COUNTY. SSNY designated as agent upon whom process may be served and shall mail a copy of process against the LLC to R/A at US Corp Agnt, Inc, 7014 13th Ave, #202, Bklyn, NY, 11228. Purpose: any lawful act.
SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF New York, PS Funding, Inc., Plaintiff, vs. Harrison Developers, LLC, ET AL., Defendant(s).
Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale and Decision + Order on Motion duly entered on May 31, 2023 , I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the portico of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY 10007 on October 18, 2023 at 2:15 p.m., premises known as 521 West 150th Street, New York, NY 10031. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County, City and State of New York, Block 2082 and Lot 120. Approximate amount of judgment is $2,987,382.00 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 850267/2021. COVID-19 safety protocols will be followed at the foreclosure sale.
Clark Whitsett, Esq., Referee Chartwell Law, One Battery Park Plaza, Suite 710, New York, New York 10004, Attorneys for Plaintiff
Notice is hereby given that a license, serial #1369839 for beer & wine has been applied for by the undersigned to sell beer & wine at retail in a legitimate theater under the ABC Law at 308 W. 46th St., NYC 10036 for on-premises consumption; Playhouse 46 Inc.
Notice of Qualification of SOM
IW HOLDINGS, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/23/23. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 03/17/22. Princ. office of LLC: 7 World Trade Center, 250 Greenwich St., NY, NY 10007. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Jeffrey W. Bullock, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Qualification of WILLIAMSBURG 157-159 WYTHE AVENUE, L.L.C. Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/31/23. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 08/24/23. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Secy. of State, Div. of Corps., John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Qualification of ZIMMER SPC LP Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/23/23. Office location: NY County. LP formed in Delaware (DE) on 06/12/23. Princ. office of LP: 9 W. 57th St., 33rd Fl., NY, NY 10019. NYS fictitious name: ZIMMER SPC L.P. Duration of LP is Perpetual. SSNY designated as agent of LP upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the L.P. at the princ. office of the LP. Name and addr. of each general partner are available from SSNY. DE addr. of LP: c/o Corporation Service Co., 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of LP filed with Secy. of State of DE, Dept. of State, Div. of Corps., John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Qualification of RP ZEREGA NY, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 06/23/23. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 06/20/23. Princ. office of LLC: 423 W. 55th St., 7th Fl., NY, NY 10019. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, 401 Federal State St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: All lawful activities related to renewable energy generation in the state of New York.
SUPREME COURT-NEW YORK COUNTY- HILTON RESORTS CORP., Pltf. v. ROBERT J. GODING, JR. and LATRICIA L. GODING, Defts. - Index # 850225/2022. Pursuant to Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated August 9, 2023, I will sell at public auction Outside the Portico of the NY County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, NY, NY on Thursday, September 28, 2023 at 2:15 pm, an interest of an undivided 5,000/16,783,800 tenant in common interest in the timeshare known as Phase 2 HNY CLUB SUITES located at 1335 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York. Approximate amount of judgment is $18,853.56 plus costs and interest as of February 24, 2023. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale which includes annual maintenance fees and charges. Tom Kleinberger, Esq., Referee. Cruser, Mitchell, Novitz, Sanchez, Gaston, & Zimet LLP, Attys. for Pltf., 341 Conklin Street, Farmingdale, NY.
Notice of Formation of 142 LAWRENCE LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/21/23. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 73 Spring St., 6th Fl., NY, NY 10012. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o United American Land LLC at the princ. office of the LLC. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Formation of BLUE REEF LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/25/23. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 138 Cucumber Creek Rd., Breckenridge, CO 80424. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
SUPREME COURT-NEW YORK COUNTY- HILTON RESORTS CORP., Pltf. v. ANITA D. HICKS, Defts. - Index # 850143/2020. Pursuant to Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated July 12, 2021, I will sell at public auction Outside the Portico of the NY County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, NY, NY on Thursday, October 12, 2023, at 2:15 pm, an interest of an undivided 0.0450946335738578% tenant in common interest in the timeshare known as Phase I of HNY CLUB SUITES located at 1335 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York. Approximate amount of judgment is $44,849.40 plus costs and interest as of February 23, 2021. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale which includes annual maintenance fees and charges. Mark McKew, Esq., Referee. Cruser, Mitchell, Novitz, Sanchez, Gaston, & Zimet LLP, Attys. for Pltf., 341 Conklin Street, Farmingdale, NY.
SUPREME COURT-NEW YORK COUNTY- HILTON RESORTS CORP., Pltf. v. ROCHELLE R. MITCHLEY and DAVID V. MITCHLEY, Deft.Index # 850086/2020. Pursuant to Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated October 1, 2021, I will sell at public auction Outside the Portico of the NY County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, NY, NY on Thursday, October 12, 2023, at 2:15 pm, an interest of an undivided 0.009864% tenant in common interest in the timeshare known as 57th STREET VACATION SUITES located at 102 West 57th Street, New York, New York. Approximate amount of judgment is $13,791.76 plus costs and interest as of May 7, 2020. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale which includes annual maintenance fees and charges. Referee will not accept cash as any portion of the deposit or purchase price. Bruce Lederman, Esq., Referee. Cruser, Mitchell, Novitz, Sanchez, Gaston, & Zimet LLP, Attys. for Pltf., 341 Conklin Street, Farmingdale, NY.
SUPREME COURT-NEW YORK COUNTY- HILTON RESORTS CORP., Pltf. v. WENDY M. PUSATERI and RICHARD PUSATERI, Deft. - Index # 850169/2018. Pursuant to Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated May 31, 2023, I will sell at public auction Outside the Portico of the NY County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, NY, NY on Thursday, October 5, 2023, at 2:15 pm, an interest of an undivided 0.00986400000% tenant in common interest in the timeshare known as 57TH STREET VACATION SUITES located at 102 West 57th Street, New York, New York. Approximate amount of judgment is $48,795.81 plus costs and interest as of January 12, 2023. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale which includes annual maintenance fees and charges. Jeffrey R. Miller, Esq., Referee. Cruser, Mitchell, Novitz, Sanchez, Gaston, & Zimet LLP, Attys. for Pltf., 341 Conklin Street, Farmingdale, NY.
SUPREME COURT-NEW YORK COUNTY- HILTON RESORTS CORP., Pltf. v. STEPHEN MONIZ and BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF HNY CLUB SUITES OWNERS ASSOCIATION INC., Deft. - Index # 850094/2021. Pursuant to Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated September 27, 2021, I will sell at public auction Outside the Portico of the NY County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, NY, NY on Thursday, October 5, 2023, at 2:15 pm, an interest of an undivided 7,000/28,402,100 tenant in common interest in the timeshare known as Phase 1 HNY CLUB SUITES located at 1335 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York. Approximate amount of judgment is $2,851.69 plus costs and interest as of June 21, 2021. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale which includes annual maintenance fees and charges. Roberta Ashkin, Esq., Referee. Cruser, Mitchell, Novitz, Sanchez, Gaston, & Zimet LLP, Attys. for Pltf., 341 Conklin Street, Farmingdale, NY.
SUPREME COURT-NEW YORK COUNTY- HILTON RESORTS CORP., Pltf. v. FAITH WIGGINS, Deft. - Index # 850194/2020. Pursuant to Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated September 27, 2021, I will sell at public auction Outside the Portico of the NY County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, NY, NY on Thursday, October 5, 2023, at 2:15 pm, an interest of an undivided 5,000/28,402,100 tenant in common interest in the timeshare known as Phase 1 HNY CLUB SUITES located at 1335 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York. Approximate amount of judgment is $45,871.08 plus costs and interest as of April 6, 2021. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale which includes annual maintenance fees and charges. Roberta Ashkin, Esq., Referee. Cruser, Mitchell, Novitz, Sanchez, Gaston, & Zimet LLP, Attys. for Pltf., 341 Conklin Street, Farmingdale, NY.
SUPREME COURT-NEW YORK COUNTY- HILTON RESORTS CORP., Pltf. v. MARIA G. FIGUEROA and ANDRES FIGUEROA, Defts. - Index # 850146/2020. Pursuant to Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated October 21, 2021, I will sell at public auction Outside the Portico of the NY County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, NY, NY on Thursday, October 12, 2023, at 2:15 pm, an undivided 0.00493200000% common interest in the vacation ownership interest timeshare known as 57th STREET VACATION SUITES located at 102 West 57th Street, in the County of NY, State of NY. Approximate amount of judgment is $20,719.58 plus costs and interest as of February 23, 2021. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale which includes annual maintenance fees and charges. Elaine Shay, Esq., Referee. Cruser, Mitchell, Novitz, Sanchez, Gaston, & Zimet LLP, Attys. for Pltf., 341 Conklin Street, Farmingdale, NY.
NOTICE OF FORMATION OF Tea Teasse L.L.C.. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on July 26th, 2023. Office Location:New York County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process may be served. The Post Office the address to which shall mail a copy of any process against the L.L.C. served upon him/her is 7014 15th Avenue,Suite 202, Brooklyn, NY 11228.The principle business address of the L.L.C. is 212 East Broadway, G1507, New York, NY 10002
Notice of Qualification of TILLMAN GLOBAL HOLDINGS, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/17/23. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 03/01/13. Princ. office of LLC: 152 W. 57th St., 27th Fl., NY, NY 10019. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., #4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Qualification of RELATED 418 11TH AVENUE OWNER LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/16/23. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 08/16/23. Princ. office of LLC: 30 Hudson Yards, 72nd Fl., NY, NY 10001. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State of DE, John G. Townsend Bldg., Federal and Duke of York St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Qualification of ALCLEAR KYC, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/18/23. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 08/16/23. Princ. office of LLC: 85 10th Ave., 9th Fl, NY, NY 10011. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., #4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Qualification of ANORAK100 LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/21/23. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 08/16/23. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Jeffrey W. Bullock, Secy. of State of the State of DE, 401 Federal St., #4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Formation of 2 HORATIO STREET LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/29/23. Office location: NY County. Princ.
SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK
HILTON RESORTS CORPORATION, Plaintiff -against- JANELLE L. PARRIS AS ADMINISTRATOR OF THE ESTATE OF MYRA E. PARRIS, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated April 25, 2023 and entered on May 3, 2023, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the New York County Courthouse located on the portico at 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on October 4, 2023 at 2:15 p.m. premises situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County of New York, City and State of New York, being an undivided ownership interest as tenant-in-common with other owners in the Timeshare Unit in the building located at 1335 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY; known as The NYH Condominium. Together with an appurtenant undivided 1.4182% common interest percentage. This a foreclosure on ownership interest in a timeshare unit, a studio penthouse on a floating use basis every year, in accordance with and subject to declarations. Declaration of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions dated October 27, 2003 and November 3, 2003 as CFRN # 2003000442513 as recorded in the Office of the City Register, County, City and State of New York. The Timeshare Unit is also designated as Block 1006 and Lot 1303. Said premises known as 1335 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS, UNIT HU2, NEW YORK, NY. Approximate amount of lien $36,539.61 plus interest & costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale.
Index Number 850054/2022.
MATTHEW D. HUNTER, ESQ., Referee
DRUCKMAN LAW GROUP PLLC
Attorney(s) for Plaintiff
242 Drexel Avenue, Westbury, NY 11590
SUPREME COURT-NEW YORK COUNTY- HILTON RESORTS CORP., Pltf. v. NESTOR I. CHAVEZ, Defts. - Index # 850268/2022. Pursuant to Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated August 8, 2023, I will sell at public auction Outside the Portico of the NY County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, NY, NY on Monday, September 18, 2023, at 2:15 pm, an interest of an undivided 0,00986400000% tenant in common interest in the timeshare known as 57th STREET VACATION SUITES located at 102 West 57th Street, New York, New York. Approximate amount of judgment is $16,870.38 plus costs and interest as of March 27, 2023. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale which includes annual maintenance fees and charges. Allison M. Furman, Esq., Referee. Cruser, Mitchell, Novitz, Sanchez, Gaston, & Zimet LLP, Attys. for Pltf., 341 Conklin Street, Farmingdale, NY.
CJDW Limited Liability Company Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 04/27/2023. Office: Queens County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail copy to 11559 Mexico Street, St. Albans, NY, 11412. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.
Notice of Formation of 260 SS BROOME LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/18/23. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, 260 Fifth Ave., NY, NY 10001. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
NOTICE OF SALE
SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK
HILTON RESORTS CORPORATION, Plaintiff -against- JANELLE L. PARRIS AS ADMINISTRATOR OF THE ESTATE OF MYRA E. PARRIS, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated April 25, 2023 and entered on May 3, 2023, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the New York County Courthouse located on the portico at 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on October 4, 2023 at 2:15 p.m. premises situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County of New York, City and State of New York, being an undivided ownership interest as tenant-in-common with other owners in the Timeshare Unit in the building located at 1335 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY; known as The NYH Condominium. Together with an appurtenant undivided 1.4182% common interest percentage. This a foreclosure on ownership interest in a timeshare unit, a studio penthouse on a floating use basis every year, in accordance with and subject to declarations. Declaration of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions dated October 27, 2003 and November 3, 2003 as CFRN # 2003000442513 as recorded in the Office of the City Register, County, City and State of New York. The Timeshare Unit is also designated as Block 1006 and Lot 1303. Said premises known as 1335 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS, UNIT HU2, NEW YORK, NY. Approximate amount of lien $36,539.61 plus interest & costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale. Index Number 850054/2022.
MATTHEW D. HUNTER, ESQ., Referee DRUCKMAN LAW GROUP PLLC Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 242 Drexel Avenue, Westbury, NY 11590
SUPREME COURT-NEW YORK COUNTY- HILTON RESORTS CORP., Pltf.
NESTOR I. CHAVEZ, Defts. - Index # 850268/2022. Pursuant to Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated August 8, 2023, I will sell at public
Swim Instructors
Build your career with NYC Parks! We seek full-time and parttime Aquatic Specialists to lead aquatics fitness classes for New Yorkers of all ages. Provide swim instruction to tots, children, adults, seniors, and people with special needs. Lead and coach youth Aquatics programming and instruct participants in basic fitness skills and the health benefits of regular exercise. 3+ years’ related experience required. Salary: $23.66 - $27.21 p/h, plus excellent benefits. Full descriptions, requirements & to apply at: cityjobs.nyc.gov; search for Job ID# 595255 or Job ID# 597749. For details about NYC Parks: www.nyc.gov/parks
Build your career with NYC Parks! We seek full-time and parttime Aquatic Specialists to lead aquatics fitness classes for New Yorkers of all ages. Provide swim instruction to tots, children, adults, seniors, and people with special needs. Lead and coach youth Aquatics programming and instruct participants in basic fitness skills and the health benefits of regular exercise. 3+ years’ related experience required. Salary: $23.66 - $27.21 p/h, plus excellent benefits. Full descriptions, requirements & to apply at: cityjobs.nyc.gov; search for Job ID# 595255 or Job ID# 597749. For details about NYC Parks: www.nyc.gov/parks
The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual’s sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.
The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual’s sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.
Sale Executive is needed by SS&C Technologies, Inc. in New York, NY to present, promote and sell products and services to existing and prospective customers. Guide prospective customers in the development of their vision for Financial Risk within their organizations and on how SS&C solutions can contribute to their success. Travel required to client locations throughout the U.S. to meet potential customers in promoting and selling SS&C products and service offerings. Rate of pay is $165,000 - $228,000. Apply at www. ssctech.com/careers, select open position in the U.S. and sort by Job Title and apply, or mail resume and cover letter to: Tiffany Ratliff, Talent Acquisition Specialist, SS&C Technologies, Inc., 80 Lamberton Rd, Windsor, CT 06095 and reference job number R17064 in cover letter.
Sale Executive is needed by SS&C Technologies, Inc. in New York, NY to present, promote and sell products and services to existing and prospective customers. Guide prospective customers in the development of their vision for Financial Risk within their organizations and on how SS&C solutions can contribute to their success. Travel required to client locations throughout the U.S. to meet potential customers in promoting and selling SS&C products and service offerings. Rate of pay is $165,000 - $228,000. Apply at www. ssctech.com/careers, select open position in the U.S. and sort by Job Title and apply, or mail resume and cover letter to: Tiffany Ratliff, Talent Acquisition Specialist, SS&C Technologies, Inc., 80 Lamberton Rd, Windsor, CT 06095 and reference job number R17064 in cover letter.
SYPartners LLC, New York seeks Sr. Strategist for strategy design. Full-time, Telecommuting Permitted. Travel 20% of time domestically. Salary Range: $120,000 to $140,000. Email CV to: akeita@sypartners.com
SYPartners LLC, New York seeks Sr. Strategist for strategy design. Full-time, Telecommuting Permitted. Travel 20% of time domestically. Salary Range: $120,000 to $140,000. Email CV to: akeita@sypartners.com
TO DISPLAY YOUR LEGAL, LLC, AND CLASSIFIEDS ADS CONTACT:
SHAQUANA FOLKS
212-932-7412
SHAQUANA.FOLKS@ AMSTERDAMNEWS.COM
Continued from page 4
“Once a young kid gets locked up before the age of 18, they’re eight times [likelier] to end up in state prison for bigger, badder crimes,” said Herrmann. “If you look at just strictly from a financial perspective, we waste a lot more money on locking up juveniles than we do by re-educating them, training them, or giving them job skills, [which] I think pays off a lot more long term than locking themup.”
Joyrides could lead to a permanent criminal record
City numbers indicate that over 51% of those arrested for GLAs since 2022 have been under the age of 18 and more than 88% are age 25 and under. Most car thefts are happening in the Bronx and northern Queens. According to NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell, there have been over 2,000 Kias and Hyundais stolen this year in the city and 300 last year.
Adams emphasized that the crackdown is to protect car owners and the future of young New Yorkers. “A joyride does not bring about joy when you have a permanent criminal record that could impact your livelihood in the future,” said Adams. He worries that social media patterns and video games will continue to influence youth behavior leading to dangerous situations—similar to subway surfing deaths and persistent drill music deaths among youth.
“See, when a person’s vehicle was stolen, that’s not just a loss of property. We rely on that vehicle for work. We rely on that vehicle to take our children to school. For many of us, it’s our lifeline,” said Banks. “We are not going to stand by and let people be robbed of that lifeline. This is a deep issue. We’re treating it with the utmost respect. The utmost seriousness.”
Though the reckless practice of joyrides among youths is not new, the novelty of essentially recording yourself committing a crime and then posting or rapping about it is. The stealing part was popularized on social media, particu-
Continued from page 4
They determined that this is a group that tends to be younger than non-Black Latinos: Their average age is 21. And Afro Latinos tend to be able to garner higher education levels than non-Black Latinos, yet they also have higher poverty rates and lower homeownership rates.
The discord between high education levels and high poverty rates has a lot to do with the position Black Latinos find themselves in in the United States, according to Dr. Nancy López, a University of New Mexico professor of sociology who is one of the co-authors of the report.
Rarely viewed as a stereotypical Latino and not always seen as epitomizing U.S. Black culture, Afro Latinos stand apart from the two groups they form part of, so they don’t always
larly on TikTok, when videos started circulating showing how to exploit the vulnerabilities of specific models so they could be easily stolen.
It’s also been reported by news outlets, like The Verge, that this specific car theft trend is most popular among “young Black males living in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods.” In places like Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Columbus, Ohio, the car theft trend has been linked to young rappers on streaming sites. Both groups have been dubbed ‘Kia Boys’ nationwide and have even spurred a $200 million lawsuit against the car manufacturers. A Hyundai spokesperson said the company is aware of the “persistent theft of certain vehicles not equipped with pushbutton ignitions and engine immobilizers” and mentioned ramping up anti-theft software installation for its models.
see the benefits either community is given.
“It’s critical that we employ intersectionality or attention to the idea that race, gender, class, and ethnicity are all analytically distinct,” López told the AmNews. “I’m a Black Latina, a U.S.-born daughter of Dominican immigrants, and I have people in my family who are not Black, but they’re still Dominicans. So, if we want to practice solidarity, we have to understand that race––and I call it ‘street race’: If you are out in public, what race would you think others who don’t know you would assume you are, based on what you look like––is not the same as ethnicity, which is your cultural background, your genealogical heritage.
“The reason why paying attention to Afro Latinidad is important is because we are making visible any inequalities within our community that follow along racial lines that would obviously remain unseen if we assume that all Dominicans are the same race or all Puerto Ricans are the same race or all Mexi-
Adams and the city’s law department agreed to hop on the lawsuit against Kia and Hyundai in June 2023. The city said it was in an effort to hold the two companies accountable for refusing to equip certain models of both cars with standard anti-theft measures following the uptick in car thefts. The city has also tried distributing donated Apple AirTags earlier this year to car owners to help people keep tabs on their Kias and Hyundais.
Despite the uptick in thefts of models from the two South Korean-based manufacturers, Hondas remain the most stolen car brand in New York City, according to the Mayor’s Office report.
In Adams’ plan, every NYPD precinct now has a dedicated car theft radio motor patrol car with two mobile license plate readers that will be on patrol 24/7. He has also assigned a GLA
cans are the same race.”
There are some 2 million Afro Latinos in the United States. They have traditionally been merged with the estimated 58.9 million Latinos in the U.S. When Afro Latinos are not separated out and counted, their unique issues are not recognized.
When the concerns of Afro Latinos are subsumed under Latinos issues, the significance of their African heritage is denied. The racial hierarchies in Latin America that colonized indigenous people and enslaved Africans are integral parts of the traditions of white supremacy that many Latino migrants bring to the United States.
This is one reason there has been a push by U.S.-based Afro Latino organizations to counter a proposal to combine race and ethnicity on the U.S. Census. Black Latinos experience the same anti-Black -
coordinator to collect data on stolen or lost vehicles and additional investigators to the city’s Auto Crime Units.
The plan hinges on a big educational aspect as well, convening the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association (GNYADA), the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, and Spectrum TV to implement outreach strategies that will educate car owners with tips on how to keep their property safe. The Mayor is also calling on community partners, violence interrupters, and school administrators to proactively reach out to youths with multiple car theft arrests.
Kevin Livingston, founder and CEO of 100 Suits for 100 Men, runs an outreach and mentorship program that impacts hundreds of young boys of color in the city each year. Livingston said that it’s important to reach out to youth whenever possible and to meet them where they are.“Mentorship; you build a relationship with the youth so it’s basically about that relationship. And when you have that relationship respect is earned,” said Livingston. “And when they respect you, they listen to you.”
Speaking from his perspective, he said that young men want to have fun with their friends but don’t always understand that the ramifications of their actions can be detrimental to their freedom in the long run. He thinks that the “dark media” is definitely influencing kids in a negative way and education at home is key. When asked what’s the best way to be a role model for young Black boys, he said simply: “show up” for the youth.
“There’s enough people that talk that don’t show up. You can be anybody,” said Livingston. “But if you are willing to show up for these youth, you’d be surprised how they respond to you.”
Ariama C. Long is a Report for America corps member and writes about politics for the Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://bit. ly/amnews1.
ness that other people of African descent do. Women have been sexualized while at work or at school, individuals have suffered constant surveillance due to assumptions of criminality, and discrimination has led to mistreatment.
“Afro Latinos who were raised here, whether or not they were born abroad… we experience anti-Blackness from the minute we step into so many spaces,” said López. But history shows that Afro Latinos and African Americans have often formed communities of solidarity that help both groups face racial disparities. “We go to the same schools, we live in the same neighborhoods, obviously there’s going to be community building that way,” López said. “When we talk about Blackness and we don’t think about the cradle of Blackness, in the Caribbean and Latin America, then we are missing an opportunity to create linkages and create solidarity.”
of prescription drugs. It remains an issue for far too many New Yorkers, and far too many Americans.
According to recent polling, almost one in three Americans report difficulty with affording their medications as prescribed due to cost. And importantly, Americans understand where the blame truly lies. Almost eight in ten respondents to the same poll said that pharmaceutical industry profits are a “major factor” in contributing to the price of prescription drugs.
To build on the positive progress made in terms of lowering prescription drug prices with the Inflation Reduction Act, Congress must take the next step and work to crack down on the many ways the pharmaceutical industry abuses the patent system.
A solution to address this critical priority has already been introduced in Congress. The bipartisan Affordable Prescriptions for Patients Act of 2023, introduced by Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and John Cornyn (R-TX), would crack down on several anti-competitive tactics the pharmaceutical industry employs to abuse the patent system and help increase competition by enabling more generic and biosimilar products to come to market, which would lowering prices.
This is an important legislative solution that would help ease the burden of New Yorkers and Americans across the country contending with the high price of many prescription drugs.
In an increasingly divided Congress, our elected leaders can continue to find common ground in working to lower Americans’ healthcare costs. Democrats saw the value of this in the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act last year. I’m certain they will see the value in keeping up the momentum by passing the Affordable Prescriptions for Patients Act of 2023 later this year.
Reverend Alfred S. Cockfield is COO of God’s Battalion of Prayer Ministries.
1775 Coney Island Avenue Apartments
23 NEWLY CONSTRUCTED UNITS AT 1775 Coney Island Avenue, Brooklyn NY MIDWOOD
Amenities: Covered parking*, electric car charging stations, gymnasium, common area WiFi, elevator, shared laundry room*, limited balconies (*additional fees apply).
This building is anticipated to receive a Tax Exemption through the 421a Tax Incentive program of the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development.
Who Should Apply?
Individuals or households who meet the income and household size requirements listed in the table below may apply. Qualified applicants will be required to meet additional selection criteria. Applicants who live in New York City receive a general preference for apartments.
1 Tenant responsible for electricity with electric stove, electric heat and hot water.
2 Household size includes everyone who will live with you, including parents and children. Subject to occupancy criteria.
3 Household earnings includes salary, hourly wages, tips, Social Security, child support, and other income. Income guidelines subject to change.
4 Minimum income listed may not apply to applicants with Section 8 or other qualifying rental subsidies. Asset limits also apply.
How Do You Apply?
Apply online or through mail. To apply online, please go to https://housingconnect.nyc.gov/PublicWeb/. To request an application by mail, send a self-addressed envelope to: MGNY Consulting, c/o 1775 Coney Island Avenue Apartments, 109 East 9th Street, New York NY 10003. Only send one application per development. Do not submit duplicate applications. Do not apply online and also send in a paper application. Applicants who submit more than one application may be disqualified.
When is the Deadline?
Applications must be postmarked or submitted online no later than November 15, 2023. Late applications will not be considered.
What Happens After You Submit an Application?
After the deadline, applications are selected for review through a lottery process. If yours is selected and you appear to qualify, you will be invited to submit documents to continue the process of determining your eligibility. Appointments are usually scheduled from 2 to 10 months after the application deadline. You will be asked to bring documents that verify your household size, identity of members of your household, and your household income.
Continued from page 2
rule, led to fraught days and much bloodshed before South Africa was able to elect its first Black leader.
He also held opposing views about international sanctions against South Africa, believing that such measures would primarily harm the country’s black majority.
South Africa’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa, said in a statement, “I am deeply saddened to announce the passing of Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, the prince of KwaPhindangene, traditional prime minister to the Zulu monarch and nation, and the founder and president emeritus of the Inkatha Freedom party.”
Critics described Buthelezi as a war lord, but to his legion of followers in the rural Zulu heartland, he was a visionary.
For a decade before the end of white rule in 1994, Buthelezi—dressed in leopard skins and waving a short, silvertopped stick—was a familiar sight at rallies while Inkatha was embroiled in conflict with the ANC.
“It’s not pleasant, it’s not easy for me. Neither is it easy for President Thabo Mbeki to have me and my colleagues in the cabinet. We did it to end a low-intensity civil war,” Buthelezi told Reuters in July 2003.
He also starred in the 1964 film “Zulu,” playing his own great-grandfather, King Cetshwayo.
After leading the IFP for 44 years, Buthelezi stepped down in 2019 at age 90.
He was married to Irene Mzila, a nurse, eschewing the polygamy followed by many Zulu chiefs. They had three sons and four daughters.
Español Presente una solicitud en línea en https://housingconnect.nyc.gov/PublicWeb/. Para recibir una traducción de español de este anuncio y la solicitud impresa, envíe un sobre con la dirección a: MGNY Consulting, c/o 1775 Coney Island Avenue Apartments, 109 East 9th Street, New York NY 10003. En el reverso del sobre, escriba en inglés la palabra “SPANISH.” Las solicitudes se deben enviar en línea o con sello postal antes de 15 de noviembre 2023
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On Saturday, Coco Gauff, the No. 6 seed, used speed, finesse, and unwavering resilience to overcome No. 2 seed Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka’s power and booming serve to win the 2023 U.S. Open women’s singles title.
Gauff rallied to beat Sabalenka 2–6, 6–3, 6–2, giving the 19-yearold American her first Grand Slam championship and becoming only the third American teenager, after Tracey Austin (1979) and Serena Williams (1999), to win the U.S. Open women’s singles.
Gauff’s ascent began as an adolescent when she won the USTA Clay Court National 12-and-under title at the age of 10 years and three months, becoming the youngest champion in the tournament’s history. A former world No. 1 junior, she received a wild card entry to Wimbledon in 2019 at 15 years old.
The teenage phenom immediately made her mark by defeating former world No. 1, seven-time
major singles champion, and fivetime Wimbledon champion Venus Williams in the first round. Later that year, Gauff reached the third round of the U.S. Open and went on to win her first singles title at the
2019 Linz Open.
One constant in Gauff’s success has been her parents, Corey and Candi Gauff. Both former highachieving college athletes, Corey as a basketball player for Geor-
gia State and Candi as a track and field standout for Florida State, the couple left their careers in Atlanta in health care and education respectively to move back to their hometown of Delray Beach, Flori-
da, to provide their daughter with better training opportunities.
Corey became Gauff's coach while Candi took on homeschooling duties. During her post-match on-court victory speech at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, Queens, on Saturday, Gauff thanked her parents for their sacrifice.
“Thank you, guys. You believed in me from the beginning.”
Gauff also shared a memory of attending a past U.S. Open with her father.
“My dad took me to this tournament, sitting right there, watching Venus and Serena compete, so this is really incredible to win on this stage.”
Gauff, who rose to No. 3 in the WTA singles rankings with her win, said during an appearance on NBC’s Today show on Monday.
“It’s still crazy…I don’t think it’s digeste[d]…Even last night, I was telling myself, ‘You’re a Grand Slam champion,’ and it doesn’t feel real at all.”
It’s real Coco. It’s real.
By B.L. OLIVER Special to the AmNews
After two weeks of compelling and history-making tennis, the 2023 U.S. Open ended this past Sunday with the men's singles finalbetween No. 2 seed Novak Djokovic and No. 3 seed Daniil Medvedev.Djokovic earned his 24th Grand Slam singles title with a 6–3, 7–6, 6–3 win to tie Margaret Court for the most ever.
After the match, which included an epic second set that lasted 1 hour, 44 minutes, Djokovic reflected on the significance of the moment.
“It obviously means the world to me, I'm really living my childhood dream to compete at the higher level in sport, which has given me and my family so much from difficult circumstances,” he said.
“I never thought I would be here but I thought I had a shot at history. Why not grab it when it is presented?”
While still on the court, Djokovic displayed a shirt featuring a picture of himself and Kobe Bryant with the caption “Mama Forever.”
A touching tribute to the late basketball legend.
“I thought of doing this tshirt eventually, if I get the chance to win the tournament, about seven days ago," he explained. “I didn’t share it with anyone until a few days ago when I asked my people to help me out to make this shirt.
“Kobe was a close friend, we chatted a lot about winners mentality,” the 36-year-old star from Serbia explained. “When I was struggling and trying to make my comeback, work my way back to the top of the game, he was one of the people I relied on the most. He was always there for any kind of support in the most friendly way.
“Of course what happened a few years ago with him and his daughter passing, hurt me
deeply. I thought ‘24’ is the jersey that he wore when he became a legend of the Lakers and of the world of basketball. I thought it could be a nice symbolic thing to acknowledge him for all of the things he's done.”
Djokovic defeated 20-yearold Ben Shelton in the semifinals, while Medvedev upset No. 1 seed and last year’s U.S. Open champion Carlos Alcaraz.
Shelton bested Tommy Paul in the fourth round and then Francis Tiafoe in the quarterfinals. After being ousted, the former Florida Gator shared his thoughts on his experience playing at the Open.
“I think I learned a lot about myself these two weeks, knowing how deep I can dig and what I can do competitively out on the tennis court, because I think it's such a mental sport,” said Shelton. “I think that's such a big side of it.
“Every loss hurts. It cuts you a little bit. If anything, this week has just motivated me more.”
The last couple of weeks of WNBA regular season play have been jam-packed for the New York Liberty. The team headed into Sunday afternoon’s Fan Appreciation Day game against the Washington Mystics on an eight-game winning streak. Having just secured a playoff spot after an up-and-down 19–21 season, the Mystics were determined to reassert the presence that brought them the 2019 WNBA title.
The game was incredibly tight, with the Mystics prevailing 90–88. The Liberty will get another chance to assert their dominance because the Mystics are the Liberty’s first-round opponent in the playoffs. Game one is at Barclays Center on Friday night and game two is at Barclays
on Tuesday. New York and Washington are 2–2 this season.
“Our fans have been great the entire season, so being able to play here in front of them and have them support us and push us through is going to be amazing,” said Jonquel Jones, who had 19 points and nine rebounds in Sunday’s game. “Any time we get them involved and engaged in a game and we play the right style of basketball, it definitely shows and you can feel it out there.”
Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello said every bench is important, and this team’s bench has continued to show its skills this season. Marine Johannès has been outstanding all season, and put up 11 points off the bench against the Mystics.
“We want them to come out and continue to bring the energy. We don’t know how the game is going, so they’re vital for our success,”
said Brondello. “It’s going to be important for us. We want them to be confident when they’re out there and bring what they do best.”
Jones noted that the Liberty’s toughness and togetherness are hallmarks of this team. “We have a very special group and I’m very excited about what we’re going to do in the playoffs,” she said.
The Liberty are the only remaining original franchise in the WNBA not to have won a championship. The team hasn’t been to the Finals since 2002.
Round one of the WNBA playoffs begins on Wednesday as the four-time WNBA Champion Minnesota Lynx take on the Connecticut Sun and the defending WNBA Champion Las Vegas Aces play the 2021 Champion Chicago Sky. On Friday, after the New York versus Washington game, the Atlanta Dream will take on the Dallas Wings.
Five MLBbros were recently nominated for one of the most prestigious honors in baseball— the Roberto Clemente Award.
Aaron Judge, Tony Kemp, Josiah Gray, Marcus Stroman, and Hunter Greene are among the players under consideration.
The award annually recognizes “the player who best represents the game through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy, and positive contributions, both on and off the field,” according to MLB.com.
Clemente, an Afro Latino from Carolina, Puerto Rico, is widely viewed by baseball historians as one of the greatest players of alltime, spending his entire Major League Baseball career, spanning from 1955 to 1972, with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was also a revered humanitarian who died at the age of 38 in a plane crash on December 31, 1972, on a mission to deliver aid to Nicaragua after a massive earthquake shook the country.
While the five Black candidates for Roberto Clemente Award have had success on the field, the work the players have carried out off
the field has also been lauded. The last Black player to earn the accolade was Curtis Granderson in 2016 when he was a member of the New York Mets. Andrew McCutchen won the award the prior year while playing for the Pirates.
Aaron Judge, New York Yankees
The 2022 AL MVP’s ALL RISE Foundation was created in 2018 and has helped more than 2,000 children in New York and his hometown of Linden, California. The organization has a minigrant program that helps pay for registration and transportation to leadership conferences. The New York Yankees outfielder holds baseball camps as well.
Tony Kemp, Oakland Athletics
Kemp is on the player committee of Players Alliance, a collective of current and retired baseball and softball players, endeavoring to increase opportunities for Black communities in every aspect of baseball.
One of the initiatives in which Kemp is involved is the +1 Effect campaign, which aims to combat social injustice. He also is a avid supporter of the nonprofit HCP Cureblindness.
Josiah Gray, Washington Nationals
Gray is a player ambassador to the Washington Nationals Youth Baseball Academy. In that role he helps with fundraising efforts and serves as a mentor to the participants of the program.
Marcus Stroman, Chicago Cubs
Stroman’s Height Doesn’t Measure Heart Foundation provides opportunities for young people facing adversity in various aspects of their life. At only 5 foot 8 inches tall, the Long Island native and former New York Met beat the odds as his physical stature did not deter him from becoming a star pitcher for Duke University, two-time MLB All-Star, and 2017 World Baseball Classic MVP.
Hunter Greene, Cincinnati Reds
In his young MLB career, Greene has already become a prominent presence in communities across Cincinnati. One of his signature initiatives is an annual camp named the Hunter Greene Baseball Camp.
Fans can vote for the nominees until October 1 using the link http://mlbtogether.com/ clemente21.
Middle blocker Nailah Jenkins assumed her competitive volleyball days would end after she earned her bachelor’s degree at Northeastern, but the additional year of eligibility granted to all student-athletes who were in school during the 202021 academic year has given her one more year to compete in the sport she loves. She is finding her groove with the volleyball team at Fordham University, which has a record of 7–1.
“It’s definitely a little weird going from living somewhere for four years and being on the same team for four years, to adjusting to a completely new place, new people, new style of volleyball, [and a] new conference and everything, but the girls on the team honestly made the adjustment so seamless and easy,” said Jenkins.
Over the summer, Jenkins joined the Fordham volleyball team for an international trip to Japan. That provided a lot of shared experiences that helped her mesh with the team. She’s
enjoying the new team culture and coaching. While she is one of the most experienced players, she is willing to listen and learn from the Fordham veterans on
the team.
“The girls have also been really great about asking volleyball advice and letting me share my experiences and knowledge
about volleyball,” said Jenkins, who is pursuing a master’s degree in health administration. “They’ve been so receptive to having a grad transfer on the team.”
Jenkins chose Fordham because she had heard many positive things about head volleyball coach Ian Choi and the program. She knew the team needed a middle blocker, so it was a good fit. Also, after four years in Boston, she was eager to play in another big city, and New York City fits that bill nicely. Jenkins said seeing the many different cultures of the city is inspiring, noting there is somewhere for everything.
“I did my undergrad in health sciences and Fordham had the perfect one-year master’s program for me,” Jenkins said. “I think I want to go into healthcare and business. I’m interested in healthcare consulting or medical device sales or marketing. I’m not quite sure yet, but I’m hoping that my master’s will really open my eyes to something I’ll be passionate about in the long run. So I’m excited to take these new classes and gain new skills through my master’s program.”
Fordham hosts the Rose Hill Classic this weekend, facing off against Dartmouth and Fairleigh Dickinson.
For several years, Emmanuel Savary and Starr Andrews were the lone African American skaters competing in the U.S. Figure Skating Championships. After several injuries, Savary stepped away from the sport, leaving Andrews as the lone Black skater at the 2021 U.S. Championships. That picture changed in 2023, when Alexa Gasparotto joined Andrews in the senior women’s event.
Feeling disappointed by how his skating career halted, Savary has decided to return to competitive skating, and last weekend made a statement by winning the senior men’s event at the Middle Atlantic Figure Skating Championship, held at SkyRink at Chelsea Piers.
“It’s nice to be back; it’s been awhile,” said Savary, 25, who first competed in NYC when he was 11. “Happy to skate and looking forward to the future. I’m coming back for one more year. My swan song season, I guess you could
say. The goal is to go to Nationals and skate the best that I can, and I can move on with my other goals in life. I’m finishing up college (studying physics and as-
tronomy at the University of Delaware) and coaching a little bit as well.”
A student of Savary’s, Gabriella Alexander, made the trip to
New York with her family to see him compete. “I hope to see more people who look like me skating in the near future,” she said.
“Being on the ice is so magical.”
Nathan Chapple won the silver medal in the senior men’s event. “It felt great; it felt easy,” he said. “I like to perform, so it felt good. One of the major things I like to do is perform. I’d like to take that to a higher level.”
Gasparotto finished eighth overall in the senior women’s competition. She has been beset by several injuries over the past few months but is persevering in her training by prioritizing quality over quantity and adding physical therapy. Expectations are high because she is the recipient of this year’s Mabel Fairbanks Skatingly Yours Fund Elite Award, which provided her with $20,000 toward her training.
“I feel very supported,” she said. “I feel I’m turning into the role model that I always wanted to be.”
Rohene Ward and Amber Gil coach both Chapple and Gasparotto. “It’s important for them to put their programs out there and be seen,” said Ward. “I thought it was a great event. Very musical skaters.”
The unthinkable became the Jets’ devastating actuality.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who was acquired by the franchise last April with enormous expectations that he was the missing piece to a potential Super Bowl team, tore his left Achilles tendon on Monday.
In the season-opening game for the Jets and Buffalo Bills at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, Rodgers was sacked by Bills defensive end Leonard Floyd on just the offense’s fourth snap, causing what was confirmed on Tuesday as a season-ending injury.
To frame the occurrence in a more exasperating and emotionally piercing context for Jets fans who have craved another Super Bowl title since the team’s first and only in 1969, 54 years ago, Rodgers, who many believed could help deliver the coveted prize, played less than 5 minutes of the 2023 season.
The Jets defeating the Bills 22–16 in overtime on a dramatic 65-yard game-ending punt return by rookie Xavier Gipson with 9:02 remaining had the relevance of a foot-
note contrasted with Rodgers’ injury. The Jets’ swarming, relentless defense and quarterback Zach Wilson, who replaced Rodgers, limiting his consequential mistakes to one interception, helped the team fight back from a 13–3
halftime deficit was commendable.
Second-year running back Breece Hall, playing his first regular season game since tearing the ACL in his right knee last October 23 in Week 7 and cutting short a sensation-
al rookie season, was inspiring. Hall looked explosive and fully recovered on Monday night, rushing for a dazzling 127 yards. However, it was an afterthought in light of the Jets’ championship aspirations and the 39-year-old Rodgers’ career in doubt.
“I’m going to enjoy this win,” said Jets head coach Robert Saleh in his postgame press conference. “Winning in the NFL is hard regardless of who the quarterback is. But personally, I don’t hurt for me, I don’t hurt for the locker room. I hurt for Aaron. I’m still going to say a prayer, hold out hope. My heart’s with Aaron now, no one else.”
On Tuesday, Saleh expanded on his sentiments.
“I feel more for Aaron than anyone,” he said of the four-time NFL MVP. “He’s invested so much into this organization, so much into this journey he’s embarked on and wanting to be a part of what we have going here, and…into not only this organization, but his teammates, himself, this fanbase, this city. I have a lot of emotions for him.”
The Jets will face the 1-0 Dallas Cowboys on the road this Sunday (4:25 p.m.). The Cowboys crushed the Giants at MetLife Stadium on Sunday night 40–0
The video session of the Giants’ 40–0 regular season opening game loss at home at MetLife Stadium on Sunday night to the Dallas Cowboys was undoubtedly both instructive and mortifying.
Bluntly, the Giants were horrible in all facets of the game. The Cowboys imposed their will on them early in the game, taking a 16–0 first quarter lead and essentially deciding the outcome by halftime when the score was 26–0. The Cowboys 14 second half points were for posterity.
It made the shutout the largest by either team in head-to-head matchups, surpassing the Cowboys’ 35–0 victory in 1995. The one positive takeaway for the Giants is that the game took place in Week 1, so they have 16 more to go. But if what transpired was more of an exposure of lingering weaknesses than an anomaly—most glaringly a disjointed offensive line—the Giants will find the next three and
a half months problematic.
Giants quarterback Daniel Jones was under siege all evening by the fast and physical Cowboys defense and did not respond well, looking uncertain, hurried, and rattled.
He passed for just 104 yards and
threw two interceptions. Similarly, running back Saquon Barkley was not able to get untracked and was pounded between the tackles and in space.
Barkley had a respectable 4.3 yards per carry average, rush-
ing for 51 yards on 12 attempts, including an 18-yard scamper.
One of Jones’ interceptions came when Barkley was hammered by Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs late in the first quarter on a dump off from Jones. The
hit jarred the ball from Barkley and it was picked out of the air by Cowboys cornerback DaRon Bland, who sprinted 22-yards for a touchdown with 2:22 remaining in the first quarter.
“Obviously, a tough loss, a disappointing loss, got beat all the way around, [from] coaching to playing and I accept that, got a lot to learn from, a lot to work on and that's what we'll do,” said Giants head coach Brian Daboll to begin his postgame press conference.
“No excuses, give credit to Dallas. They just did everything better than we did tonight.”
We got skunked in the National Football League against Dallas, and at home,” said Barkley. “That's football. We've got to do a better job, starting with myself and the leaders of stop the leaking, stop the bleeding and we didn't do that. We can't go down like that to a team of that caliber. Just got to go, watch film, learn from it, and get ready for Arizona.”
The Giants will play the Cardinals on the road this Sunday (4:05 p.m.).
