27 minute read
In the Classroom
Trailblazing golfer, Bill Spiller
By HERB BOYD Special to the AmNews
Golf enthusiasts, particularly those attuned to Blacks who have excelled on the links, may have heard of a few old-timers such as Ted Rhodes, Charlie Sifford, Pete Brown and Lee Elder (who died recently died on Nov. 28), but unless you are deeply informed Bill Spiller may have escaped your gaze.
Spiller was born Oct. 25, 1913 in Tishomingo, Oklahoma and moved to Tulsa in 1922, a year after the race massacre took the lives of countless African Americans. At a very early age his athletic prowess bloomed, and he eventually starred in two sports as a high school student and at Wiley College in Marshall, Texas. Golf was not one of the sports he pursued in college. He was 30 years old when he seriously began playing golf and saw it as a possible professional career.
By this time he was residing in Southern California, and armed with a degree in education he taught for a while, supplementing his income by working as a railroad porter. He was convinced by a fellow porter to give golf a try and began competing and winning in Blacks-only amateur tournaments in the 1940s. His performance in the Los Angeles Open was sensational in 1948, though he failed to defeat the great Ben Hogan. Finishing in the top 60, however, made him eligible for the next PGA tournament—the Richmond Open. It should be noted that Ted Rhodes also made the cut tying at 22nd while Spiller ended in a tie at 29th making them the first Africans to play in non-USGA, PGA Tour events. When he was denied entry in the 1948 Richmond Open Held in Richmond, California by the PGA of America, he began to relentlessly challenge the PGA’s segregation policy. No participant in a major golf tournament could enter without approval of the PGA, and, of course, one of the rules was you had to be white. With the assistance of attorney Jonathan Rowell of the Bay Area, Spiller filed a lawsuit. He was joined in the lawsuit by Ted
Rhodes, and they charged they were being denied an opportunity to earn a living because the PGA was a closed shop. Such rules, under the Taft-Hartley Act, were illegal and against the law. After the PGA agreed to end its discriminatory policy that would allow them to participate, they withdrew the lawsuit. This promise was not kept as the PGA sidestepped the agreement by sponsoring “invitational tournaments,” and Blacks were not among those invited.
Spiller, however, was invited to the 1952 San Diego Open, where apparently the sponsors were not aware of the whites-only clause. To correct this mistake, Horton Smith, president of the PGA of America, moved to exclude them. Joe Louis, the former heavyweight boxing champion, interceded on behalf of the golfers and the situation, mainly through the nationwide microphone of Walter Winchell, which gained national traction. A lawsuit was once again filed by Spiller and, like before, the PGA and Smith promised to change the rules. Although the segregation clause remained in place, some
sponsors began inviting African Americans anyway.
By 1960, the racist policy of the PGA was a common practice, one that the attorney general of California and the state’s future Supreme Court Justice Stanley Mosk could not ignore. He advised the PGA of America that it would not be allowed on public courses where most of the tournaments were held. To get around this injunction, the PGA resorted to hosting their tournaments on private courses. Aware of the manipulation to avoid ending discrimination, Mosk then began contacting attorney generals in other states to adhere to his measure.
In November 1961, the PGA of America finally relented and removed the clause that had been in existence since 1943. The success of this came much too late for Spiller, who was by now 48 years old, having started his golf career comparatively late. Even so, he had paved the way for other Black golfers to participate in the major PGA of America tournaments, and win.
Spiller died in 1988 in Los
Angeles California, and in 2009 he was granted a posthumous honorary membership to the PGA, along with Ted Rhodes and John Shippen, and to the boxing immortal Joe Louis. “He would have been proud of this honor,” said his daughter, Pamela SpillerStewart.
“Bill Spiller is a hero, but unappreciated,” said Al Barkow, a national sports writer on golf. “Charlie Sifford gets a lot of the credit for breaking the racial barrier, but Bill Spiller paved the way.” He was inducted into the Oklahoma Golf Hall of Fame in 2015.
Bill Spiller courtesy of the PGA and Oklahoma Golf Hall of Fame
ACTIVITIES
FIND OUT MORE
Any golf digest or historical account of Blacks in golf usually includes at least a paragraph on Spiller and his pioneering career.
DISCUSSION
More needs to be said about the number of tournaments Spiller won and what amount of money he earned on the links.
PLACE IN CONTEXT
Spiller came of age during the first decade of the 20th century and lived to near the end of it, making his mark in golf along the way.
THIS WEEK IN BLACK HISTORY
Dec. 12, 1940: Singer Dionne Warwick, winner of five Grammys, was born in Orange, N.J.
Dec. 12, 1943: Popular saxophonist Grover Washington Jr. was born in Buffalo, N.Y. He died in 1999.
Dec. 12, 1963: The East African nation of Kenya achieved its independence.
Based on 80% AMI (Area Median Income)
Bedroom Size Rental Charge* Maximum Income Limits
Studio $835 $76,400 One $1,270 $85,920 Two $1,750 $103,120 Three $1,900 $118,400 *Based upon the number of persons in household. Subject to change.
OCCUPANCY STANDARDS:
STUDIO: One to Two persons. ONE (1) BEDROOM: Two to Three persons. Minimum of two persons is required. TWO (2) BEDROOM: No fewer than three persons, a brother and a sister who are both adults, or a parent or guardian with at least one child. THREE (3) BEDROOM: No fewer than five (5) persons, parent(s) or guardian(s) with two children of the opposite sex, a household of three adults with one child where at least one adult is the parent or guardian of such child, or a household of one parent or guardian and his or her three children shall occupy a three-bedroom apartment.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: (FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH ANY OF THE FOLLOWING WILL RESULT IN DISQUALIFICATION)
• 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 will have to choose which waiting list they prefer. • Applicant must be at least 18 Years Old at the time of the lottery. • Preference will be given to documented veterans selected in the lottery. • Applicants must be financially responsible. • Any applicant that does not have the proper family composition will automatically be disqualified. • ONE REQUEST ONLY PER APPLICANT. Any applicant placing a duplicate request will not be entered into the lottery.
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. • Applications are not transferable. • 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 company development.
Failure to comply will result in the disqualification of both applicants.
Additional Information:
Waiting list will be established by a limited lottery. There will be a limit of 300 applicants drawn from the Studio and One Bedroom Lottery. There will be a limit of 150 applicants drawn from the Two Bedroom Lottery. There will be a limit of 100 applicants drawn from the Three Bedroom Lottery. 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
BY MAIL
Mail 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 and the bedroom size lottery that you wish to apply for. If you do not include the last 4 digits of your social security number or fail to indicate the bedroom size lottery, you will not be entered into the lottery. Mail post card or envelope to:
Essex Terrace
Studio Lottery
P.O. Box 937 114 John Street
New York, NY 10038 Essex Terrace One Bedroom Lottery P.O. Box 946 114 John Street New York, NY 10038 Essex Terrace Two Bedroom Lottery P.O. Box 985 114 John Street New York, NY 10038 Essex Terrace Three Bedroom Lottery P.O. Box 1040 114 John Street New York, NY 10038 DEADLINE: Requests must be received by: December 30, 2021.
YOU CANNOT APPLY DIRECTLY TO THE DEVELOPMENT.
• EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY SUPERVISED BY THE NYC DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING PRESERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT Bill de Blasio, Mayor • Louise Carroll, Commissioner • www.nyc.gov/hpd Rehabilitation and Flood Mitigation of the New York Aquarium, Brooklyn, NY: Turner Construction Company, an EEO Employer, is currently soliciting bids for the Rehabilitation and Flood Mitigation of the New York Aquarium from subcontractors and vendors for the following bid packages:
BP #051 – Temporary Building (Bid, Payment & Performance Bond Required)
BP #040 – Mechanical w/ Controls (Bid, Payment & Performance Bond Required)
BP #039 – Electrical (Temporary + Permanent + Fire Alarm) (Bid, Payment & Performance Bond Required)
BP #041 – Plumbing (Including temp & LSS Relocation) (Bid, Payment & Performance Bond Required)
BP #044 – Demolition (Bid, Payment & Performance Bond Required)
BP #042 – Concrete Work (Including Anchors) (Bid, Payment & Performance Bond Required)
Only bids responsive to the entire scope of work will be considered and, to be successful, bidders must be prequalified by Turner. Certified M/WBE and Small Business (13 CFR part 121) companies are encouraged to submit. In order to receive the bid packages, potential bidders either (1) must initiate the prequalification process by submitting a Subcontractor/Vendor Prequalification Statement to Turner, or (2) must be prequalified based on a prior submission to Turner. (Note: Prior prequalification submissions that remain current will be considered as previously submitted or may be updated at this time.) All bidders must be prequalified by the bid deadline: January 10th, 2022 and initial submission of a prequalification statement not later than January 10th, 2022 is strongly encouraged. All bidders must have an acceptable EMR, and will be subject to government regulations such as 44 CFR and Federal Executive Order 11246. Successful bidders will be required to use LCP Tracker compliance verification software. Note that while this is a New York City prevailing wage project, union affiliation is not required for BP #051, #040, #039, #041, #044 or #042. A Webcast about the above Bid Package/s will be held on December 16, 2021. Attendance is optional for all; the Webcast is designed to assist potential M/WBE subcontractors/vendors. Link: Please join this meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone.
https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_NWFmNDViZmQtNzNkZi00M2ZhLWIzYjAtMDdhMTM2ZDQ5YTMy%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%2220e27700-b670-4553-a27c-d8e2583b3289 %22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%2281be9e3a-0656-4e94-9245-fa214eb20ab2%22%7d
To obtain further information about contracting opportunities and/or the prequalification package and bid solicitation package/s, please contact Dolores Wooden, DWooden@tcco.com 201-954-9092. The date for the virtual public opening at the Turner Construction Company office located at 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York, is January 11th, 2022 1PM Link: Please join this opening meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone.
https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_NDFmNzU4NzMtNDgwNi00ZTdlLTg2ZTAtZmJiZjhjNTlhYTZj%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%2220e27700-b670-4553-a27c-d8e2583b3289%22 %2c%22Oid%22%3a%2281be9e3a-0656-4e94-9245-fa214eb20ab2%22%7d
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Vol. 111 No. 24 | June 11, 2020 - June 17, 2020 Vol. 111 No. 24 | June 11, 2020 - June 17, 2020 THE NEW BLACK VIEW ©2020 The Amsterdam News | $1.00 New York City
(Cyril Josh Barker photo) Ramsey Orta, who recorded Eric Garner’s police murder, released from prison By AUTODIDACT 17 Special to the AmNews After serving a majority of his four-year sentence, Ramsey Orta was released early from prison on May 28, amid the COVID-19 crisis. He had been serving time since 2016 on alleged drugs and weapons charges, and was sched-uled to be paroled July 11, remaining under court supervision until Jan. 2022. So far, 898 inmates have been released early due to corona-virus concerns. He had previously video-recorded the July 17, 2014 NYPD choke-hold killing of Eric Garner on Staten Island, which went viral. While incarcerated, Orta, 28, said he believes he was targeted
by the NYPD when he was out on the streets because he had recorded the assault committed against Garner, and even while inside prison by correction officers, for the same reason. In 2015 he filed a lawsuit claiming that prison officials laced his food with rat poison. It has caused him excess stress. “It just put me in a messedup predicament,” he told the media, adding that he has been consistently harassed by police ever since.Orta’s video shows Garner being dragged to the ground while a Caucasian cop choked him from behind, as he repeatedly gasped “I can’t breathe!”
Inez and Charles Barron: scrap the CCRB and form a new, elected oversight board By STEPHON JOHNSON Amsterdam News Staff A political couple tag teams on police reform.On a sunny, early June afternoon, New York City Council Member Inez Barron, New York State Assembly Member Charles
Barron and several other attendees stood outside of One Police Plaza to announce the introduction of a new bill. A bill that would create an agency that would have more power than the Civilian Complaint Review Board. An agency that would have a bigger effect on policing in the city. State Senate votes in favor of repealing 50-a By CYRIL JOSH BARKER Amsterdam News Staff The New York State Senate and Assembly have repealed Civil Rights Law 50-a, getting one step closer to making it easier to access police disciplinary records. The state law, on the books since the 1970s, is Inez and Charles both introduced legislation that would abolish the CCRB and institute an elected Civilian Review Board, an independent prosecutor and a separate investigative body. The elected board would consist of 21 often used to shield police mis-conduct and police disciplin-ary processes from public view. The Senate voted 40-22 and the Assembly voted 101-43 for the repeal of the law. Law 50-a has garnered recent interest after the police killing of Black, un-armed George Floyd in Minneapolis at the hands of a white
See CCRB on page 27
police officer who put his knee on Floyd’s neck. The officer involved, Derek Chauvin, had a reported 16 complaints against him prior to Floyd’s death. During the 2014 police killing case of Eric Garner, 50-a played a major role in shielding the misconduct record of the officer Serious Criminal Justice Reform Efforts Must Include Records Expungement Urban Agenda by David R. Jones, President and CEO of the Community Service Society of New York - See page 5 See 50-A on page 29 See ORTA on page 29
The movement gets louder, the defense is greater By STEPHON JOHNSON Amsterdam News Staff Responsibility and accountability. Some agencies in New York City have had to work with less, but still uphold their end of the financial bargain. A lack of funds leads to a lack of resources. A lack of resources led to a lack of services to the people. And, sometimes, lack of services to the people led to encounters with law enforcement who take a significant sum of taxpayer money. According to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and police reform activists, those days are over. On Sunday, June 7, de Blasio pledged for the first time to cut funding from the New York City
DEFUND THE POLICE! THE NEW BLACK VIEW ©2020 The Amsterdam News | $1.00 New York City (Cyril Josh Barker photo) Ramsey Orta, who recorded Eric Garner’s police murder, released from prison By AUTODIDACT 17 Special to the AmNews Police Department. He said the city would shift the funding from the NYPD to youth and social services, many of whom are disproportionately targeted by police.“The City will find significant savings to the NYPD budget,” said the mayor. “This funding will go towards youth development and social services for communities of color. The amount will be finalized with the City Council during the budget process.” The move to shift funds away from the police department comes on the heels of massive protests against police brutality after the death of George Floyd in Minneapo-lis. Floyd’s death sparked a nationwide movement against See MOVEMENT on page 6 After serving a majority of his four-year sentence, Ramsey Orta was released early from prison on May 28, amid the COVID-19 crisis. He had been serving time since 2016 on alleged drugs and weapons charges, and was scheduled to be paroled July 11, remaining under court supervision until Jan. 2022. So far, 898 inmates have been released early due to coronavirus concerns. He had previously video-recorded the July 17, 2014 NYPD choke-hold killing of Eric Garner on Staten Island, which went viral. While incarcerated, Orta, 28, said he believes he was targeted by the NYPD when he was out on the streets because he had recorded the assault committed against Garner, and even while inside prison by correction officers, for the same reason. In 2015 he filed a lawsuit claiming that prison officials laced his food with rat poison. It has caused him excess stress. “It just put me in a messedup predicament,” he told the media, adding that he has been consistently harassed by police ever since. Orta’s video shows Garner being dragged to the ground while a Caucasian cop choked him from behind, as he repeatedly gasped “I can’t breathe!”
Inez and Charles Barron: scrap the CCRB and form a new, elected oversight board By STEPHON JOHNSON
Amsterdam News Staff A political couple tag teams on police reform. On a sunny, early June afternoon, New York City Council Member Inez Barron, New York State Assembly Member Charles Barron and several other attendees stood outside of One Police Plaza to announce the introduction of a new bill. A bill that would create an agency that would have more power than the Civilian Complaint Review Board. An agency that would have a bigger effect on policing in the city. Inez and Charles both introduced legislation that would abolish the CCRB and institute an elected Civilian Review Board, an independent prosecutor and a separate investigative body. The elected board would consist of 21
State Senate votes in favor of repealing 50-a By CYRIL JOSH BARKER
Amsterdam News Staff The New York State Senate and Assembly have repealed Civil Rights Law 50-a, getting one step closer to making it easier to access police disciplinary records. The state law, on the books since the 1970s, is often used to shield police misconduct and police disciplinary processes from public view. The Senate voted 40-22 and the Assembly voted 101-43 for the repeal of the law. Law 50-a has garnered recent interest after the police killing of Black, unarmed George Floyd in Minneapolis at the hands of a white
See CCRB on page 27
police officer who put his knee on Floyd’s neck. The officer involved, Derek Chauvin, had a reported 16 complaints against him prior to Floyd’s death. See ORTA on page 29 During the 2014 police killing case of Eric Garner, 50-a played a major role in shielding the misconduct record of the officer
See 50-A on page 29
Serious Criminal Justice Reform Efforts Must Include Records Expungement Urban Agenda by David R. Jones, President and CEO of the Community Service Society of New York - See page 5
The movement gets louder, the defense is greater
By STEPHON JOHNSON
Amsterdam News Staff Responsibility and accountability. Some agencies in New York City have had to work with less, but still uphold their end of the financial bargain. A lack of funds leads to a lack of resources. A lack of resources led to a lack of services to the people. And, sometimes, lack of services to the people led to encounters with law enforcement who take a significant sum of taxpayer money. According to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and police reform activists, those days are over. On Sunday, June 7, de Blasio pledged for the first time to cut funding from the New York City
DEFUND THE POLICE! THE NEW BLACK VIEW Vol. 111 No. 27 | July 2, 2020 - July 8, 2020 ©2020 The Amsterdam News | $1.00 New York City NYPD TANTRUM Police Department. He said the city would shift the funding from the NYPD to youth and social services, many of whom are disproportionately targeted by police. “The City will find significant savings to the NYPD budget,” said the mayor. “This funding will go towards youth development and social services for communities of color. The amount will be finalized with the City Council during the budget process.” The move to shift funds away from the police department comes on the heels of massive protests against police brutality after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Floyd’s death sparked a nationwide movement against See MOVEMENT on page 6 (Lem Peterkin photo)
NY takes steps to keep COVID out By CYRIL JOSH BARKER
Amsterdam News Staff As COVID-19 cases make a sharp rise in states south of the MasonDixie line, New York is taking several measures to make sure the same thing doesn’t happen here. After being the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic for months, New York is now one of the states with the least number of cases. Reports indicate that earlier this week, of the over 52,000 COVID-19 tests conducted, only 1% came back positive.
Borough President Eric Adams calls out perceived police slowdown on 911 calls By NAYABA ARINDE
Amsterdam News Editor
“Cure violence is the solution,” A.T. Mitchell, CEO and founder of Man Up! Inc. told the Amsterdam News. “They can replace guns with jobs in these streets, and that would cut down the violence immediately.” As New York City moves through Phase 2 of recovering from COVID19, the city is preparing for Phase 3, which is set to begin on July 6. The next phase includes the opening of personal care services and restaurants operating with some indoor dining. However, state and city officials are scaling back on letting people eat inside of restaurants. Viral videos have popped up on social media of large crowds in some parts of the city gathering outside of bars and restaurants with many
See COVID-19 on page 6
With over 500 shootings in one month in New York City––a pandemic, protests and unbearable heat notwithstanding––it is a lot for victims, residents, activists and elected to process.
With the disturbing all-night, every night letting off of fireworks already having set the city on edge, there is confusion about whether it was a gunshot or a Roman candle.
With six shootings in Brooklyn in one hour, one hitting an 11-year-old boy in his leg, Brooklyn Borough Pres. Eric Adams, Lay the Guns Down Foundation, and other anti-violence advocates held a press conference with anti-violence advocates on Wednesday, July 1, outside of Brooklyn Borough Hall on the recently unveiled mural on “Black Lives Matter Boulevard,” to demand a “comprehensive crisis response by the New York
City Police Department and City Hall as Brooklyn has experienced a major uptick in shootings in recent weeks.” Acknowledging the passage of the city budget––which adhered to the post-police murdered George Floyd demand to “defund the police,” and cut the NYPD budget by one billion dollars––retired cop, BP Adams alongside advocates urged “the NYPD to sustain its commitPolice, others look for excuses as shootings rise ment to responsible policing and look into how rapidly they are responding to
By STEPHON JOHNSON See ERIC on page 6
Amsterdam News Staff
In a 24-hour span on June 28, 2019, there were five shooting incidents with seven victims. On the same day this year, during the same time period, there were eight shooting incidents with 11 victims.
At this time on June 28, 2019, there were 355 shooting incidents with 406 victims. As of June 28, 2020, there were 511 shooting incidents with 616 victims. This past Saturday, 47-year-old Charles Hernandez ––armed with an AR-15––allegedly shot and killed 23-year-old Chioteke Thompson and 39-year-old Stephanie Perkins in broad daylight in Brooklyn.
But there’s more. Last week produced a 127% increase in shootings (when compared to the same time period last year). There were 125 reported shootings in the last three weeks of June, which is double compared to the same time period last year. Seventy-four people were wounded in 55 separate shooting incidents in all of New York City just on Saturday. One of those shootings left a 7-year-old girl with injuries.So what can this be attributed to? According to New York Police Department Police Chief Terence Monahan, it’s several things. Many of these things involve policies directed by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. A police spokesperson directed the AmNews to an interview Monahan
See POLICE on page 25
THE NEW BLACK VIEWVol. 111 No. 27 | July 2, 2020 - July 8, 2020 ©2020 The Amsterdam News | $1.00 New York CityNYPD TANTRUM (Lem Peterkin photo) NY takes steps to keep COVID out By CYRIL JOSH BARKER Amsterdam News Staff As COVID-19 cases make a sharp rise in states south of the MasonDixie line, New York is taking several measures to make sure the same thing doesn’t happen here. After being the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic for months, New York is now one of the states with the least number of cases. Reports indicate that earlier this week, of the over 52,000 COVID-19 tests conduct-ed, only 1% came back positive.
Borough President Eric Adams calls out perceived police slowdown on 911 calls By NAYABA ARINDE Amsterdam News Editor “Cure violence is the solution,” A.T. Mitchell, CEO and founder of Man Up! Inc. told the Amsterdam News. “They can replace guns with jobs in these streets, and that would cut down the violence immediately.” As New York City moves through Phase 2 of recovering from COVID19, the city is preparing for Phase 3, which is set to begin on July 6. The next phase includes the opening of personal care services and restaurants operating with some indoor dining. However, state and city officials are scaling back on letting people eat inside of restaurants. Viral videos have popped up on social media of large crowds in some parts of the city gathering outside of bars and restaurants with many See COVID-19 on page 6
With over 500 shootings in one month in New York City––a pandemic, protests and unbearable heat notwith-standing––it is a lot for victims, resi-dents, activists and elected to process. With the disturbing all-night, every night letting off of fireworks already having set the city on edge, there is confusion about whether it was a gunshot
or a Roman candle. With six shootings in Brooklyn in one hour, one hitting an 11-year-old boy in his leg, Brooklyn Borough Pres. Eric Adams, Lay the Guns Down Foun-dation, and other anti-violence advocates held a press conference with anti-violence advocates on Wednes-day, July 1, outside of Brooklyn Borough Hall on the recently unveiled mural on “Black Lives Matter Bou-levard,” to demand a “comprehensive crisis response by the New York
Police, others look for excuses as shootings rise By STEPHON JOHNSON Amsterdam News Staff In a 24-hour span on June 28, 2019, there were five shooting incidents with seven victims. On the same day this year, during the same time period, there were eight shooting incidents with 11 victims. At this time on June 28, 2019, there were 355 shooting incidents with 406 victims. As of June 28, 2020, there were 511 shooting incidents with 616 victims. This past Saturday, 47-year-old Charles Hernandez ––armed with an AR-15––allegedly shot and killed 23-year-old Chioteke Thompson and 39-year-old Stephanie Perkins in broad daylight in Brooklyn. But there’s more. City Police Department and City Hall as Brooklyn has experienced a major uptick in shootings in recent weeks.” Acknowledging the passage of the city budget––which adhered to the post-police murdered George Floyd demand to “defund the police,” and cut the NYPD budget by one billion dollars––retired cop, BP Adams alongside advocates urged “the NYPD to sustain its commitment to responsible policing and look into how rapidly they are responding to See ERIC on page 6
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Vol. 111 No. 26 | June 25, 2020 - July 1, 2020 THE NEW BLACK VIEW ©2020 The Amsterdam News | $1.00 New York City
Primary election sees big wins for progressives, problems at the polls By CYRIL JOSH BARKER Amsterdam News Staff Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, New Yorkers participated in Tuesday’s prima-ry election whether by early voting, ab-sentee ballot or voting in person. Several Black candidates won key races as the nation also faces a reckoning when it comes to race relations. Tuesday’s primary election occurred in the aftermath of the Minneapolis police killing of Black, unarmed George Floyd and on the day of the funeral of Atlanta victim of police vi-olence Rayshard Brooks. However, Tuesday’s election came with headaches at polls, which appears to be becoming routine. The AmNews received reports of polling locations opening late, broken machines, ill-tempered poll workers and even candidates’ names missing on ballots. A reported 30,000 voters who requested absentee Last week produced a 127% increase in shootings (when compared to the same time period last year). There were 125 reported shootings in the last three weeks of June, which is double com-pared to the same time period last year. Seventy-four people were wounded in 55 separate shooting incidents in all of New York City just on Saturday. One of those shootings left a 7-year-old girl with injuries.So what can this be attributed to? According to New York Police Department Police Chief Terence Monahan, it’s several things. Many of these things involve policies directed by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. A police spokesperson directed the AmNews to an interview Monahan See POLICE on page 25
NYC:WE'RE BACK (Emily Andrews for Rockwell Group) ballots did not receive them in the mail. One disturbing error was that many voters could not vote in Tuesday’s pri-mary election for the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate. Ballots for the race were not given to voters at several polling places. While Sen. Joe Biden is currently the presumed Democratic Party nominee after all of the other candidates dropped out, a federal judge had allowed the names of the 11 other former candidates to be on the ballot. A lawsuit was filed by former candidate Andrew Yang and Sen. Bernie Sanders supporters. One example of the error came from the Bronx where voters at P.S. 85 Great Expectations polling site were not given the two sheets to vote for the Democratic presidential candidate. One voter asked a poll worker about the ballot and the worker re-plied that Biden was the nominee. What if we spent $1 billion a year on economic justice instead of police injustice? Urban Agenda by David R. Jones, President and CEO of the Community Service Society of New York - See page 5 AmNews awarded technology grant from Knight Foundation By CYRIL JOSH BARKER Amsterdam News Staff The New York Amsterdam News was one of 24 newsrooms recently awarded a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation for technology and website enhancements. On Monday, the Foundation an-nounced the first 24 recipients of support from its $2 million, three-year See PRIMARY on page 6 technology initiative to strengthen dig-ital publishing solutions in newsrooms. After a competitive application process, the first cohort of 24 newsrooms was selected to receive $20,000 in grants for publishing tools that will improve distribution, community engagement and revenue opportunities, such as digi-tal subscriptions and membership. The first group includes a mix of See GRANT on page 23
NYC enters Phase 2 By CYRIL JOSH BARKER Amsterdam News Staff Gates are rolled up, outdoor tables are set and “closed” signs are flipped as New York City enters Phase 2 of the COVID-19 recovery, which permits restaurants to serve customers outdoors, the opening of beauty and barbershops and in-store retail. Phase 2, which began on Monday, also opens playgrounds, offices, real estate services, car sales and rentals, and churches to hold service with 25% capacity. While New Yorkers are enjoying the reopenings, they are also adjusting to new regulations to prevent the spread of COVID-19, including mandatory face masks and social distancing.
