Valley Stream
HERALD
residents tell stories of racism
firefighters rescue a kitten
Valley streamers share their art
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Vol. 31 No. 24
JUNE 11 - 17, 2020
State officials, residents seek police reform tion about police brutality since the May 25 killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police offimkoenig@liherald.com cer Derek Chauvin. As a recent law school graduChauvin had 18 disciplinary ate, who teaches and practices complaints against him, and criminal defense, Valley Stream- Rivera said that Floyd’s death er Christine Rivera, could have been 26, said that any avoided had the vicpolice reform taking tims involved in the place in Albany complaints been would need to able to lodge sucinclude the repeal of cessful suits against a provision that Chauvin, and possishields police officer bly gotten him fired. misconduct records “It shouldn’t take from the public. someone dying for Section 50-a of us to be able to look the New York State into the histories of Civil Rights Law these officers,” she code poses a particusaid. lar challenge in civil It is just one of a cases against offinumber of reforms, cers in which famiRivera said, that lies are seeking christiNE should take place. redress for alleged riVEra Others, she said, abuse, Rivera said. include protections “They can’t move Valley Stream for black and Latino forward with their resident transgender people, cases because they whom she said are can’t get access to disproportionally the documentation that they harassed by police. The decrimineed,” she explained. “How are nalization of sex work, she said, they supposed to get justice?” would go a long way in that Discussion of law enforce- regard. ment refor m and increased Re g arding Section 50-a, transparency has come to the though, local lawmakers have forefront of a national conversaContinued on page 8
By MElissa KoENig and PEtEr BElfiorE
i
Peter Belfiore/Herald
oliVia NaNcE, 24, at a protest she helped organize in Valley Stream on June 5 against racism and police brutality. It took place less than a week after the first protest she ever attended.
Protesting against racism
A week of sustained demonstrations in V.S. By PEtEr BElfiorE pbelfiore@liherald.com
When Elmont resident Goldie Harrison and Valley Streamer Christine Rivera set out to organize a protest against systemic racism and police brutality against black people, it resulted in the first, and so far, largest demonstration of its kind in the area. On June 1, exactly one week after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody, it took place against a national backdrop of anguish in which hundreds
of similar such protests were taking place in cities and neighborhoods across the country. The two women said they believed it was only right to use their connections to bring their hometowns into the conversation. But beyond honoring Floyd’s and others’ memories, they had another reason to do what they did. “A lot of these people — it’s their first time protesting, and we need to bring awareness to the black lives who have been lost to police violence,” Harrison said, “but also give people
an opportunity to protest and see what that’s like.” Since then, what they started appears to have morphed into a campaign with the potential to highlight demands for reform both through sustained demonstrations and at the ballot box. Valley Stream saw three additional protests over the subsequent week, all organized by different activists, some working in parallel with others, stopping only on June 3 due to bad weather. By last weekend, the protests had Continued on page 5
t shouldn’t take someone dying for us to be able to look into the histories of these officers.