CELEBRATE OUR GRADUATES — FROM KINDERGARTEN TO COLLEGE — BEGINNING ON PAGE A17
Winner of Vol. 71, No. 20
the Pulitzer Prize
Thursday, June 25, 2020
$1.00
The Bronx political revolution continues Voters may have given Engel an early retirement By MICHAEL HINMAN mhinman@riverdalepress.com
No matter how the primary race for the 16th Congressional District is decided once absentee ballots are counted, one thing is for sure — the people want change. And they want it now. In what has to be one of the most unusual elections in New York history, the race to decide who will represent Democrats in the November with an almost
What’s inside?
From the ashes ... A new political group forms just as it seems progressives are taking over Democratic landscape. Page A3
Drivethru love Coronavirus can’t knock this nursing home down. Family visits restart in a way that might make you hungry for a burger. Page A5
guaranteed trip to Washington is now in the hands of absentee voters. Counts of “live” votes from early polling and Tuesday’s primary handed former middle school principal Jamaal Bowman a lead over incumbent U.S. Rep. Eliot Engel that it almost impossible not to call “insurmountable.” Of the more than 44,000 votes counted as of early Wednesday morning, Bowman claimed nearly 61 percent of them compared to just 34 percent for Engel. It was a total vote difference of nearly 12,000. “Tonight as we celebrate, we don’t just celebrate me as an individual,” Bowman said during a post-primary rally in Yonkers Tuesday night. “We celebrate
61% JAMAAL BOWMAN
ELIOT ENGEL
As of June 24
34%
this movement. A movement designed to push back against a system that is literally killing us. It’s killing Black and brown bodies disproportionately, but it’s killing all of us. “It’s killing us mentally, psychologically and spiritually,
(and) is forcing us to live in a country and a world where so many people are hopeless, and have lost faith — not just in a political system, but in each other.” Engel showed up to vote Tuesday afternoon at River-
dale/Kingsbridge Academy, guided by his wife, Patricia. Afterward, he described Bowman as someone no one knows, because he didn’t participate in the same political circles. “We have had many different things in this community, celebrations and other things,” Engel said. “We had (National) Night Out against crime. We had rallies against anti-Semitism. We had all kinds of rallies for racial justice. He wasn’t at one of them, because he has not lived in the community, he has not participated in the community. So he thinks that he can make it fuzzy and people will get confused.” However, when Engel was asked about his own absence
through almost the entirety of the coronavirus pandemic — where he holed up in his suburban Washington home for months — the congressman had a new reason to share: He was under quarantine for exposure to the virus. Twice. “My doctor wanted me to be where he is,” Engel said. “He is in the Washington, D.C., area, so I was in the Washington, D.C., area. Case closed.” Engel did not elaborate on why he only had a doctor in Washington, and didn’t have one he could see in the Bronx. If the results hold up through the counting of absentee ballots over the next week or so, Bowman will have succeeded in REVOLUTION, page A4
Fight club worth talking about By CHEYENNE R. UBIERA Intern
T
he first rule of this fight club is to know what you’re fighting for. Johanna Edmondson decided to fight for herself. Amidst the pandemic and protests, Edmondson couldn’t stand staying home any longer. She and a group of friends decided to take their daily workouts to Van Cortlandt Park after their usual spot, 24 Hour Fitness, closed. Others took notice of the group and asked to join. Realizing there were more women like Edmondson who were hungry to get out of the house, the Female Fight Club was born. Through wellness, the club aims to empower women to fight for their lives and cope with losses surrounding COVID-19. The club meets every morning, Monday through Friday. The activities are open to anyone, Edmondson said, so long as they bring their exercise gear and maintain proper social distancing. The ladies are treated to three rounds of
JULIUS CONSTANTINE MOTAL
Female Fight Club founder Johanna Edmondson, center, leads the group in a round of jumping jacks in Van Cortlandt Park. synchronized workouts all while cheering each other on. Each workout ends with a victory lap around the park. “We’re stronger now than we were at the gym,” Edmondson said. “Being out in the fresh air makes all the difference.” What started out as fewer than 10 women workout out together has grown to nearly 30 members — including one man — who are dedicated to staying fit through the pandemic. Edmondson has created 50 easy-tofollow workouts for the club. She makes it
so everyone can get involved — from the veteran gym buff, to the newbie wanting to get active during stay-at-home. The regimens are also available for women to do from home when they can’t come outside to the meets. Knowing there are women waiting for her in the park every morning keeps Edmondson motivated to continue on. For many members, the club is the only consistent thing in their lives at the moment. “Sometimes I’ll turn on the news and I get so scared,” Edmondson said. “But I know I have to continue. I have people
As city reopens, senior citizens still rely on COVID-19 food help By CHEYENNE R. UBIERA Intern
When Jessica Haller decided to run for city council, she framed her campaign on the environment — with sustainable neighborhoods her main focus. But nobody could have expected what 2020 had in store. When restaurants started shutting down and a trip to the local grocery store became a health hazard, Haller partnered with the non-profit Rethink Food NYC, to help deliver meals to The Riverdale Y senior center, and the food pantsy at Kingsbridge Center of Israel on Corlear Avenue. The meals are for senior center members who can’t leave their homes due to physical or health reasons. The seniors are treated to three meals each day, delivered to their doors. Food that can be kept on a shelf at room temperature-also are made available as well. With the city on its way to reopening, Haller says there aren’t any plans to slow down. “The need is going to continue to grow,” Haller said. “Reopening doesn’t mean the seniors will feel safe going out.” FOOD HELP, page A4
counting on me.” Consistency was something Allison Murphy was looking for. Murphy teaches exercise physiology at Mercy College, but the transition to online learning wasn’t an easy one. Thinking stay-at-home would only last a few weeks, Murphy initially took the changes in stride. But as time went on, her workload became overwhelming. Feeling depressed, she decided to take her husband’s advice and started jogging around her neighborhood. But it wasn’t FIGHT CLUB, page A4
Does future of police include public schools? By ANTHONY CAPOTE of The Riverdale Press
Courtesy of Sharon Asherman
Hungry folks have enjoyed the fruits of The Riverdale Y’s labor. Three meals have been delivered daily to more than 200 homebound senior citizens since March. 4601 Henry Hudson Pkwy
RIVERDALE EXCELLENCE ALISON BARTLETT // 917.379.2045
The city council passed a package of laws earlier this month aimed at creating new regulatory guidelines for the New York Police Department. The package included a legal ban on the use of chokeholds — a bill first introduced after Eric Garner of Staten Island was killed in 2014 where such a maneuver was reportedly used. The bills are a first step toward reforming how police function, according to Councilman Andrew Cohen, who co-sponsored all seven, including new requirements that force the NYPD to disclose what kind of technologies they use for surveillance. “So, if they’re using facial recognition software, you’ll be able to find that out,” he said of the bill, known as The Post Act. “I honestly don’t think what will be revealed by the Post Act isn’t going to shock anybody, but it’s just going to put all of that out there in one place so people can be aware.” The new city laws, which go into effect as soon as Mayor Bill de Blasio signs them, also SCHOOL POLICE, page A4
3656 Johnson Avenue
4901 Henry Hudson Pkwy