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Volume LXX, Number 14

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Witherspoon-Jackson Joins Lawsuit Against University Over Payment of Taxes

Trans Youth Forum at PDS Saturday: “We Do Not Want to Lose these Young People” . . . . . . 11 Fifty Years Ago Today the Beatles Began Recording What Many Think Is Their Greatest Album . . . . . 20 Afternoon Concert of French Music Performed By Richardson Chamber Players . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Princeton Baseball Starts 4-0 in Ivy League . . . 31 Ryan Triggering Attack for PHS Girls’ Lax . . . 35

“I Just Love Walking In Here Every Day”: All in a Day’s Work with Readers’ Services Librarian Kristen Friberg . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Books . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 30 Cinema . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Classified Ads . . . . . . . 43 Clubs . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Music/Theater . . . . . . 22 Mailbox . . . . . . . . . . . 13 New to Us . . . . . . . . . . 28 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . 40 Police Blotter . . . . . . 14 Real Estate . . . . . . . . 43 Religion . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Service Directory . . . . 41 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Topics of the Town . . . . 5 Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . . 6

A group of residents from Princeton’s Witherspoon-Jackson neighborhood has joined a lawsuit challenging tax exemptions for some buildings on the Princeton University campus. Originally brought by four Princeton residents, the suit now has 24 people listed as plaintiffs. Witherspoon-Jackson is home to many African American residents, some of whom have inherited their houses from family members who moved there in the 1930s after being forced to relocate from the area that is now Palmer Square. As a result of the 2010 Princeton property tax revaluation, many residents have faced tax rates that are beyond their means. “These people have been particularly hard hit with very high property tax increases due to the fact that some homes have been gentrified,” said attorney Bruce Afran, who is representing the plaintiffs. “Many are not well off. They don’t have the income for these taxes.” Mr. Afran said he was approached by Witherspoon-Jackson community leaders, including former Borough Mayor Yina Moore and Princeton Housing Authority member Leighton Newlin, about joining the suit. “It’s a core of the community that has chosen to join. It’s a very important statement,” Mr. Afran said, “a kind of poignant counter-note to the effect of the University’s tax position.” He continued, “This is a group that is challenging our most economically well off citizens, telling them to pay taxes. The University’s attitude hurts many people in the community directly. If the University would pay its fair share, WitherspoonJackson’s vastly inflated taxes would be reduced. Though it’s not the University’s fault that the taxes have gone up in the neighborhood, the University’s refusal to pay anything but minimal taxes is having a disproportionate impact on the neighborhood.” The original plaintiffs brought two lawsuits, one in 2011 and the other in 2014, complaining that the University should pay taxes on several buildings that are currently tax exempt because they have commercial uses and earn profits for the institution. Lawyers for the school have argued that the buildings serve its educational mission and should therefore be exempt. Continued on Page 14

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Wednesday, April 6, 2016

Wilson’s Name to Remain on University Buildings

Princeton University will not remove Woodrow Wilson’s name from two campus buildings despite a recent outcry over his views on race. A trustee committee charged with examining the Wilson legacy announced Monday that there is a need for “an expanded and more vigorous commitment to diversity and inclusion at Princeton,” but the Woodrow Wilson School of International Affairs and Wilson College will retain his name. This decision does not sit well with the student activist group Black Justice League, which issued a statement soon after the University announcement. While not surprised by the conclusion of the

committee, they said, they are disappointed. “With these actions and others — such as its recent display of hypocrisy and inconsistency in its response to violent antiSemitic attacks on campus — Princeton continues to demonstrate its seemingly intractable investment in white supremacy and its vestiges,” the statement says. “Princeton’s decision today demonstrates unambiguously its commitment to symbols and legacies of anti-Blackness in the name of ‘history’ and ‘tradition’ at the expense of the needs of and in direct contravention with the daily experiences of Black students at Princeton.”

Last September, the Black Justice League issued information around campus revealing Wilson’s views on race, which included admiration of the Ku Klux Klan and belief that blacks should not be afforded full citizenship. In November, following a 32-hour student sit-in outside his office, University President Christopher L. Eisgruber agreed to consider removing Wilson’s name from the two buildings. A 10-member committee made up of scholars and alumni was formed. Brent Henry ’69, vice president and general counsel, Partners HealthCare System, served as chairman. Members included author and Wilson biographer A. Scott Berg ’71; U.S. Circuit Judge Denny Chin ’75; and Ruth Simmons, former president of Brown University. The group convened nine times and created a website to solicit opinions from the University community. Continued on Page 10

Improved Version Of the PARCC Test Ready for Next Week

LEVELS OF USE: Referring to the library’s upcoming second-floor renovation in this week’s Town Talk, Executive Director Brett Bonfield mentions the “classic view of what a library is .” Other Town Talkers speak highly of the fireplaces, the “fantastic staff,” the Friends bookstore, and “a new director who seems to understand that libraries have to live in the 21st century .” (Photo by Charles R. Plohn)

Controversy locally and across the country continues to pursue the PARCC (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers) Test as Princeton Public Schools (PPS) prepare to administer the 2016 PARCC, starting next Monday. Testing over the next three weeks may result in a more stringent assessment of the PARCC itself than of the student test-takers and their schools. For parents who choose not to have their children take the PARCC, last Monday, April 4, was the deadline to submit a written statement to their children’s principal, but PPS Superintendent Steve Cochrane stated on Tuesday that “we won’t have truly accurate numbers on test refusal until the end of the week.” He did say that refusal numbers “appear to be lower than last year.” Nearly 800 of 1164 students in grades nine through eleven, including 340 of 370 juniors, declined to take the PARCC last year, its first year, though participation numbers were higher in the elementary and middle school grades. Poor attendance, accompanied by criticism of the Test from Save Our Schools NJ, the NJEA teachers’ union and other groups, along with declining participation nationally, makes the long-term future of Continued on Page 16

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5K Run With Rotary Sunday, April 24 - Skillman Park

Just 5 miles north of Princeton, between The Great Road/Rte 601 & Burnt Hill Rd.

5K Road Race & 1-Mile Ramble

Runners and walkers of all ages and skill level are welcome to join in this event! The 5K course is certified by the USA Track and Field Organization.