Volume LXXIII, Number 52
May the New Year Bring You Health and Happiness and Bring Us All One Step Closer to Peace on Earth ———
Readers’ Choice Awards Winners, and Top Picks . . . . . . . .20, 21, 24, 25 Christmas with Bogart in this Week’s Book/ Movie Review . . . . .14 Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Berkshire Hathaway Fox & Roach Realtor . . .22, 23 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 18 Classified Ads . . . . . . 37 Mailbox . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . 35 Performing Arts . . . . . 15 Police Blotter . . . . . . . . 4 Real Estate . . . . . . . . 37 Religion . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . 6 Welcome 2020 . . . . . . 19
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Wednesday, December 25, 2019
Traffic, Affordable Housing, Political Activism Grab 2019 Headlines While some of the ongoing local issues that have been in the forefront this year reached resolution, others remain unsettled. Princeton reached a long-awaited agreement last week over its Affordable Housing obligation. But the final word on whether Westminster Choir College will continue at its Princeton location instead of moving to the Rider University campus in Lawrenceville remains in the balance. Princeton Theological Seminary reversed course when it announced it would not pursue a previously released development plan on the campus. The revamp of Princeton’s parking system was modified by the municipality in response to residents’ complaints. Concerns voiced by those who live near the newly-built fueling station on Mount Lucas Road led Princeton Council to announce some changes to the site. As in recent years, members of the community gathered in large numbers to express opposition to various national policies. Most recently, demonstrators filled Hinds Plaza, on a miserably rainy day, to show support for the impeachment of President Donald Trump. There was an increased focus on immigrant issues. Rallies in Palmer Square and Hinds Plaza demonstrated support for local immigrant neighbors as well as those imprisoned in detention camps in other parts of the country. One of the town’s oldest office buildings, at 20 Nassau Street, has been sold and will become a hotel. Princeton First Aid & Rescue Squad built a new headquarters on Mount Lucas Road. The closure of the Alexander Street bridges and a drawn-out stoppage of the Dinky train service between Princeton and Princeton Junction led to a host of traffic woes, though drivers appear to have adjusted to the Alexander Street/Road closure. It is scheduled to reopen in April.
“Love Not Hate Makes America Great” and “Princeton Stands Against Hate and White Supremacy,” and chanting expressions of solidarity in opposition to the originally planned white supremacist message. Then in February, more than 300 gathered in Hinds Plaza adjacent to the Princeton Public Library to protest President Trump’s emergency declaration to obtain funding for a border wall. Ten speakers — ministers, politicians, public officials, and others — warned against “an imperial presidency,” “fascism,” and the deterioration of democracy, expressing strong opposition to Trump’s actions and calling for resistance on numerous fronts. In July, demonstrators again filled Hinds Plaza, more than 400 strong, at a “Lights for Liberty: A Vigil to End Human Detention Camps” rally for immigrant rights and to protest policies of the Trump administration. Citing inhumane conditions faced by migrants, particularly those detained at the border, demonstrators called for action to counteract administration policies. “Values of our country are being trampled on again and again under this administration,” Princeton Councilwoman Leticia
Fraga told the crowd. “We must demand that our country keep its promises. We cannot look away.” And again, last week, on the eve of the U.S. House of Representatives vote to impeach President Trump, hundreds of demonstrators gathered in Hinds Plaza, braving the harsh weather to hear an array of speakers and join more than 500 “Nobody Is Above the Law” rallies across the country. Princeton University continued its support for the immigrant community. Its lawsuit against the federal government for termination of the DACA program for Dreamers went all the way to the Supreme Court, which held hearings in early November on a complaint, filed by Princeton University, Microsoft, and Princeton graduate Maria Perales Sanchez alleging that the program’s termination violated both the U.S. Constitution and federal law. The Latin American Legal Defense and Education Fund (LALDEF), serving the immigrant community from its new home on Clinton Street in Trenton, continued to grow, with a paid staff of 15, more than 40 volunteers, and more than 3,000 clients annually over the past three years of Adriana Abizadeh’s tenure as executive director.
Abizadeh announced in September that she will be stepping down at the end of the year, and taking her place will be Dina Paulson-McEwen, a writer, editor, and educator who is currently a member of the Princeton Human Services Commission. Local Activism
In a town with so many high-powered organizations, Sustainable Princeton (SP), the Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice (BRC), and the Coalition for Peace Action (CFPA) seemed to grab a particularly large share of the headlines in 2019. On July 22 Princeton Council endorsed Princeton’s Climate Action Plan (CAP), generated by SP with the input of 4,600 community members. Providing “a roadmap to reduce Princeton’s contribution to climate change and to prepare for its effects,” the CAP, with 84 specific strategies, established a goal of reducing 80 percent of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 (based on 2010 emissions). SP’s leadership in implementing the CAP throughout the year included sponsoring the first GreenFest celebration of sustainable living at the Princeton Shopping Center in May, the “Shrink Your Footprints” series of programs at the Continued on Page 5
Welcoming Community
Immigration issues, concern for immigrant neighbors, and reaction to policies emanating from Washington were once again a source of significant political action in Princeton in 2019. A rally emerged in Palmer Square in early January after a white supremacist group announced that it was coming to town, but didn’t show up. The event turned into an expression of solidarity and harmony as hundreds paraded around the perimeter of Palmer Square carrying signs proclaiming such messages as
“GEM OF PRINCETON”: In a year when environmental issues frequently grabbed the headlines, Marquand Park celebrated the grand opening of its Children’s Arboretum on April 27 . The festivities included a ribbon cutting with the mayor, a treasure hunt for families, and free trees given out by the Marquand Park Foundation, recipient of an Award of Recognition from the town of Princeton . (Photo courtesy of the Marquand Park Foundation)