Challenger Community News June 17, 2020

MASKS MATTER! Protesters Protect Yourselves and Others! Wear a mask! COVID-19 is still here.

Residents are required to wear a mask and practice social distancing in public. Make Safe Choices! Stay Well! We’re Winning!

June 17, 2020 | FREE |

THE OTHER MARCH

Protesters Must Also March On Ballot Boxes In November!

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POLICE REFORM

BLACK LIVES MATTER! Local Artists Edreys Wajed And Keith Harrington Used Their Creativity To Express Solidarity With The Black Lives Matter Movement. This Nearly 9-Story Tall Mural Is Only Visible Most Evenings On W. Utica, Heading West Approaching The Corner Of Elmwood Avenue

JUSTICE

Justice for Cariol Gains Local, National Momentum Page 10

SUPPORT

Minority Caucus Spearheads Major Police Reform in New York State Page 3

Family of Deyanna Davis Thanks Community for Its Support Page 5

DOCTOR’S RALLY

EDUCATORS UNITE

“I Can’t Breathe”: Rochester Black Doctors for Black Lives Rally Page 2

Educators Unite For Justice In Niagara Square Page 15

Celebrating Black Fatherhood and the Strength of Black Dads! We Honor You. Happy Fathers’ Day!

PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE PAID BUFFALO, N.Y. PERMIT NO. 164

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INSIDE ROCHESTER

Challenger Community News • t hec hallengernews.com •June 17, 2020

City Council Will Reduce Rochester Police Department Budget for Next Year

“I Can’t Breathe”: Black Doctors for Black Lives Rally in Rochester

The Rochester City Council has announced plans to cut the Rochester Police Department budget for next year. Plans call for cutting the next police recruiting class in half and directing those funds toward revamping policing. A cut in reduced overtime would go towards adding staff for youth services and recreation. The local Black Lives Matter Movement called for a 50% reduction in the police budget for next year during a press conference prior to the council meeting. Activists questioned why the council was not doing more. Rochester city council members took a knee for 8 minutes and 46 seconds at a press conference announcing the cuts - which had previously been proposed.

n June 13 The Black Physicians Network (BPN) hosted the Black Doctors for Black Lives Rally at Washington Square Park, in Rochester.

The goal of the event was to spread awareness of the intersection between racism and health disparities while protesting systemic racism which shortens the lives of Black people and worsens our health -- literally killing us. The protest peacefully raised awareness of how critical equitable treatment is across institutions -- including health care -- and that now is the time for an overhaul of values arising from a shameful history.

Community leaders spoke out against racism and its detrimental effect on the health of Black people while raising a call to action to promote anti-racist practices across institutions and systems. The event concluded with 8 minutes and 46 seconds of silence to commemorate the life of George Floyd and other Black victims of police brutality.

Black physicians, health professionals of all races and ethnicities, and non-health professionals were in attendance Speakers included: City of Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren; Chief La’Ron Singletary, Rochester Police

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Department; Monroe County Executive Adam Bello; Rev. Sebrone Johnson, Pastor, Greater Harvest Church; Dr. Mark Taubman, President and CEO of University of Rochester Medical Center; Dr. Edith Grannum, President of Monroe County Medical Society; Dr. Linda Clark, President and Co-founder of the Black Physicians Network; and Dr. Mark Brown of the Black Physicians Network.

The BPN is an innovative nonprofit organizational think tank made up of over 60 Black physicians in the Greater Rochester Area. Who are experts in what it takes to overcome racial, financial, academic, environmental, and socioeconomic barriers along the educational pipeline to successfully complete the degrees that ultimately lead to careers in STEM fields. (image/Michael Thaxton Photography)

Salute The Freedom Riders Neighborhood Bike Ride

A Salute The Freedom Riders Neighborhood Bike Ride will take place Juneteenth weekend, Saturday, June 20 from 10 a.m. to 12 noon. The ride starts and finishes at Avenue Blockbox Theatre, 780 Joseph Avenue. First Amendment Rights exercises will be featured at each stop. Please keep your distance and mask up!

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Challenger Community News • t hec hallengernews.com •June 17,2020

AREA BRIEFS Auto Bureau Now Open Memorial Set for Vunnal “Vernon”Blair The Erie County Auto BuA memorial will be held for Vunnal V. “Vernon” Blair on Saturday, June 20 at the LOMBARDO FUNERAL HOME Snyder Chapel , 4614 Main St. near Harlem Rd. Relatives and friends may visit from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Occupancy limits will be observed.

Vernon, beloved husband of Helen McNamee Blair, made his transition June 12.

reau is now open to limited in-person transactions and all visits are by APPOINTMENT ONLY. Calls can be made to the dedicated appointment hotline for those without computer or internet access and for those applying for CDL permit and/or amendment testing at (716) 858-7450.

Appointment hours are 8:30a.m.-3:30p.m.

Monday-Friday.

Eye On History Essay Contests Are Back Columnist Eva M. Doyle would like to encourage adults to enter the next Eye On History Essay Contest.

The topic is: What Changes Have You Made as a result of COVID-19? This question can be answered in any way that you choose. You can discuss your personal changes or family changes. In the last paragraph you must describe your hope for the future. The deadline to enter this contest is June 25, 2020. Completed essays must be emailed to ewriter52@aol.com by midnight of this date. The length of the essay must two typed pages. Prizes are first place $75, second place $50, and third place $25. Call 8476010 for more information.

CONG RATULATION S! Minister Tina Sanders is now Mrs. Tina SandersWhiteside! A long time community activist/worker and former political candidate for the Fillmore District Council, she is pictured with her new husband Sean Whiteside. Tina has also relocated and moved south. She will truly be missed by the community she has served so well. Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Whiteside. A picture is worth a thousand words. And this picture says it all...HAPPINESS!! Photo

Tracey Mullin

NYS Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic, and Asian Legislative Caucus Spearhead Major Police Reform

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he murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery represent the latest horrifying chapter in the history of racism in America.

Floyd and Taylor both died at the hands of law enforcement officers, while Arbery died at the hands of three White men acting as vigilantes.

Last week, following days of demonstrations and protests across the country demanding justice for these police involved murders, the New York State Assembly and Senate led by the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic, and Asian Legislative Caucus, passed sweeping reforms that will transform the way policing is conducted across the state.

“These changes are something that we as members of the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic, and Asian Legislative Caucus have championed for years,” stated Majority Leader of the New York State Assembly.

Crystal D. Peoples-Stokes.

Some of these changes are aimed at making the disciplinary records of those sworn to serve and protect the public more transparent.

These reforms include: • The Repeal of 50-a which will make disciplinary records of police officers accessible to the public.

• The Stat Act which requires law enforcement to release demographic data.

• The Firearm Reporting Act which mandates notification whenever a police officer uses their gun.

• Chokeholds are now banned and officers who utilize this maneuver could face felony charges.

• Police officers will now be required to provide medical care or assistance for anyone in their custody who requires it.

• Racial profiling is now illegal.

• Anyone who files a false

The Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic, and Asian Legislative Caucus.

Majority Leader of the NYS Assembly Crystal Peoples-Stokes of Buffalo is pictured top left (inset).

complaint or 911 call could face criminal charges and civil damages, like the recent case involving Amy Cooper who made a false report against Christian Cooper, a Black man in Central Park.

• The establishment of the Office of Special Investigations which would give the NYS Attorney General the authority to investigate fatal encounters between the police and the public. (A.1601/ S.2574b) Also, this bill would establish the Police Inspector General to provide oversight of state and local police statewide.

Also, the public has the legal right to record and monitor the police and we passed legislation that requires body cameras for NYS police.

"I'm proud to have voted with my colleagues in favor of repealing civil rights law section 50-a.,” continued Majority Leader Peoplesstokes. “This legislation is not about being against the police, but rather being for transparency as it relates to officers' interaction with the public. We need increased accountability to ensure the safety of all New Yorkers that officers are sworn to

protect and serve.. .

"This is only the beginning, we need to continue the conversation to make systemic changes to create racial, social justice and economic equity for everyone."

“We, the New York State Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic, and Asian Legislative Caucus are hopeful that this legislation is a step in the right direction toward doing just that: making sure all law enforcement officers live up to the oath they took to serve and protect the citizens of this great state,” noted Hon. Peoples-Stokes.

Governor Andrew Cuomo signed into law the police reform package of bills, also known as "Say Their Name" Reform Agenda Package on Friday, June 12, 2020. The Governor went on to state that mayors and police departments that do not reform their policies will lose state funding beginning with next year's 2021-2022 state budget.

Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Morality cannot be legislated, but behavior can be regulated. Judicial decrees may not change the heart, but they can restrain the heartless.”

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The Maroons

The institution of enslavement was threatened when large groups of Africans escaped to geographically secluded regions to form runaway slave communities, often referred to as maroon communities. Such communities were established throughout the Americas, particularly in the Caribbean and Brazil. They developed their own culture, government, trade, and military defense against their European and American oppressors.

In short, they lived as free people, beyond the sight and control of the planters or colonial officials.

Major efforts were made

by European militaries to track down and destroy maroon communities, but those attempts were normally rebuffed by the maroons. For example, the British were unable to defeat the maroons in Jamaica and therefore established a treaty with them.

The Black Caribs of St. Vincent and maroons in Suriname did the same.

Maroon communities also existed in Africa, from those who fled slave raiders or escaped from coffles along interior slave routes. Maroons also could be found in certain areas of North America, including the Great Dismal Swamp, straddling North Carolina and Virginia, and the Bas de Fleuve region of Louisiana.

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Challenger Community News • t hec hallengernews.com •June 17, 2020

BUILDING COMMUNITY AMID Positive Examples of Working Together Within Our Communities To Support Ourselves And Our Neighbors During The Covid-19 Crisis

MVP (Most Valuable Parents) Kicks Off First of Two City-Wide Mask and PPE Covid Safety Giveaways!

MVP (Most Valuable Parents) kicked off the first of two citywide scheduled mask and PPE safety information giveaways on Wednesday at 16 locations around the city.

MVP has partnered with the Buffalo Public Schools, Councilmen Golombek, Bollman, Rivera, Wingo, Feroleto, Senator Kennedy, Dr. Ramona Reynolds, Sharon D. Tell, Heart of Hope, Back 2 Basics, Snug, Stop the Violence Coalition, Church of Scientology Volunteer Ministers, Sister Betty Jean Grant, We Are Women Warriors, Marnetta Malcolm, Community Action Organization, ABC Hardware Rental and Special Events, Mainstreethost, Blue Cross and Blue Shield, University of Buffalo Dental School, Board of Block Clubs, Pastor Michael Badger, Enterprise Charter School and a host of others.

In total there are 30 different distribution sites (over the two phases) all over the city. The giveaway includes food, masks, and information on PPE safety, voting and census packets on a first come first serve basis. Any donation of masks or assistance in preparation and/or distribution will help your neighbors. WE NEED MORE MASK DONATIONS! To find out more about the next scheduled giveaway, or if you would like to donate or volunteer please go to www.joinmvp.org and fill out the contact form call Mia at 716-3353640; or send an Email to citywidegiveaway@gmail.com WE LOOK FORWAD TO YOUR SUPPORT AND PARTICIPATION DURING THESE CRITICAL TIMES!

eat to live

Baskin Announces New East Side COVID-19 Testing Site

Erie County Legislature Chairwoman April Baskin, 2nd District Legislator, has secured a new testing site on Buffalo’s East Side for COVID-19 diagnostic testing at Kensington Olmsted High School, located at 319 Suffolk. The Leroy Coles Library site closed on June 5th to give the library time to prepare for normal operations as Erie County enters Phase 2 & 3 of the New York Forward reopening plan. Kaleida Health, the strategic partner operating the East Delavan site, has also refocused their testing on nursing facility residents and staff.

“It was very important to me that the Erie County Department of Health maintained a site in the 14215 zip code to ensure that we were still offering the services our residents need to stay safe and healthy. This new site will operate weekly on Thursdays until July 2 and possibly longer if the community need is there,” stated Baskin.

Baskin and Buffalo Public Schools negotiated with the Erie County Department of Health to secure a site at the Kensington Olmsted High School, located at 319 Suffolk Street. Tests are available by appointment only, but there is no prescription required. All interested residents should call (716) 858-2929 to make an appointment to be tested at this site for an active infection. Tests are available even if you do not have symptoms. The Kensington site is currently accepting appointments for Thursdays through July 2nd.

The Best Way To Clean Your Face Mask

Whether you’re wearing a cloth bandana, a fashionable cloth mask or a disposable mask, make sure your protective gear stays sanitary. Here’s how.

A standard laundry cycle is enough to wash the coronavirus off cloth, according to the WHO and CDC. The water temperature in the washing machine doesn’t matter as long as you use detergent. The high, concentrated heat from a dryer offers added protection: it’s enough to kill most microorganisms.

Unlike cloth coverings, medical masks – including the N95 mask – is intended for single use are made of non-woven synthetic fabrics that can’t withstand a typical laundry cycle.

Experts warn if you wash them it will do a lot of damage to their filtration capability For the general public, the bottom line is, you should ideally only wear medical masks once—and if you’re going to reuse them, set them aside between uses long enough for the virus to decay.

The take-home message is that the virus can remain infectious for several hours, potentially up to a few days, on various surfaces, including masks.

Social distancing and frequent handwashing remain the most valuable ways, experts say, to keep from spreading or being infected

by SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind the global pandemic.

Scientists are still tying to figure out exactly how long SARS-CoV-2 - the virus behind theCOVID-19 global pandemic - lasts on surfaces, in the air, and on masks.

(Excerpted From an article by Sarah Gibbens in the May 28, 2020 National Geographic/Science Coronavirus Coverage online.)

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Challenger Community News • t hec hallengernews.com •June 17,2020

Family of Deyanna Davis Standing Firm in Fight for Justice: Thanks Community for Its Support

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amily and supporters of Deyanna Davis are standing firm in their fight to see that she gets justice.

Regardless of the charges placed against her, they just want her to be able to come home so that she can heal properly, be with her children and have the strength to deal with whatever legal challenges may lie ahead.

Deyanna is the young woman who has been accused of running a vehicle thru police lines on the night of June 1 on Bailey Avenue during protests near Buffalo Police's E-District station and hitting three law enforcement officers.

But Deyanna herself was injured; shot multiple times.

She was arrested, had surgery, and remanded to the holding center where she remains.

Her mother, Ayanna Carr, has apologized for any harm Deyanna may have caused, but insists that her daughter would never have intentionally run over anyone. And the media’s portrayal of

her as a violent person, she says, is the furthest thing from the truth.

The mother of four children ages 1,2,3 and 10, Deyanna, she continued, worked and went to school. She was a month away from earning her bachelor’s degree. Ayanna described her daughter as ambitious and “brilliant.”

"She misses her children, and they miss her. We just want her home.”

Deyanna’s great uncle, Ron Petty, said the story being told in the media is too one sided. “There are two sides to every story. The main point I want to emphasize is Deyanna was not in any way involved in the protest rally, nor was she attempting to inflict bodily harm on any of the officers present at this event. I believe that she was just at the wrong place at the wrong time and simply panicked as the tragic episode unfolded."

"Additionally, District Attorney John J. Flynn apparently based his decision to prosecute on the premise

that Deyanna’s actions were intentional and not those of someone who was scared or in fear of their life!" added Petty.

“My question to Mr. Flynn is, ‘how do you know?’

What did you base your decision on? They said there are several videos showing what was happening at the same time Deyanna was attempting to pass through that section of Bailey Ave. “All of the videos confirm that she drove through a gauntlet of gunfire and treated for her wounds. After she was interrogated at the hospital, she was charged with two counts of felony assault and remanded to the Erie County Holding Center where she still currently housed.

The family has established a “legal defense fund” for Deyanna to offset the cost of competent legal representation. So far, they have raised over $5,000 for her defense Ayanna Carr said she was thankful for the support of the community, especially Myles Carter. He is the ar-

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere" -Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

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ain Pediatrics like many in the community are troubled in the times we live. We are saddened, angry, frustrated and outraged by the injustice and inequity experienced by African Americans. We have heard the cries of our community through prior tragedies and the burden of our ineptitude ended the lives of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, Breana Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd.

We are proud that we have served the families and children of Buffalo for 6 decades. We celebrate and support the strength and resilience of our families while remaining acutely aware of the daily trauma that they experience including the daily inequity within healthcare. Racism is violence.

Racism is a health problem. Systemic racism is pervasive trauma. It impacts all of our lives daily and its health effects are evidenced at all stages of life.

The health effect of systemic racism is evidenced now by the disproportionate toll of the COVID 19 pandemic on the African American community. We have 2 simultaneous and painful viruses both impacting our community, the coronavirus and the virus of injustice, brutality, violence and racism, the effects intertwined painfully. As health providers we address both as the public health crises they are. At the same time we honor essential workers who are part of our patient families as they keep our world functioning while putting themselves and their families at increased risk.

They are true heroes.

Our children deserve a world where the color of their skin does not determine their life or death, a world where you do not have to discuss with your children how to talk to police if you are pulled over, a world where there is no black justice or white justice, a world where they do not need to live in fear of the police who are supposed to protect them. We at Main Pediatrics reject abuse on all levels and suffering harm at the hands of those who should protect and serve is a hallmark of abuse.

As health care providers we are committed to the health of our children, to their future and to the health of our community. We know that if given the same opportunities our children can achieve their highest dreams. "I can't breathe" to health providers means we need to act NOW! We cannot let this moment pass. It's not enough to denounce racism but we must be anti-racist. Main Pediatrics strives to be part of the solution as we stand together with all Americans who reject injustice.

In the words of Martin Luther King, Jr "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere" Emily Friedan, MD Jonathan D. Daniels, MD Christine Scime, CPNP Denise T. Sartori, DO Phone (716) 837-0995 • Fax: (716) 837-1203 • www.mainpediatrics.co

FAMILY: Deyanna Davis' family pictured at a rally for her last week in MLK Park. Among those pictured, her great uncle Ron Petty, her mom Ayanna Carr, her grandmother and sister.

ticulate young activist who was attacked for no reason by officers at the scene on the night of the chaos while being interviewed by a news reporter. “ She’s (Deyanna) innocent until proven guilty,” Carter declared.She needs time to heal. That’s it. That’s all we’re coming for. " The group "Black Love Resists in the Rust" says it intends to continue to Occupy Niagara Square for the release of Deyanna Da-

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FAITH & FAMILY

Challenger Community News • t hec hallengernews.com •June 17, 2020

Concerned Coalition of WNY Call on Mayor to Implement Remedies to Address Police Brutality in Buffalo Calls for an End the Militarization of the BPD, “Do the right Thing” in Regards to Cariol Horne, and Empower a Citizens Review Board to Monitor Police The Concerned Coalition of WNY sent the following letter to Mayor Brown:

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or over 400 years African Americans have been suffering under a system of institutional racism which has caused great pain and inequity for generations. American enslavement; being deemed 3/5 of a man or woman; Jim Crow and police brutality African Americans continue to suffer the traumas of dehumanization in this American experience. One of the most virulent 21st century displays of this is found in the frequent murder of unarmed African Americans at the hands and “knees” of law enforcement who are sworn to protect and to serve; but in everyday reality they seek and destroy Black and Brown bodies.

The recent murders of Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky in Minneapolis, Minnesota and George Floyd have unleashed the righteous anger of people of all ethnicities who have collectively said “enough is enough.” Here in Buffalo we have struggled with several incidences where Black and Brown citizens have felt the sting of violent abuses of power at the hands of the sworn men and women of the Buffalo Police Department. The recent trampling of a 75-year-old peaceful protester by policemen in full riot attire while others callously ignored his dire need for assistance, clearly demonstrates that there are serious structural defects within the Buffalo Police Department(BPD).

As Clergy and as members of this community we are outraged not only of the instances of police brutality in Minneapolis and Louisville, but, also in the brutality that we have witnessed in Buffalo.

In order to properly address the situation here in Buffalo we the Concerned Clergy Coalition of Western New York must insist that you, as the Chief Executive of this City implement the following short-term remedies: Continued Page 10

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Challenger Community News • t hec hallengernews.com •June 17,2020

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INSIDE ROCHESTER

Challenger Community News • t hec hallengernews.com •June 17, 2020

Challenger Community News • t hec hallengernews.com •June 17,2020

Early Voting Still Available at 12 Rochester Locations

ROCHESTER– All New York State voters have three options to vote in the upcoming June 23, 2020 primary election: by absentee ballot, during the nine day early voting period, or on election day. In person Early Voting continues now through Sunday, June 21st. Monroe County Board of Elections will open twelve Polling Sites countywide. Any voter may use any of the early voting sites regardless of their home address.

The location and schedule are as follows: •City of Rochester Recreation Bureau - 57 St. Paul St., 2nd Floor Arnett Branch Library - 310 Arnett Blvd., Rochester •City of Rochester Water Department - 10 Felix St., Rochester •SUNY Empire State College - 680 Westfall Rd., •North Greece Road Church of Christ - 1039 N. Greece Rd .

•Marketplace Mall, North Entrance - 1 Miracle Mile Continued Page 12

INSIDE ROCHESTER

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Challenger Community News • t hec hallengernews.com •June 17, 2020

Justice for Cariol Gains Local, National Momentum

CONCERNED CLERGY

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1.End the militarization of the BPD. The overwhelm-

By Sabirah Muhammad ormer police officer Cariol Horne made a heart wrenching observation about the vindictive theft of her pension after rescuing a citizen, Neal Mack, from a potentially fatal choke hold in November of 2006.

“When he (former officer Gregory Kwiatkowski) went to jail, I felt like, now they will believe me, because he went to jail for using unnecessary excessive force. So now I’ll get my pension. Years later, I still don’t have my pension.”

It was more than reasonable to think that a man who admitted to slamming the heads of four handcuffed teens into a police vehicle before tossing them into it, and to repeatedly punching one of them at the police station could be capable of choking a handcuffed Neal Mack – just as she and Neal Mack reported he did.

Kwiatkowski’s racist motivation is more than plausible, after he admitted to calling the four Black boys “savage dogs.” Cariol recalls another incident, where Kwiatkowski even choked another officer in anger because that officer wanted to leave his platoon. Are we to believe that he choked another officer, but didn’t choke Neal Mack? It’s clear that the firing of Cariol Horne and the taking of her pension had nothing to do with the truth of the matter.

Fourteen years later, Buffalo’s special brand of racism and brutality is on SABIRAH national display, after Buffalo Police stepped over the bleeding body of an MUHAMMAD elderly man they’d just pushed to the ground - and kept on walking. They lied when reporting that 75-year old Martin Gugino tripped and fell, just as they lied when protecting Kwiatkowski.

This is the culture that received national exposure this week with high profile CNN anchors. MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow has also covered Cariol Horne’s story as well as The Washington Post.

Community leader Sam Radford helps to shed light on the precarious position that Black Buffalo has always been in.

“People don’t realize that Buffalo isn’t like other major cities,” he said. “Buffalo is ground zero for racism. This is one of the most segregated cities in the US. In Buffalo, the (police) union will say: this is where the buck stops. We protect our racists here. We have a Sherriff who’s an outright racist, who literally stood in front of City Hall in front of Confederate flags.

Every county in Western NY except Buffalo supported Trump. These are the people who teach our kids, police our communities, and provide social services – card carrying Trump supporters.”

Wow. That pretty much says it all. This is Buffalo. This is where Black boys took to wearing hooded sweatshirts because the police hunt them regularly and throw them into freezing cold cells. Can you imagine a circumstance so routine that you begin to dress for the occasion? How many of us have had vehicle issues and been carted off in handcuffs, despite having proof of the right to drive with temporary documents? Sadly, episodes like this are a minor inconvenience. How many Black families have not had a loved one “suicided” in the city’s jail?

There’s no doubt that what’s happening now with nationwide protests against police brutality and outright murder is a reckoning that’s long overdue. In every corner of the nation, police are beating, spraying, tazing, shooting and killing unarmed, peaceful protestors.

There’s no tolerance for an officer like Cariol Horne.

Bro. Sam sums it up well. “We want to right the wrong that was done in 2006. Every day that it’s not dealt with, Cariol and her family continue to suffer unnecessarily and unjustifiably.” Amen. Make it right!

Support for Cariol's Law

More Than 60 Community Organizations and Small Businesses Issue Public Letter Demanding Action on Cariol’s Law and the Reinstatement of Officer Cariol Horne’s Pension

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wide array of Buffalo-based community organizations and small businesses recently sent a public letter to Governor Andrew Cuomo, Mayor Byron Brown, the Buffalo City Council and the WNY State Delegation demanding immediate passage of Cariol’s Law and the reinstatement of Cariol Horne’s pension.

On November 1, 2006, Officer Horne, a 19-year veteran of the Buffalo Police Department, intervened to stop a fellow police officer from choking Neal Mack, a handcuffed African American man, during an arrest. Rather than being honored by the Department and the City for her heroic act, she was terminated and has been denied her pension. Mr. Mack credits Officer Horne with saving his life.

“The heart of a community is the mother. Cariol Horne is a mother of five. She has suffered for 14 years for intervening in police abuse. Together we can help to restore her with the passing of Cariol’s Law and payment of her pension for her 20 years of service to the community as a Buffalo Police Officer, and for pain and suffering. Cariol’s Law is about accountability, protection and change. Our community needs a Cariol’s Law,” said Drea D’Nur of Feed Buffalo.

“Cariol’s case has national implications and is being followed closely by advocates and

Continued Page 11

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6

ing majority of citizens have been peacefully executing their constitutional rights to expression and assembly. There have been some acts of violence and vandalism but it does not warrant turning Buffalo into an occupied city with law enforcement officers in riot gear, tear gassing citizens along with the ominous threat of armored military vehicles on the streets of the City. Furthermore, the setting of curfews only serves to antagonize people who have the right to peacefully protest the historic and current injustices in America.

2.One of the saddest segments of George Floyd’s murder is that several police officers stood idly by while he cried, “I can’t breathe” and gave him no assistance. Ironically, there was an incident in Buffalo when a police officer was choking a citizen and Officer Cariol Horne would not allow the brutalization of another human being at the hands of her law enforcement colleagues.

Her intervention prevented an Eric Garner like death on the streets of Buffalo. Her rewards were the destruction of her career, bankruptcy and the trauma of suffering for doing the right thing. We must insist that you do the right thing with regard to Officer Cariol Horne. Restore her to her position as a Buffalo Police Officer, this will enable her to draw the pension that she earned and deserves.

3.Community policing is a model that has successfully enhanced community police relations in many cities across the nation and around the world.

When executed properly it will reduce crime, create a real partnership with citizens and law enforcement and everyone will be safer. We must insist that Buffalo develop a new and more robust community policing initiative. Moreover, Buffalo must empower an expert in community policing with a track record of success in diverse cities and charge him/her to develop and implement a new vision for community policing in Buffalo.

We must insist that a Citizens Review Board be empowered to provide the proper oversight for both the community and BPD. These are very perilous times for people of all ethnicities and social positions in Buffalo and around the nation. However, crisis creates opportunity for change and growth. It is our expectations that you will provide the bold, courageous leadership that is required in this moment.

As we have demonstrated in the past, we are committed to working with you to make this community a city of peace and prosperity for all citizens.

The Concerned Clergy Coalition of Western New York

The Freedom Garden Concept Rooted in History

By Gail V. Wells he Freedom Garden logo was designed by Buffalo local, Edreys Wajed, a Buffalo Freedom Wall artist, a creative, poet, playwright, graphic artist and SUNY Buffalo State graduate to inspire self-reliance and independence by taking agricultural images and placing them in an African centered framework.

Liberation Imagery Liberation is defined as the act of setting someone free from imprisonment, slavery or oppression. For a Freedom Gardener liberation is an act of self-determination; freeing one’s self from another’s control by sowing the seeds of resilience through self-reliance.

The African Shield was used in African society as a means of protection during warfare, in ceremonies it was a symbol of strength and when JuJu was added to the shield with images, prayers and herbs it provided supernatural powers to the individual welding the shield in battle or facing incredible odds. In South Africa the shield was identified with Shaka Zulu, who established the Zulu empire and revolutionized warfare in the early nineteenth century. The symbol of Shaka's military success was the iconic Zulu shield and spear! Nutritious food shields the body from disease. It is our modern day “JUJU”!

The border design on the shield replicates mud cloth which was worn by Malian hunters as camouflage, ritual protection and a badge of status. It is called mud cloth because of the dying process used to paint intricate designs on strips of cotton cloth. These designs ensured a successful hunt and protected the hunter!

Agricultural Imagery The shield in the Freedom Garden logo is shaped like the top of a garden shovel and the top of the spear is shaped like a garden trowel. Both are essential gardening tools that are used to plant by breaking up the soil. The three essential elements for a successful crop is present in the design: Water, Soil and the Sun! The rows of crops resemble African corn rolls or braids that contained seeds for planting.

The city scape represents urban gardening. The practice of growing requires specific tools, knowledge and physical conditions. Gardening requires patience, diligence, manual labor, spiritual awareness, knowledge and understanding of gardening principles and commitment. These skill sets are life perpetuating!

"What makes Freedom Gardens Unique" The Freedom Garden concept is rooted in Buffalo history. Buffalo and Niagara Falls was a major stop on the Underground Railroad due to its proximity to Canada. The Niagara Movement was the precursor for the modern civil rights movement and was organized by W.E.B. Dubois and William Monroe Trotter in 1905. The Niagara “movement" claimed that “the Negro” was entitled to every single right that belonged to a freeborn American and that those rights included justice and equality. Buffalo and Niagara Falls became a magnet for those seeking freedom and many progressive luminaries and FREEDM FIGHTERS made the state of New York and Buffalo their home (Frederick Douglas, Harriet Tubman, William Wells Brown, and Mary Talbert).

The Freedom Garden Concept is Simple!

Freedom Gardeners grow nutritious food with the knowledge that fresh fruits and vegetables is the foundation for health and wellbeing. The act of growing one's own food is a step towards healing, liberation and resilience. Having a Freedom garden is a proactive approach to regenerative community development that undergirds economic stability and social justice! “We grow to support ourselves, control our destiny and provide for our families while building a healing community that is healthy and well.”

T

Interested in volunteering or receiving Non GMO organic seeds? Email Gail V Wells at yourfreedomgarden@gmail. com!

VOICES

Challenger Community News • t hec hallengernews.com •June 17,2020

What Impact Will The Holding Center Closing Have on the Community?

By April N. M. Baskin, Chair, Erie County Legislature

R

esponding to the County’s 2020 budget deficit, the Erie County Sheriff’s Office has provided a proposal that would close much of the Erie County Holding Center in downtown Buffalo and relocate many of its detainees to the Erie County Correctional Facility in Alden.

The COVID-19 pandemic and changes to New York State’s cash bail system have reduced the population in Erie County’s jails. As of June 8th, there were 300 detainees in the Holding Center, well below its capacity of 638 souls. The Erie County Correctional Facility, which can house 744 individuals, had at total of 224. With the county’s two jail facilities operating at 38% of capacity, a merger could theoretically generate budget savings for the County.

However, as Chair of the Erie County Legislature, I am obligated to consider the impact of this proposal on the fabric of our community as well as on our bottom line. Given that the majority of detainees at the Holding Center are people of color and City of Buffalo residents, we need a real conversation about the impact this might have on a community that is already struggling. We need to know this action will not further exacerbate the racial Are we really closing the right facility, or would closing the injustice of the criminal justice system.

Throughout our nation’s history, people of Alden facility save the same color have been subject to systemic barriers in amount of money without the access to education, housing and employment. disproportionate impact on Transportation inequities have played a key role minorities? in perpetuating this discrimination.

Multiple studies show that a detainee who maintains regular contact with family and friends is less likely to be a repeat offender. The proposed action will make it much harder for detainees to maintain contact with their family by significantly increasing the distance between their neighborhoods and where they are being detained.

Beyond detainees and their families, we have to consider the number of City of Buffalo residents who are employed at the Holding Center. Will they be able to easily manage a 30 minute commute if they have to depend on public transportation? Is the cost savings worth it if we add new numbers to the unemployment rolls?

We must consider the costs associated with transporting detainees from Alden to the courts in the City of Buffalo, whether the contracts of the two different unions who guard detainees at both facilities will need to be renegotiated, and what effects this move will have on agencies and organizations that serve detainees. Are we really closing the right facility, or would closing the Alden facility save the same amount of money without the disproportionate societal impact on minorities?

CARIOL'S LAW continued from page 10 organizers in the movement to end police brutality. I am hopeful that Cariol’s Law will be adopted in Buffalo and beyond as a key strategy for shifting the culture of police departments away from racism and toward accountability,” said Terry Watson of Strategies for Justice, a Pittsburgh-based advocacy organization.

“I have always had broad-based community support for what I did to intervene in the abuse of Neal Mack. The sixty-plus organizations stepping up to demand action, work in neighborhoods all over our city. They are representing the will of the people to see justice in my case, and to prevent abuse in the future,” said Cariol Horne.

Cariol’s Law would: A.Create a mandatory Duty to Intervene to stop abuse perpetrated by fellow officers.

B.Create punishments for those who do not intervene.

C.Protect officers from retaliation for intervening and ensure that all investigations are housed in an independent body controlled by community representatives, not political appointees.

D.Punish officers who alter reports or omit facts related to abuse and police intervention in abuse.

E.Ensure that violators of Cariol’s Law result in termination, registry reporting, and that they impact departmental funding.

F.Put in place a restorative justice process for intervening officers/whistleblowers.

Elected officials in the region were recently invited to attend a webinar on the components of Cariol’s Law .

“We wish to plead our own cause.

Too long have others spoken for us.”

- John Russwurm, Freedom’s Journal.

1827 America’s 1st Black Newspaper

Challenger Community News P.O. BOX 474 Buffalo, NY 14209 advertising@thechallengernews.com

P: 716 881.1051 F: 716 881.1053

11

Trump’s Juneteenth “MAGA” Rally in Tulsa : Changing the Date Does Not Matter

Mass Movement in the Streets Must Also March on Ballot Boxes in November By Dr. Ron Daniels “Their Blood Cries Out:” The Tulsa Massacre and the Destruction of Black Wall Street was the moving theme of a Virtual National Forum on May 31st sponsored by the National African American Reparations Commission, the American Civil Liberties Union, Human Rights Watch and a dedicated group of local sponsors which included the Tulsa Community Remembrance Coalition. The Forum was convened on the 99th Anniversary of the most horrific massacre of African Americans and destruction of Black property in the history of this nation.

The goal was to remind America and the world that reparations have never been awarded to the descendants of this unspeakable crime against humanity; a terrorist act intentionally and brutally executed by a crazed White mob infected with the virus of racism and white supremacy. Hence, the haunting words “Their Blood Cries Out,” was a libation remembering our ancestors whose blood consecrates the soil of Greenwood (Black Wall Street) as sacred ground.

It is against the backdrop that there were instant expressions of collective outrage by African Americans and people of goodwill of all races, ethnicities, nationalities and faiths as the word reverberated across the nation that Donald J. Trump would hold his first Make America Great Again (MAGA) re-election campaign rally in Tulsa on Juneteenth – the African American holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the U.S. Since I began to pen this article, under immense pressure, the Orange man has changed the date for the MAGA rally to June 20th. But it does not matter! As Eddie Glaude, the brilliant MSNBC Contributor put it, there is no way of escaping the fact that Trump intentionally chose Tulsa for his first carnival-style rally to feed and capitalize off the “white resentment” which fuels much of his “base.”

The change of date does not change the character of the demented person Spike Lee has named “Agent Orange,” nor does it change the insidious intent of this MAGA charade. Donald J. Trump has elected to stage a political rally on the ground soaked with the blood of Black bodies, sacred ground, to proclaim by this act that Black Lives Do Not Matter! Their Blood Cries Out! This is chillingly reminiscent of Ronald Reagan’s calculated decision to launch his 1980 presidential campaign in Philadelphia, Mississippi near the site where the martyred civil rights activists Schwerner, Goodman and Cheney were buried. The “great communicator” invoked reactionary phrases like “black racism” and “reverse discrimination” to feed and capitalize on white resentment. Ronald Reagan traveled to sacred ground in Mississippi to communicate to southern segregationists that they would have a sympathetic resident in the White House. He was willing to trample on the graves of martyrs to effectuate his anti-Black “southern strategy.”

And, so it is with the Orange man, who declared that there were well meaning people on “both sides” of the riot carried out by a racist, anti-Semitic, neo-fascist mob in Charlottesville; the founder of the birther movement; shameless defamer of the Central Park Five; relentless purveyor of racist anti-immigrant sentiments; a would be strong-man who bristles at the suggestion that the names of military bases named after confederate traitors should be renamed; a depraved person who blatantly denies that police departments and the criminal justice system are infected by racism and white supremacy; this is the braggadocious, mentally diminutive person who will mount the podium during the Juneteenth holiday season in Tulsa, 99 years after the slaughter of more than 300 Black people and the destruction of Black Wall Street by a resentful, hate-filled White mob.

Like Ronald Reagan, Donald Trump will desecrate sacred ground to shamelessly promote his hollow but dangerous political ambitions. A change of the date will not change this fact.

African Americans and people of conscience are right to be outraged by this perfidious act.

But this outrage must be harnessed to intensify the local and national struggle for reparations for the descendants of the Tulsa massacre whose Blood Cries Out for Justice! We must never forget Trump’s, unconscionable trampling on the graves of our ancestors. Their blood and suffering must be vindicated by the victories of the mass movement in the streets demanding fundamental structural changes to America’s racialized Capitalist system. Trumpism and all that it represents must not prevail. Therefore, the mass movement in the streets must also march on ballot boxes in November to defeat the Orange man and all of the political cowards and opportunists who were complicit in his ascension to power. The Blood of our ancestors Cries Out! A new social order rooted in reparative justice and a new democratic economy must be born!

• Published every Wednesday • News Deadline: Friday 5 p.m.

• Ad Deadline: Friday 5 p.m.

• Classified Deadline: Thursday 5 p.m.

We respectfully submit that the opinions expressed on the editorial pages of this newspaper are not necessairly those of Challenger Community News Corporation or its advertisers.

Advertising /News/ Information/Inquiries adver tising@thechallengernews.com

Phone: 716-881-1051 Fax: 716-881-1053

12 ROCHESTER EARLY VOTING

Challenger Community News • t hec hallengernews.com •June 17, 2020

continued from page 9

Dr., Rochester Also: Irondequoit Public Library - 1290 Titus Ave.; Dolomite Lodge at Veterans Memorial Park - 1628 Jackson Rd., Penfield ; Perinton Square Mall - 6720 Pittsford Palmyra Rd.,; Fairport Lodge at Sweden Town Park - 4761 Redman Rd.; Brockport Webster Recreation Center - 1350 Chiyoda Dr., Webster Dates and Times for Early Voting- June 2020 Primary: Wednesday, June 17th 9:00 am-6:00 pm; Thursday, June 18th 11:00 am-8:00 pm; Friday, June 19th 9:00 am-6:00 pm; Saturday, June 20th 9:00 am-3:00 pm; Sunday, June 21st9:00 am-2:00 pm.

NATIONAL

Invitation Extended to Buffalo, Minneapolis and Atlanta’s “Finest”

Florida Police Organization Offers To Hire Cops Who Were Fired Or Resigned Over Police Misconduct The Brevard County (Florida) chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police posted a message on Facebook addressed to the "Buffalo 57" and "Atlanta 6," saying that it was "hiring."

“HEY BUFFALO 57…

AND ATLANTA 6…WE ARE hiring in Florida.

Lower taxes, no spineless leadership or dumb mayors rambling on at press conferences…Plus..we got your back!” reads a post from the Brevard County chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police In another Facebook post the organization made the same offer to the Minneapolis police, after four of its officers were charged for their involvement in George Floyd's death.

"Buffalo 57" refers to the 57 police officers in Buffalo, New York, who resigned from the force's emergency response team following the suspension of two officers who were captured on video pushing a 75-year-old protester to the ground.

"Atlanta 6" refers to the six Atlanta police officers who were booked, five on felony charges, after being

accused of using excessive force on two Black college students who were leaving a protest in their car. In a video recording of the incident, the

officers are seen breaking the vehicle's windows, pulling the female student out of the car and tazing the male student.

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE TO RECEIVE PUBLIC COMMENTS The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is currently conducting the quadrennial Federal Certification Review of the Greater Buffalo-Niagara Regional Transportation Council (GBNRTC).

The U.S. Department of Transportation requires every Metropolitan area with a population over 50,000 to have a designated Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) to qualify for receipt of federal highway and federal transit funds.

The GBNRTC is the designated MPO responsible for transportation planning in Buffalo-Niagara Metropolitan Area in the Erie and Niagara Counties.

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), in accordance with 23 USC 134 (k)(5)(A)(i) and 49 USC 5303 (k) (5)(A)(i)(e), must certify that the transportation metropolitan planning process conducted by GBNRTC is being carried out in accordance with applicable provisions of Federal law not less often than once every four years.

The primary purpose of the certification review is to ensure that the required planning activities of 23 USC 134 and 49 USC 5303 are being satisfactorily implemented by the GBNRTC. FHWA and FTA are accepting written comments from the public on GBNRTC’s implementation of the federal transportation planning process until June 26, 2020. The following link is to questions provided to assist the federal review team on gaining the public’s perspective of how the MPO Transportation Process is being implemented: www.surveymonkey.com/r/YXRDLTG. Comments may also be sent to: Maria Chau, FHWA - NY Senior Community Planner Leo W. O’Brien Federal Building Room 719 Albany, NY 12207 Maria.Chau@dot.gov and/or James Goveia, FTA - Region II One Bowling Green, Room 429 New York, NY 10004 James.Goveia@dot.gov For more information, call GBNRTC at (716) 856-2026 or visit us online at gbnrtc.org.

13

Challenger Community News • t hec hallengernews.com •June 17,2020 State Environmental Quality Review NOTICE OF SEQR PUBLIC HEARING Buffalo and Erie County Industrial Land Development Corporation Infrastructure Master Plan for Advanced Manufacturing Park City of Lackawanna, Erie County, New York June 10, 2020 Pursuant to Part 617 of the implementing regulations pertaining to Article 8 (State Environmental Quality Review Act or SEQRA) of the Environmental Conservation Law, a public hearing will be conducted electronically, as hereinafter described, by the Buffalo and Erie County Industrial Land Development Corporation (ILDC) on June 29, 2020 at 6:00 p.m. regarding the Proposed Action, as described below. Said public hearing, given the ongoing COVID-19 public health crisis and related Executive Orders issued by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, will be conducted electronically as hereinafter described. PLEASE NOTE the special hearing logistics and instructions included at the end of this notice.

LEGAL NOTICES

May 13,20,27 June 3,10,17 -Legal Notice-

Name of Action: ILDC Advanced Manufacturing Park Infrastructure Master Plan Location of Action: 2303 Hamburg Turnpike (west side), Lackawanna, Erie Co., NY (a portion of the former Bethlehem Steel site) SEQR Lead Agency: Buffalo and Erie County Industrial Land Development Corporation Description of Action: The ILDC owns approximately 150 acres of real property located within the former Bethlehem Steel Site in Lackawanna, New York, and is currently in negotiations to purchase an additional 92 acre parcel of real property also located within the former Bethlehem Steel Site in Lackawanna, New York (collectively, the “Real Property”). The ILDC intends to implement the Infrastructure Master Plan in order to cause to have installed streets, water, sewer, stormwater management facilities and private utilities in support of future redevelopment of the Real Property for a mix of commercial, business, and light and medium intensity manufacturing facilities on individual development lots (the “Proposed Action”). The Proposed Action has been classified as a Type I action pursuant to SEQRA regulations indicating that its potential for environmental impacts should be evaluated under SEQRA. Thresholds and standards for future development are established to ensure that private development and state or municipal decisions proceed in accordance with the Master Plan.

PLEASE NOTE SPECIAL PUBLIC HEARING CONDUCT INSTRUCTIONS AND INFORMATION: Distribution: This Notice of SEQR Public Hearing and the Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement (DGEIS) for the ILDC Advanced Manufacturing Park Infrastructure Master Plan is being circulated to the City of Lackawanna, NY State Department of Environmental Conservation (Central and Regional offices), Involved Agencies and any person who requests one. The DGEIS is available on the ILDC website: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/tuc32mt0eph1d5j/ AAAx8AXv9rJM7nrIuZFBNwOma?dl=0 However, given the ongoing COVID-19 public health crisis and related Executive Orders issued by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, the ILDC will not be able to accommodate any in-person public attendance or participation at this hearing. Nonetheless, and in furtherance of the provisions pursuant to Part 617.9 and 617.12 of SEQRA permitting involved agencies, interested parties, and the public to review the DGEIS and the Proposed Action and to permit the ILDC to collect public comment, and pursuant to Governor Cuomo’s Executive Order 220.15 issued on April 9, 2020, as amended from time to time, authorizing the conduct of public hearings through use of telephone conference, video conference and/or other similar service, the ILDC will livestream the Public Hearing at https://www.ecidany.com/streaming for those wishing to view the hearing. The ILDC will provide public access to provide oral comments during the Public Hearing at https://www.ecidany.com/public-comment-and-registration. If you would like to make oral comments at the Public Hearing, please register to do so no later than 12:00 p.m. on June 26, 2020. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the call to provide oral comments. Finally, the ILDC also encourages all interested parties to submit written comments on the DGEIS and the Proposed Action to the ILDC, which will all be included within the public hearing record. Any written comments may be sent on the ILDC’s website, or mailed to the ILDC at 95 Perry Street-Suite 403, Buffalo, NY 14203 until the written comment period closes on July 9, 2020.

For Further Information, contact: John Cappellino, President, CEO Buffalo and Erie County Industrial Land Development Corporation 95 Perry Street, Suite 403 Buffalo, NY 14203 716-856-6525 jcappell@ecidany.com

May 29, 27 June 3,10,17,24

LEGAL NOTICE BID REQUEST FOR BID Mark Cerrone, Inc. is requesting bids for the following projects for all scopes of work detailed in contract documents. Optional MWBE/SDVOB/DBE Pre-bid meetings will be held for interested firms at MCI Office. Documents can be obtained by contacting the associated estimator, Phone 716-282-5244, Fax 716-2825245 or iSqFt®. Bids due electronically or in person at 2368 Maryland Ave., Niagara Falls, NY 14305. Certified firms for associated goals are strongly encouraged.

LEGAL NOTICE BIDS ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS The Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority will receive sealed bids for Fire Restoration Job: BMHA Job 19-30-OP Msgr. Geary Unit 513 The Prebid Conference will be held on Tuesday, June 30, 2010 at 10:00 AM local time, with all potential bidders assembled at the Capital Improvements & Development Office, 320 Perry Street, Buffalo, New York 14204; the project walk-through may be held/scheduled after the meeting.

Sealed bids will be received until 2:00PM, local time, Thursday, July 9, 2020 at the Capital Improvements Office, 320 Perry Street, Buffalo, New York 14204. Bids received after the stated time will not be accepted.

Bids will be opened and publicly read aloud immediately after specified closing time. All bid forms must be filled out and returned.

Sets of contract documents may only be obtained at the Capital Improvements Office at 320 Perry Street, with a deposit of $100 per set.

Only certified company checks, bank checks or money orders made payable to the Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority will be accepted. This deposit is refundable upon return of complete sets of documents within 14 calendar days after the bid opening. Failure to comply with this time limit will constitute forfeiture of the deposit.

The BMHA reserves the right to reject any bid, which fails to conform to the essential items, required by the contract documents and to reject any and/or all bids submitted.

Dated: June 17, 2020

EMPLOYMENT COMMUNITY ACTION ORGANIZATION OF WNY

Has Immediate Openings for the following positions

Come grow with us!

HR Benefits Specialist Substance Abuse Counselor Peer Recovery Specialist Family Case Worker License Practical Nurse Family and Community Partnership Coordinator Family Partner Home Visitor Youth Services Program Coordinator Youth Services Counselor Teacher (Certified) Teacher I/II/III Nutrition Associate Maintenance Associate Substitute Teacher Visit us at www.caowny.org to learn more about the requirements and to complete an online application.

Docking Facilities Design & Const.

– Niagara St. & Ellicott Creek Waterfront Improv. in Tonawanda, NY. Contact: jlarcara@markcerrone. com. Optional MWBE/SDVOB meeting upon request. MBE: 15%, WBE: 15%, SDVOB: 6%. Proposals due to MCI by 6/15/20 at 12:00 PM. Utica Station Bus Loop Rehabilitation, NFTA Proj. No. 12LS1901 in Buffalo, NY. Contact: acalabrese@ markcerrone.com.

Optional DBE Meeting upon request.

DBE: 17%. Proposals due to MCI by 6/19/20 at 12:00 PM.

LEGAL NOTICE BID INVITATION TO BID The NFTA is soliciting bids for Project No. 10MG1901, Metro Bus Facility Exterior Rehabilitation, Bid No. E-564 due on July 7, 2020. Website for information www.nftaengineering.com

TO ADVERTISE: advertising@thechallengernews.com

14

Challenger Community News • t hec hallengernews.com •June 17, 2020

community calendar

advertising@ thechallengernews.com

ATTORNEYS

Broadway Market Virtual Community Engagement Meeting June 23

LAW OFFICE OF DARIA L. PRATCHER, PC “Everything Real Estate” 523 Main Street (716)541-8574 PRATCHER & ASSOCIATES Franklin Muhammad (Pratcher) Attorney 1133 Kensington Avenue (716) 838-4612

BOOKS ALIVE CHRISTIAN BOOKSTORE 2275 Fillmore Ave. (716) 837-1118

AUTO BEN’S Downtown Tire

50 Sycamore (cor. Elm) (716) 856-1066 or 894-1483

LAWN CUTTING LAWN CUTTING SERVICE CALL To Book Appointment 716 424-5601

BAIL BONDS GIST BAIL BONDS

A-1 Bail Bonds 855-2514 or 854-2128

ELECTRICAL EMPIRE ELECTRIC (716) 634-0330

FLORISTS MAUREEN’S Flower Market 441 Ellicott St. * 852-4600

Zakiyyah’s Rundown (ZR) 824-314-328-182-913-427-680-909-845-781-173-356891-019-671-659-800-831-445-787-566-547-769-880914-987-954-232-465-785-309-187-095-416-576-890109-654-432-323-545-267-890-468-090-867-680-072547-691-063-323353-563-934-094-305-401-078-545788-570-982-478-544-360-184-343-679-100-229-436579-047-093-346-790-874-167-768-912-354-436-734820-039-154-524 MA RUTH SPEAKS THE TRUTH! SURE HITS! 168-985-678-198-256-890054-698-679-943-001-202147-001-865-732-855

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A Broadway Market online Community Engagement Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, June 23 at 6 p.m. CJS Architects and its team will host the meeting to obtain public input to help develop a business and marketing plan for the revitalization of the market. Interested individuals may participate in the virtual meeting either online or by phone: Online: https://us02web.zoom. us/j/85184786793 Phone: (929) 205-6099, Webinar ID: 851 8478 6793, Password: 842562.

Those who cannot attend the online community meeting on June 23 are encouraged to take the online survey by June 30. The online survey is available on the Broadway Market’s website, Facebook page and https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BroadwayMarket2020. Paper copies of the survey are available in the Broadway Market near Broadway Seafood.

RECORDS

Challenger Community News • t hec hallengernews.com •June 17,2020

Educators Unite For Justice!

“Our Students Matter.” “I Won’t Be Silent.” “My Life Matters.” “Our Color is Not a Threat.”

Those were just a few of the many hundred’s of signs held up during last Tuesday’s protest at the steps of City Hall where over 500 local educators, parents and students gathered for a rally in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.

They addressed systematic racism and demanded change of not only in what we see happening with the policing of our communities, but the racism African Americans are experiencing within every level of schooling from elementary to higher education.

Key organizer Demario Strickland said that educators need to meet the needs of the students and families they serve and that White people need to understand their privilege and use it as leverage to ensure that “Black Lives and Minds Matter."

“We need to be sure to infuse blackness into the curriculum so that they see themselves in their text,” he said. “We need to recruit and retain high quality Black teachers for this profession … we need to have difficult conversations challenging the thoughts and beliefs we have of our students, like those teachers that have a

Educators For Change l/r from front to back row; Ebony Bullock -Assistant Superintendent., Dr. Tiffany Nyachae- Assistant professor, Demario Strickland- Principal, Tanika Shedrick- Principal, Heather Short-English – principal, Naomi Cerre- Assistant Principal., Sharon Cottman - Board President, Greg Johnson- Principal, Jennifer Stockmeyer-principal, Derek Baker, Principal, Joelle Rozier Instructional Specialist, Ms. Gayle Irving White-Principal, and Gregelle Fulcher Assistant Principal Challenger Photo

deficit way of thinking or call our students out of their name.”

•Instructional specialists Joelle Rozier emphasized the need to end teacher silence.

•Teacher Educator Tiffany Nayachae voiced the need for teachers with healthy racial identities.

•Principal Tanika Shedrick was adamant that we instill ancestral sprit and empowerment to our Black youth and calls the recent protest an Uprising. " We have to empower our young people to speak up and speak out. We have to empower them to march with integrity and dignity on the shoulders of their ancestors.. its time for us to stand up for them,

the time is now! ” •BPS Principals Jennifer Stockmeyer and Gayle Irving-White read the names of victims of police killings during an 8 minute 46 second moment of silence in memory of George Floyd.

Buffalo School Board President Sharon Belton Cottman , expressing pride and optimism, was among the spirited educators in attendance.

The rally wrapped up peacefully. Strickland is collating a list of demands by way of submission with plans for a follow up rally at the end of June. Time and place to be announced.

-Challenger Staff Writer

15

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Challenger Community News • t hec hallengernews.com •June 17, 2020

The Juneteenth of Buffalo Festival Online Will Continue!

For the entire month of June New Content will be loaded daily. As of the official date, June 19, online viewers will be able to access content on Facebook, Youtube and Buffalo's official Juneteenth site www.juneteenthofbuffalo.com

EVEN THOUGH WE'RE CLOSED, COMMUNITY ACCESS SERVICES IS STILL HERE FOR YOU Call us at 716.852.5969 to learn more