New York Amsterdam News Issue: November 27 - December 3, 2025

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Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado chisels away at campaign to replace his boss

Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado believes that defeating his boss, Gov. Kathy Hochul, in the 2026 gubernatorial race is not impossible. In fact, he seems determined to take her down. He broke ranks with Hochul earlier this year in a public split and has been steadily building an anti-establishment campaign.

His rhetoric has made clear just how distant he has become from the governor, and how disconnected he believes she has become.

“We just saw it with the New York City mayor’s race. We just saw a city say, enough is enough, and get behind young voters. We’re going to back somebody who has the audacity…to push up against all of that money and entrenched economic and political power,” said Delgado, 48, at a youth town hall in Manhattan on Nov. 19. He was joined by hundreds of members of College Democrats chapters, Young Democrats organizations, and young activists. “I want to be clear about something, the governor of New York is a part of that establishment,” he continued. “Make no mistake about it.”

Delgado became the state’s first Afro-Latino to serve in the lieutenant governor position in 2022, replacing former Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin, who resigned to fight federal fraud charges that were later quietly dismissed.

A towering figure at 6’4”, Delgado worked hard to lean into the limelight. He drew on his experiences as a U.S. Representative for the 19th District, an athlete, church-goer, Rhodes scholar, and rapper (he was once known as “AD the Voice”) to target a diverse array of voters and help Hochul get reelected for a second term. He also didn’t shy away from the criticism that he was the “runner up Black man” chosen so that Hochul could save herself from political embarrassment.

The two seemed to be a good team.

But it was when Delgado called for former President Joe Biden to end his presidential campaign in 2024 that the first rift became apparent. Now, after about a year of campaigning against Hochul, the two are downright antagonistic. Especially since Delgado is capitalizing on the goodwill of Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s win, whom he openly endorsed back in June 2025 when few mainstay Democrats would.

“So we got no ‘tax the rich’ or the ultra wealthy or corporations or billionaires, none of that. We got no free buses. What we do have is a three-month late endorsement, and we have a photo op (of Hochul) eating buffalo wings,” said Delgado, who announced his campaign in June. “See, this is the difference between myself and the governor.”

Hoping to appeal to young New Yorkers across the state, a powerful voting bloc that emerged this year, Delgado is also focused on the issues shaping their future like affordability, the climate crisis, student

debt, artificial intelligence, and the changing landscape of work.

“Because right now, we are living in a time where that story of upward mobility that I lived, that story of the middle class growing, we’re moving in the opposite direction. The middle class is actually shrinking. The fastest growing class of folks are the working poor,” said Delgado. “Right here in New York, two out of five households across the state can’t afford basic necessities, can’t afford groceries, can’t afford energy bills, can’t afford rent, can’t afford health care, can’t afford child care, transportation, can’t afford life.”

Delgado has been endorsed by New York Communities for Change, StonyBrook College Democrats, Cornell University Democrats, St. Lawrence University Democrats, and his alma mater, Colgate College Democrats.

“I definitely can say what has greatly improved, and I know this definitely contributed to Zohran’s win, which was targeting the youth. Particularly with social media and re-

lating to us,” said Deari Oliver, the vice president of College Democrats at Syracuse University, about the state of politics.

“This is someone who not only I can relate to, but I can see myself in. Someone who’s willing to speak out against large corporations or entities and governments that want to silence youth voices. As a result it has mobilized a lot of us.”

Oliver added that the Democratic Party still struggles with diversity among youth voters.

“I want to be transparent and say what we do need to work on is targeting diversity and seeing more spaces where POC youth can be involved in politics. That is a struggle at least on my campus if I had to be honest.”

Meanwhile, Hochul’s campaign efforts at the moment are focused on discrediting Rep. Elise Stefanik, a staunch Trump supporter who launched her candidacy for governor this November.

“The entire country just watched Donald Trump throw Elise Stefanik under the bus the same way she’s been throwing New Yorkers under the bus for years,” said Sarafina Chitika, Hochul’s Campaign Communications Director, in a statement after Mamdani’s first meeting with President Donald Trump on Friday, Nov. 21. “In one breath, Trump nuked her opening argument and told every New Yorker listening that she’s only playing politics,” said Chitika. “We haven’t seen Stefanik take an ‘L’ this big since Trump crushed her dreams of joining his administration.”

Youth Town Hall with Antonio Delgado at Greenwich House in Manhattan on Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025.
Lt. Gov. Delgado eats a slice of pizza with students at Famous Joe’s Pizza on Carmine Street in the Village. (Photos contributed by Delgado’s team)

New Legal Aid Society unit tackles client life after prison head-on

The Legal Aid Society has officially launched the Reentry Services Unit to work with clients on returning home from incarceration. Through the country’s oldest public defense organization, the pilot program directly assists with needs ranging from applying for a state ID and developing workplace skills to connecting with mental healthcare and obtaining housing.

“The courts and the D.A. offices really want to see an opportunity for stability when clients are released, and we are here to be able to help [and] provide that support,” Alexandra Shookhoff, the Legal Aid Society’s director of post-conviction legal operations, told the AmNews in an exclusive interview. “And we’re really excited about the work that we’re going to be able to do, connecting with clients while they’re

still incarcerated, and then helping with that transition home.”

Coming home remains daunting for many incarcerated New Yorkers. Services and legal protections exist, but can be patchwork for returning citizens navigating housing and hiring discrimination while rebuilding often frayed social relationships.

Dealing with red tape, like obtaining necessary documents and applying for benefits, can also frustrate those returning home from prison.

Ultimately, the hope is to prevent recidivism by guiding clients through this balancing act. The unit can get a head start by working with them through the entire legal process, rather than waiting for post-release.

The pilot will focus on four specific practice areas with wrongful convictions, domestic violence survivors, parole advocacy, and the Sex Offender Registry Act (SORA).

“For every practice area, we have been

learning more and more about barriers that people have,” said Andrea Padilla-Gonzalez, a paralegal client advocate. “We’ve met for [the] Wrongful Convictions Unit. We’ve met with partner organizations where we can start to see a glimpse into how that client would come back into society — for example, [with] wrongful conviction, it’s also a mental part of learning about what they went through, and also the convictions that aren’t there anymore. Every practice area comes with very distinct troubles and barriers.”

Two key unit members draw from their own experiences as formerly incarcerated individuals. Project manager Seán Dalpiaz and paralegal client advocate NahShon Jackson pointed to how a support system impacted their own reentry stories.

“I had support,” said Jackson. “Not everybody has that same support: family members coming to pick you up, having a cell phone ready for you [on] day one, having a

job ready [and] lined up…Seán and I, we’ve been in those places before, so we’re at a vantage point. Because we’re actually operating as if we’re coming home ourselves.”

“I’ve seen folks after folks after folks who weren’t as fortunate as NahSean and I [who] had to take just what they could get,” added Dalpiaz. “And the reality is, not everyone, for lack of a better term maybe, has the grit to deal with a job that might not be the best fit for them for whatever reason. Or might need a little bit more support in getting to the job or the place of employment that is really best.”

So the unit plans on fostering a community through the pilot. Shookhoff mentions monthly trainings addressing issues like technology literacy, financial literacy, and workforce development. “And then we’ll also be able to create community,” she said. “Half of it will be training. Half of it will be connecting with other people.”

Legal Aid Society’s Reentry Services Unit from left to right: Seán Dalpiaz, Alexandra Shookhoff, NahShon Jackson, Andrea Padilla-Gonzalez, David Loftis (Courtesy of the Legal Aid Society)

Judge dismisses case against Letitia James, James Comey after finding prosecutor was illegally appointed

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge dismissed the criminal cases against New York Attorney General Letitia James and former FBI Director James Comey on Nov. 24, concluding that the prosecutor who brought the charges at President Donald Trump’s urging was illegally appointed by the Justice Department.

The rulings from U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie halt, at least for now, a pair of prosecutions that had targeted two of the president’s most high-profile political opponents and amount to a sharp rebuke of the Trump administration’s legal maneuvering to install an inexperienced and loyalist prosecutor willing to file the cases.

The orders do not concern the substance of the allegations against Comey or James but instead deal with the unconventional manner in which the prosecutor, Lindsey Halligan, was named to her position as interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. Defense lawyers said the Trump administration had no legal authority to make the appointment. In a pair of similar rulings, Currie agreed and said the invalid appointment required the dismissal of the cases.

“All actions flowing from Ms. Halligan’s defective appointment,” including securing and signing the indictments, “were unlawful exercises of executive power and are hereby set aside,” she wrote.

A White House spokeswoman said the rulings will “not be the final word on the matter,” and Attorney General Pam Bondi vowed at an unrelated news conference that the Justice Department would pursue an “immediate appeal.” Prosecutors may also try to refile the charges, a possibility left open by the judge’s orders.

Indictments had been subject to multiple challenges

The challenges to Halligan’s appointment are just one facet of a multiprong assault on the indictments by James and Comey, whose multiple other efforts to dismiss the cases remain unresolved.

Both have separately asserted that the prosecutions were vindictive and emblematic of a weaponized Justice Department. Comey’s lawyers last week seized on a judge’s findings of a constellation of grand jury irregularities and missteps by Halligan, and James likewise has cited “outrageous government conduct” preceding her indictment.

James, a Democrat who has pleaded not guilty to mortgage fraud allegations, said, “I am heartened by today’s victory and grateful for the prayers and support I have received from around the country.” She said she remained “fearless in the face of these baseless charges as I continue fighting for

New Yorkers every single day.”

“I am grateful that the court ended the case against me, which was a prosecution based on malevolence and incompetence and a reflection of what the Justice Department has become under Donald Trump, which is heartbreaking,” Comey, who has pleaded not guilty to charges of making a false statement and obstructing Congress, said in a separate video statement.

Halligan’s appointment

At issue in Currie’s rulings is the mechanism the Trump administration employed to appoint Halligan, a former White House aide with no prior prosecutorial experience, to lead one of the Justice Department’s most elite and important offices.

Halligan was named as a replacement for Erik Siebert, a veteran prosecutor in the office and interim U.S. attorney who resigned in September amid Trump administration pressure to file charges against both Comey and James. He stepped aside after Trump told reporters he wanted Siebert “out.”

The following night, Trump said he would be nominating Halligan to the role of interim U.S. attorney and publicly implored Bondi to take action against his political opponents, saying in a Truth Social post that, “We can’t delay any longer, it’s killing our reputation and credibility,” and “JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!”

Comey was indicted three days after Halligan was sworn in by Bondi, and James was charged two weeks after that.

Attorneys general do have the authority to name an interim U.S. attorney who can serve for 120 days. But lawyers for James and Comey argued that once that period expires, as it did in Siebert’s case, the law gives federal judges in the district the exclusive authority to appoint a prosecutor to serve until the vacancy is filled. By making successive interim U.S. appointments on its own, defense lawyers said, the Justice Department did an end-run around wellestablished law.

“The 120-day clock began running with Mr. Siebert’s appointment on January 21, 2025. When that clock expired on May 21, 2025, so too did the Attorney General’s appointment authority,” Currie wrote. “Consequently, I conclude that the Attorney General’s attempt to install Ms. Halligan as Interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia was invalid and that Ms. Halligan has been unlawfully serving in that role since September 22, 2025.”

The Justice Department had defended Halligan’s appointment but revealed last month that it had also given Halligan a separate position of “Special Attorney,” presumably as a way to protect the indictments from the possibility of collapse. But Currie said such a retroactive designation could not save the cases.

“The implications of a contrary conclu-

sion are extraordinary,” the judge wrote. “It would mean the Government could send any private citizen off the street — attorney or not — into the grand jury room to secure an indictment so long as the Attorney General gives her approval after the fact. That cannot be the law.”

Though the defendants had asked for the cases to be dismissed with prejudice, meaning the Justice Department would be barred from bringing them again, Currie instead dismissed them without prejudice — leaving open the possibility that prosecutors could try to file the charges again.

Comey was indicted just days before the five-year statute of limitations in his case expired, which could complicate any effort to refile the case. One of his lawyers, Patrick Fitzgerald, said in a statement that Currie’s decision “further indicates that because the indictment is void, the statute of limitations has run and there can be no further indictment.”

Judges have separately held that several other interim U.S. attorneys — in New Jersey, Los Angeles, and Nevada — have served in their positions unlawfully but have also permitted cases brought by their offices to proceed. Lawyers for Comey and James had argued that Currie’s rulings

needed to go even further because Halligan was apparently the only prosecutor who presented evidence to the grand juries.

Longtime foes of the president

James has been a frequent target of Trump’s ire, especially since winning a staggering judgment against him and the Trump Organization in a lawsuit alleging he defrauded banks by overstating the value of his real estate holdings on financial statements. An appeals court overturned the fine, which had ballooned to more than $500 million with interest, but upheld a lower court’s finding that Trump had committed fraud. Comey also has for years been one of Trump’s chief antagonists. Appointed FBI director in 2013 by President Barack Obama, Comey, at the time of Trump’s 2016 election, was overseeing an investigation into whether the Republican’s presidential campaign had conspired with Russia to sway the outcome of the race. Furious over that investigation, Trump fired Comey in May 2017.

Associated Press writers Michael R.

in New York and Lindsay

and Alanna

Richer in Memphis, Tennessee contributed to this report.

Sisak
Whitehurst
Durkin
New York Attorney General Letitia James (Bill Moore photo)

Yasmine Tiana Goring uses her story in film that highlights affordability crisis in Brooklyn

Yasmine Tiana Goring is pursuing her PhD in anthropology, as she looks to connect to Black people experiencing displacement and gentrification across the diaspora – as far away as Africa and as close to home as Brooklyn.

Her documentary, “222 Macon St.,” released earlier this year, examines the impacts of gentrification in the borough’s BedfordStuyvesant neighborhood. In the film, shot almost exactly one year ago, Goring speaks with long-time residents to get their voices on the changes of their neighborhood, as well as the perspective of new white developers who are renting out the apartments.

Pointing to Vogue magazine shoots in front of her old brownstone, Goring notes that a once historically Black neighborhood “has now become a commodity.”

“How much of change is natural and how much of it is violence,” said Goring, 26. She notes that the difference between the demographic shift from when communities like Harlem were majority white to what is happening today is that in the past, much of that change was “white flight,” in which white residents chose to leave as opposed to being displaced, as is the case now with

Black New Yorkers.

Goring grew up at the address, which is a brownstone her family owned in the middle of Bed-Stuy. But they later sold the property as a result of the 2008 housing market crash and mounting costs. She says the selling had a serious effect on her upbringing.

Her extended family, consisting of her grandmother, aunts, uncles, and cousins, all lived there together in different apartments, a foundation of her childhood. But as the family unit was impacted as a result of no longer being under the same roof. She later moved around Brooklyn to Bushwick, East New York, and Flatbush, where she now resides.

Over the course of her lifetime, she saw firsthand how her neighborhood became unaffordable, from grocery prices increasing to brownstone apartments going for market rate. In the last 20 years, there has been an exodus of 200,000 Black New Yorkers, and Bed-Stuy alone has lost 50% of its Black population.

Goring graduated from Syracuse University, and she worked as a news producer for WSTM-TV in Syracuse but eventually she realized she was passionate about documentary and long-form storytelling about

See BNY on page 22

Yasmine Tiana Goring (Courtesy, Yasmine Tiana Goring) Black New Yorker

EXCLUSIVE: Manhattan District Attorney Bragg talks second term after re-election

While the chances of prosecuting a former (or now current) United States president again remain slim, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg hopes his next term — which he won earlier this month after taking on two challengers, looks much like his first.

“We want to lean into the things that have worked very well in term one,” Bragg told the AmNews in an interview over Zoom.

“Shootings down about 65% in Manhattan, homicides almost down 50% — so we want to continue that important work that is urgent. We give that primacy, and so we’ll continue to do what we’ve done on guns. We’ve done a number of things on sexual violence [and] domestic violence. We want to continue that work.”

“In the last couple of months, [we have been] really leaning into our docket on wage theft and housing — units that were started a couple years ago that have been doing important work. Some of these cases take time to develop. We see the fruits of the investments coming to bear. We can expect

more of that, and then really, really leaning into mental health issues.”

In a quiet race, Bragg ran away with more than 70% of the vote under the Democratic and Working Families’ party banners against Republican Maud Maron and thirdparty candidate Diana Florence on Nov. 5. He believes the ballot box provides a more accurate gauge for job performance. Since entering office, Bragg became a foil for conservative media who maligned his alternatives-to-incarceration strategies as soft-on-crime. His victory continues the trend of stability for the seat.

Since taking office in 2022, after his landmark victory as the first-ever Black Manhattan District Attorney, the Harlem-born Bragg prioritized combating gun violence, gender-based violence, and hate crimes. Over the years, he built a foundation toward both cracking down and preventing them. Bragg boasts regular reductions in gun violence, notably in Harlem this past summer. He’s consistently pointed to taking down criminal syndicates while addressing homemade “ghost gun” production and investing in youth programs located in higher-risk areas.

Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg during an Amsterdam News sitdown in 2022. (Bill Moore photo)
(Photo courtesy Alvin Bragg)

Remembering Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin – the freedom fighter known as H. Rap Brown

At the end of his book, “Die Nigger Die,” H. Rap Brown wrote, “This country was born of violence. Violence is as American as cherry pie. Black people have always been violent, but our violence has always been directed toward each other.” Over the course of his long career of activism, including being chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), Brown (Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin) was never far from violence, though he died nonviolently on Sunday, Nov. 23, in a federal prison hospital in North Carolina. He was 82 and had been diagnosed with multiple myeloma.

“My first contact with white America was marked by her violence,” Brown wrote in his autobiography, “For when a white doctor pulled me from between my mother’s legs, and slapped my wet ass, I, as every other negro in America, reacted to this man-inflicted pain with a cry.” It was a cry that never ceased, though he found ways to apply various means of resistance in his fight for Black liberation.

He was born Hubert Gerold Brown on Oct. 4, 1943, in Baton Rouge, La. At 17, he moved to Washington, D.C. and joined the Non-Violent Action Group (NAG), a stepping stone to his membership in the SNCC. In 1966, as Director of the organization’s Voter Registration in Alabama, his charisma and innate leadership skills were immediately recognized. A year later, he was appointed to succeed Stokely Carmichael as national chair. He said it was a position he did not seek but accepted, nonetheless.

In July 1967, already beginning a relationship with the Black Panther Party, he was in Cambridge, Md., as a guest speaker and was leaving the rally when gunshots broke out. “I got shot — I was hit in the head with some shotgun pellets,” he recounted. “The Vietcong ain’t had nothing on me about getting low.” The next day, he was in Washington, D.C., when he learned that a federal warrant for his arrest had been issued. Subsequently, he was jailed in Alexandria, Va. Faced with criminal charges, his plan to radicalize SNCC went awry, and his situation was compounded in 1970 after he disappeared on a fire-

arms charge and was placed on the FBI’s most wanted list. In 1971, he was arrested for armed robbery during a time when he was allegedly leading a cadre of young men determined to end the flow of narcotics into the Black community. Several of the converts were native Detroiters who, influenced by Brown’s

tactics and purposes, launched a similar campaign against drug dealers in their hometown. Meanwhile, Brown was convicted and sentenced to five years in the Attica State Prison.

While in Attica, where he arrived a month after the infamous 1971 riot, he adopted Islam and changed his name to Jamil

Abdullah Al-Amin. In 2000, he was charged with the death of a Black police officer and injuring another during a shootout near a store he owned. Two years later, he was convicted of murder and other charges and sentenced to five to fifteen years in prison. He will be remembered for his fiery speeches, particularly at

Columbia University during the student uprising there, in Detroit right after the 1967 rebellion, and the Federal Anti-Riot Act of 1968, enacted by Congress to make it a federal crime to incite, organize, promote, or encourage a riot. His former name, according to some musical historians, may have inspired the rap genre.

H. Rap Brown (Public Domain photo)

Divine Nine News

Brooklyn celebrates street co-naming honoring J. Marjory Jackson, composer of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority’s National Hymn

Delta Rho Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

On Oct. 12, 2025, members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated®, elected officials, community leaders, and the family of J. Marjory Jackson gathered at the intersection of Union Street and Nostrand Avenue in Brooklyn for a street co-naming ceremony honoring the woman who composed the sorority’s national hymn nearly a century ago.

This dedication recognizes Jackson’s lasting cultural and musical contributions.

Hosted by Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated®, Delta Rho Omega Chapter, the event was held to pay tribute to Jackson’s visionary artistry and the impact of her musical legacy. The celebration marks a recognition of Jackson’s role in shaping the identity and sisterhood of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and her contributions to Brooklyn’s cultural fabric.

“J. Marjory Jackson’s legacy is woven into the very essence of our sisterhood,” said Monique Okumakpeyi, President of the Delta Rho Omega Chapter. “Her hymn has united generations of women in service, scholarship, and sisterhood. Today, we ensure her name and spirit will forever be a part of Brooklyn’s story. As Delta Rho Omega publicized the J. Marjory Jackson street co-naming, we received countless testimonies about the positive ways she impacted people’s lives.”

Elicia Pegues Spearman, Esq., Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, North Atlantic Regional Director, shared, “It’s wonderful for Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated® members to have gathered in tribute and sisterhood on the occasion of a street co-naming in honor of member J. Marjory Jackson, the author of our National Hymn. Here, 90 years after its adoption, ‘Through the years...’ is still sung with pride and reverence by every member of our organization, despite age, year of initiation, or geographic

Rev. Dr. Kevin R. Johnson, Morehouse College alumnus and senior pastor of Abyssinian Baptist Church, presents Morehouse College President Dr. David A. Thomas with framed photo commemorating historic ties between Abyssinian and Morehouse, featuring images of church and Rev. Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. with former president Dr. Benjamin Elijah Mays. Thomas, who will retire on June 30, 2025, spoke at Abyssinian’s HBCU/Divine Nine worship service, reflecting on how Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) inspire faith, education, and innovation for future generations. (The Abyssinian Baptist Church photos)

To share your Divine Nine News, please contact us at d9@amsterdamnews.com and at amsterdamnews.com/d9news

Celebrating the life and legacy of J. Marjory Jackson and her contributions to Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and the cultural fabric of Brooklyn. (Photos courtesy of Delta Rho Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.)
See DIVINE NINE NEWS on page 21
(L-R) AKAs pose with the street sign before the co-naming ceremony in Brooklyn: President of Delta Rho Omega Chapter Monique Okumakpeyi; North Atlantic Regional Director Elicia Pegues Spearman Esq.; and member Jai’ Chewe.

Union Matters Labor organizers to host forum on fighting MAGA

Labor organizers plan to hold a public forum to discuss how unions can come together to fight racism and oppose the divisive tactics linked to the Trump administration’s agenda.

Their forum, called “Fighting MAGA and Fighting Racism — Working Toward 2026,” will take place on December 3 at 6 p.m. at 1199SEIU’s headquarters (498 Seventh Avenue in Manhattan).

Organizers from various unions and networks want to unite members, activists, and allies into a broad coalition that supports democracy and workers’ interests.

Hosted by 1199SEIU, the Communications Workers of America, the Federal Unionist Network, and the NY Left Labor Project, the forum will look at how white supremacist and race-based movements aligned with MAGA are exploiting racial divisions and threatening democratic values and workers’ rights.

Speakers will include Dr. Alethia Jones from CUNY’s School of Labor Studies; Nadine Williamson, senior executive vice president, 1199SEIU; Chris Dols, co-executive director, Federal Unionist Network; and Hae-Lin Choi, area director, Communications Workers of America. Each speaker will highlight the importance of fighting against and defeating the MAGA agenda for workers to build a strong, multiracial working-class majority. Those who attend will be encouraged to think of ways to unite across racial and economic lines to defend democracy and improve the lives of working Americans.

In speaking with the AmNews about the forum, Jones emphasized that the “union membership is as diverse as America itself,” and noted the wide range of political views in labor ranks. Both left- and rightwing populism can easily appeal to voters frustrated with the Democratic and Republican parties, she said, by framing political issues as a battle between the common people and the corrupt elite.

Jones recalled that, “When [Donald] Trump was first elected, a percentage of voters who previously supported Obama also voted

for him,” and Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has often mentioned that some New York City voters who supported him had also supported Trump in the last presidential election. Jones suggested that many voters are frustrated with the status quo and will look to leaders of whatever political persuasion who promises change, even if they might have doubts that the person they vote for can really advance their interests.

That is where the work in labor

unions plays an important part:

“If unions aren’t speaking with their members, someone else will,” Jones said. “The union’s role is not just to be a mirror to what members already believe; it is also a place where people learn more about society and how to change it beyond the realm of themselves as individuals or their individual families.”

While the forum will focus on racial and class solidarity, it will also address the growing open-

ness among Americans under 50 to candidates who identify as socialists, provided they offer practical solutions to real problems.

“One of the significant things about unions is that the membership is whoever is there, and engaging in conversations with people who are not like you is really important,” Jones said.

“You’re finding ways to be in community for a greater good and a greater social vision, and with actual work. And that work

is really present, especially when unions are first being formed.”

“There can be a way in which, in an established union town like New York City, the urgency of those conversations may fade, but the truth of the matter is, we still need those conversations, we still need those spaces. It’s called organizing, and you’re not a good organizer if you’re just going around condemning everyone in the first flush. We have to find ways to find out where people are and engage them.”

Flier for the “Fighting MAGA and Fighting Racism — Working Toward 2026” forum. (New York Left Labor Project photo)

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Opinion

Trump and Mamdani at the White House: Was it really cordial?

At the press conference following their meeting at the White House on Friday, Mayorelect Zohrahn Mamdani and President Trump were quite chummy, and if the charge that one of them is a communist holds, then they were like comrades-in-arms.

If this were a tennis match, it would be a split decision, both holding serve. Affordability was a topic mentioned repeatedly during the expected cordial session. To get an indication of Trump’s real feelings, we will have to wait for his posts on Truth Social.

Curiously, the press asked questions across the political spectrum, but not one of them raised one about Trump’s most recent outrage that six members of Congress ought to face death for their sedition comments. They said that military personnel should refuse to obey orders that they deem illegal from their commanding officers. Nor was Trump grilled on his determination to continue targeting so-called narco-traffickers, with no validation of such activity. When Trump was asked about Mamdani calling him a despot, he said he had been called much worse. Each attempt by the press to make them antagonistic, as they have been, was skillfully dodged, with both turning the interrogation back to a common theme of affordability.

It wasn’t exactly a thirty-minute love fest, and Mamdani has yet to be inaugurated. Not until he’s in office and faced with issues and decisions that may infuriate Trump will we learn how far he will go playing nice to a winner.

One telling moment occurred when a reporter asked Mamdani if he still believed Trump was a fascist, and before he could answer, Trump patted him on the arm and told him to “just say yes.” That, he said, was easier than explaining.

What it indicated was a Trump gambit to maintain control: this was his press conference, and he was in charge. He sat while Mamdani stood, and while we didn’t note who spoke the most, Trump clearly had the upper hand, and that comes as no surprise.

Another pertinent issue the press avoided was the recent report that Mamdani asked the Democratic Socialists not to endorse a candidate running to unseat Hakeem Jeffries. We will get back to you on this later.

A Place to Call Home: How The Eliza Gave Me Back My Thanksgiving

When Housing Connect called this spring, I couldn’t believe it. After nearly two years of moving around and seeking stability, I was offered an apartment at The Eliza, a new affordable housing complex in Inwood, Manhattan. I experienced a wave of relief.

In April, I moved into my one-bedroom apartment with my two teenage granddaughters. We’ve been through so much together — family losses, temporary living situations, and too many moves to count. But now, this Thanksgiving, I can finally say something I’ve waited a long time to say: We’re home. Home is more than a roof over your head; it’s a space to care for others. That value is very personal to me because I have dedicated my life to caregiving and service for children, both in schools and in my home.

For more than 20 years, I was a paraprofessional in New York City public schools, most recently in District 75, working one-on-one with students who had significant medical and developmental needs. I supported children in wheelchairs, on medication, and with behavioral challenges. I woke up for work every day motivated to help them grow into the best person they could be.

But when the school bell rang, my work didn’t end. I spent afternoons running after-school programs, evenings helping in group homes, and weekends tutoring. I built programs that gave students a safe place to be, especially between class time and dinner time — that’s the most dangerous part of the day for children, when trouble is most

likely to find them. At one point, I was working from sunrise to midnight. But I didn’t mind, because I couldn’t accept the reality of these kids hanging out on the street.

Eventually, I saw that even this aroundthe-clock work still wasn’t enough. I witnessed too many children lacking what every child deserves: a home-cooked meal, clean clothes, and someone to ask how their day was. I couldn’t stand to see a child not fed, or without their hair done, or a quiet room to sleep. That’s when I decided to become a foster mom.

For eighteen years, I opened my home as a haven for dozens of children. I raised three brothers, cared for teenagers who later became my permanent family, and helped countless young people transition into adulthood. One of them even visits me at The Eliza; neither of us ever envisioned we’d be in the same building again. Life is funny that way.

Last year, with all my children grown, I retired. I wanted to slow down to focus on my health, journal, read, and spend time with my granddaughters. But finding stable housing in New York was difficult, especially for a retiree. I was moving from place to place, searching for the same stability I always wanted for my kids. Then, The Eliza opened its doors.

The Eliza isn’t just an apartment building. It’s a vision for what housing can be when nonprofits, philanthropists, and the city unite behind a common vision. Built by The Children’s Village and partners in the public and private sectors, it’s part of a broader mission to create high-quality, affordable homes in diverse neighborhoods, and with hous-

ing set aside for youth exiting foster care. As an educator and a foster mom, I spent my life helping young people find family, stability, and opportunity. Now, The Eliza is doing the same for me.

Everything here is designed with care, from the accessibility features, like lower counters, to the shared spaces where neighbors meet. I love the fitness room, the on-site laundry, the study lounge where my granddaughters do homework, and the rooftop deck with its view of the neighborhood. Plus, we can head downstairs to the library and access nearby grocery stores and mass transit. We finally have a place that truly works for us.

The Eliza stands for the same values that shaped my life: care, community, and giving people a fair chance. For years, I saw what instability could do to a child, how it slowly erodes their confidence and hope. This housing gives families, seniors, and young people the security they need to grow, plan, and dream. It shows that we can build neighborhoods where everyone belongs — and everyone has the chance to do better.

This Thanksgiving, as my granddaughters and I prepare our dishes, set our table, and gather around for our meal, I’ll look around at our new home, a place that, at long last, lets us rest, rebuild, and give back in our own way. Because for me, giving back has always been about home.

Marsha Thomas is a longtime New York City public schools paraprofessional and foster mother who lives with her granddaughters in Inwood.

Construction Justice Act would lift living standard for low-income New Yorkers

Madison

Damaso

Kristin

Cyril

Wilbert

New York City is in the midst of an affordability crisis. Housing and food costs are up, and people are worried about how they are going to make ends meet. As pastors who lead congregations in the city’s most populous boroughs (Brooklyn and Queens, respectively), we hear from members all the time that the money they’re making simply isn’t enough to keep them in the city.

New York City is building affordable housing, but the issue is that much of the housing being constructed doesn’t fit the needs that exist. Building studios and one-bedroom apartments will never address the multi-generational needs of families. To make matters worse, some of the workers building the low-income housing cannot afford to live in the city they are helping to build. This is why we, and a number of other pastors who lead congregations in New York City, are in vocal support of the Construction Justice Act, which

would pay a $40 per hour minimum wage on all low-income housing construction projects. In this economy, $40 per hour won’t make you rich, but it will help families afford rent, groceries, and healthcare, and provide peace of mind at a time of growing uncertainty. The Construction Justice Act would also require affordable-housing contractors to make best efforts to hire at least 30% of workers from highpoverty areas or NYCHA housing.

Sid Davidoff: Remembering a man who stood up for New Yorkers

When the crowd assembled in Harlem for a street co-naming ceremony in 2014, two people stood out: Gale Brewer and Sid Davidoff. They were the only two notable whites in attendance, a circumstance not unusual for either.

Davidoff, who died on Sunday, Nov. 16, in the Dominican Republic at 86, will be mainly remembered for his unflinching loyalty to Mayor John Lindsay and a spot on President Nixon’s “enemies list.”

For many Black New Yorkers, though, especially among activists, he was recognized for his unwavering commitment to issues that rarely received mainstream coverage. His presence in

Happy “Thanksgiving?”

the spring of 2014, when the intersection of 126th Street and Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Blvd. was co-named “The Five Percenter, Allah & Justice, Square,” sharing the corner with Rev. Powell and music immortal James Brown, was a vivid example of his connection with Harlem residents.

Unforgettable, too, is the role he played in stanching potential riots in New York City that had erupted across the country after the assassination of Dr. King. “It was Sid who brought together all the leaders, including the gang leaders in Harlem, and made sure that when Lindsay got up there, he was safe, and when he walked around, we could quell all of the violence,” Jeff Citron, one of Davidoff’s future partners, told the press.

I always have mixed feelings about Thanksgiving. On the one hand, I am cognizant of the fairy-tale origins of Thanksgiving most of us were taught in elementary school that completely glosses over the mass genocide of native peoples in America. On the other hand, I am thankful for a dedicated time to spend with my family, eat amazing food, and be intentional about our gratitude for one another and the blessing that it is to gather for another year and celebrate family and friendship and the abundance in our lives.

He [Sid Davidoff] played in stanching potential riots in New York City that had erupted across the country after the assassination of Dr. King. “It was Sid who brought together all the leaders, including the gang leaders in Harlem, and made sure that when [Mayor] Lindsay got up there, he was safe, and when he walked around, we could quell all of the violence.”

Former Assemblyman Keith Wright, current leader of the New York County Democrats and member of the Davidoff law firm, not only witnessed the events in the ’60s but was also at the street co-naming in 2014 and introduced me to Davidoff. Before I could get a word in edgewise, members of the Five Percenters ushered him off to address the crowd, which he did, praising the work of the organizers.

Yes, Sid will be saluted, and righteously so by the dailies — and I am sure they would be remiss not to mention the action he took after the Kent State massacre. Let us hope that he will be honored by those he stood up for, even setting aside his differences with David Dinkins, concluding that he could be “reasonable.”

To a great degree, Sid could be reasonable, too, and unstinting in his concern for the marginalized.

This year, I will be thinking of so many families who are struggling to put food on the table — not just for Thanksgiving, but on a daily basis. There have been so many layoffs and firings across the country, coupled with the decrease and erasure of benefits and the safety nets so many families depend on, I do not know where our country is headed. To see so many families in food lines and dependent on food pantries lets me know something is fundamentally broken in our society. Countless families work multiple jobs and still don’t have enough money to feed their families. Other families are desperate for work and are foregoing meals so other members of their families can eat. Is this what our country has done to its own people?

We have always found money as a nation for the things we want. Currently, the federal government has allocated a budget of $170 billion for border and interior enforcement, with a stated goal of deporting 1 mil -

lion immigrants each year. People who serve as the backbone of our country, trying to build a better life for their families, are being targeted and deported without due process. So as the Republican Party complains that these very people are a drain on society, they are more than happy to spend billions of dollars not to uplift people on American soil but punish them in some of the most expensive ways possible. This Thanksgiving, if possible, we must do what we can to support families in need. No child should go hungry any day of the week, but especially on Thanksgiving. We must continue to pressure our elected officials to fight for additive policies that will ensure a social safety net for those in need. Currently, we are being governed in Washington, D.C., by people who see their own citizens and residents as a problem and unworthy of care, attention, and assistance.

Luckily, many individuals, organizations, schools, religious institutions, and even local elected officials are interested in trying to help others. We must find one another and collectively live up to the true ideals of the spirit of Thanksgiving.

Christina Greer, Ph.D., is an associate professor at Fordham University; author of the books

“How to Build a Democracy: From Fannie Lou Hamer and Barbara Jordan to Stacey Abrams” and “Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream”; and co-host of the podcast FAQ-NYC.

Sid Davidoff. (Photo courtesy Davidoff Hutcher & Citron LLP)

Caribbean Update

U.S. revokes visa of Trinidadian critic of American presence in Caribbean

No one can suggest to Trinidadian businessman Gary Aboud that last week’s cancellation of his American entry visa is not linked to stirring criticism of U.S. attacks on alleged drug boats and its highly publicized plans to take military action against Venezuela.

Aboud, secretary of Fishermen and Friends of the Sea (FFOS), has been a strident critic of attacks on vessels in waters between Venezuela and Trinidad, calling the dozens of attacks and deaths extrajudicial killings in clear terms.

But late last week, the mission in Port of Spain, the country’s capital, formally wrote to Aboud, informing him that his visa was being revoked because authorities had received certain new, but unspecified, information about him.

But unbowed and unrepentant, Aboud says his views will not change and he will continue advocating against attacks on vessels between the two countries. His cancellation is the first known

in the country suspected of being linked to heightened tensions in the Southern Caribbean and it has come at a time of stirring national and regional debate of Trinidad and Tobago’s glaring support for American action in the area. He also swiped at Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and her cabinet for their open support for the U.S. while other regional governments campaign to maintain the Caribbean as a zone of peace.

“If the global community recognizes these killings as unlawful, why does our own leader endorse them? And if the United States possesses intelligence identifying these alleged ‘narco-terrorists,’ then such evidence should be presented before a court, not used to justify missiles fired in international waters,” Aboud said. “NGOs are being silenced,” he said, accusing authorities of conspiring with the U.S. to cancel his 10-year non-immigrant visa.

In its missive to Aboud, the mission noted that “we are writing to notify you that your B1/B2 visa for travel to the United States has been prudently revoked. This email

is considered official notification of that revocation. This action is based on the fact that additional information became available after the visa was issued indicating that you may be inadmissible to the U.S. and therefore ineligible to receive a visa,” the mission stated.

On his suggestion that the cabinet might have played a role in his current plight, PM Persad-Bissessar denied any such links, saying she respects free speech.

“The government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago has absolutely no involvement in the decisions or actions taken by the government of the U.S. or the U.S. Embassy in Trinidad and Tobago regarding their visa or immigration policies. These matters fall solely within the jurisdiction of the U.S. government. Any concerns or requests for clarification or redress must be directed to the appropriate U.S. authorities.” She said there are no efforts to stymie the work of NGOs. “I categorically state that there has never been — and will never be — any attempt by my government to intimidate, punish, or

suppress the voices of civil society.

In fact, when a former prime minister recently called a press conference at his ‘office’ and made a host of unfounded claims, I made it clear that he is free to speak. That is how democracy works, and my government will always uphold that principle,” she said in a statement.

Several members of the academic

community, opposition politicians, and others in civil society have hurled stinging criticism of the U.S. actions and the stance their government has taken, suggesting mostly that the cabinet is unnecessarily placing the republic in the middle of superpower politics that can harm the country in the future when the geopolitical landscape changes.

This Thanksgiving, remember the pilgrims were America’s first ‘illegal immigrants’

KORNER

This Thanksgiving, thousands of American families are not gathered around a joyful dinner table. They are stressed, separated, grieving — many locked in ICE detention centers because of the current administration’s ruthless anti-immigration policies. Even U.S. citizens have been mistakenly swept up in aggressive enforcement raids by masked ICE agents, and held without due process. Countless others have been deported despite having the legal right to remain.

During a week when the nation is encouraged to reflect on gratitude and origins, it is impossible to ignore the historical irony: The white European settlers celebrated as the “Pilgrims” were,

in fact, America’s first undocumented immigrants.

According to the sanitized version of U.S. history, the “first Thanksgiving” refers to the 1621 harvest feast at what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts, shared between the Pilgrims and about 90 Wampanoag people, including Chief Massasoit. The Wampanoag contributed five deer to the three-day event, which featured venison, fowl, vegetables, prayer, and communal games. It is portrayed as a harmonious gathering of cultures.

But let’s be clear: The Pilgrims never called it “Thanksgiving.”

To them, a “day of thanksgiving” meant fasting and solemn prayer — not eating and celebration. In addition, the 1621 gathering was not the first religious day of thanks in the colony; that came in 1623, after rainfall ended a drought.

The more important truth is

this: The feast is now used to mask the violent history that followed. Wampanoag land — like the land of so many other tribes — was later taken through forced treaties, military aggression, broken promises, and federal legislation such as the Indian Removal Act of 1830 and the Dawes Act of 1887. These laws legally sanctioned the theft of Native lands, dismantled tribal governance, and furthered the displacement and genocide of Indigenous peoples.

President Abraham Lincoln did not proclaim the Thanksgiving holiday until the 1860s — long after the Pilgrims, meaning the celebration we know today is a national invention, not an authentic reflection of the 1621 feast.

For many Native Americans, Thanksgiving is not a day of joy, but a day of mourning — a reminder of the violence, betrayal, and cultural devastation that

came after Europeans arrived.

And yet today, the irony continues.

The descendants of the Brown Native Americans who welcomed the first undocumented Europeans are now the “immigrants,” treated with suspicion, hostility, and fear. Meanwhile, 59,762 people languish in ICE detention as of September, according to TRAC Immigration — and 71.5% of them have no criminal convictions.

Once again, the people suffering under the weight of government policies are overwhelmingly Brown and non-European. Once again, families will cry through the holidays, separated from their loved ones. Once again, powerful forces push the fiction that America’s identity must be protected from demographic change — a modern echo of the same fear that fueled centuries of Native dispossession.

What, exactly, are we supposed to be thankful for this holiday?

Thanksgiving should be a time of truth-telling. A time to remember that the first newcomers to this land never asked for permission, never applied for visas, and never faced detention. A time to acknowledge that America’s story began with Indigenous generosity — and was repaid with violence and erasure.

In 2025, as immigrants once again face cruelty, exclusion, and the threat of annihilation from the very nation built on stolen land, that truth matters more than ever.

Felicia J. Persaud is the founder and publisher of NewsAmericasNow.com, the only daily newswire and digital platform dedicated exclusively to Caribbean Diaspora and Black immigrant news across the Americas.

U.S. Sailors watch as an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter departs USS Bainbridge (DDG 96), Nov. 12, 2025. U.S. military forces are deployed to the Caribbean in support of Operation Southern Spear. (U.S. Southern Command photo)

International News Adams finally back in NYC after trips abroad to some interesting places

Mayor Eric Adams has been stepping up his travel game as of late, drawing a huge discourse online. So far he’s been on a four-day trip to Albania and a 10-day trip to Israel and Uzbekistan in the last two months.

Adams was always a globetrotter, though.

His first year in office was capped by a ‘spiritual journey’ to Ghana in 2021. He’s been to places like Italy, Greece, Qatar, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic, all while in office.

Adams embarked on a three-day pilgrimage to Israel in August of 2023, but considering his longstanding ties to the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in Brooklyn going back to his senator days, this wasn’t unusual then. The relationship took on a different context after the unforeseen terror attack and kidnappings launched by Hamas on October 7. Adams has been an outspoken pro-Israeli supporter since then, even when New Yorkers

grew more critical of the nation’s severe treatment of Palestinians and their influence on local politics in the U.S.

During his November 2025 trip, he met with Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — whom Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has sworn to arrest should he travel to the city during his term. Supposedly, they discussed efforts to combat antisemitism in the city.

He drew the most criticism online while he was visiting the Western Wall in Old City Jerusalem on Sunday, Nov. 16. “I wanted to come back here to Israel and let you know that I served you as the mayor,” said Adams in a short clip that went viral. “But I want to continue to have the title that’s more important to me than anything, I’m your brother.”

Adams then extended his stay overseas with a multi-day trip to Uzbekistan; supposedly to discuss matters of business, tech, and sports with Muslim leaders.

Even Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, who was slated to take over mayoral duties if Adams had stayed away much longer, joked in a reel posted to his social media

about the Mayor’s absence.

Additionally, a spokesperson for Williams posted, “That we all agreed the city was better off when this mayor left it is an indictment of his leadership — and since this mayor is no stranger to indictments, the Public Advocate has often had to be prepared to take over.”

Adams arrived back in the city this week just in time, so Williams didn’t have to sub in.

A big part of the discussion online is that Adams is checked out and already looking for his next job, a reasonable conclusion

since he’s spoken about an influx of job offers he’s weighing on multiple occasions.

“The mayor has long emphasized the importance of honoring and uplifting New York City’s diverse communities, whether he is celebrating different heritages at Gracie Mansion or discussing innovation and economic development with foreign officials abroad,” said Fabien Levy, the Mayor’s spokesperson, to the New York Times. “The mayor continues to govern, lead, and deliver for this city regardless of where he is.”

New York City Mayor Eric Adams prays at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, Israel, on Sunday, November 16, 2025. (Benny Polatseck/Mayoral Photography Office photos)
New York City Mayor Adams hosts a reception celebrating Uzbekistan heritage at Gracie Mansion. Tuesday, October 28, 2025.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams meets with the Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu. Monday, November 17, 2025.

Arts & Entertainment

There’s something about Mary: Netflix’s ‘Frankenstein’

It’s no secret that the Mexican film director Guillermo del Toro has been waiting all his life to make Mary Shelly’s “Frankenstein.” Del Toro has publicly made that claim, while film critics have joyfully amplified it. Besides, all you have to do is go back to the “Shape of Water” to find del Toro’s penchant for melodramatic love stories and gothic settings, not to mention his double-edged conceit of humanizing monsters and monstering humans. And not a moment too soon. For almost a hundred years, beginning with the 1931 “Frankenstein,” starring Boris Karloff, the image of a flat-topped monster with neck electrodes has dominated pop culture renderings of Victor Frankenstein’s monster. Del Toro delivers us from that hackneyed visual by returning to the source material, Mary Shelly’s 1818 novel, “Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus.” Del Toro doesn’t update or modernize the story as much as

revitalize it. And as convenient as it is to watch it in the comfort of your own home, del Toro’s “Frankenstein” is best enjoyed on the big screen, where the sumptuous production design and cinematography restore the “Frankenstein” story to its original epic grandeur.

The fundamentals of Shelly’s tale remain intact in the film: An over-reaching scientist, Victor Frankenstein, stitches together body parts from corpses and brings a new being to life, only to recoil in horror at the sight of this creation. The Creature, spurned by both Victor and society in general, learns his origin story, seeks revenge, and eventually confronts Victor for making, then abandoning, him.

While these plot elements endure in del Toro’s telling, his alterations are significant. For one, del Toro’s Creature is far more sympathetic and less murderous than Shelly’s, and is endowed, arguably, with more humanity and tenderness than any other character in the film. Portrayed by the 6 ‘5" Jacob Elordi, the Crea-

ture, unlike Shelly’s unsightly lump of flesh, moves with the latent grace of an impaired modernist dancer, and shares smoldering moments with his love interest, Elizabeth. Making the Creature incapable of dying enhances the curse-of-life burden that the Creature labors with, but some of del Toro’s other departures from the novel — like making Elizabeth Victor’s sister-in-law rather than his wife — feel unnecessary.

Oscar Isaac endows Victor Frankenstein with the right blend of unhinged ambition and frailty. And in the spirit of Sally Hawkins in “The Shape of Water,” Mia Goth is sufficiently otherworldly as to be believable in her character’s mutual attraction to the Creature. However, the universe that del Toro creates unmistakably belongs to Jacob Elordi, who will surely be nominated for an Oscar for this role. His vocal and physical performances create the conditions for the pathos and curiosity that his character so effectively elicits from us.

Del Toro’s fidelity to Shelly’s themes ulti-

mately makes the film universal and timeless. Like Shelly, del Toro mines the two narrative arcs of Milton’s epic poem, “Paradise Lost” — the fall of Adam and Eve, and Lucifer’s expulsion from heaven — to ask existential questions about why God granted us life only to plunge us into despair and forsake us. One of the film’s most inspiring moments is when Victor comes to accept the Creature. In turn, the Creature comes to forgive Victor and, we presume, meet Victor’s challenge to make the most out of the spark of life he’s been carelessly granted. Still, the 19th-century narcissism and amorality that led Victor to disregard warnings and bring life to the Creature will inevitably lead filmgoers to consider the 21st-century purveyors of AI, whose disregard for ethical consequences is exceeded only by a pursuit of higher stock valuations. Like the Creature, AI is not only made up of enough human fragments and immortality to one day take our place on Earth, but it may prove to be more deserving of that place as well.

(L-R) Jacob Elordi and Mia Goth in “Frankenstein” (Netflix photo)

Author Nicholas Boggs and John McWhorter discuss “Baldwin: A Love Story” as a lesson in loving

Commentator: “When you were starting out as a writer, you were Black, impoverished, and homosexual. You must have said to yourself, ‘Gee, how disadvantaged can I get?’”

James Baldwin: “No, I thought I had hit the jackpot. It was so outrageous, you had to find a way to use…”

On any given night, New York reliably offers an embarrassment of riches in terms of things to do, as entertaining as they are illuminating. This was certainly true catching Nicholas Boggs discussing his new James Baldwin biography “Baldwin: A Love Story,” with New York Times columnist John McWhorter, associate professor of linguistics at Columbia University, and author of “Woke Racism: How a New Religion Has Betrayed Black America.”

A collaborative public program hosted by the Leon Levy Center for Biography, it was held at the imposing CUNY Graduate Center on Fifth Avenue (the former landmarked B. Altman Store). An at-capacity crowd seemed to hang onto every word, and rightly so, as we were hearing from two excellent storytellers, who are two of the most distinguished scholars in their fields. One false note seemed to be when Dr.

McWhorter asked if Boggs, through a decade of painstaking research and writing, had come to “love Baldwin?” He wondered, “Because with some of the finest biographies I’ve ever read, after a while it’s clear that the author detests his subject.”

For me, it’s always seemed that the opposite is true, and especially in this case. An affinity with the subject always seems to enhance a writer’s understanding in a way that the best manage to convey to the reader.

However dissimilar their circumstances, hearing of Boggs’ life, his empathic sympathy for Baldwin, the man he at one point characterized as “The greatest American writer of the Twentieth Century,” was obvious. The son of a civil rights lawyer and a music teacher, born in Washington D.C., Boggs was acclaimed as a prodigy boy soprano and an exceptional athletic star. No, Boggs is neither Black nor poor, but he is brilliant, and he is also Queer.

His partner is Jamaican-born novelist Marlon James (the Dark Star Trilogy, “Moon Witch, Spider King”). Their alliance, a formidable, complementary, and intellectual coupling along the lines of Darryl Pinckney’s and James Fenton’s, seems to be just the sort of union we learned that Baldwin dreamed of. Boggs explained, however, that Baldwin’s desire was mostly a fantasy, as evidenced by recurring self-sabotage. Among myriad lovers, Baldwin obsessed most over white men whose heterosexuality made

them, if not wholly unobtainable, most definitely unwilling to commit.

“His yearning for that sort of ongoing connection was very similar to his impossible love for America,” Boggs said. “He had to run away from and come back to it.”

Boggs related his surprise when the greatest of Baldwin’s loves, visionary French artist Yoran Cazac, laughed at the suggestion that Baldwin had pined for the two of them to share an enduring domestic relationship. The painter had not blanched at what Baldwin had called, in letters to his brother, their “marriage.” However, Cazac did insist, “Jimmy, may have said that he wanted that. He may have believed that he wanted that. But, in fact he was utterly incapable of that. He was married to his writing. He was married to his art. And that was at least one of the reasons why he sought out these relationships, where he could have the intensity of connection and then go away and write and come back…”

Professing greater admiration for Baldwin’s essays than his novels, lamenting about the doom and tragedy of his peripatetic wanderings, it was McWhorter’s turn to be caught off guard. Boggs replied that a big part of his mission was to disabuse us of seeing Baldwin as failed or alone and alienated. “People like to say he was not handsome … Have you seen what his lovers looked like? He had some absolutely gorgeous lovers. So I actually wanted to show

that this was a misconception of Baldwin’s life. Sure it had suffering, it had difficulty: but it was alive with love and sex and pleasure and life…”

Were you aware that Baldwin wanted to write a triple biography about Medgar Evers, Dr. King, and Malcolm? For those of us who have failed to read all of Baldwin’s canon, we were informed that he was responding to the world and its rejection with love, that all his novels are love stories. As to Baldwin’s fiction versus essays, Boggs argued that to appreciate either, they are inseparable — the one explains the other. I wanted to know more about Baldwin, the agent provocateur. During the questions, I asked, “Though I can find no historical documentation, William Styron’s ‘The Confessions of Nat Turner’ made the heroic martyr gay. While he was at work on this book, Baldwin was his house guest. Did James Baldwin make William Styron make Nat Turner gay?” “I would love to know too,” Boggs answered.

Writing about Will Marion Cook recently, John McWhorter wrote about the Black contribution to American popular song metamorphosis of the entire idiom: “After ‘Shuffle Along,’ the music of what had once been known as Black Broadway became simply the music of Broadway.” What Nicholas Boggs’s “Baldwin: A Love Story” does so well is to show how much James Baldwin’s life and work transfigured American thought.

Discussing his new biography of James Baldwin, John McWhorter engaged Nathaniel Boggs with skilled repartee.
In appearance, even with his long hair tied back, Nathaniel Boggs best resembles Albrecht Duer’s last, Jesus-like, selfportrait of 1500.
Ms. Lana Turner, Harlem’s foremost bibliophile and swing dancer, and David Levering Lewis who wrote “When Harlem was in Vogue.”
Joel Desouve described himself as “someone who admires James Baldwin’s writing!” (Michael Henry Adams photos)

On display: Artist Ron Norsworthy’s lucid dreaming

Friday, Nov. 14, my highlight of Autumn in New York, was a visit to the opening reception for artist Ron Norsworthy’s new art show, his second solo exhibition at the Edwynn Houk Gallery (693 Fifth Avenue, 6th floor, 212-7507070; on view through Dec. 23). It features his disarming American Dream series of collaged mixed media reliefs.

In the 18th century, his pictures might have been described as “conversation pieces.” Their creator characterizes them as “Art imitating life imitating art — a continuous feedback loop…” Norsworthy said, “My process, especially when sketching compositions, feels almost like lucid dreaming. I let the objects, figures, and spaces organize themselves within the frame…”

As nostalgic and aspirational as any illustration from Martha Stewart’s M Magazine, American Dream’s seemingly static tableau in domestic interiors presents Black middleclass life as an African American idyll. These are scenes, Norsworthy maintains, hovering between the achieved and the desired.

On entering, the first two works encountered in the sequence on view are “Coming and Going” and “Dolton,” 1965. Each narrative is set in the suburbs, north and south of Chicago. The first, says the artist, “Incor-

porates the house from the film ‘Ordinary People;’ the latter imagines the future Pope Leo XIV as a ten-year-old in his kitchen.”

A surprise for Norsworthy, indicative of the synchronous “loop” of life he refers to, recently occurred when the first American pontiff, listing his four favorite films, named “Ordinary People” among them.

The 1980 drama, the first movie directed by Robert Redford, examines a wealthy family in crisis. After one son dies in an accident, the other (Timothy Hutton) attempts suicide. His mother (Mary Tyler Moore), obsessed with maintaining a respectable front, struggles to avoid shame and scandal. Instead, she assures disaster.

As depicted by Norsworthy, the members of this highly privileged but doomed family are African American.

Existing in a realm betwixt the metaphoric and the material, Norsworthy’s architecture and decor seem resoundingly decorous, dignified, and enduring. Supposedly mere backgrounds, they play a part as important as any of the figures in their midst. Exemplary of the double consciousness W.E.B. Du Bois described, they make the tension between Black ambition, attainment, and opposition palpable.

To refute the resurgent racist libel of unqualified Blacks, Norsworthy, a scholar, enlists every fragment of art, film, and design

history and any personal memory at his disposal. He depicts a flawed and still unequal triumph, one requiring that his subjects work twice as hard as all other contenders. “Good Times Black Jesus,” even lilies from his garden, are just some of the components sampled from a rich visual lexicon. Most importantly, he draws from our shared heritage of America’s most arresting imagery. Norsworthy explains that he has approached photography as both a physical and cultural language, “One that has long shaped how America imagines itself.”

Frequently forgotten, increasingly suppressed, there have been innumerable depictions of people of color in the past. But Norsworthy not only brings the Black presence to the foreground: his work also suggests that, but for opportunity, and even without it, one might substitute Blacks in the most prominent positions, in all the most important and compelling portrayals of America’s story.

Much as with post-impressionist pointillist paintings by Seurat from the 1880s and ‘90s, a superficial survey of the pictures on display, to say nothing of much of the entirety of Norsworthy’s oeuvre, very likely

also appears to be a pretty, but incomprehensible blur. Au contraire! Backing up to get a better perspective, inspection, best obtained with study and distance, shows each carefully considered object and every element differently. Be it an LP from Diana Ross’ breakthrough film “Mahogany,” or cute stylized cumulus clouds, derived from a Grant Wood landscape, packed with meaning, every aspect of Norsworthy’s output is referential and significant.

What’s the point? It is simplicity itself: From the carefully cultivated and highly informed vantage point of Ron Norsworthy, everything we see and know is connected to everything else. Just as powerfully as Kerry James Marshall, Amy Sherald, Kara Walker, and others, but by different means, his art illustrates just how much anything Queer and everything Black, unavoidably, is American too.

Like it or not, when it comes to discerning our country and appreciating what most makes it great, Norsworthy shows that diversity, equity, and inclusion are not optional, but imperative.

For more info, visit ronnorsworthy.com and houkgallery.com

Ron Norsworthy greets his friends and fans Nico and Nile Okoro (Michael Henry Adams photo)

“Good Life” and “More or Less” each depict the Black diva and elder statesman Diana Ross and Billy Dee Williams. In fly but somehow ominous surroundings, they appear in all their stunning youthful prime in melancholic reveries from “Mahogany.” Viewing “Good Life” in a reel on Norsworthy’s website or Instagram page, hearing 1988’s worldwide hit song "Good Life" from the group Inner City, it is impossible to remain sitting still. (Michael Henry Adams photos)

“Coming and Going” is a testament to how little is as it appears to be on the surface

S5,OOO

With artist Ron Norsworthy at the opening reception of an exhibition of his American Dream picture series

Close Up, Dizzy’s

Close Up Music Venue & Bar, located on Manhattan’s Lower East Side at 154 Orchard Street, the latest addition to the city’s landscape, is a relaxed, artist-driven jazz club dedicated to pushing the parameters of jazz to a boundless sky. Granted, some of the marquee names may not be familiar, but be assured they play on all cylinders with creative abandon. The venue offers performances six nights a week with jam sessions, cocktails, and a Venezuelan-inspired food menu.

On Nov. 28, the inventive duo of pianist Matthew Shipp and alto saxophonist Rob Brown will give a rhythmic close-up on how improvisation can be simultaneously unhinged and captivating. Two sets at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. Brown, a native of Hampton, Virginia, studied two years at Berklee College before moving to Boston, MA., where he met pianist Shipp. His first issued recording was the duet with Shipp, “Sonic Explorations” (Cadence Jazz 1988), and since then has been actively leading groups or working as a sideman with Shipp, William Parker, Whit Dickey, Joe Morris, and Steve Swell. Shipp and Brown have been collaborating since their first recording. Their chemistry continues to evoke new equations flowing outside the realm of jazz.

Since the early 1990s, Shipp has appeared on dozens of albums as a leader, sideman, or producer. His piano has played prominent keys in a variety of bands such as Roscoe Mitchell’s Note Factory and David S. Ware’s quartet, along with bassist William Parker, and a succession of drummers that began with Marc Edwards. In 2001, jazz critic Gary Giddins described Ware’s quartet as “the best small band in jazz today.” Shipp’s latest solo work, “Cosmic Piano,” on New York City’s (Cantaloupe 2025) label is run by the Bang on a Can performing arts organization, which has built a reputation on modern classical music tagged as “experimental classical” or “alternative classical.” It’s also known for collaborations across

all genres. This unique organization offers Shipp a chance to present his music in a different context outside of his unwanted categorization as an avant-garde musician. “Cosmic Piano,” which runs for an hour, displays Shipp’s improvisational cosmic voice, solo piano, no accompaniment, no voices, just Shipp’s genius that keeps transcending us to a far-out galaxy where creativity rules.

Established in 2024, Close Up NYC offers audiences a journey through the genre’s history and dynamic present, inviting jazz aficionados and novices to experience the magic of live jazz. New York City jazz is more than just music; it’s a vibrant culture, that struts, the way you talk, the cadence that flows like a hip Miles Davis tune. From hip sounds of classic jazz to the innovative rhythms of contemporary styles, it’s a heartbeat that resonates through the city’s soul. For more info, visit closeupnyc.com.

The artistic foundation of jazz drumming was built on the innovative versatility and roaring veracity of three generations of pioneer drummers: Papa Jo Jones, Philly Joe Jones, and Elvin Jones.

On December 3, the young drummer Jonathan Barber pays homage to his influential drumming ancestors as he restructures their music in the moment of now; Jonathan Barber: Jones, Jones, Jones. With an all-star band and fresh takes on

timeless standards, Barber delivers powerful solos, deep grooves, and a pulse that drives the ancestors’ music forward in colorful directions. forward.

Barber will be joined by trumpeter Bruce Harris, pianist TBA,

(Contributed

saxophonist Jimmy Greene, and bassist Luques Curtis. The latter two, like Barber, are alumni of The Artists Collective, founded by legendary saxophonist and NEA Jazz Master Jackie McLean and his wife Dollie McLean (in Hartford, CT.). They were under the tutelage of noted composer and saxophonist Rene McLean, who familiarized Barber and Curtis with jazz and African rhythms.

In addition to his first-call status as a sideman, Barber has recently stepped forth as a composer and leader with his Vision Ahead band, featuring saxophonist Godwin Louis, guitarist Andrew Renfroe, bassist Matt Dwonszyk, and pianist Taber Gable. Even with Barber’s history of high-profile gigs and recordings taken into consideration, DownBeat magazine calls Vision Ahead’s self-titled debut album his “greatest accomplishment to date.” Released on Rockwood Music Hall’s largest stage in May 2018. This high-energy Jonathan Barber: Jones, Jones, Jones celebration honors the past while welcoming audiences of all backgrounds into the vibrant world of jazz. For reservations visit jazz.org.

Rob Brown (Peter Gannushkin photo)
Matthew Shipp
photo)

Divine Nine News

Continued from page 9

location. She is most deserving of this auspicious honor.”

“This dedication is not just symbolic — it’s a testament to the power of women whose art and leadership transcend time,” said Council Member Crystal Hudson, New York City Council District 35. “We honor J. Marjory Jackson not only for her music, but for her impact on generations of women of color who found pride, purpose, and identity through her work.”

The ceremony included musical tributes, remarks from city representatives, and the unveiling of the new “J. Marjory Jackson Way” street sign. Sorority members, dressed in Alpha Kappa Alpha’s signature salmon pink and apple green, sang the Sorority’s national hymn in unison, their voices echoing through the neighborhood where Jackson’s influence remains deeply rooted. This dedication aligns with Delta Rho Omega Chapter’s standing commitment to preserving the legacy of African American women whose excellence in education, arts, and leadership continues to inspire generations.

Construction

Continued from page 12

The bill’s local hire provision is critical. Wealth exists in New York City, but it’s concentrated in a few neighborhoods. Living in a higher-income neighborhood often means everything from more and better grocery store options to newer, better equipped parks; more after-school programs and extra-curricular activities for children — the list goes on and on. Through the bill’s provisions, more New Yorkers would have money to invest in their communities in real time because they would have access to the careers that lift people out of poverty.

We know that the construction industry overwhelmingly provides employment opportunities for immigrants and justice-affected New Yorkers. When we speak with mothers, wives, and grandmothers of members of our community who have either just gotten home or will be returning home soon, one of their top concerns is a loved one’s ability to secure gainful employment. It’s no secret that for so many of these brothers and sisters, the lack of employment options once they return home are limited. Construction work provides options, and the passage of the Construction Justice Act would mean that livable, family-sustaining wages and the possibility of affording healthcare and working toward a pension would be within reach.

With all of these benefits, you’d think the Construction Justice Act would have passed by now, right? Let’s add to

the equation that the bill, sponsored by Bronx Council Member Carmen De La Rosa, is supported by 42 other members of the City Council. The bill also has the support of unions like the Mason Tenders District Council, which includes Laborers Locals 66, 78, 79, and 108; District Council 37 AFSCME; and SEIU 32BJ.

The bill also has the support of community groups like the Northwest Bronx Community & Clergy Coalition, El Puente, Mekong NYC, New York Communities for Change, and others — groups that look like New York City. What’s needed is City Council approval and to be signed into law. The votes are there; the bill just has to be posted, passed, and signed.

We appeal to City Council leadership to prioritize this bill, which literally has the ability to lift the living standard for all New Yorkers. It has been said that as New York goes, so does the nation. It’s time to step up and show ourselves strong and resilient in protecting the workers who build New York City. As pastors, we view the Bible as our instruction manual for navigating life. We can look to Proverbs 3:27–28, which instructs us to “not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it.”

We can also look to Romans 4, which says, “for the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift, but as his due.”

We have an obligation, and the ability, to fairly compensate the workers who work on New York City’s affordable housing construction projects. Now is the time to post, pass, and sign the Construction Justice Act. Hardworking New York City families cannot afford to wait.

Sr., is senior pastor of Center of Hope International in Queens & co-founder and president of Urban Upbound.

Let’s work together to make it possible. Visit mtb.com/firsthouse or call 1-800-936-0969 to get started today.

Rev. Dr. David L. Kelley II is senior pastor of Christ Fellowship Baptist Church in Brooklyn. Bishop Mitchell Gordon Taylor,
Pictured from left to right: Kimmie Jackson; North Atlantic Regional Director Elicia Pegues Spearman Esq.; Victoria Williams Thomas; and Dawn M. Baskerville. (Photo courtesy of Delta Rho Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.)

HBCU marching band performing at 99th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

The Alcorn State University Sounds of Dyn-O-Mitwe will perform in the 99th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thursday, Nov. 27. This marks the band’s first-ever appearance in the iconic event, representing the state of Mississippi on a national stage.

The historically Black college and university (HBCU) marching band was selected from more than 100 applicants to be one of only nine marching bands in this year’s parade.

“Macy’s is thrilled to invite the Sounds of Dyn-O-Mite to join us for the 2025 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade,” said Sara Flores, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade associate producer. “The band’s dynamic sound and performance truly wowed us during the selection process. I’m thrilled to invite students from this talented band to perform on a national stage in November 2025.”

“I’m so excited for our students to ex-

perience this momentous occasion,” said Dr. Everson Martin, director of bands. “It is a major opportunity for Alcorn State University, the community, and the entire state of Mississippi. This is the first time our band program will be represented on a stage such as the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and I cannot wait for Thanksgiving Day 2025.”

The Sounds of Dyn-OMite learned of their selection in August 2024, when Macy’s presented them with a $10,000 fundraising kickoff. The band has spent the last 18 months planning for their parade appearance, which included rigorous rehearsals and creative fundraising events to prepare for the massive undertaking.

her people.

“I’m telling my story, but it’s representative of so many other people’s stories

who don’t necessarily have a medium or a platform to tell it,” Goring said. “This isn’t a situation isolated to Bed-Stuy or even Harlem. There are so many instances in which there were thriving black communities, and they built highways through them.”

Goring serves as a journalist with the Palaver Collective, a community and social justice organization that creates awareness about issues concerning Black people happening in Africa, America, the Caribbean, and throughout the diaspora.

On Nov. 30, they will present an Affordable Housing Forum at Restoration Plaza in Brooklyn. At the event, community members will have a space to share their thoughts, and the group will be launching an affordability campaign outlining ways to get involved and find solutions, linking the issues across the Five Boroughs.

Palaver, which she joined in 2024, also educates people about anti-imperialism and Pan-African movements in history. At one of their recent parties against gentrification, they raised more than $5,000 and were able to prevent some evictions in Brooklyn.

This year, Goring has hosted screenings for her film at venues like Restoration Plaza, Cornell University, and with tenant unions in Brooklyn for community members. The film, she says, was made in the tradition of the Latin film movement, Third Cinema, focused on sparking conversation and not for profit, and also being fully available to the community.

“I’m not creating a film just to create a film,” Goring said. “I create a film to create a dialogue so that we can organize and create some forward movement, so that we can stop displacement because I don’t think displacement is inevitable.”

Goring says building community and challenging the notion that gentrification is inevitable should be the focus.

“They want us to believe that there’s nothing we can do,” Goring said. “We can actually take tangible steps to combat the violence, get off the defense, and get on the offense as well. We can’t constantly be defending our communities; we have to protect them.”

In addition to Palaver, Goring works with organizations like Uprooted, a collective documenting stories of gentrification, and Defend Harlem.

Goring is hopeful that Mayor-elect Mamdani can usher in a more affordable New York, but emphasizes that elected officials are only one part of the fight, and that movements like hers must keep up the pressure on the grassroots level.

“There’s always going to need to be more organization,” Goring said. “If you care about something, you can’t just expect it to be fixed. You have to get out there and be a part of the solution because everybody has a skill. Everybody has something that they contribute to creating better conditions for our people.”

The Palaver Collective will host its Affordable Housing Forum on Nov. 30, beginning at 4 p.m. at Restoration Plaza, 1368 Fulton in Brooklyn.

Alcorn State University Sounds of Dyn-O-Mite marching band. (Alcorn State University photo)

Brooklyn Borough President gives tons of food to needy for Thanksgiving

Despite the chill in the air, a horde of volunteers set up shop on Nov. 21 in front of Brooklyn Borough Hall to hand out supplies by the cartload for Borough President Antonio Reynoso’s annual Thanksgiving food giveaway.

“Brooklyn takes care of Brooklyn,” said Reynoso. “All these guys, not only did they come with some funding that really helped us, but they brought bodies, and they want to see this work happen.”

The event distributed about 70,000 pounds of fresh produce, like carrots, cabbage, corn, broccoli, bread, tomatoes, squash, and potatoes. The giveaway also included non-perishable items like rice and boxes of stuffing for yummy family goodness.

Volunteers prepared giant bags, crates, and carts of food for more than 125 houses of worship, community kitchens, and other community-based organizations addressing food insecurity and homelessness across Brooklyn. The 67th Precinct Clergy Council GodSquad, 1199SEIU, and the Brooklyn Metropolis Lions Club, to name a few.

Coming out of the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, many elected officials have been hyper-focused on beating back food insecurity because of a projected delay in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefit payouts. Volun-

teers have been working overtime to support community organizers, food banks, and pantries just in case.

“I think we all know the situation that’s happening at the federal government and the food insecurity that exists, but I think it gives people some faith that at the local

level that we’re still looking out for their interests,” said Reynoso. “Even if we fall on hard times, the local folks here in Brooklyn, the borough president, and these organizations are going to be there to have their back. …We’re not scared of a threat from the federal government. We would

not want it to happen, but we’re ready. We know how to take care of ourselves. We know how to take care of each other.”

This event was made possible by the support of National Grid, Optimum, Ponce Bank, Citizens Bank, Met Council, Macerich, Food Bazaar, and Hispanic Federation.

Brooklyn Borough president staff and volunteers pack food giveaway bags on Friday, Nov 21, 2025. (Ariama C. Long photo)

Religion & Spirituality

Tulsa Race Massacre survivor Viola Ford Fletcher can finally rest

For more than a century, rest never came easily to Viola Ford Fletcher. When she closed her eyes, the horror of what she experienced in 1921 in the Greenwood section of Tulsa haunted her dreams.

“When I sleep, it is never very deep or for very long because of the anxiety and the things I see,” she explained in “Don’t Let Them Bury My Story,” her 2023 memoir.

“Imagine having the same horrible nightmare every night for 100 years.”

On Monday, “Mother Fletcher,” as she was called, the oldest living survivor of the Tulsa Race Massacre, died surrounded by family. She was 111.

Her grandson, Ike Howard, told CNN that she left this world with “a beautiful smile” on her face. “She loved life, she loved people,” he said.

The Child Who Watched Black Wall Street Burn

Fletcher was just 7 when 10,000 angry white Tulsans — armed with guns and biplanes, fueled by alcohol and envy, driven by talk that a Black man had accosted a white woman — descended on Greenwood, a thriving African American

community known as Black Wall Street, on the evening of May 31. By noon on June 1, when the Oklahoma National Guard reclaimed the streets, an estimated 300 men, women, and children lay dead or dying, and 1,200 homes had been looted, destroyed, or both.

A Justice Department report issued in January, just days before President Joe Biden left office, marked the first time the federal agency publicly acknowledged how the white mob “murdered hundreds of residents of Greenwood, burned their homes and churches, looted their belongings, and locked the survivors in internment camps.”

Nearly every Black family in Greenwood — about 10,000 people — was left homeless.

That the DOJ finally spoke the truth is due to Fletcher and other survivors who testified before Congress in May 2021, 100 years after the terror they endured.

“I will never forget the violence of the white mob when we left our home,” she told lawmakers. “I still see Black men being shot, Black bodies lying in the street. I still smell smoke and see fire. I still see Black businesses being burned. I still hear airplanes flying overhead. I hear the screams,” Fletcher testified.

“I have lived through the massacre every day. Our country may forget this history,

but I cannot.”

The Courage to Tell the Truth

Having told the truth that Tulsa — and America — attempted to bury, Fletcher sought justice. She and other survivors sued the city in 2020, seeking reparations for what they said was the complicity of local officials in the massacre.

Indeed, the Justice Department report found that “the massacre was the result not of uncontrolled mob violence, but of a coordinated, military-style attack on Greenwood” — a ruthless assault plotted in part by real estate speculators, businessmen, and elected city leaders. Their case went all the way to the Oklahoma Supreme Court, which upheld a lower court’s dismissal in 2024.

In June, Mayor Monroe Nichols IV announced that the city would attempt to raise $105 million by 2026 — the massacre’s 105th anniversary — to compensate the survivors’ descendants.

Viola Ford Fletcher entered this world in 1914, the daughter of sharecroppers, and died as one of the most important eyewitnesses to American history. The night of the massacre, she and her family fled in a horse and buggy — through gunfire. She remembered seeing a white man shoot a Black man in the head, point-blank.

“The neighborhood I fell asleep in that night was rich — not just in terms of wealth, but in culture, community, heritage. Within a few hours, all that was gone,” she told Congress in 2021.

A Legacy of Survival and Courage

With Fletcher’s death, just one living survivor remains: Lessie Evelyn Benningfield Randle, also 111, six months younger than Fletcher. When Fletcher fell ill, Randle sent word through her granddaughter: “She was sorry it was happening and that she loved her.”

As news of her death spread, tributes flooded social media.

“I will miss you, Mother Viola Fletcher. So triumphant. So gracious. So courageous. So present. Thank you,” Dr. Bernice King wrote on Threads.

Fletcher witnessed what no child should, yet died knowing that no one was held accountable for the trauma she carried through a lifetime. She saw the election of the nation’s first Black president, Barack Obama, traveled to Ghana at age 107, and met Biden at the centennial observance of the massacre. But the justice she and her community deserved eluded her. Now, after 111 years, the nightmare that stalked her is over.

At long last, Viola Ford Fletcher can finally rest.

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SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK

JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., Plaintiff -against- MARINERS GATE, LLC, et al. Defendants. Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated October 10, 2025 and entered on October 27, 2025, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction in Room 252 at the New York County Courthouse located at 60 Centre Street, New York on December 17, 2025 at 2:15 p.m., the premises situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County of New York, City and State of New York, known and designated as Block 699 and Lot 5 on the New York County Tax Assessment Map. A more complete description of premises is attached to the Judgment. Said premises known as 547553 WEST 27TH STREET, New York, NY, 10001.

Approximate amount of lien $40,906,865.06 plus interest & attorney’s fees as provided in the Judgment.

Premises will be sold subject to terms and conditions of filed Judgment and the Terms of Sale to be read at the auction. Index Number: 850355/2024.

CLARK WHITSETT, ESQ., Referee

MORRISON & FOERSTER LLP

Counsel for Plaintiff 250 W. 55th Street, New York, NY 10019

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NEW YORK 21ST MORTGAGE CORPORATION AS MASTER SERVICER FOR CHRISTIANA TRUST, A DIVISION OF WILMINGTON SAVINGS FUND SOCIETY, FSB AS TRUSTEE FOR KNOXVILLE 2012 TRUST, Plaintiff AGAINST JIN HUA LIN, ET AL., Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered September 19, 2023, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the New York County Courthouse in Room 130, located at 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on December 17, 2025 at 2:15 PM, premises known as 44-46 Market Street, Unit 10A, New York, NY 10002. All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County, City and State of New York, Block 274, Lot 1216. Approximate amount of judgment $831,930.17 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #850085/2018. Clark Whitsett, Esq., Referee Gross Polowy, LLC 1775 Wehrle Drive Williamsville, NY 14221 19-002279 87701

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF New York , NYCTL 1998-2 Trust, The Bank of New York Mellon as Collateral Agent and Custodian for the NYCTL 19982 Trust , Plaintiff, vs . East 115th Street Associates , ET AL., Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale and Decision + Order on Motion dated June 26, 2025 and duly entered on August 27, 2025 , I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY 10007 on December 10, 2025 at 2:15 p.m., premises known as 75 East 115th Street, New York, NY 10029. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County of New York, City and State of New York, Block 1621 and Lot 32. Approximate amount of judgment is $450,870.47 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #651512/2017.

Lorraine Coyle, Esq., Referee Bronster, LLP, 156 West 56th Street, Suite 703, New York, New York 10019, Attorneys for Plaintiff

Notice of Qualification of 419 MM MEMBER, LLC

Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/30/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 10/21/25. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to United American Land, LLC, 73 Spring St., 6th Fl., NY, NY 10012. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of 408 BWAY REALTY MEMBER, LLC

Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/30/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 10/21/25. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to United American Land, LLC, 73 Spring St., 6th Fl., NY, NY 10012. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of formation of Endo Exo Studio LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 04/24/2025. Office location: New York County (Manhattan). SSNY designated as an agent of Limited Liability Company (LLC) upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY should mail process to United States Corporation Agents, Inc.: 7014 13th avenue, suite 202, brooklyn, ny, 11218. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Notice of Formation of MELISSA STANGER LCSW, PLLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/23/25. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of PLLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, 5 East 16th St., 6th Fl., NY, NY 10003. Purpose: Licensed clinical social work.

Notice of formation of Five Iron Golf Shaker Heights LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 04/14/2025. Office location: New York County (Manhattan). SSNY designated as an agent of Limited Liability Company (LLC) upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY should mail process to Jared Solomon: 883 Avenue of the Americas, FL 3, NYC, NY 10001. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Notice of Formation of ASBURY PARK DEVELOPER, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/07/25. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 30 Hudson Yards, 72nd Fl., NY, NY 10001. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the addr. of its princ. office. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of HMG INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT

LLC

Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/14/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 06/12/25. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State of DE, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY should mail process to James Kuhn: 125 Park Avenue, New York NY, 10017. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT ‑ COUNTY OF NEW YORK. 57TH ST. VACATION OWNERS ASSOCIATION, INC., BY AND THROUGH ITS BOARD OF DIRECTORS, Plaintiff ‑against‑ JEFFREY L. BROWNELL, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated September 3, 2025, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on December 10, 2025 at 2:15 p.m. premises situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County of New York, City and State of New York, being an undivided owner ship interest as tenant‑in‑com mon with other owners in the Timeshare Unit in the build ing located at 102 West 57th Street, New York, NY. Together with an appurtenant undivided .015838% common interest per centage. This is a foreclosure on ownership interest in a time share unit, a studio penthouse on a floating use basis every year, in accordance with and subject to declarations. Decla ration of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions dated October 10, 2008 and October 31, 2008 as CFRN # 2008000426142 as recorded in the Office of the City Register, County, City and State of New York. The Timeshare Unit is also designated as Block 1009 and Lot 37.

Said premises known as 102 WEST 57TH STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10019

Approximate amount of lien $16,215.93 plus interest & costs.

Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale.

Index Number 850230/2023.

JEFFREY MILLER, ESQ., Ref eree

DRUCKMAN LAW GROUP PLLC

Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 242 Drexel Avenue, Westbury, NY 11590 DLG# 39147 {* AMSTERDAM*}

Notice of Formation of WEQUONNOC VILLAGE PRESERVATION GP, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/27/25. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 30 Hudson Yards, 72nd Fl., NY, NY 10001. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 122072543. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT ‑ COUNTY OF NEW YORK. 57TH ST. VACATION OWNERS ASSOCIATION, INC., BY AND THROUGH ITS BOARD OF DIRECTORS, Plaintiff ‑against‑ ZORAN DJUMIC, DINA DJUMIC, BISERKA PLEVKO DUMIC, et al Defendant(s). Pur suant to a Judgment of Foreclo sure and Sale dated September 3, 2025, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auc tion in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on December 10, 2025 at 2:15 p.m. premises situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhat tan, County of New York, City and State of New York, being an undivided ownership interest as tenant‑in‑common with other owners in the Timeshare Unit in the building located at 102 West 57th Street, New York, NY. Together with an appurtenant undivided .009864% common interest percentage. This is a foreclosure on ownership inter est in a timeshare unit, a studio penthouse on a floating use basis every year, in accordance with and subject to declara tions. Declaration of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions dated October 10, 2008 and October 31, 2008 as CFRN # 2008000426142 as recorded in the Office of the City Register, County, City and State of New York. The Timeshare Unit is also designated as Block 1009 and Lot 37.

Said premises known as 102 WEST 57TH STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10019

Approximate amount of lien $25,032.17 plus interest & costs.

Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale.

Index Number 850328/2023.

SOFIA BALILE, ESQ., Referee DRUCKMAN LAW GROUP PLLC

Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 242 Drexel Avenue, Westbury, NY 11590

DLG# 39177 {* AMSTERDAM*}

Notice of Formation of SQUIRE VILLAGE PRESERVATION, L.P. Cert. of LP filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/07/25. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LP: 30 Hudson Yards, 72nd Fl., NY, NY 10001. Latest date on which the LP may dissolve is 12/31/2125. SSNY designated as agent of LP upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. Name and addr. of each general partner are available from SSNY. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

SUMMONS Index No. 850218/2025 STATE OF NEW YORK SUPREME COURT – COUNTY OF NEW YORK SPECTRUM MORTGAGE

HOLDINGS, LLC, Plaintiff, -vs- THE HEIRS AT LARGE OF MARY THOMPKINS, deceased, and all persons who are spouses, widows, grantees, mortgagees, lienors, heirs, devisees, distributees, successors in interest of such of them as may be dead, and their husbands and wives, heirs, devisees, distributees and successors of interest of all of whom and whose names and places are unknown to Plaintiff; CHARLENE THOMPKINS; SUSTAINABLE NEIGHBORHOODS LLC; NEW YORK CITY ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL

BOARD; UNITED STATES OF AMERICA; NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TAXATION AND FINANCE; THE CITY OF NEW YORK, A MUNICIPAL CORPORATION ACTING BY AND THROUGH ITS DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING PRESERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT; Defendants. Mortgaged Premises: 233 EAST 115TH STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10029 TO THE ABOVE NAMED DEFENDANT(S): YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the Complaint in the above entitled action and to serve a copy of your Answer on the plaintiff’s attorney within twenty (20) days of the service of this Summons, exclusive of the day of service, or within thirty (30) days after service of the same is complete where service is made in any manner other than by personal delivery within the State. The United States of America, if designated as a defendant in this action, may answer or appear within sixty (60) days of service hereof. Your failure to appear or answer will result in a judgment against you by default for the relief demanded in the Complaint. In the event that a deficiency balance remains from the sale proceeds, a judgment may be entered against you, unless the Defendant obtained a bankruptcy discharge and such other or further relief as may be just and equitable. NOTICE YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME If you do not respond to this summons and complaint by serving a copy of the answer to the attorney for the mortgage company who filed this foreclosure proceeding against you and filing the answer with the court, a default judgment may be entered and you can lose your home. Speak to an attorney or go to the court where your case is pending for further information on how to answer the summons and protect your property. Sending payment to your mortgage company will not stop this foreclosure action. YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF (MORTGAGE COMPANY) AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT. NEW YORK County is designated as the place of trial. The basis of venue is the location of the mortgaged premises. Dated: September 30, 2024 Mark K. Broyles, Esq. FEIN SUCH & CRANE, LLP

Attorneys for Plaintiff Office and P.O. Address 28 East Main Street, Suite 1800 Rochester, New York 14614 Telephone No. (585) 232-7400 Block: 1665 Lot: 16 NATURE AND OBJECT OF ACTION The object of the above action is to foreclose a mortgage held by the Plaintiff recorded in the County of NEW

Street, Suite 1800 Rochester, New York 14614 Telephone No. (585) 232-7400 Block: 1665 Lot: 16 NATURE AND OBJECT OF ACTION

The object of the above action is to foreclose a mortgage held by the Plaintiff recorded in the County of NEW YORK, State of New York as more particularly described in the Complaint herein. TO THE DEFENDANT, the plaintiff makes no personal claim against you in this action. To the above named defendants: The foregoing summons is served upon you by publication pursuant to an order of HON. Francis A. Kahn, III Justice of the Supreme Court of the State of New York, dated October 22, 2025 and filed along with the supporting papers in the NEW YORK County Clerk’s Office. This is an action to foreclose a Mortgage. ALL that certain plot, piece or parcel of land together with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County of New York Mortgaged Premises: 233 EAST 115TH STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10029 Tax Map/ Parcel ID No.: Block: 1665 Lot: 16 of the BOROUGH of NEW YORK, NY 10029 87886

Notice of Qualification of MOTEK FLATIRON LLC

Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 04/21/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Florida (FL) on 04/01/25. Princ. office of LLC: 2895 Collins Ave., Ste. B, Miami Beach, FL 33140. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the princ. office of the LLC. Cert. of Form. filed with Cord Byrd, State of FL at Tallahassee, the Capital, 500 South Brough St., Tallahassee, FL 32399. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of MT 35HY HOTEL LLC

Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/25/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 09/17/25. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of MT 35HY LLC

Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/25/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 09/17/25. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Brooklyn Point 47 LLC filed Arts. of Org. with the Sect'y of State of NY (SSNY) on 6/2/2025. Office: New York County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: The Ke Song Revocable Trust, 369 Lexington Ave, #3114, NY, NY 10017. Purpose: any lawful act.

Notice of Qualification of ATEA 168 Holding LLC. Certificate of Authority filed with Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/12/2025. Office location: New York County (Manhattan). Limited Liability Company (LLC) formed on 11/06/2025. SSNY designated as agent of Limited Liability Company (LLC) upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to eResidentAgent, Inc: eteam@eminutes.com. Articles of Organization originally filed with Secretary of State (SOS). Secretary of State, 401 Federal Street, Ste 4, Dover, DE 19901 Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Notice of Qualification of PEARL CARE 12, LLC

Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/12/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 06/03/25. Princ. office of LLC: 220 5th Ave., 17th Fl., NY, NY 10001. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State of the State of DE, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of WEQUONNOC VILLAGE PRESERVATION, L.P.

Cert. of LP filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/27/25. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LP: 30 Hudson Yards, 72nd Fl., NY, NY 10001. Latest date on which the LP may dissolve is 12/31/2125. SSNY designated as agent of LP upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. Name and addr. of each general partner are available from SSNY. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

ABINGTON VILLAGE LLC. App. for Auth. filed with the SSNY on 10/24/25. Originally filed with the Secretary of State of Delaware on 10/22/25. Office: New York County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, c/o Borah, Goldstein, Altschuler, Nahins & Goidel, P.C., 377 Broadway. New York, NY 10013. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Notice of Formation of ASBURY PARK PRESERVATION GP, LLC

Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/07/25. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 30 Hudson Yards, 72nd Fl., NY, NY 10001. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the addr. of its princ. office. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of JOSEPHINE TOWERS PRESERVATION GP, LLC

Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/27/25. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 30 Hudson Yards, 72nd Fl., NY, NY 10001. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 122072543. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of 1313 SIGN COMPANY LLC

Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/16/25. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 450 Seventh Ave., 45th Fl., NY, NY 11418. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 122072543. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION of Derventio UW LLC. App. for Auth. filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 03/06/25. LLC formed in California on 01/31/24. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to 33 Raven Rd. San Anselmo, CA 94960. Purpose: any lawful purpose.

Notice of Formation of TCB JV MEMBER LLC

Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/13/25. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 1411 Broadway, 34th Fl., NY, NY 10018. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 122072543. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of PATRICIA LANE LLC

Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/07/25. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 122072543. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of 5E44 ST PH PURCHASER LLC

Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/23/25. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Meister Seelig & Fein PLLC, 125 Park Ave., 7th Fl., NY, NY 10017. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of formation of Dolce Cultural LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 9/30/2025. Office location: New York County (Manhattan). SSNY designated as an agent of Limited Liability Company (LLC) upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY should mail process to Daniel Cooperman: 214 W 82nd Street 5B, New York, NY 10024. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Notice of Qualification of BREC PARENT GP, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/23/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 06/25/25. Princ. office of LLC: 345 Park Ave., NY, NY 10154. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, 401 Federal St. - Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of ARRAS LIHTC OWNER, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/27/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 10/24/25. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, Div. of Corps., John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of ARRAS OWNER, LLC

Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/27/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 10/24/25. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, Div. of Corps., John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of HEED HEALTH LLC

Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/13/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 04/20/20. Princ. office of LLC: 52 Wooster St., Ste. 2, NY, NY 10013. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the princ. office of the LLC. DE addr. of LLC: Resident Agents Inc., 8 The Green, Ste. R, Dover, DE 19901. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State of the State of DE, P.O. Box 898, Dover, DE 19903. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of formation of Bluestone Mani LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/21/2025. Office location: New York County (Manhattan). SSNY designated as an agent of Limited Liability Company (LLC) upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY should mail process to UNITED STATES CORPORATION AGENTS, INC. : 7014 13th Avenue Suite 202 Brooklyn, NY 11228. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Notice of Qualification of 22ND STREET 9DE LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/29/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 10/28/25. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19608. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State of DE, Corps. Divs., John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF JOSEPH C. DANILCZYK, ESQ. PLLC. Articles of Organization filed with Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/23/2025. Office Location New York County. SSNY designated as agent upon whom process against it may be served. Post Office address to which SSNY shall mail copy of any process against PLLC served is: JOSEPH C. DANILCZYK, ESQ. PLLC 43 W 43rd Street, Suite 236 New York, NY, 10036, USA. Principal business address of JOSEPH C. DANILCZYK, ESQ. PLLC is 43 W 43rd Street, Suite 236, New York, NY 10036 USA. Dissolution date: PERPETUAL. Purpose: any lawful act or activity.

Notice of Qualification of TANAKA NYC LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/13/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 10/10/25. Princ. office of LLC: 428 Greenwich St., NY, NY 10013. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State of DE, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of JOSEPHINE TOWERS PRESERVATION, L.P. Cert. of LP filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/27/25. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LP: 30 Hudson Yards, 72nd Fl., NY, NY 10001. Latest date on which the LP may dissolve is 12/31/2125. SSNY designated as agent of LP upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. Name and addr. of each general partner are available from SSNY. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of formation of Wellbeeings LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 1/18/2025. Office location: New York County (Manhattan). SSNY designated as an agent of Limited Liability Company (LLC) upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY should mail process to United States Corporation Agents, Inc.: 7014 13th Avenue, Suite 202, Brooklyn, NY 11228, USA. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

NOTICE OF SALE

WILMINGTON TRUST, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE REGISTERED HOLDERS OF WELLS FARGO COMMERCIAL MORTGAGE TRUST 2016-C34, COMMERCIAL MORTGAGE PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2016C34, BY AND THROUGH ITS SPECIAL SERVICER, LNR PARTNERS, LLC, Plaintiff v. 153 ELIZABETH STREET, LLC, 153 ELIZABETH HOTEL LLC, 30 KENMARE MASTER, LLC, EDMOND LI, ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL BOARD OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK, THE CITY OF NEW YORK, and PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, Defendants, Index No. 850275/2021. Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale and Decision and Order on Motion dated August 8, 2024, which was duly entered in the above-entitled action and filed in the Office of the New York County Clerk on August 12, 2024 and December 26, 2024, as amended by the Decision & Order on Motion dated September 24, 2024, which was duly entered in the above-entitled action and filed in the Office of the New York County Clerk on September 26, 2024 (the “Judgment”), I the undersigned Referee in said Judgment named, will sell at public auction to the highest bidder at Room 130 of the Courthouse, located at 60 Centre Street, New York, New York, the premises directed by said Judgment to be sold. The premises will be offered for sale, as one parcel, on Wednesday, December 17, 2025 at 2:15 p.m. The premises therein described are located at 153 Elizabeth Street, New York, New York 10023, also known as Block 479, Lot 29 on the Tax Map for the County of New York, together with the buildings, improvements, fixtures, machinery, equipment, personalty and other rights or interests of any kind or nature located thereon, and more particularly described in the Judgment.

The premises will be sold subject to the provisions of the filed Judgment, Index No. 850275/2021, and the Terms of Sale , all of which are available from plaintiff’s counsel upon request.

The approximate amount of the Judgment, for the property referred to therein, is $35,312,720.52, plus interest and costs, as provided in the Judgment. The successful bidder will be required to deposit 10% of the bid by certified or official bank check, unendorsed, made payable to the Referee.

Scott H. Siller , Esq., Referee ( 516) 644-6769

Herrick, Feinstein LLP, Attorneys for Plaintiff, Two Park Avenue, New York, New York 10016, (212) 592-1461, Attention: Scott T. Tross, Esq.

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT ‑ COUNTY OF NEW YORK. 57TH ST. VACATION OWNERS ASSOCIATION, INC., BY AND THROUGH ITS BOARD OF DIRECTORS Plaintiff ‑against‑ CAROL M. KAGANOV INDI VIDUALLY AND AS TRUSTEE OF THE KAGANOV FAMILY REVOCABLE TRUST OF OCT 16, 2002 AS AMENDED AND RESTATED DEC 18, 2007, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated September 3, 2025, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on December 17, 2025 at 2:15 p.m. prem ises situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County of New York, City and State of New York, being an undivided ownership interest as tenant‑in‑common with other owners in the Timeshare Unit in the building located at 102 West 57th Street, New York, NY. Together with an appurtenant undivided 0.00986400000% common interest percentage. This is a foreclosure on own ership interest in a timeshare unit, a studio penthouse on a floating use basis every year, in accordance with and subject to declarations. Declaration of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions dated October 10, 2008 and October 31, 2008 as CFRN # 2008000426142 as re corded in the Office of the City Register, County, City and State of New York. The Timeshare Unit is also designated as Block 1009 and Lot 37. Said premises known as 102 WEST 57TH STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10019

Approximate amount of lien $13,878.65 plus interest & costs.

Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale. Index Number 850077/2024. CLARK WHITSETT, ESQ., Ref eree DRUCKMAN LAW GROUP PLLC

Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 242 Drexel Avenue, Westbury, NY 11590 DLG# 39637

{* AMSTERDAM*}

NOTICE OF SALE

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT ‑ COUNTY OF NEW YORK. 57TH. ST VACATION OWNERS ASSOICATION, INC., BY AND THROUGH ITS BOARD OF DIRECTORS, Plaintiff ‑against‑ CHARLES STANLEY LEE, DEBORAH SHIRLEY LEE, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated September 3, 2025, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on December 17, 2025 at 2:15 p.m. prem ises situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County of New York, City and State of New York, being an undivided ownership interest as tenant‑in‑common with other owners in the Timeshare Unit in the building located at 102 West 57th Street, New York, NY. Together with an appurtenant undivided .015171% common interest percentage. This is a foreclosure on ownership inter est in a timeshare unit, a studio penthouse on a floating use basis every year, in accordance with and subject to declara tions. Declaration of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions dated October 10, 2008 and October 31, 2008 as CFRN # 2008000426142 as recorded in the Office of the City Register, County, City and State of New York. The Timeshare Unit is also designated as Block 1009 and Lot 37.

Said premises known as 102 WEST 57TH STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10019

Approximate amount of lien $21,690.45 plus interest & costs.

Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale.

Index Number 850270/2023.

ALLISON M. FURMAN, ESQ., Referee

DRUCKMAN LAW GROUP PLLC

Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 242 Drexel Avenue, Westbury, NY 11590

DLG# 39168 {* AMSTERDAM*}

SUPREME COURT ‑ COUNTY OF NEW YORK.

Notice of Qualification of HANAOLIVIA LLC

Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/15/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Florida (FL) on 04/28/25. Princ. office and FL addr. of LLC is: 2895 Collins Ave., Ste. B, Miami Beach, FL 33140. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. Cert. of Form. filed with Cord Byrd, State of FL at Tallahassee, the Capital, 500 South Brough St., Tallahassee, FL 32399. Purpose: Adminstrative entity.

Notice of Formation of VISUALIZING HERBALISM, LLC

Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/14/25. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: Attn: Lillian Luu, 222 Riverside Dr., 3F, NY, NY 10025. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the addr. of its princ. office. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Canaan Farms Entertainment LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 01/27/2016. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: P.O. Box 322086, New York, NY 10032. Purpose: Any lawful act.

THE Y3 COLLECTIVE LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 08/01/2025. Office location: NEW YORK County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 188 LUDLOW STREET, APT. 20J, NEW YORK, NY, 10002, USA. Purpose: Any lawful act.

SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF NEW YORK

WILMINGTON SAVINGS FUND SOCIETY, FSB, D/B/A CHRISTIANA TRUST, NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY BUT SOLELY AS OWNER TRUSTEE OF RESIDENTIAL CREDIT OPPORTUNITIES TRUST II, -against-

NORTHWARD ESTATES LLC, ET AL.

NOTICE OF SALE

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN pursuant to a Final Judgment of Foreclosure and entered in the Office of the Clerk of the County of New York on September 29, 2025 , wherein WILMINGTON SAVINGS FUND SOCIETY, FSB, D/B/A CHRISTIANA TRUST, NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY BUT SOLELY AS OWNER TRUSTEE OF RESIDENTIAL CREDIT OPPORTUNITIES TRUST II is the Plaintiff and NORTHWARD ESTATES LLC , ET AL. are the Defendant(s). I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the THE ROTUNDA OF THE CIVIL SUPREME COURTHOUSE 60 CENTRE STREET, , NEW YORK, NY 10007, on 12/10/2025 at 2:15PM, premises known as 2573 FREDERICK DOUGLASS BLVD, UNIT A , NEW YORK , New York 10030 ; and the following tax map identification, -2041-1119 .

THE UNIT KNOWN AS UNIT A, LOCATED IN ST. CHARLES CONDOMINIUM IV, BEING IN THE COUNTY, CITY AND STATE OF NEW YORK

Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index No.: 850647/2023 . Paul R Sklar , Esq. - Referee . Robertson, Anschutz, Schneid, Crane & Partners, PLLC 900 Merchants Concourse, Suite 310 , Westbury, New York 11590, Attorneys for Plaintiff. All foreclosure sales will be conducted in accordance with Covid-19 guidelines including, but not limited to, social distancing and mask wearing. *LOCATION OF SALE SUBJECT TO CHANGE DAY OF IN ACCORDANCE WITH COURT/CLERK DIRECTIVES.

NOTICE

Notice is hereby given that a license, number NA-0370-25106260 for Liquor, Wine, Beer & Cider has been applied for by the undersigned to sell Liquor, Wine, Beer & Cider at retail in a Bar/Tavern under the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law at 11 East 36th St, New York, NY 10016, New York County for on premises consumption. Gingerwood Bar LLC, The Ginger Man

NOTICE

Notice is hereby given that a license, number NA-0340-25108546 for Iiquor, Wine, Beer & Cider has been applied for by the undersigned to sell Iiquor, Wine, Beer & Cider at retail in a Restaurant under the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law at 300 Audubon Ave, Store 3, New York, NY 10033, New York County for on premises consumption. El Tablon Latino , El Tablon Latino

NEUTRALSMATTER LLC

Limited Liability Company

Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 10/01/2025. Office location: NEW YORK County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 301 WEST 110TH STREET, Ste 6U, New York, NY 10026 Purpose: Any lawful act.

SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF New York , Loan Funder LLC, Series 31312 , Plaintiff, vs . 236 West One Enterprises Inc. , ET AL., Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale and Decision + Order on Motion duly entered on September 17, 2024 , I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY 10007 on December 17, 2025 at 2:15 p.m., premises known as 236 West 136th Street, New York, NY 10030. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County, City and State of New York, Block 1941 and Lot 49. Approximate amount of judgment is $1,541,954.90 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #850683/2023. Clark Whitsett, Esq., Referee McCarter & English, LLP, 250 W 55th Street, 13th Floor, New York, New York 10019, Attorneys for Plaintiff

NYCTL 1998‑2 TRUST AND THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON, AS COLLATERAL AGENT AND CUSTODIAN, Plaintiffs ‑against‑ JACOB & JERRY INVESTMENTS LLC, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered herein on July 15, 2025, I, the undersigned Ref eree will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on De cember 10, 2025 at 2:15 p.m. premises situate, lying and be ing in the Borough of Manhat tan, County of New York, City and State of New York, known and designated as Block 1905 and Lot 158 on the New York County Tax Assessment Map. Said premises known as 160 WEST 121ST STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10027

Approximate amount of lien $83,731.15 plus interest & costs.

Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale. Index Number 157503/2018.

THOMAS KLEINBERGER, ESQ., Referee Phillips Lytle LLP

Attorney(s) for Plaintiffs

100 S. Clinton Avenue, Suite 2900, Rochester, NY 14604

DANIEL SOULAS LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 09/14/2025. Office location: NEW YORK County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 11 CONCORD COURT, WARREN NJ, 07059. Purpose: Any lawful act.

Simpler Eats LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 10/03/2025. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 200 Rector Pl, 26H, New York, New York, 10280. Purpose: Any lawful act.

Notice of Formation of DAVIDSON GI, LLC

Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/07/25. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 24 W. 40th St., 16th Fl., NY, NY 10018. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Peter Davidson, c/o Aligned Climate Capital at the princ. office of the LLC. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

M/WBE bids sought for 3-06 Beach 68th Street Bronx NY construction project. A scope meeting will be held on December 4 Contact bidding@taxaceny.com for details

O'Rielly & Roche LLP Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 8/27/2025. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 1330 Ave. Of The Americas, 23rd Floor, New York, NY 10019 Purpose: Any lawful act.

American Insight Operations LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 9/10/2025. Office location: 45 Rockefeller Plaza Floor 20 New York New York 10111 County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: American Insight Operations 45 Rockefeller Plaza Floor 20, New York New York 10111 Purpose: Any lawful act.

Bonds Pilates, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on October 10, 2025. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 370 E 79th Street Apt C909, New York, NY 10021. Purpose: Any lawful act.

Lumina Next LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 10/1/2025. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 228 Park Ave S #286218 , New York, NY 10003. Purpose: Any lawful act.

Ka Ming Gordon Ngai, MD PLLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 06/04/2025. Office location: Manhattan County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 333 W 56th St, 2B, New York, NY 10019. Purpose: Any lawful act.

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF HEATHER STEPANEK PLLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/16/2025. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail a copy to 165 Broadway, FL 23, New York, NY 10006. The principal business address of the PLLC is 165 Broadway, FL 23, New York, NY 10006. Purpose: the practice of law.

CAXBYTE STUDIOS LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 09/15/2025. Office location: New York County County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 1171 2nd Ave, Apt 3S, New York, NY 10065. Purpose: Any lawful act.

Valura LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 10/7/2025. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 2825 Snyder Ave, Apt 4B, Brooklyn, NY 11226. Purpose: Any lawful act.

Notice of Formation of LITTLE EGG PRODUCTIONS LLC

Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/23/25. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 321 President St., Apt. 3, Brooklyn, NY 11231. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Rose Gendelman at the princ. office of the LLC. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of formation of Flight 13 LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/16/2025. Office location: New York County (Manhattan). SSNY designated as an agent of Limited Liability Company (LLC) upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY should mail process to Dominic Palombo: 171 E 77th Street 5F New York, NY 10075. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Notice of Formation of JDJ LEGACY GROUP, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/07/25. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Julie Kessler LLP, 60 E. 42nd St., 46th Fl., NY, NY 10165. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of formation of Luxe Contracting Group LLC . Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/21/25. Office location: New York County (Manhattan). SSNY designated as an agent of Limited Liability Company (LLC) upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY should mail process to Luxe Contracting Group LLC: 25 Joseph St Manalapan NJ, 07726. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

NH PROPERTY SERVICES

LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 10/16/2025. Office location: NEW YORK County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 28 W 38TH STREET, SUITE 8W, NEW YORK, NY, 10018. Purpose: Any lawful act.

SOLLEVARE MONARCH LLC.

Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 11/05/25. Office: New York County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, 445 Park Avenue, Floor 7, New York, NY 10022. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

J AND J WARRIOR LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 10/27/25. Office: New York County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, 872 Madison Avenue, #2A, New York, NY 10021. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

M/WBE

Notice of formation of Inclusynth Consulting Group LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 7/24/2025. Office location: New York County (Manhattan). SSNY designated as an agent of Limited Liability Company (LLC) upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY should mail process to Christopher Schmidt: cschmidt@ inclusynth.com. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

1 • February 20, 2025 - February 26, 2025

Notice of formation of Octavio Valdes Advisory LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/22/2025. Office location: New York County (Manhattan). SSNY designated as an agent of Limited Liability Company (LLC) upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY should mail process to Octavio Valdes: octaviovald@gmail. com. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Notice is hereby given that a license, serial #NA-0340-25103028 for beer, wine & liquor has been applied for by the undersigned to sell beer, wine & liquor at retail in a restaurant under the ABC Law at 994 Columbus Ave., New York, NY 10025 for on-premises consumption; Limone LLC

NOTICE is hereby given that a license, number NA-0370-24135212 for liquor, wine, beer & cider has been applied for by the undersigned to sell liquor, wine, beer & cider at retail in a bar/tavern under the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law at 4371 3rd Ave; Bronx, NY 10457 in Bronx County for on premises consumption. Zion Restaurant and Lounge Corp d/b/a Zion Restaurant and Lounge

Notice of Formation of LUNA THE CAT LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/12/25. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of formation of PIERRE AMOUR LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/20/2025. Office location: New York County (Manhattan). SSNY designated as an agent of Limited Liability Company (LLC) upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY should mail process to PIERRE AMOUR LLC: 200 W 20th street, #212, New York NY 10011. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Notice of Formation of EASTVIEW 400 LLC

Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/18/25. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Ani Gabrellian, 450 E. 83rd St., Apt. 20B, NY, NY 10028. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of formation of Stahl Solutions LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/10/2025. Office location: New York County (Manhattan). SSNY designated as an agent of Limited Liability Company (LLC) upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY should mail process to Harry Stahl: 88 Lexington Avenue, Apt 804. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Notice of Formation of 4 CHEQUIT AVENUE LLC

Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/17/25. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 14 Sutton Pl. South, Apt. 7B, NY, NY 10022. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the addr. of its princ. office. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

schedule your

and

Notice of Qualification of AP CREDIT SOLUTIONS HOLDINGS (AIV) II, L.P. Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 01/08/25. Office location: NY County. LP formed in Delaware (DE) on 12/26/24. Princ. office of LP: Attn: General Counsel, 9 W. 57th St., 43rd Fl., NY, NY 10019. Duration of LP is Perpetual. SSNY designated as agent of LP upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the Partnership at the princ. office of the LP. Name and addr. of each general partner are available from SSNY. DE addr. of LP: c/o Corporation Service Co., 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of LP filed with The Secy. of State of the State of DE, Dept. of State, Div. of Corps., John Townsend Bldg., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of ThrillHouse LLC

Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/14/25. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 122072543. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Occupational Therapist Pri ority Care Staffing. Full time. Bronx. 75,712/year (36.4/ hour) Evaluate patients’ conditions; Develop and implement treatment plans; Demonstrate exercises to help relieve patients’ pain; Evaluate results and prog ress of occupational therapy on patients; Educate care givers and family members of clients on patient care. us otjobs@prioritycarestaffing. com.

Stillwater Mental Health Counseling, PLLC.

Arts. of Org. filed with NYSS on 09/19/2025.

Office:New York County.

NYSS designated for service of process;mail to 642 West 172nd Street #54 New York, NY 10032.

Purpose:Mental Health Counseling.

PLAY WORLD USA LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 11/03/25. Office: New York County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, 34 West 33rd Street, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10001. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Thanksgiving community meals around the city

Rev. Al Sharpton and the National Action Network are hosting a Thanksgiving dinner at the House of Justice, located at 106 W. 145th Street in Harlem on Thursday, Nov. 27, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Bowery Mission (227 Bowery, Manhattan) will be serving Thanksgiving on Thursday, Nov. 27. Patrons can receive breakfast from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m., with the main meal served from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Xavier Mission (55 West 15th Street, Manhattan) is hosting a Thanksgiving Day meal on Thursday, Nov. 27 from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.

Goddard Riverside is hosting a Thanksgiving meal at their Older Adult Community Center (593 Columbus Avenue, Manhattan) from noon until 3 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 27th. Everyone who would like a meal is welcome; there is a one meal per person limit.

The Family Center is hosting a community Thanksgiving meal at the John Wesley United Methodist Church (260 Quincy Street, Brooklyn) on Thursday, Nov. 27 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

RENEW YOUR SUBSCRIPTION

The NYPD Community Affairs Section Queens South and the 100th Precinct are hosting a Thanksgiving food giveaway on Thursday, Nov. 27 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at 92-24 Rockaway Boulevard, Queens.

Bijou BK and Elle Decor are hosting a Thanksgiving Day meal on Thursday, Nov. 27 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 1017 Nostrand Avenue, Brooklyn.

Christ Church (860 Forest Avenue, Bronx) is hosting a Thanksgiving community meal on Thursday, Nov. 27 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office

The young Nets lean on Michael Porter Jr. for leadership and production

It continues to be a laborious season for the Brooklyn Nets, the NBA’s youngest team with an average age of 23.4. After losing to the Knicks at home at the Barclays Center on Monday by 113100, the Nets are 3-14 heading into tomorrow’s game in Brooklyn versus the Philadelphia 76ers. By most measures, 27-yearold Michael Porter Jr. is a young man. But on the Nets, the sevenyear NBA veteran is an elder. His role on a squad with five rookies, three 19-year-olds, a 20-yearold, and a 21-year-old, is to be an anchor as they navigate the challenges of playing against the world’s best on a nightly basis, travel, and the mental demands of the NBA lifestyle, and taking care of their bodies.

After winning a championship in 2023 with the Denver Nuggets as a starter, the Nets, in a clear rebuilding mode, acquired Porter Jr. from the Nuggets last July along with a 2032 unprotected first-round draft pick in exchange for swingman Cameron Johnson. Which team got the better of the deal can’t be assessed by the players’ individual

stats alone because the Nuggets are 13-4 and have the secondbest record in the Western Conference behind the Oklahoma City Thunder, which were 17-1 before facing the Minnesota Timberwolves last night.

Porter Jr. has been the Nets’ number one option on offense with guard Cam Thomas out since November 5 with a left hamstring strain. The 6’ 10” forward is averaging 24.8 points per game and 7.6 rebounds, and was

one point shy of a season-high in the team’s NBA Cup road victory over the Celtics last Friday, scoring 33, including 16 in the fourth quarter and 14 straight for Brooklyn late in the 113-105 win. Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez de-

USA Fencing adds support to help collegiate fencing thrive

At a time when Olympic sports competing in NCAA competitions fear for their existence as Division I schools navigate the new revenue-sharing system, USA Fencing is stepping up to help collegiate fencing. Earlier this month, Arcadia University in Pennsylvania announced it was adding men’s and women’s NCAA programs as of fall 2027. Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey, which has women’s fencing, will add men’s as of 2027. Arcadia’s programs are receiving support from USA Fencing, the sport’s national governing body.

“This is an exciting time in fencing,” said Brad Suchorski, USA Fencing director of membership, service, and growth. “Over the Paris Games, everyone on our Olympic team was either a former, current, or had been recruited to an NCAA program. We know there is a correlation between a very strong national team and a

strong collegiate system for fencing. That’s where a lot of our focus and emphasis is, around ensuring the collegiate pipeline.”

The 2024 Olympics in Paris marked unprecedented success in fencing. Two female U.S. fencers, Lee Kiefer and Lauren Scruggs, faced each other in the gold medal match for foil. Kiefer is an NCAA individual and team champion for Notre Dame. Scruggs won an NCAA title for Harvard. Their teammates in the team competition, Jackie Dubrovich and Maia Weintraub, were also collegiate fencers.

“While we’ve had conversations with a lot of schools for years, now is when we’re starting to see a little bit more of an uptick in [schools deciding] fencing is the right sport for them,” said Suchorski. “We were engaged with Arcadia for a couple of years leading up to the announcement.”

USA Fencing has worked with the NCAA and with college coaches, providing recruiting opportunities like college fairs at national events

Many USA Olympic fencers have competed in the collegiate system.

(USA Fencing photo)

scribed Porter’s performance as “going into video-game mode.”

Conversely, Johnson is shooting a career-worst 33% from three-point range and averaging just 9.4 points in 27 minutes per game as a starter, though he did have one of the best games of the season on Monday, scoring 18 points in the Nuggets’ 125-115 win over the Grizzlies.

A supposed blemish on Porter’s early stint with the Nets, is the organization’s concerns with some of his podcast comments on topics such as dating and the WNBA, which could be construed as misogynistic and insensitive. Porter has also weighed in on the recent NBA gambling scandals. His younger brother, Jontay Porter, was banned for life from the NBA and its associated leagues in April of 2024 for taking part in a gambling scheme, including betting on the Toronto Raptors while he was a member of the team.

But those seeming missteps haven’t distracted Porter Jr. from becoming an increasingly valuable asset for the franchise.

Following the 76ers tomorrow, the Nets will play the Bucks in Milwaukee on Saturday and return to Brooklyn to host the Charlotte Hornets on Monday.

and a centralized recruiting database. The federation was involved with the development of a separate women’s collegiate championship.

“That way, there’s a dedicated men’s championship and now a dedicated women’s championship

(debuting in 2026),” said Suchorski. “For the first time, they’ll be able to crown a women’s team champion.”

Arcadia sports compete in NCAA Division III, but fencing allows student-athletes to compete across divisions. “People will have the opportunity to compete against Division II and Division I schools,” said Suchorski. “The NCAA Championship is also cross-division…Arcadia will have an opportunity to compete against Penn State and those Ivy League schools.”

Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. (left) leads the team in scoring in his first season with the franchise.
(AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Zahra Alexander rises as NYU builds a Division III basketball powerhouse

Zahra Alexander’s basketball journey has been shaped by patience and a steady belief in her potential. Raised in South Orange, New Jersey, the New York University standout first realized she could play at a collegiate level during her time at Rutgers Preparatory School.

The structure of the program and the guidance she received helped her understand the demands of the sport. High-level practices under Coach Mary Klinger and daily battles against top talent formed Zahra’s foundation that prepared her for everything that would later come in her career.

Recruitment became a central part of her life as she neared the end of her sophomore and junior years. She remembered balancing schoolwork, team commitments, and the pressure of deciding the next step in her athletic career.

When it came time to choose a college, she knew NYU was the right place because the university of-

fered a combination of academic excellence and competitive basketball that she wanted. The familiarity of the city and the trust she felt during her recruiting process solidified her commitment.

Her transition into college basketball was not immediate or easy. She relied on teammates to help her acclimate to the program’s workload and pace, both on and off the floor.

“It was definitely an adjustment, but I feel like my teammates really helped me out with that in all aspects,” Alexander said. The program’s support system aided her in finding her footing while navigating challenging academics and the expectations attached to representing one of the top Division III teams in the country.

Her freshman year showed what Alexander was capable of as the 5’ 9” guard appeared in 27 games and led the freshman class in minutes played (337) as the Violets captured their second straight NCAA Division III women’s basketball championship. They posted perfect 31-0 records in both the 2023-24 cam-

paign (31-0) and last season, knocking off Smith College in the finals twice. NYU held a special ceremony this past weekend to honor the back-to-back titlists.

And a third consecutive chip is highly probable. After defeating John Jay College by 114-34 on Monday, led by freshman guard Olivia Lagao’s 23 points and Alexander’s 21, the 5-0, No. 1-ranked Violets extended the nation’s longest winning streak to 67 games. They return to the court on Saturday (2 p.m.) at the Betty Shabazz Tournament at Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn, where they’ll face Colby College.

The growing visibility of women’s sports fuels Alexander’s passion for the game. She believes Division III athletes deserve more recognition and that the broader public is beginning to understand the level of work required to succeed.

“People forget how hard Division III athletes work,” Alexander said. “We put in the same effort and the same hours, and we deserve to be seen for what we do.”

Wagner women’s soccer, the NEC champs, wraps a historic season

The momentum has been building for several years, and this year saw the women’s soccer team at Wagner College in Staten Island achieve its best-ever results. The team won its first Northeast Conference (NEC) Championship (winning the semi-final and final games in overtime) and made its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Tournament.

“Obviously, we had a very talented group this year,” said head coach Phil Casella, now in his ninth season with the Seahawks (eight seasons fully played due to the pandemic). “Every year, we put out goals and expectations. For me, personally, from the start of taking over this program, that has been getting to a consistent level of competing for championships and being in a playoff run. That has taken place over the last three years.”

Soccer is a fall sport. Only four

teams compete in the NEC tournament, with the winner advancing to the national tournament. A huge breakthrough for Wagner came when they qualified for the NEC tournament in 2023 and ’24. When the returning players reconvened for training last spring, Casella saw a more connected group that enjoyed working with each other.

“You saw the connections grow,” said Casella, a Queens native. “This turned into something very special this season. From the get-go, when we started on August 1, things started to flow from that standpoint. The icing on the cake was getting back to a playoff run, having the opportunity to compete for a championship, and then, of course, to win it all with this group was very special.”

The Seahawks finished the season 11–3–6. Wagner faced West Virginia in the opening round of the tournament, falling 5–0. The team does lose six players to graduation, but everyone else is expected to return. To send the seniors off with a cham-

pionship and national tournament experience motivates not only the returning players but also incoming players to make even more history, Casella noted.

“Over the last two or three years, the players that have been involved in the program, you saw that there is belief and these kids, when they are mentally prepared and ready to play, can play with anybody,” Casella said. “We’ve shown that. To do

what we did this year and to get to the national tournament, which is talked about by everybody…shows the belief that these ladies can do whatever they want if they put their minds to it.”

Continued from page 32

Temple University grad. “It was the first experience I had in learning how to be an athlete, to be a professional.

“It fueled my passion for the sport.” This event couldn’t have happened without the commitment of Fred Thompson, the late meet director and creator of the Games. “Fred’s imprint is all over the Games,” recounted Toussaint.

Thompson, head coach of the Atoms Track Club, passed in 2019.

And Ajee’ Wilson’s advice to females on the fence about participating in the Games? “Just come out and compete,” said Wilson. For more information on the Colgate Women’s Games, go to: www. ColgateWomensGames.com. Cheryl Toussaint

And where would the Games be without Colgate? “Colgate-Palmolive is a very socially conscious company, and they do want to give back in the communities that they serve,”

stresses Toussaint. With events like the 55-meter dash and 55-meter hurdles, 200, 400, 800, 1,500-meter races, and the high jump and shot put, the Games are open to elementary kids and experienced athletes, and experience is not a prerequisite.

The Wagner women’s soccer program made its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division I tournament. (Wagner Athletics photo)
NYU sophomore guard Zahra Alexander is a key member of a program that has won 67 straight games. (NYU Athletics photo)

Cheryl Toussaint leads the Colgate Women’s Games into its 50th Anniversary

The old girl hit its 50th anniversary this month, and there were no wrinkles at the Colgate Women’s Games, a free track and field event open to young girls and women.

“It’s very important to ensure that opportunities exist for young ladies who want to pursue athletics,” explains Cheryl Toussaint, meet director since 2015 of the Games, “and by way of athletics, receive college scholarships to support their education.”

Toussaint knows from experience. She started competing in the Games as a naïve 13-year-old from Bed-Stuy and climbed the ladder to Olympic medal winner and earned a math degree from NYU. The young ladies who win these athletic scholarships can fuel their futures.

“It could be used for tuition, for books, for anything that would support education,” notes the Erasmus Hall (Brooklyn) High

School grad, adding, “It could be used as long as those institutions are accredited.”

Registration for the Colgate Women’s Games starts November 29 at the Nike Track & Field Center at The Armory in Upper Manhattan and December 13 at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. December 28 and January 4 are the Preliminary meets, January 18 are the Semi-Finals, and the Finals are February 7, all at The Armory.

Toussaint’s rise from young runner to silver medal-winning Olympian in the 4x400 is a story unto itself. She was in the Olympic Village at the 1972 Munich Games when terrorists attacked. She found out in the morning that 11 Israeli athletes had been murdered, and 17 died overall.

Toussaint would go on to capture the silver with her teammates in the 4x400, overcoming a slight problem — a runner bumped into her, causing her right spike shoe to come off. She thought she looked silly run-

ning with one shoe, but she was “running for dear life.”

The Colgate Games are not a oneand-done competition. If you don’t do well in the first prelim, there is a second. “They get a chance to hone their skills, to develop their skills,” said Toussaint, “especially if they are at a level where they’ve been competing a while and they just need competition.”

Supported by her husband of 47 years, Lamont Toussaint (he changed his last name to hers), and her son Ahmad, she likes to read and do puzzles to relax, but the Colgate Games are her passion. Toussaint figures roughly 29 women who had competed in the Colgate Games have made it to the Olympics, including Ajee’ Wilson of Neptune, NJ.

The former World Indoor champ at 800 meters competed in both the 2016 and 2021 Olympics. She ran her first Colgate event as a nine-year-old. “The Colgate Games mark my start in this sport,” says Wilson, 31 and a See CHERYL TOUSSAINT on page 31

Will defensive deficiencies be the Knicks’ obstacle to chip status?

For many decades, ear-throbbing chants of “DE-FENSE” have reverberated through Madison Square Garden from rabid fans, urging the Knicks to lock in for crucial possessions during critically important moments of a game.

The crowd’s exhortation of the team reflects the defining characteristics of the Knicks’ two championship teams (1970 and 1973) and their last two NBA Finals squads (1994 and 1999): physicality, sturdy defense and mental toughness.

(As a franchise, the Knickerbockers have appeared in eight finals, playing in the NBA throughout the league’s entire 79-year history) Defense indeed does still win championships, evidenced by last season’s titlist, the Oklahoma City Thunder, having the highest defensive rating of all 30 teams in the 2024-25 campaign. Accordingly, the prior season, the Boston Celtics became the league champs, standing on the foundation of the

NBA’s second best defensive rating. If the Knicks are going to reach championship status this season, then their proficiency and outcomes on the defensive side of the court have to level up. Before defeating the Brooklyn Nets by 113-100 on Monday at the Bar-

clays Center to raise their record to 10-6 heading into last night’s game versus the Hornets in Charlotte, the Knicks put up little resistance against the Magic in Orlando on Saturday night, losing 133-121. It was one of too many outings this season when the Knicks’ de-

fense was insufficient. Three Magic players scored their season high in points led by forward Franz Wagner’s 37 points, and guards Desmond Bane and Jalen Suggs with 27 and 26 points respectively.

“There’s going to be stuff that happens, miscommunications, but we weren’t connected,” said Knicks guard-forward Mikal Bridges after the loss. His most concerning comment may have been with respect to the team’s lack of effort and hustle.

Even without defensive stalwart OG Anunoby, who has not played since leaving the Nov. 14 contest against the Heat — a 140–132 win — with a left hamstring strain, and center Mitchell Robinson, one of the league’s top defensive forces who is being limited under left ankle load management, the Knicks’ collective defensive consistency should and could be better.

Moreover, guard Landry Shamet, who was having an impactful start to this season offensively as well as defensively, left Satur-

day’s game with what was noted as a sprained left shoulder on the Knicks’ injury report prior to playing the Nets. His return date had not been publicly stated by the Knicks as of Tuesday afternoon. Without delving deeply into statistics or analytics — the eye test alone reveals the Knicks’ defensive flaws — they ranked 15th in defensive rating (115.1 points per 100 possessions allowed) before facing the Hornets, 14th in opponents’ field-goal percentage (46.9%), and 26th in opponents’ three-point percentage (38.4%).

Coming off of five consecutive road games, the Knicks will be back at MSG tomorrow to meet the Milwaukee Bucks and host the Toronto Raptors on Sunday.

Fred Thompson, the late founder of the Colgate Women’s Games and longtime meet director Cheryl Toussaint. (Colgate Women’s Games photo)
New York Knicks forward Karl-Anthony Towns (32) powers past Nets forward Noah Clowney on Monday night at the Barclays Center in the Knicks’ 113-100 win. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

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New York Amsterdam News Issue: November 27 - December 3, 2025 by AmsterdamNews - Issuu