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New York schools, higher ed in trouble as government shutdown lingers; Jeffries blasts GOP for ‘crisis’
By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff
As Republican and Democrat legislators squabble over the federal government shutdown, educators worry that the impacts to funding for schools and colleges could be serious the longer it continues. The Dems also say their political opponents are making the healthcare crisis worse by holding out for billionaires.
Federal operations declared “nonessential,” including the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), have been suspended and are running on skeleton staffing and contingency plans, which state that grants can be accessed but no new grants will be awarded and that the DOE’s Office for Civil Rights will suspend investigating complaints.
There’s a looming impact on federal funding for teachers and financial aid at New York State’s city and state colleges, prompting State University of New York (SUNY) and City University of New York (CUNY) administrators to go into crisis mode.
“CUNY has been preparing for a government shutdown, providing updates and guidance to members of our community, particularly faculty researchers
Andre Brown will be resentenced as fight to keep freed Bronx father from reimprisonment continues
By TANDY LAU Amsterdam News Staff
A judge will resentence Andre Brown later this year, opening the door for him to remain free despite his reinstated conviction. The Bronx-born father faced the possibility of resuming the now-vacated 40-year prison bid he was freed from in 2022 after already serving 23 years due to an initially successful ineffective assistance claim. The courts reinstated the conviction at the end of last year. His time served could account for his entire revised sentence, preventing reimprisonment come the next hearing on Dec. 1.
He has long maintained his innocence for shooting two men in 1999. The Bronx District Attorney’s Office believes he did the crime, but also did the time. Although prosecutors stand by the conviction and previously pushed for the reinstatement, they do not seem keen on sending him back to prison either. Still, resentencing will not completely clear Brown’s name. The guilty verdict will remain under the resentencing but will allow the judge to adjust the legal penalties based on the case’s outlying factors like
modern criminal justice standards. Brown faced roughly 17 more years in prison and initially planned on surrendering himself this past March to resume his sentence before receiving a last minute stay for Gov. Kathy Hochul to review his clemency petition. He called the entire process “chaos” ever since the
courts reinstated his conviction.
“So when the judge told me that the sentence was vacated, and [my lawyers] Jeff and Oscar were by my side it meant the world to me,” said Brown. “It just reinvigorated my spirit and my soul to allow me to know that although I faced a
In this Wednesday, March 1, 2017, photo, a third-grader practices his cursive handwriting at P.S.166 in the Queens borough of New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
SandSJ’s inaugural Gubernatorial Candidate Forum for the Black Clergy was a sold-out event on September 18. (SandSJ photo)
NYC comptroller finds spike in excessive force allegations against NYPD
By TANDY LAU Amsterdam News staff writer
The NYC Comptroller’s Office has found growing excessive force allegations against the NYPD in the past three years, according to a report published on September 22. Use of force-related investigations completed by the city’s independent police oversight agency, the Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB), rose by 49% between 2022 and 2023.
“Our goal must be to prevent misconduct before it happens, rather than leaving communities to pay the price in harm, trauma, and costly settlements after the fact,” said NYC Comptroller Brad Lander in a statement. “The NYPD’s early intervention system is a good start, but this data shows it doesn’t go far enough to root out misconduct. Our recommendations call for a data-driven, management-forward approach that targets precincts where excessive force and claims are concentrated to reduce harm, save taxpayer dollars, and begin to rebuild trust and advance racial justice in communities most impacted.”
The findings of Lander’s office stem from two main sources: the CCRB’s complaint data and litigation against the city, because lawsuits over monetary damages often go through the city comptroller before they can be settled. The analysis claims to be “first-of-its-kind” by breaking down excessive use-of-force allegations at a precinct level.
Four specific commands (the Bronx’s 40th and 44th, and Brooklyn’s 73rd and 75th) faced more than 100 complaints over the past three years. All four serve majority Black and Brown populations who represent more than a combined 85% of local residents. The Comptroller’s Office also found five precincts cost the city more than $3 million in lawsuit payouts since 2019 and five other precincts saw the biggest increase in use-of-force complaints in the past three years, ranging from 93% to 323%.
As a result, the report recommends that the NYPD target these “high-risk” precincts and address culture issues through command-wide training and reforming leadership practices, rather than simply relying on the department’s Early Intervention System (EIS), which flags individual at-risk officers and provides them with diversionary guidance.
The Comptroller’s Office also suggested passing the buck on police misconduct settlements to the NYPD budget, similarly to how NYC Health + Hospitals, the public benefit corporation running the city’s integrated healthcare system, eats a portion of lawsuit costs. The report claims such a measure will “promote accountability, in-
centivize prevention, and reduce overall city liability.”
Still, EIS can screen and monitor officers who show warning signs of potentially violent behavior to prevent future use-offorce incidents, as well as provide them with non-punitive support.
In response, the NYPD pointed to steadily declining substantiation rates for useof-force allegations through the CCRB from 12% in 2021 to 5% last year. The department also argued that ComplianceStat — weekly data-based officer accountability briefings implemented by Commissioner Jessica Tisch in her first year — already addresses the comptroller’s recommendations to bolster the EIS.
“Over the last few years, the Department has taken monumental steps, such as through regular ComplianceStat meetings and revamped oversight and discipline processes, to improve compliance,” said an NYPD spokesperson in response. “Ensuring compliance and preventing excessive force are fundamental to the NYPD’s mission.”
However, the Comptroller’s Office contends that ComplianceStat does not directly tackle use-of-force complaints and instead exists to fulfill the department’s own compliance with a federal monitor, assigned after the city was found liable for unconstitutional stop-and-frisk practices more than 10 years ago. While excessive
force may certainly be addressed in these meetings, the report specifically calls for dedicated efforts.
“While the NYPD has taken meaningful steps to strengthen accountability under Commissioner Tisch, including higher rates of discipline in substantiated CCRB cases, this report makes clear that serious gaps remain — and that discipline alone is not enough,” said Lander. “We need to move beyond reacting after the fact toward real culture change and prevention — through better use of data, stronger training and supervision in the precincts where use of excessive force persists, and financial accountability for the NYPD — to stop excessive force before it occurs.”
Press gaggle outside 290 Broadway. (Ayman Siam/Office of NYC Comptroller)
Chicago and Illinois sue to stop Trump’s National Guard deployment plan after Portland ruling
By CHRISTINE FERNANDO Associated Press
CHICAGO (AP) — Illinois leaders went to court Monday to stop President Donald Trump from sending National Guard troops to Chicago, escalating a clash between Democratic-led states and the Republican administration during an aggressive immigration enforcement operation in the nation’s third-largest city.
The legal challenge came hours after a judge blocked the Guard’s deployment in Portland, Oregon.
The lawsuit in Chicago also raised the stakes after a violent weekend: Authorities said a woman was shot by a federal agent when Border Patrol vehicles were boxed in and struck by other vehicles. The city’s police superintendent rejected suggestions that his officers were on the government’s side in volatile situations like that one.
The Trump administration has portrayed the cities as war-ravaged and lawless amid its crackdown on illegal immigration. Officials in Illinois and Oregon say that military intervention isn’t needed and federal involvement is inflaming the situation.
The lawsuit alleges that “these advances in President Trump’s long-declared ‘War’ on Chicago and Illinois are unlawful and dangerous.” Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said a court hearing was scheduled for Thursday.
“Donald Trump is using our service members as political props and as pawns in his illegal effort to militarize our nation’s cities,” Pritzker, a Democrat, said.
Governor: Federal wave is an ‘invasion’ Pritzker said some 300 of the state’s National Guard troops were to be federalized and deployed to Chicago, along with 400 others from Texas.
Pritzker said the potential deployment amounted to “Trump’s invasion,” and he called on Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to block it. Abbott pushed back and said the crackdown was needed to protect federal workers who are in the city as part of the president’s increased immigration enforcement.
Abbott posted a picture on the social platform X on Monday night of Texas National Guard members boarding a plane, but didn’t specify where they were going.
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson confirmed in a weekend statement that Trump authorized using Illinois National Guard members, citing what she called “ongoing violent riots and lawlessness” that local leaders supposedly have not quelled. The sight of armed Border Patrol agents making arrests near famous landmarks amplified concerns from Chicagoans already uneasy after an immigration crackdown that began last month. Agents have targeted immigrant-heavy and largely Latino areas. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said Monday that he had signed an exec-
utive order barring federal immigration agents and others from using city-owned property, such as parking lots, garages, and vacant lots, as staging areas for enforcement operations.
Mayor limits protest hours at ICE site Protesters have frequently rallied near an immigration facility outside the city, and federal officials reported the arrests of 13 protesters Friday near the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) building in Broadview. Citing safety and other factors, Mayor Katrina Thompson said she was limiting protests to 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
On Monday, the ACLU of Illinois sued Trump, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), ICE, Border Patrol, and national and local leaders at several agencies, accusing them of unleashing a campaign of violence and intimidation against peaceful protesters and journalists during weeks of demonstrations outside that facility. The lawsuit alleges that federal agents used “indiscriminate” and “violent force,” including tear gas, rubber bullets, pepper balls, and flash grenades, interfering with First Amendment rights.
DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in response to the lawsuit that “the First Amendment protects speech and peaceful assembly — not rioting.”
Elsewhere, DHS acknowledged that agents shot a woman Saturday on Chicago’s southwest side. The department said it happened after Border Patrol agents patrolling the area were “rammed by vehicles and
boxed in by 10 cars.”
Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling said it’s reasonable for agents to use force if they believe they’re being ambushed. He noted that officers were redeployed from other parts of the city to assist the agents and that 27 were affected by tear gas.
“We cannot become a society where we just decide to take everything in our own hands and start to commit crimes against law enforcement,” Snelling said.
He said it’s difficult to “toe the line” between not helping federal immigration agents and maintaining public safety.
Portland says no crime crisis there
In Portland on Sunday, U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut granted a temporary restraining order sought by Oregon and California, barring the deployment of Guard troops to Oregon from any state and the District of Columbia.
Immergut, who was appointed by Trump during his first term, seemed incredulous that the president moved to send National Guard troops to Oregon from neighboring California and then from Texas on Sunday, just hours after she had ruled against it the first time. “Aren’t defendants simply circumventing my order?” she said. “Why is this appropriate?”
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt criticized the decision and said the president was using his authority as commander in chief.
Portland’s ICE facility has been the site of nightly protests for months, peaking in
June when Portland police declared a riot, with smaller clashes occurring since then. In recent weeks, the nightly protests typically drew a couple dozen people — until Trump ordered the National Guard. Over the weekend, larger crowds gathered outside the facility and federal agents fired tear gas. Portland police made multiple arrests. Since June, federal agents have charged 30 people with federal crimes related to the protests at the ICE building, including assaulting federal officers, failure to comply, and depredation of government property, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Oregon said Monday.
Most violent crime around the U.S. has declined in recent years, including in Portland, where homicides from January through June decreased by 51% to 17 this year compared to the same period in 2024, data shows.
Since starting his second term, Trump has sent or talked about sending troops to 10 cities, including Baltimore; Memphis, Tennessee; the District of Columbia; New Orleans; and the California cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.
A federal judge in September said the administration “willfully” broke federal law by deploying guard troops to Los Angeles over protests about immigration raids.
Associated Press reporters Sophia Tareen in Chicago; Todd Richmond in Madison, Wisconsin; and Ed White in Detroit contributed to this story.
Demonstrators in Chicago protest Trump administration using ICE to wage deportation operations in area targeting Black and Latino communities. (Paul Goyette/Wikimedia Commons)
Dr. Cheryl Smith: An HIV/AIDS physician healing through helping
THE URBAN AGENDA
By David R. Jones, Esq
New Yorker
By JASON PONTEROTTO Special to the AmNews
As a child in her native Jamaica, Cheryl Smith watched her grandmother treat people as a natural healer and deliver most of the babies in her parish. The model she provided became the blueprint for Smith both going into public health and being a community leader.
“I never wanted to be anything else,” said Smith, now a leading physician in Harlem for over 30 years in the area of HIV/AIDS. She has been an attending physician and primary care provider at Gotham Health, Sydenham since 2014. Before that, she spent several years at the community-focused North General Hospital, before the clinic was closed as a result of bankruptcy. Since 2008, she has also served as associate medical director with New York State Department of Health’s AIDS Institute.
She moved with her parents and siblings to New York when she was young and grew up in the Bronx. After graduating from City College and Albert Einstein College of Medicine, she received her M.D. from NYU Bellevue, where she trained under mentors treating HIV/AIDS during the height of the epidemic in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Smith says she has seen the evolution of HIV/AIDS treatment throughout her career and witnessed a clear level of insensitivity and a lack of quality care given to patients with the disease.
“Someone might have been in the emergency room and really not being cared for in a humanistic manner in which I think they should be treated,” Smith said. “Some of it was their own fear and our own knowledge at that particular point about HIV,” Smith said about doctors at this time.
In 1999, she began working at North General Hospital, the nonprofit private medical facility with a majority of providers and staff of color, focused on treating the unique health disparities in the Harlem
community. It was one of the last private facilities before Mount Sinai began their expansion across the city.
“It was something that we were very, very proud of. So it was very devastating when that went away,” Smith said about North General.
“We believed in caring for patients, not just on the medical side,” Smith added, highlighting the work in the community, including sponsoring apartment buildings nearby.
These days she is proud of how far treatment has come in the area, calling it a “whirlwind.” “I literally was in an era where patients were taking medications five times a day… to the era where I’m treating patients with an injection every two months,” Smith said. “Most of my patients are undetectable. They live a normal life, they are not feeling ostracized, and they feel pretty good about the trajectory of their life.”
“You can live a normal life if you take care of yourself and take your medications,” Smith shared.
Among the issues Smith says there are today with regard to healthcare in Harlem, facilities like hers, a federally qualified health center, and Harlem clinics overall are often overlooked and provided fewer resources. For Gotham, she noted losing their pharmacy a few years ago has been a blow in assisting their patients, saying many of the specialty services are given to clinics downtown.
Smith pointed out that while certain specialty services for HIV and other diseases have expanded in the community, newer physicians being placed in the area often do not look like their patients. Data has shown that Black and Latino patients who share a provider of the same race often fare better in terms of treatment. Another challenge is providing insurance for her patients, particularly the elderly, as certain types of services and treatments are not covered.
See BNY on page 25
How the Next NYC Mayor Can Fight Trump’s War on Healthcare
In over four decades of public service, I have never witnessed such a deliberate and destructive assault on our nation’s healthcare system. The policies of the Trump administration, including Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and codified by Congressional Republicans, represent a dangerous unraveling of the public trust and institutional integrity that Americans rely on for their health and safety.
For the mayor of the nation’s largest city, where three out of five residents rely on public health insurance, the stakes could not be higher. The next city administration will have to confront policies aimed to gut Medicaid and the state’s Essential Health Program, and threats that undermine science-backed vaccine guidance and public health policy.
These threats come as Democrats in Congress are fighting to protect healthcare access during contentious federal budget negotiations that have led to a government shutdown. They deserve credit for holding the line – demanding the restoration of Medicaid funding and the extension of enhanced advance premium tax credits that keep coverage affordable for millions of families.
New York City also needs bold leadership to protect New Yorkers from harmful federal policies, expand access to care, and even build a stronger, more resilient system than we’ve had before.
Here’s where the next mayor should focus to safeguard the health of our city.
Help New Yorkers Enroll in and Keep Their Coverage
Nearly one million NYC residents may lose coverage as the devastating impact of H.R.1 is realized in the coming years. This includes cuts to the Essential Plan, Medicaid work requirements, Medicaid biannual renewal requirements, the elimination of eligibility for LEGAL immigrants, and many, many other onerous rules designed to deter enrollment. In addition, about 140,000 New Yorkers may see a huge spike in health insurance premiums due to the Republican’s determination to terminate the enhanced Advance Premium Tax Credits.
The next mayor must be prepared to meet this coverage crisis head-on. That means robustly funding community-based health consumer assistance programs like MCCAP and Access NYC, which help New Yorkers navigate the maze of enrollment, red tape, and renewal requirements. It also means ensuring strong, stable support for NYC Health + Hospitals and NYC Care, which is the city-funded health care program for residents who don’t qualify, or no longer qualify, for health coverage.
Fix the Tale of Two Cities in Our Hospitals
Healthcare access in New York is also shaped by stark inequities between the city’s hospitals. Wealthy hospitals in Manhattan’s Upper East Side
post healthy profit margins by charging exorbitant rates, while safety-net hospitals in the outer boroughs struggle to keep their doors open. The next mayor should take steps to regulate the City’s hospitals to make sure any New Yorker that needs hospital care can access high quality hospital services in their own neighborhood.
To help achieve this goal, patients, workers and policymakers need basic information to allocate precious city resources responsibly. The Office of Health Care Accountability should be empowered to shine a light on hospital pricing, financial assistance practices, and the availability of hospital beds in underserved neighborhoods. With real data in hand, the next mayor can use tools like zoning, land use, and tax-exempt status to hold private non-profit hospitals accountable for providing financial assistance and equitable access for consumers with public insurance.
While we’re discussing hospitals, New York City’s maternal mortality rate is a scandal—and has been one since I was a teenager, when my babysitter died delivering her baby in a Brooklyn hospital. Having a baby in New York is a dangerous proposition with twenty-two out of every 100,000 births resulting in deaths. Making matters worse, women of color are nine times more likely to die from pregnancy or childbirth than White women. The next mayor must make reducing maternal mortality a top priority by: (1) requiring hospitals to audit every maternal death and file corrective action plans; (2) ensuring all women are discharged with an affordable blood pressure cuff to prevent post-pregnancy complications; and (3) funding post-delivery home visits by nurses or community health workers.
Combat Disinformation with a Shadow CDC
Finally, we cannot stand by as President Trump and his unhinged Health Secretary gut the CDC and spread dangerous misinformation about vaccines, medications, maternal care and public health. The NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has a long, illustrious history as a public health leader. The next mayor should appoint a health commissioner with deep scientific credibility and charge them with creating a “mini–shadow CDC” that issues factual guidance around vaccinations, medications, and other health care matters to fill the truth void created by the Trump administration.
The federal government may be intent on tearing holes in our healthcare safety net, but New York City doesn’t have to let its residents fall through them. With bold leadership, the next mayor can safeguard access to care, ensure equity in hospitals, and ground public health in science, not misinformation.
This moment is a chance to defend and expand progress toward a fairer, more affordable healthcare system. If Washington retreats, New York City must lead.
For more than 30 years, Dr. Cheryl Smith (center), has been a dedicated physician treating HIV in the Harlem community. (Courtesy NYC Health + Hospitals)
MTA fare hikes have been declared, but activists still aim to fight them
By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff
In a recent public service announcement, hip-hop superstar Cardi B, the new voice of the MTA’s subway system, discourages subway surfing. “Ride safe, keep it cute, and keep it moving,” she says. In another, she informs people, “These trains don’t move without you, so make sure you pay that fare and keep it real.”
However, even Cardi B’s influence may not be enough to soften the blow of the MTA’s upcoming fare increase, set to take effect in January 2026. Subway and local bus fares will rise to $3 starting then. Reduced fares for seniors and people with disabilities will be $1.50, while express bus fares will increase to $7.25. Families with children might benefit from an expanded Family Fare program, which now makes children aged 5 to 17 eligible to ride for $1 when accompanied by a farepaying adult, up from the previous age limit of 11, but riders in communities like the Highbridge area of the Bronx, where Cardi grew up, will likely struggle to afford these increases.
While the MTA insists the increase is necessary to sustain the transit system and is below the rate of inflation, critics argue that this ongoing cycle of fare hikes criminalizes poverty and disproportionately affects the city’s working class, many of whom are Black and Latino New Yorkers. MTA fares generally increase every two years. There was a temporary freeze during the COVID19 pandemic, but then the fare rose from $2.75 to $2.90 in August 2023 and is planned to increase by 4% in January 2026.
The Community Service Society of New York (CSS) has noted that over 60% of lowincome residents in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island rely on public transportation to commute to work.
“We share the concern about the impact [the fare increase] will have on low-income New Yorkers,” Jeff Maclin, CSS vice president, told the AmNews. “We know from our latest survey that one in five low-income New Yorkers experiences transit affordability hardships, and 30% of low-income New Yorkers report often being unable to afford the bus and subway fare. Black and Latino New Yorkers, and low-income working mothers, report higher-than-average transit affordability hardships.”
Early word of plans for a fare hike led to organizing by Pan Africanist human rights organization the December 12th Movement, which created TheFareAin’tFair campaign. Their organizing started after the September 15, 2024, NYPD shooting of Derrell Mickles at Brownsville, Brooklyn’s Sutter Avenue L train station.
The officers fired nine shots at Mickles, 37, after he allegedly jumped the turnstile to evade the fare and, once confronted, turned toward the cops while carrying a knife. Mickles ended up critically injured, but when the officers shot at him, they also
hit two innocent bystanders: a 26-yearold passenger and 49-year-old Gregory Delpeche, who was shot in the head and had to have part of his skull removed to relieve brain swelling.
The need to enforce fare payments should not cause working-class people to suffer, activists said. Coalition member Christian Joseph said the fight against the MTA fare increase is a fight against the larger costof-living crisis in the city. “The campaign is really an attempt to deal with the issue of the affordability crisis in the city, as it presents in transit,” Joseph said.
The MTA held in-person and virtual meetings in late August to allow the public to comment on its proposed fare increase.
Adam Schmidt, a senior research associate for transportation with the Citizens Budget Commission, testified in support, arguing that the increased revenue is “critically important” because the MTA faces an operating budget gap of $345 million in 2027 and a structural gap that “exceeds $800 million a year.”
Other people recommended alternative ways to raise funds to cover the agency’s shortfalls, such as expanding fare-capping and publicizing reduced fare programs that could aid impoverished New Yorkers.
At the August 19 public hearing about the increase, a member of the Fare Ain’t Fair Coalition identified as Freeman X told the
MTA board that many people oppose the fare hike because one in five New Yorkers will struggle to afford it, and one in four currently lives in poverty — with less than $1,000 in savings. Over the course of a year, after paying for daily round trips, these same people end up paying more than $2,000 to use public transportation.
“We could talk about the fact that y’all have not improved Access-A-Ride,” the coalition member said, “and month after month, elderly people in our community come up in here to the monthly board meetings … and they call it ‘Stress-ARide’ because people are missing their doctor’s appointments; their lives are being thrown into havoc. What have you improved? We could talk about that, but enough people have already mentioned it, and I guarantee you even more people will continue to talk about it because the majority of working-class and poor people in this city are against you trying to raise the fare.”
The coalition member added that fighting fare evasion with strict enforcement has wreaked havoc on the Black community: “Y’all are on track with working with the NYPD to outpace all the past years of fare evasion just in the first quarter this year, by targeting Black people,” she said. “Over 3,000 arrests have been made in the first quarter for fare evasion. Over 2,000 of
them have been Black people. I know y’all aren’t going to sit up here and say that Black people hop the turnstile more than white people, because that’s not true. Y’all know that’s not true. You’re targeting Black people; you’re targeting poor people.” While the MTA board has approved the fare hike, Fare Ain’t Fair’s Joseph stressed that the fight is not over, noting that the increase will not be implemented until January 2026.
“Historically, governors have had the ability to intervene with regard to the fare hike because the MTA is not just subject to the MTA board — it’s also subject to the governor,” Joseph said. He said the campaign will continue targeting the governor’s office. “The call for the campaign is to continue to resist this fare hike.”
Back in August, Governor Kathy Hochul blamed the MTA fare hike on President Trump’s tariffs, saying that they “make aluminum and steel more expensive — thank you, Donald Trump.” When the Amsterdam News reached out to the governor to ask if she had any plans to issue an official statement regarding the fare hike, Sean Butler, her deputy communications director, told us that “Keeping transit affordable, safe, and accessible to all is a top priority for the governor. It is critical that the MTA remains fiscally secure while also keeping fares as affordable as possible.”
Members of TheFareAin’tFair campaign rallied against fare increases in front of MTA’s headquarters this past March.
(Fare Ain’t Fair Coalition photos)
City publishes ‘Where We Live’ strategy to navigate fair housing for New Yorkers
By TANDY LAU Amsterdam News staff reporter
The city Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) released the final version of the “Where We Live” plan on October 2 to comply with federal fair housing standards, as well as state and local anti-discrimination laws.
“We’ve built on the first plan from 2020 by engaging New Yorkers across the Five Boroughs and turning their feedback into concrete strategies for change,” said acting HPD commissioner Ahmed Tigani in a statement. “The 2025 plan, guided by the Fair Housing Framework, builds on that progress and responds to today’s extraordinary housing pressures with new strategies and commitments. Together, these efforts form a roadmap we are already putting into action to ensure that every New Yorker, regardless of race, income, age, or disability, has the opportunity to live in a home and neighborhood of their choice.”
On October 6, HPD held a press briefing about the 114-page publication. The department’s officials pointed to progress made since 2020 and highlighted the City Council’s passing of Local Law 167 of 2023, which mandates these five-year plans regardless of the federal government.
Through the Fair Housing Act of 1968, municipal governments like New York City’s must further fair housing to qualify for federal dollars. The law’s anti-segregationist roots addressed Civil Rights Movement-era discrimination against Black homebuyers and renters. Today, the legislation tackles everything from religion and gender to na-
tional origin and disability status.
However, the definition of fair housing was initially vague, prompting the need for cities to design their own roadmaps for combating housing discrimination. The Obama administration later mandated documentation of racial bias patterns and comprehensive plans from cities taking federal dollars. Despite the first Trump administration’s later reversal, Local Law 167 of 2023 maintains the practice on a local level.
“Our ‘Where We Live’ work stems back to that idea of, what does it mean to affirmatively further fair housing [and] what is that obligation?” said Lucy Joffe, HPD’s deputy commissioner for policy & strategy. “Over time, the federal government took different approaches to trying to actually define that term and how it’s been thought of since about 2015 is that cities like New York City
have to do a couple different things: placebased strategies, plus mobility strategies.
“But in essence, basically what it’s saying is that New Yorkers should have the ability to choose to move to any part of the city that they want to live in.”
Research from the report relied heavily on community outreach in the five boroughs, including campaigns in the city’s three public library systems in summer 2024 and in-person workshops in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the Bronx earlier this year. The city also met with four New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) heads and advisory boards. Through the public engagement, HPD reports on persisting, widespread housing discrimination among protected classes and further demand for affordable housing and rental assistance.
In certain neighborhoods, the city learned
about barriers immigrant renters faced when asserting housing rights in today’s climate. To be clear, threatening to call ICE on a tenant is a crime under New York City law. The report identified strategies to bolster the city’s fair housing protections, including public education during non-transparent processes like co-op applications where discrimination can happen behind closed doors. There was a specific emphasis on ensuring that formerly incarcerated people knew their rights after the Fair Chance for Housing Act went into effect this year, preventing property owners in large part from refusing to rent or sell to someone due to a criminal record.
HPD’s findings also pointed to building more housing and addressed the “geographically uneven” development for affordable units across the city: New builds were often clustered around outer-borough waterfronts and along Manhattan’s west side. The report also noted that the neighborhoods with the fewest new projects boasted a significantly higher median income than those with the most new projects.
Alongside the report is a more accessible online tool for the public to explore housing, demographical, and vacancy data across the city that was previously only found in PDF reports and more complicated datasets. The HPD also enlisted youth filmmakers to create an 11-minute video about housing discrimination.
“This crucial report has already helped spark change over the last five years and I know will once again help build a more affordable New York City for the decades to come,” said Mayor Eric Adams.
Trump admin stonewall leaves Second Avenue subway funding in peril once again
By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff
Amid a government shutdown, Rep. Adriano Espaillat and local leaders called attention to the White House’s threat to halt funding for the Second Avenue Subway in Harlem — a critical infrastructure project first proposed a century ago.
“We continue to fight for transportation equity. I say that because East Harlem is the biggest public transportation desert,” said Espaillat at his press conference on Thursday, October 2.
This comes after a social media post from Russ Vought, the director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and co-author of Project 2025, announced a $18 billion budget cut to two New York City projects. With no evidence, he claimed the projects were based on “unconstitutional Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) principles.”
“Something like this to happen would be
a kick in the face to people who have already suffered transportation disparities, who have already suffered economic disparities and economic development disparities, employment disparities,” said
State Sen. Cordell Cleare. “It is unacceptable that this 100-year-old project finally comes to Black and Brown communities and we’re now threatened with the funding being pulled back.”
“Let’s be clear: this isn’t about ‘DEI’, this is retaliation, plain and simple, and East Harlem is the one paying the price,” said State Assemblymember Eddie Gibbs. “It’s always poor communities that suffer the most from these games. This isn’t a game. Stop treating it like one. Stop playing politics with people’s lives…To President Trump, let’s sit down and talk this out felon-to-felon, and figure this thing out for real working-class Americans.”
The Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) temporarily seized several properties in East Harlem under eminent domain to prepare for second-phase construction of the Second Avenue Subway in 2023. The plan is intended to extend Q train service from 96th Street to 125th Street and then from 125th Street to Park Avenue. There will be two new stations at 106th Street and 116th Street, and one transfer to Metro-North trains.
“Honestly, it doesn’t really make any See SECOND AVE on page 25
Brooklyn workshop for “Where We Live” plan. (Courtesy of HPD)
MTA’s Second Avenue Subway center on 125th Street in East Harlem. (Tandy Lau photo)
Mamdani is guest speaker at NAN’s 15th Triumph Awards, Cuomo a
By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff
Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani turned up as the National Action Network (NAN) celebrated its 15th Annual Triumph Awards, which featured several high-profile honorees in a star-studded event on October 6. His rival candidate, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, while expected, was absent.
“Every year, we stop and honor those that have made a difference in the culture and in our lives,” said Rev. Al Sharpton, founder and president of NAN, who turned 71 on October 3 and belatedly celebrated his birthday at the awards show while addressing the political climate of the country. “Let me say that we meet at a time that this nation is challenged. We have probably the most insidious president that I have seen,” he said. “We can understand that justice is not an event, it’s a commitment, and we thank those in public service who will continue to partner with the National Action Network, shaping a nation that values ebony voices. We are determined to stand together, whether it is fighting for the rights of those of us that are African Americans or Latino, or Palestinian, or Jewish. All of us must be protected and not let those forces divide us.”
Taking advantage of the opportunity to speak to potential voters during the event, Mamdani also pushed back against Trump administration overreach nationwide that looms over New York.
“If we want change, if we want this to be a city where people can stay, people can join, then I think it is time for a change in our politics,” said Mamdani to a cheering crowd. He spoke about pushing back against anti-diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and troop deployments from the federal government, as well as his vision of making the city safe and affordable for all, but especially for Black New Yorkers.
Mamdani holds a 21-point lead over Cuomo in a recent Marist Poll.
Sharpton spoke about Mamdani’s long-standing relationship with NAN and record of community service, although he reiterated that NAN is nonpartisan and doesn’t endorse candidates. He said all candidates for mayor were invited to the event. Last month, Cuomo did appear on Sharpton’s MSNBC show PoliticsNation.
Cuomo’s campaign didn’t respond to a later request from the AmNews for comment.
The Triumph Awards recognizes entertainment, media, community, and clergy leaders
who use their platforms to elevate the fight for civil rights and social justice. This year’s honorees included prolific songwriter Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, Broadway star Stephanie Mills, MSNBC host Ari Melber; Chelsea Maddox-Dorsey, CEO of A Wonder Media Company (AWMC); and Vincent Bohanan, founder and director of Sound of Victory and Victorious Army Choirs. Soohyung Kim, Bally’s corporation chairperson, received NAN’s President Award for Community Wealth Building. The honorees spoke about how the fight for civil rights and racial justice has shaped their lives and careers.
“I can remember times in Indianapolis, Indiana, when I was growing up and there were places that I could not go to because I was Black, and I remember how civil rights changed everything,” said Babyface at the podium. “I’m standing here today because of all those changes, and I was able to do the type of music that I do … and so I really appreciate it and I’m just so thankful.”
“I am truly honored and I’m thankful,” said Mills. “I love us. I love my Black people. I fight for us, and I want Black women to really know their worth. Know that they are queens. That’s important — that’s how my mother raised me.”
From left to right: MSNBC host Ari Melber, singer Stephanie Mills, songwriter Babyface, Rev. Al Sharpton, and NAN board vice chair Jennifer Jones Austin. (Ariama C. Long photos)
13-time Grammy Award-winner Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds on red carpet at NAN awards show.
Harlem City Councilmember Yusef Salaam (left) and activist Raymond Santana (right) at National Action Network (NAN) 15th Triumph Awards on Monday, Oct. 6.
Babyface (left) and NAN Founder and President of Rev. Al Sharpton (right) backstage at Triumph awards 2025.
Zohran Mamdani briefly takes questions from media on red carpet at awards show on October 6.
Harlem celebrates legacy of Bill Perkins with new street sign
By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff
William “Bill” Morris Perkins’ life is a true Harlem tale, going from humble beginnings to an activist and finally an elected official. So on Oct. 4, his home village saw fit to celebrate his life and legacy by naming a street for him in an emotional ceremony.
State Senator Cordell Cleare, who served as Perkins’ chief of staff for 19 years, and City Councilmember Yusef Salaam hosted the unveiling ceremony for family, friends, former staff, and Harlem community members at Duke Ellington Circle. During the event, they unveiled a new street sign which read, ‘The Honorable Bill Perkins Way,’ placed at the corner of 5th Avenue and 110th Street.
“I said I would never work for an elected official and turned my nose up at it and everything. But this was no ordinary elected official. This was someone who had the heart of the people in his heart. I don’t regret one single day of service,” said Cleare. She and Perkins had initially met during her environmental crusade as a tenant leader to end lead poisoning in the city after her own son’s exposure to it in the 1990s. Perkins was born in Harlem in 1949. He was raised by his mother, Helen, alongside his three brothers. She was a huge driving force behind his education, determined to instill in him the value of hard work. But it was really the fight to defend his neighbors from deplorable safety conditions after a massive fire ripped through his apartment building at Schomburg Plaza (The Heritage) in 1987 that led to his life as a community activist, tenant leader, and eventually, an elected official.
“Bill got [Division of Housing and Community Renewal] DHCR to publicly ac-
knowledge that there was faulty work and the building sued the architects and the contractors responsible for the building’s construction,” said Valerie Jo Bradley, cofounder and president of Save Harlem Now!, recalling the incident. “Perkins was a leader for the people. He spent his life advocating for the people of Harlem to be treated with decency and respect.”
Perkins was first elected as the councilmember for District 9 from 1997 to 2005, then as the State Senator of the 30th District from 2006 until 2017. He returned to the city council again in 2017 and served until 2020. Perkins struggled with dementia before his passing at the age of 74 in 2023.
“We are not simply renaming a street,” said Dr. Lena Greene, Perkins’ niece. “We are writing another chapter into the living, breathing history of our loving community of Harlem, a chapter named after someone whose service, integrity, and love for Harlem, and this great city of New York, will echo through these blocks long after the applause fades.”
“His work was on behalf of others and he never approached it as work. He approached it as a duty, a duty to give back to others who suffered the same hardships as he suffered right here in Harlem,” said William “Dub” Perkins Jr., his son.
Perkins kept tenant, civil rights, and environmental issues at the forefront throughout his career. He authored and championed groundbreaking legislation, including the Childhood Lead Paint Poisoning Prevention Act of 2004. He advanced public health protections by fighting asthma, infant and maternal mortality, HIV/AIDS, and colon cancer, establishing early detection programs in city hospitals.
He famously had a rivalry with the city’s
rats, dubbing the infestation a serious crisis. While at the Senate, he demanded accountability and transparency in public authorities, like the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), and passed legislation to reduce sulfur in heating oil, improving air quality, and reducing acid rain.
Pamela Green-Perkins, who was married to the council member for 24 years, said, “I am so delighted that Bill’s collective body of work is being honored,” in a statement. “I am eternally grateful to Councilmember Salaam for passing the legislation. It is fortuitous that, based on the relationship with the Exonerated Five, and Yusef in particular, it is Councilmember Salaam who authored this renaming.”
Salaam was among the Black and Brown teenagers wrongly accused and convicted in the Central Park Five jogger case in 1989. Perkins was the first, and as many attested to, at times the only elected official who defended them after their arrests and stood with them beyond their exonerations in 2002. He withstood death threats and harassment from inside and outside the Harlem community for doing so. He also organized and strategized to get settlements for members of the five from the city after their overturned convictions.
“Bill Perkins stood up for us,” said Salaam, marveling at the role that he now has in pushing through the legislation to honor his defender. “This is who he was, always standing with his fist up to the oppression that we so needed to stamp out. Bill Perkins reminded us that we could stand in the gap. We could be an interrupter. We could be a positive influence.”
Three members of the five (Salaam, Kevin Richardson, Raymond Santana, Antron McCray, and Korey Wise) also attended the
unveiling ceremony. Some of them were Perkins’ neighbors at Schomburg and grew up with his family.
“We became a family. We became a unit. We held each other down. The Exonerated Five wasn’t about just us; it was about the families and Harlem,” said Santana, a community activist and entrepreneur. “Thank you Pam and the Perkins family for sharing your dad and husband with us. We know that it was a lot with this case. But we were grateful that somebody from our community was there.”
“Bill Perkins aka Harlem, salute. May he rest in power,” said Wise, a mentor and member at the National Action Network (NAN).
Other Harlem community activists, like co-founder and executive director of WE ACT for Environmental Justice Peggy Shepard and Dec 12th Movement Chairperson Omowale Clay, spoke at the renaming ceremony.
“Every major incident that happened in this city, if not the country, he was there. A lot of people are praising Barack Obama, but Bill was with Barack when a lot of folks were hiding and did not want to stand with him,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. “He said, ‘There is no way we’re going to have a qualified Black man run for president and I’m going to be sitting on the sidelines.’”
Other elected officials, including U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat, Assemblymember Al Taylor, Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, also attended and gave remarks at the renaming ceremony.
“Bill went against the grain,” said Espaillat. He announced that he would sponsor a 5k run in 2026 to honor Perkins’ love for walking and running around the district. See more photos on page 27
Ceremonial unveiling of the new sign for Hon. Bill Perkins Way at 110th Street and 5th Avenue in Harlem on Saturday, Oct 4, 2025. (Bill Moore photos)
New street sign honoring Bill Perkins.
Union Matters
EMS workers say job risks, challenges, exhaustion are nearly overwhelming in new campaign
By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff
FDNY EMS Local 2507, the union representing more than 4,000 emergency medical technicians, paramedics, and fire inspectors, has launched the #StandWithEMS campaign — an effort to raise public awareness about the challenges faced by first responders, by focusing on what the union describes as neglect from City Hall.
Union representatives say the city’s first responders are overworked, often shortstaffed, and underpaid in a highly demanding job that requires intense focus. Working as a first responder has become so exhausting that there are high turnover rates, with many EMS members leaving for better pay in other roles — and usually transferring to work with the New York City Fire Department.
The #StandWithEMS campaign will be an ongoing social media campaign to encourage New Yorkers to share their support and urge their local leaders to support EMS pay parity.
For years, Local 2507 has fought for salary equality with firefighters and police officers. Union officials say the pay disparity is a form of discrimination, especially since the EMS workforce is mostly women and people of color, while white firefighters make up the majority of the New York City Fire Department.
Soto describes her daily working conditions as “rough,” and notes that, “As soon as one response ends, we are called to another.” The relentless EMS work schedule leads to severe mental and physical strain for workers, she said. And the fact that Soto is a single mother of two who must commute from Staten Island to the Bronx, paying tolls and gas on a biweekly paycheck of $1,100 to $1,200, makes it extra hard for her. “I know people that work for UberEats making more than me,” she insisted.
Jasiah Canelo, who works with EMS Battalion 13 in Manhattan’s Washington Heights neighborhood, noted that EMS workers often witness people in traumatic and distressed situations, which affects the first responders: “The things we respond to on a daily basis are difficult to
With its new social media campaign, Local 2507 wants the public to truly understand what EMS first responders are going through. The campaign features an information booklet with testimonials from workers like Taysha Soto, who works at EMS Battalion 20 at Pelham Parkway South in the Bronx.
witness, and they take a big physical and mental toll, especially in high-volume areas across the Bronx and Manhattan,” he said. “In my 2023 graduating class of roughly 160, I know 40 that already left EMS to work in other industries.”
“I do like this job, and put in 50–60 hours a week, including overtime, but it is definitely physically and mentally taxing,” said FDNY EMT Shari Ramirez of EMS Battalion 20. She spoke of patients who curse at EMTs as they’re trying to do their work. They often have to cater to patients with mental issues, and many EMTs themselves suffer from PTSD from the work they do.
“The pay is not enough, especially since we do so much and put ourselves at risk every day,” Ramirez said. “EMTs work tirelessly to get patients to the hospital in the best condition, and we are the first line of contact. Being an EMT has opened my eyes to the heartbreaking realities of this city. I thought schizophrenia was incred-
ibly rare, but I’ve found out that so many people are struggling with illnesses they cannot control.”
Local 2507 says that maintaining the FDNY EMS workers’ pay rate at $18.94 per hour is the primary reason for the 70% attrition rate among its staff.
“We are world-class emergency response medical professionals, and the FDNY is the busiest emergency medical response agency in the world, yet our front-line responders are paid less per hour than most New Yorkers pay for babysitters or dog walkers,” said Local 2507 Union President Oren Barzilay. “Every day, our members work amid the dangers of New York, at active crime scenes, fires, and disasters alongside NYPD and Fire Department colleagues. The city has repeatedly failed to keep the promises made to our workforce, and all we ask for is wages that reflect the dangers we face on the front lines.”
Local 2507’s #StandWithEMS campaign includes a booklet showcasing data on pay disparities faced by FDNY EMS workers. (FDNY EMS Local 2507 photo)
FDNY EMS Local 2507 shield badge (FDNY EMS Local 2507 photo)
Trump at the throttle of doomed destinies
U.S. foreign and domestic policies often converge, and there are several examples of this today. Take, for example, Donald Trump’s deployment of troops to major American cities and the attack on suspected narco-traffickers in the Caribbean. Many political pundits charge that both actions are illegal.
It is not out of the question to compare these illegalities to the Israeli government and the halting of flotillas attempting to deliver humanitarian aid to Palestine — there’s a nefarious intersection between the two scenarios, although the flotillas may have been proved not to fulfill that purpose. Little can be done to interdict these atrocities, and we are pleased to learn that U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut has issued a temporary restraining order halting the deployment of National Guard troops to Portland, Oregon.
Ironically, the judge was appointed by Trump and added that the president’s portrayal of the city being “war-ravaged”
was “untethered to facts.”
When Trump sought to circumvent the order by reassigning California National Guard troops to the city, the judge checked the move by expanding the order to include troops from any city. It is yet to be seen whether other judges will take similar measures to halt Trump’s militarization of American cities under the pretext of training purposes.
Are they being readied for possible larger offenses as he contemplates using the Insurrection Act? It is encouraging that a Trump-appointed judge can take a stand against her benefactor, and it would be even more decisive if a coterie of judges followed suit.
Then there is the possibility of civil war if mayors and governors dispatch their local and state police forces to stop occupation by National Guard troops.
This is indeed a wild speculation, but in these topsy-turvy times with Trump at the throttle, nothing is impossible and a similar doom awaits, whether foreign or domestic.
Elinor R. Tatum: Publisher and Editor in Chief
Executive & Investigative Editor
Universal childcare for two- and threeyear-olds is investment in our future
By HARVEY EPSTEIN and EILEEN JOHNSON
New York City is a place where families come to build dreams, but in recent years, too many parents have told us a heartbreaking truth: They love their neighborhood, they love their community, but they can’t afford to raise their children here. One of the biggest reasons? The crushing cost of child care. For too many working families, quality care for their toddlers costs more than rent or a mortgage. It’s an impossible choice: Pay a second rent for child care, or uproot your life and move elsewhere. This is not the kind of city we want to be.
We can — and must — change that. We’ve seen what happens when New York makes bold investments in children. Universal Pre-K for four-year-olds was transformative. It gave children a strong start, relieved parents of a huge financial burden, and became a model for the nation. Families stayed in the city because they knew their children would have a safe, enriching place to learn. And it didn’t just benefit individual families — our entire city gained from the increased economic activity, workforce participation, and long-term educational outcomes.
Now it’s time to build on that success and expand universal, high-quality care to our two- and three-year-olds. The evidence is clear: Early childhood education isn’t just babysitting; it’s a foundation for lifelong learning, emotional development, and social skills. Studies show that the earlier we invest, the bigger the return — for children, for families, and for society. Yet in New York City today, access to these opportunities depends on your ZIP code and your income. That’s unacceptable in a city that prides itself on equality and opportunity.
As a local childcare provider, I’ve seen firsthand the difference these early years make. I’ve watched shy two-year-olds blossom into confident preschoolers because they were in an environment designed for exploration, creativity, and growth. I’ve supported parents who could pursue their careers or continue their education because they
had reliable, affordable care.
But I’ve also seen the pain in the eyes of parents who had to withdraw their children because tuition became unaffordable, or who never enrolled in the first place because the numbers just didn’t add up. These families aren’t just statistics — they’re our neighbors, our co-workers, the lifeblood of our communities.
The math is staggering. Infant care in New York City can run to more than $20,000 a year, and care for toddlers is often just as expensive. For a working-class family, that’s not sustainable. Even middleincome families are stretched to the breaking point. The result? Families leave. They move to places where the cost of care is lower — even if that means leaving behind the support networks they’ve built and the jobs they love. When we lose families, we lose more than residents; we lose community stability, local spending, school enrollment, and the next generation of New Yorkers.
For early-childhood care providers, the struggle is never-ending, and many daycares find it impossible to continue. Paying fair salaries to hardworking teachers, the huge burden of providing staff with health insurance, and — of course — escalating rents all force providers to increase our tuition and prevent us from giving more than a few small scholarships each year. That leaves those most in need of support to scramble for care.
Some will ask, “Can we afford universal care?” We’d argue the better question is: “Can we afford not to?”
Every year we delay, more families leave, more children miss critical early learning windows, and more parents — especially mothers — are forced out of the workforce. The economic cost of inaction is enormous. Universal early childhood education has been shown to increase future earnings, reduce reliance on social services, and boost tax revenues. It’s an investment that pays for itself many times over.
The infrastructure is within our reach. We already have a network of community-based providers, Head Start centers, and public school classrooms that can be expanded and integrated into a universal system. We can build fair contracts for providers so they can pay their
teachers a living wage — because quality care starts with skilled, respected educators who can afford to stay in the profession. We can ensure that every neighborhood, from the East Village to East New York, has enough seats so no parent is forced to travel an hour each way for drop-off and pick-up.
Universal care for two- and threeyear-olds would also be a powerful tool for equity. The families who stand to benefit the most are often those with the fewest resources — immigrant families, single parents, and families of color who have historically been shut out of quality early learning. By making it universal, we avoid the stigma and bureaucracy of income-based programs, and we ensure that all children, regardless of background, start school on equal footing. We know this will require political will, creative financing, and the courage to see child care as essential infrastructure, just like roads and public transit. That means leveraging city, state, and federal funds; considering public-private partnerships; and prioritizing early learning in the city budget. It also means listening to providers, parents, and educators — those who know firsthand what’s needed and what works.
New York has never been a city that shrinks from big ideas. We led the way on universal P-K. We’ve led on public health, on marriage equality, on climate action. Now we have the chance to lead again, by guaranteeing every two- and three-year-old a seat in a high-quality, nurturing classroom. This is how we keep families in New York. This is how we give our children the strongest possible start. This is how we invest in a future where our city is vibrant, inclusive, and thriving for generations to come.
Harvey Epstein represents Lower Manhattan in the New York State Assembly, District 74. He is the Democratic and Working Families Party nominee for the New York City Council, District 2.
Eileen Johnson is director at Little Missionary’s Day Nursery, a childcare provider serving the East Village for generations.
Madison Gray:
Damaso Reyes: Editor at Large
Kristin Fayne-Mulroy: Managing Editor
Cyril Josh Barker: Digital Editor
"Sam" Bennett:
Wilbert A. Tatum (1984-2009): Chairman
Army National Guard conducts security patrol at NoMaGallaudet Metro Station, Washington, D.C. (United States National Guard photo)
Dems have opportunities as GOP cracks, but shouldn’t wait too late
By HERB BOYD
We often invoke the saying about the past as prologue during my radio appearances on the Global Black Experience with Imhotep Gary Byrd on New York’s WBAI.
Because October 7 is such an unforgettable date in Jewish history with the assault by Hamas two years ago, I looked for op-ed or government pieces I published back then. On October 10, 2019, during Trump’s first four years in the White House, I wrote that Trump was under fire from his GOP colleagues, mainly from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell,
who strongly objected to Trump’s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria.
That caused quite a lot of rancor in the Republican corridors because McConnell was among the key backers of Trump’s policies.
On Tuesday of this week, I noticed a semblance of the past/prologue dichotomy when Sen. Chuck Grassley assailed Trump’s Attorney General Pam Bondi, grilling her about her tenure in running the Department of Justice. Then, from out of right field, so to speak, GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene bashed her own party for its lack of a plan to address the healthcare
costs for Americans. This is evidence that a fissure is developing in the Republican juggernaut.
An additional opportunity exists, too, with a Trump-appointed judge putting the brakes on troop deployment to Portland, Oregon. These are good signs for Democrats and critical omens for the GOP cadre.
What remains to be seen is the extent to which the Dems will aggressively seize on these openings. We wait to see and hear from the DNC and its cohort, but as the legendary songwriter Bill Withers once sang: “Good things might come to those who wait, not to those who wait too late.”
Why it matters that your therapist looks like you
By REV. SHEILA P. JOHNSON
I was born in 1950, at Freedmen’s Hospital in Washington, D.C. — a hospital below the Mason-Dixon Line that was founded for formerly enslaved people. I weighed just 2 lbs at birth. My mother, suffering from preeclampsia and near death herself, had nowhere else to go. At the time, neonatology didn’t exist, and in most hospitals, Black women weren’t given access, dignity, or quality care. But Freedmen’s Hospital, staffed by both Black and white doctors and nurses, made survival possible for us.
That story is bigger than me or my mother. It’s about what happens when care reflects the community it serves. Representation mattered. It meant my mother and I had a chance when other doors were closed. Care was rooted not only in skill, but in understanding and respect — when so many Black lives were dismissed as unworthy of saving.
The same truth carries into mental health today. At a time when more people are seeking a path through depression, anxiety, and other mental illnesses, representation matters. When your therapist looks like you —, or at least has the framework to understand your lived realities, the work changes. Healing feels possible. You don’t waste energy translating or defending your experience. You don’t hold your breath wondering whether your truth will be minimized or doubted. Instead, you can exhale. You can trust that what you carry — the weight of racism, of inequities, of expectations born from culture — is real, and that it will be received with recognition, not dismissal.
Unfortunately, fewer than 6% of therapists were Black in 2023, and fewer than 8% were Hispanic, according to the Amer-
ican Psychological Association.
Representation can shift how treatment is perceived. For instance, a Black woman describing her exhaustion after yet another workplace microaggression doesn’t want to hear, “Are you sure you’re not being too sensitive?” A Latina immigrant who works two jobs while sending money home doesn’t need her therapist to reframe her sense of responsibility as “unhealthy codependency.” A Muslim teenager fasting during Ramadan shouldn’t have to use therapy time teaching what Ramadan even is. A queer client describing the stress of a family gathering doesn’t want subtle judgment disguised as neutrality. These moments are not small. They define whether therapy harms or heals. Without context, bias seeps in. Anger gets pathologized instead of understood as survival. Silence is misread as resistance, when it may actually reflect cultural respect for authority. Parenting practices anchored in tradition can be labeled “rigid” by therapists who don’t realize they’re interpreting through their own cultural lens. These distortions don’t just affect individuals — they reverberate across families and communities.
Now, imagine the reverse. That same Black woman names her exhaustion and is met with validation: Yes, racism is corrosive to the body and spirit. That immigrant daughter speaks of sacrifice and is honored for her strength, not told to “just set boundaries.” That queer client opens up about family tensions and receives affirmation that their survival strategies make sense. The Muslim teen explores identity struggles with someone who doesn’t stumble at the first word of their religious practice. This is what context makes possible. The therapist doesn’t have to live the same life, but they honor the reality
behind the words. When that happens, therapy becomes a place where healing is not only imaginable, but sustainable. The truth is, assessment and treatment are never value-neutral. Every clinician brings something into the room: their history, their biases, their blind spots — and the makeup of the therapy profession tells its own story. In 2019, white therapists still made up the majority of the workforce. That number matters. It reveals the barriers people of color face in becoming providers, and it explains why so many clients of color still struggle to find therapists who truly “get it.”
Some lawmakers have proposed federal legislation that would promote researching racial and ethnic disparities in mental health to develop a plan to increase culturally sensitive services. However, the ongoing attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion at the national level mean that states may have to invest in workforce development that reflects their communities.
Context isn’t optional — it is the soil that therapy grows from. Technique without context is fragile. B, but therapy grounded in context, in representation, in respect, can become a lifeline. Just as Freedmen’s Hospital gave my mother and me the chance to live, representation in mental health gives people the chance to be fully seen — as problems, but as whole human beings worthy of care.
Rev. Sheila Poynter Johnson, LP, MPS, is chair and president of Harlem Family Services, which is opening a new clinic in fall 2025. She is a licensed psychoanalyst, ordained minister, educator, author, and social justice advocate with more than 11 years of clinical experience and a strong background in nonprofit leadership.
A Day of Remembrance
CHRISTINA GREER, PH.D.
I still think about George Floyd. In doing so, I think of the countless other Black men, women, boys, and girls whose lives were taken too soon by police brutality and violence. Sometimes my mind flashes back to the video of George Floyd face down on the ground with a police officer (whose name I do not want to mention) kneeling on his neck, defiantly looking straight into the camera, not an ounce of compassion or empathy to be found. This country has been and continues to specialize in a racialized cruelty that permeates throughout several different communities, and sadly, more and more racial and ethnic groups are learning the cold, hard truths as to the capacity of this nation. Therefore, on October 14th, I choose to celebrate the life of George Floyd and so many others whose lives were taken from their families and communities far too soon.
George Floyd was born on October 14, 1973, and never lived to see his 50th birthday. As I approach 50 in the upcoming years and celebrate so many friends who have reached this special golden birthday, I am reminded that for so many Black people in America, this milestone is not promised. I have traveled the world with friends as they gather friends and family to celebrate making it this far and to thank them and the higher powers for helping them get this far. As the old folks used to say, “Tomorrow is not promised.” Therefore, I am going to spend next
Tuesday really taking stock of what I have accomplished and all that I would like to do to advance the cause of justice and freedom for Black people. I will also spend some quiet time thinking about the families left picking up the pieces after unspeakable tragedies. I will send them positive energy as they continue in a country that has shown them so much injustice and cruelty.
I am not concerning myself with how others will choose to celebrate October 14th; I will protect my peace and focus on what nourishes me. And what fills my cup is thinking about ways I can make my ancestors proud by continuing to build connections with Black people across this nation and even the world. These are indeed troubling and quite scary times. The decisions of our leaders on local, state, and national levels don’t seem to make sense to me most of the time, and there is an overwhelming sense that we are moving in the wrong direction. However, I am staying focused. I have genuine hope as I look at all of the people doing the work and fighting for a country we deserve. We must never give up, and we must never forget.
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.
Caribbean Update
Incoming opposition leader indicted as U.S. throws a ‘spanner’ in the works of Guyanese politics
By BERT WILKINSON, Special to the AmNews
An opposition politician who is set to become Guyana’s opposition leader when parliament convenes in the coming weeks has been indicted on a string of charges by a federal grand jury in Florida linked to a massive gold smuggling, tax evasion, and money laundering scheme in recent years.
Federal authorities last week unsealed the indictments of Azruddin Mohamed, 38, the leader of the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party which won 16 of the 65 seats in general elections last month, surprisingly becoming the Caricom nation’s main opposition party.
But while it is unclear if Guyanese authorities will move to extradite him to the U.S., Mohamed and his father, Nazar, are facing a string of charges linked to their cash-flush gold mining and exporting businesses in Guyana. The indictments were un-
From student
visa
sealed last week in the Southern District of Florida. Each could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
Last year, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control imposed sanctions on the Mohameds for allegedly participating in a scheme to ship more than 10,000 kilograms of gold to the U.S. and avoiding $50 million in taxes to Guyana.
The unsealed document accused the Mohameds of operating a fraudulent scheme between 2017 and mid2024 with the intention “to further the objects of the conspiracy, combine, conspire, confederate, and agree with each other and others, known and unknown to the grand jury, to commit offenses against the United States.”
It alleged that the family had reused empty boxes with official state revenue seals for gold shipments “to make it appear that Mohamed’s enterprise had paid Guyana taxes and royalties on shipments of gold when, in truth and in fact, the Mohamed’s
to
enterprise had not paid them on those shipments of gold.” The indictment also accused the businessmen of bribing customs and other officials to accept fake paperwork to allow shipments to be sent to the U.S.
The indictments come just as preparations are underway for the new parliamentary term following general elections on September 1.
Formed only at the end of May, the WIN party surprised the Guyanese electorate by winning 16 of the 65 parliamentary seats, unseating A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) as the country’s main opposition outfit. Azruddin Mohamed, who drives luxury cars around the capital city of Georgetown, has already indicated that he will take up the opposition leader’s position when parliament resumes in the coming weeks.
Officials say that the younger Mohamed will still be able to serve as opposition leader until and unless he is convicted by a court. “There is
nothing to stop him unless he is convicted. Only then he can’t serve as a parliamentarian,” Assembly Clerk Sherlock Issacs told this publication.
The administration of President Irfaan AIi, which won a second consecutive term last month, has accused Azruddin Mohamed of forming a political party to seek parliamentary protection from extradition. Mohamed has denied these allegations.
Before the Treasury Department imposed sanctions on him, the Mohamed family had been one of the main financiers of the governing People’s Progressive Party (PPP). President Ali had used security guards employed by Mohamed for personal protection during the 2020 campaign
and also used a bulletproof vehicle belonging to the family while on the campaign trail. But the administration quickly distanced itself from any links to the family once the sanctions had been imposed. Their businesses and commercial bank accounts were closed, guards disarmed, and local enterprises banned from conducting any transactions with the family.
scandal: What the Ian Roberts case reveals about America’s broken immigration maze
FELICIA PERSAUD
IMMIGRATION KORNER
When Dr. Ian Andre Roberts first came to the United States from Guyana in the mid-1990s, he entered with promise and purpose — a young student on an F-1 visa pursuing higher education and the American dream. Three decades later, that same man sits in U.S. Marshals custody at the Polk County Jail in Iowa, facing federal firearm charges and deportation.
His story is headline-grabbing, yes — a former school superintendent accused of overstaying visas, applying for Green Cards multiple times, and ending up in ICE custody. But beneath the scandal lies something larger: a broken, bewildering immigration system that often lures talent and then traps it in bureaucracy.
A Tangled Trail Of Paperwork
According to the Department of Homeland Security, Roberts cycled through two visas, four Green Card applications, and multiple employ-
ment-authorization filings over thirty years. He first arrived on a B-2 tourist visa in 1994, returned on an F-1 student visa in 1999, and began applying for work permits and permanent residency in the early 2000s.
Each petition was eventually denied, yet those temporary approvals gave him valid Social Security and employment documents — credentials that likely helped him continue working and rising through school administrative ranks. By 2024, an immigration judge had ordered him removed in absentia, and this April, an immigration judge in Dallas denied Roberts’ motion to reopen his case. Still, he remained in public service until ICE agents arrested him on Sept. 26, 2025.
The Legal Path That Rarely Works
For context, the F-1 student visa is meant to be temporary. It allows full-time study but requires proof of intent to return home. After graduation, F-1 holders may apply for Optional Practical Training (OPT) — a short-term work permit that can lead to the H-1B visa for skilled workers. From there, many try to obtain permanent residency.
But for thousands, the path ends in frustration: visa backlogs stretch years, employers drop sponsorships, or minor paperwork lapses wipe out legal status overnight. It’s a tightrope that even the most diligent applicants can fall from.
How An F-1 Can Legally Become A Green Card Holder
1. Obtain An Immigrant Petition
• Employer Sponsorship: A U.S. employer may sponsor the graduate for an employment-based Green Card (EB-1, EB-2, or EB-3), usually after an OPT period.
• Self-Petitioning: Those with exceptional ability or national-interest work can file independently through EB-1 or EB-2 NIW.
• Family-Based: Marriage to, or sponsorship by, a U.S. citizen or Green Card holder is another route.
• EB-5 Investment: A significant investment in a U.S. business can qualify under the EB-5 program.
2. After Petition Approval — Apply for Adjustment of Status
• Form I-485: Once the petition is approved and a visa number available, the applicant files Form I-485 to adjust status.
• Biometrics & Interview: Fingerprints, photos, and an in-person interview follow.
3. Maintain Legal Status
• The applicant must remain in lawful F-1, OPT, or H-1B status until the Green Card is granted.
• Travel abroad while the I-485 is pending can jeopardize approval.
4. Other Options
• Diversity Visa Lottery (“Green Card Lottery”).
• Asylum or Refugee Status if the person faces persecution at home.
• Each step demands near-perfect timing and compliance — a challenge for anyone navigating shifting laws, fees, and political agendas.
Bureaucracy Meets Human Reality
Dr. Roberts’ long record of denials and temporary authorizations illustrates a system where compliance often collides with survival.
Many foreign students build lives here — earning degrees, paying taxes, leading communities — only to discover that one missed renewal or lost employer can erase everything overnight.
The Roberts case may now be wea-
ponized politically, but it also exposes how easily the system breaks down. Even ICE admits that its databases, courts, and state agencies rarely sync — a gap that lets some slip through cracks while others are detained or deported without warning.
The Bottom Line
From F-1 student to detained superintendent, Ian Roberts’ trajectory reveals a bureaucracy where the line between “legal” and “illegal” is not moral but mechanical. His case forces a hard question: how many other professionals, educators, and graduates are caught in the same endless maze — doing everything right until the system itself fails them?
Until Congress fixes the pathway from temporary visa to permanent status — and brings consistency, transparency, and humanity to immigration law — we’ll keep seeing stories like this: of dreams deferred, paperwork denied, and lives undone.
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.
Presidential candidate Azruddin Mohamed of the We Invest in Nationhood party displays his inkstained finger after voting in general elections in Georgetown, Guyana, Sept. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/ Matias Delacroix, File)
Olorogun Oskar Ibru, billionaire Nigerian industrialist, dies at 67
By FRANKIE EDOZIEN Special to the AmNews
Oskar Ibru, one of Africa’s most ardent champions, died Sept. 24 after a brief illness, his family announced Wednesday. He was 67. The billionaire industrialist served as chairman of the Ibru Organization, one of the largest conglomerates on the continent.
Olorogun Oskar Eyovbirere C. J. Ibru was born in 1958, a son of the late Olorogun Michael Ibru, who founded the Ibru Organization, which has interests in shipping, media, oil and gas, hospitality and commerce.
Ibru attended Nigeria’s prestigious Igbobi College in Lagos where he participated in various sports, including football, table tennis, cricket, and hockey, as well as high jump. He remained an athlete for decades. For his tertiary education he went to the United States for undergraduate studies at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, where he met Wanda Swann, whom he later married. He then went on to Atlanta University Graduate School of Business for his master’s degree.
Ibru returned to the family organization in 1983, working in various positions at Nigeria’s Guardian newspaper, as a management trainee, then at a shipping line, and in various other capacities before rising to helm the entire organization as group chairman.
His role in expanding the conglomerate over the decades has been lauded by many and he received numerous professional accolades, honorary chieftaincy titles, and degrees. While directing affairs of the Ibru group, Ibru made sure that the company remained one of Nigeria’s top job and wealth creation organizations. The number of philanthropic engagements also increased as the years went on. Ibru was a visionary businessman who remained bullish on Africa, and on Nigeria in particular. He told British journalists on ITV that Nigeria “was a bride to be sought after,” and he en-
couraged a return to those Africans who had left and had made careers in the West. “They should come and see what those of us who are here see,” he said.
Often clad in white robes, the man was an art connoisseur and
a patron to many artists. His homes featured works by local unknown artists, and he had been known to pop into exhibitions of upcoming Nigerian artists. He was always a champion of culture, particularly his own
Urhobo culture. In June, he was spotted out and about in Lagos checking new work by up-andcoming visual artists. Ibru was fondly referred to as “Skido” by many who knew him intimately, and it was not a sur-
prise to see him in cities like Lagos, Accra, or in his beloved hometown of Agbara-Otor in Nigeria’s Delta state, deep in jovial conversation with those who worked for him — or were inspired by him.
When he was at his country home in Delta state he enjoyed the quiet country farming life with numerous animals roaming around his compound.
He once told a reporter that he could retire there to live the life of a farmer. “I have a poultry farm with about 25,000 birds. I have archery, I have a very massive fishpond, and I am going into agriculture full time,” he said. And his hand of hospitality was always extended: “You are welcome to my house of palm wine, red oil, soap, fish, pigs, banga soup and chicken”.
As the shock of his death made waves around the world, many who met me began to reminisce online. Journalist Dele Momodu wrote that, “He was an extremely friendly gentleman, and a socialite [par] excellence, who was loved so passionately by families and friends.”
Others called him a jolly good fellow. And for good reason. Ibru made everyone in his orbit at ease and spoke the languages and vernacular of the people. Always dapper, and rarely seen without a hat, or bedecked in his coral beads and gold bracelets, and the wide mile, he was the people’s prince. He was comfortable with the world’s wealthy as he was with the world’s neediest. He dined with presidents and royalty with the same vigor and offered his legendary generosity of spirit to strangers he’d only just met.
Ibru is survived by his wife of 39 years, Wanda Ibru, curator of Nigeria’s Ijebu National Museum; their children, daughters Makashe and husband Kayode Awogboro; Nenesi and husband Chinedu Okeke; and son Christopher Ebruba and wife Ibiyinka Ibru; five grandchildren, siblings, nieces, nephews and an entire community of loved ones across Africa, the United States and Europe.
Oskar Ibru with Elinor Tatum, Nicole Peoples and Christine White. Oskar Ibru with and first granddaughter Sloane.
Oskar Ibru with his wife, Wanda Ibru. (Family photos)
Park advocates push for funding with ‘Parks 2030’ platform
By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff
Park advocacy groups are urging New York City’s mayoral candidates to commit to a long-term plan for the city’s green spaces after years of what they call chronic underinvestment.
New Yorkers for Parks (NY4P) and the 400-member Play Fair for Parks Coalition recently launched their new Parks 2030 platform: a guide to help mayoral candidates understand how they could develop and improve the city’s 30,000+ acres of parkland.
Mayor Eric Adams has failed to fulfill his promise of allocating 1% of the budget to parks, so advocacy groups have developed a roadmap for the next administration to strengthen NYC parks. Parks 2030 urged the city to reverse decades of underinvestment in the parks system and promote building a climateresilient park network by 2030.
Adam Ganser, executive director of NY4P, said that Parks 2030 is, in some ways, an offering to the candidates’
campaigns because it can help them develop ideas about how to invest in New York City’s parks and open spaces. NY4P is in talks with the Zohran Mamdani campaign about presenting a briefing about the platform to the candidate and possibly taking a walk in a park with him. The Andrew Cuomo campaign has not yet responded to the proposal of a briefing about Parks 2030.
Among the candidates still in the race for mayor, the Curtis Sliwa campaign was the only one to reply immediately to questions from the AmNews about a planned strategy for supporting parks. Maria Sliwa, media director for Curtis Sliwa for NYC Mayor, said, “Curtis has been on record saying 1% doesn’t go far enough. We need closer to 2%.”
Both Mamdani and Cuomo previously pledged to dedicate 1% of the budget to NYC Parks during an April 8 “Mayoral Candidate Forum on Parks, Recreation, and Open Space,” but neither has a defined parks platform. When the AmNews asked each campaign about the details
Cover of “PARKS 2030: World-Class Parks for All New Yorkers” report. (NY4P photo)
The fire last time: ‘One Battle After Another’ brings current environment to life
By MARK WINSTON GRIFFITH Special to the AmNews
Like the American political war zone we currently live in, there is plenty to divide audiences in “One Battle After Another,” the rollicking and provocative new feature produced, written, and directed by auteur Paul Thomas Anderson and inspired by the Thomas Pynchon novel “Vineland.” Set in present-day California, the cold opening is one of several set-it-off moments in which an armed group — the French 75 — liberates hundreds of migrants from a detention camp overseen by the American military. It’s a stunning visual. Through “the rockets’ red glare, and bombs bursting in air,” both French 75 and Anderson ostentatiously announce their subversive intentions.
If you consider yourself a member of the radical left, you could easily find the depictions of the French 75 insulting and problematic, especially in Anderson’s portrayal of Perfidia Beverly Hills (Teyana Taylor), a charismatic but profoundly conflicted and reckless field general in the French 75. On the other hand, if you find comfort in the abduction of immigrants and the easy designation of far-left activism as “terrorism,” you may not be able to stomach your movie popcorn and candy for more than 5 minutes. From start to finish, Anderson provides an uproariously satirical takedown of white supremacy and the fascist cabal it rode in on.
The first act of “One Battle” consists of a series of episodic successes for French 75 as it burns and slashes its way through government and corporate infrastructure. Helping to bring the heat, literally, is “Ghetto” Pat Calhoun (Leonardo DiCaprio), aka Bob, French 75’s ass-dragging bomb specialist and Perfidia’s lover. The eventual infiltration and demise of French 75 is set in motion by military commander Steven J. Slackjaw (Sean Penn), who is forged in the tradition of cinema’s finest military charactonyms, such as “Dr. Strangelove’s” Brigadier General Jack D. Ripper, “Apocalypse Now’s” Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore, and “Monster vs. Aliens’” General W.R. Monger. Anderson’s view of the American fascist landscape is comically satisfying and eerily prescient, but what he has to say about the resistance is more layered and engaging. When the second act resumes, set 16 years later, Bob is a hapless burnout and a wobbly single parent to his daughter Willa (Chase Infiniti). French 75 has been driven underground and what’s left of it is a rag-tag network of still-true believers — conspiracy theorists whose conspiracies are all too real. “The Battle of Algiers” and Gil Scott Heron are their antiquated cultural touchstones and the recitation of Heron’s 1971 mock-
ingly classic call-to-action, “The Revolution Will Not be Televised,” is their secret handshake. Their guerilla defenses are as dated and threadbare as they are rebel chic.
false equivalents between the Christmas Adventurers and the French 75. There is nothing symmetrical about their morality. For all their hippy-dippy amateurism
In what becomes a running gag throughout the film, French 75’s efforts to evade high-tech, highly militarized surveillance reach absurd proportions as Bob hilariously tries to find his way out of the fog of a lifetime of substance abuse long enough to deliver the right password to an overzealous comrade.
The Christmas Adventurers Club, a ridiculously goofy secret society of the whitest-of-white supremacists, might be considered the other side of the extremist coin, but Anderson doesn’t lazily create
and self-sabotage, the French 75’s code of ethics and moral grounding provide their only tactical advantage.
French 75 is a group of mostly non-Latino activists who still have the meager firstworld means to deliver migrants from the clutches of modern-day slave catchers, but it’s the dispossessed Latino migrants of the Baktan Cross community, and their underground railroad conductor, Sensei Sergio St. Carlos (Benicio del Toro), who deliver themselves — and eventually Bob — from daily siege and predation with cool ingenu-
ity. In perhaps the film’s most visually lyrical scene, the silhouettes of three Baktan Cross skateboarders glide across rooftops as they try to lead Bob and his lumbering white butt to safety. Against the power of a bloated empire, necessity is the mother of invention and efficient resilience.
Anderson’s riskiest take in “One Battle” is his hyper-sexualization of Black women members of French 75 — Perfidia and Jungle Pussy. Teyana Taylor’s physicality seizes complete control of the screen and her character Perfidia deploys Black woman magic like a heat-seeking missile. As lore has it, danger is an aphrodisiac and sex is a method of escaping anxiety in intimate insurgent spaces. 1960s and ’70s formations like the Black Liberation Army, Black Panthers, and Weather Underground are steeped in sexual mythology. Huey Newton and Angela Davis were not just revolutionary icons, but leather-clad, afro-flexing sex symbols. In this way, Perfidia’s sexual exploits with white men, and Bob and Slackjaw’s shared fetishization of her sexuality, come to represent Perfidia’s power, as well as the discomforting exoticization and objectification of her body.
Judging by the buzz “One Battle” has received, it is destined for a slew of Oscar nominations. Like a delirious joy ride in a stolen car, “One Battle” is full of thrills and guilty pleasures that barrel down the road with manic abandon. This is easily Sean Penn’s best role and performance in years, and while Leonardo DiCaprio is the Hollywood headliner, Benicio del Toro quietly steals the show from Leo whenever they share the screen, as does Taylor. The riveting star power that Taylor promised in “One Thousand and One” is confidently and undeniably fulfilled in “One Battle.” The only disappointment is that she doesn’t spend more time on the screen.
“One Battle” is a movie for this moment. It reminds us that while politics and movements are performative, their stakes are real. The members of French 75 are literally chased down like dogs in the street and spend down on social change with their lives. Those of us who fancy ourselves freedom fighters while carrying mortgages, Costco memberships, and Martha’s Vineyard getaways have to consider the true cost of successfully disrupting capitalism and state power. How much are we willing to sacrifice? How much coercion and intimidation can we withstand? And under the current government, how much obliteration of our rights are we willing to endure before we move to not simply resist, but overthrow? As Gil Scott Heron taught us, the revolution won’t be on television, much less on the movie screen or Insta. Nah, y’all — the revolution will be live.
Chase Infiniti as Willa Ferguson in “One Battle After Another.”
Leonardo DiCaprio as Bob Ferguson in “One Battle After Another.” (Photos courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures)
Step inside the shabini when nora chipaumire’s ‘Dambudzo’ comes to BAM
By ZITA ALLEN Special to the AmNews
Remember when dance moved out of the conventional theatre spaces and onto the sides of buildings, rooftops, parking lots, and street corners?
Well, look out because here comes nora chipaumire’s “Dambudzo,” bringing a touch of deja vu with an African diasporic twist and more to BAM’s Next Wave. The piece is set to be performed on October 8 and 9 at 7pm at Roulette, followed by a conversation with chipaumire and the “Dambudzo” cast moderated by Charmaine Warren on Friday, October 10 at 6pm at BAM Fisher.
“Dambudzo” is an extraordinary immersive experience that dissolves the boundary between audience and performer just as in traditional African cultures. Blending sound, sculpture, video, and live performance, chipaumire constructs a vibrant, confrontational environment that challenges your idea of what dance performances should look like, those old colonial structures, while reclaiming space for African narratives and futures.
“Dambudzo” takes its name from the Zimbabwean writer and rebel Dambudzo Marechera (1952-1987), whose work belongs to a powerful lineage of African radical thinkers like Steve Biko and Ng ũ g ĩ wa Thiong’o, creating a space where resistance and ritual meet. Born in Zimbabwe, what was then Southern Rhodesia, Dambudzo Marechera was an acclaimed novelist, short story writer, playwright, and poet who attended the University of Rhodesia (now University of Zimbabwe), the University of Oxford, received the coveted Guardian Fiction Prize for his autobiographical first book, “The House of Hunger,” and died at aged 35 of AIDS-related pneumonia, after living homeless for years. His life of rebellion is chipaumire’s inspiration as she explains during an interview with the Amsterdam News :
ZDA: Tell us about “Dambudzo.” What should the audience expect?
nc: It’s really an immersive gathering — a shebeen, which is in itself its own thing. In Southern Africa, when you say ‘Shebeen,’ it’s a gathering; it’s a social place; it’s
generally in somebody’s house; it’s most definitely illegal. There will be food. There will be beer. There will also be all kinds of profane things happening but there will also be all kinds of intellectual gatherings and conspiring.
ZDA: At Roulette, there will be beer but no food, I understand, except food for the mind and soul. Tell us more about Shebeen.
nc: Shebeen, or in Shosha, my mother tongue, it’s Shabini. They are very popular in Zimbabwe and South Africa. Mostly they grew up in the urbanization as the colonial project started to build cities and turn us into laborers. They became places of refuge for Africans to gather in their own cadence, also they’re places where the revolution was thought of and being built. ... But I go back to these gatherings again and again as potential places for our liberation. You know, in American tradition, the Black church became that place.
ZDA: And “Dambudzo,” the inspiration for this piece. Tell us about him.
nc: Dambuzo is both a person and a word. The writer, Dambudzo Marchella, lived fast, died very young, was a really deep unapologetic thinker who de -
scribes his house as a house of hunger, both because of the poverty of African life at the time and … the class nature of what the colonial project brought us and issues to do with the patriarchy, health, mental health, and the education system.
He ends up being thrown out of the University of Zimbabwe for revolutionary activities and ends up at Cambridge and Oxford and tries to burn those houses down. (laugh) He writes this amazing novella for which he is [acclaimed] quite a bit. There’s a kind of return to him currently in intellectual circles celebrating his audacity. So that’s what the public ought to expect, this kind of circular profane space for which the sonic … language, but in a specific way, there is sound, but then there is language, it’s spoken largely in Shona to be true to the kind of anti-state positioning of these spaces. So all that cacophony is what we’re inviting people to conspire with us and make merry. There will be joy!
ZDA: Is this a relatively new concept for you?
nc: You know, live art is what I’ve been doing for a very long time. We remove all the expectations of [a] proper society, so
Butch Morris kind of energy that I bring into the room.
What do I want people to come away with? I’ve been very much desirous of not being read within the Western canon or to be approached in this way that the global North kind of flattens everything and kind of consumes us artists. I want people to be thinking about what spaces of art making can be that are not informed by coloniality or imperialism or whatever power … which is why I conjure Dambuzo Maracella to work with me because even though he used the English language, he used it to say what he wanted. You know, nobody could think that Dambuzo was anything else. He was Dambuzo Maracella. He was not playing ball. I also want people to walk away with knowing what it is to commit to the world of ideas without necessarily aping the master’s language.
there are no chairs. Everybody ambles along and follows whichever corner of the house where there’s activity. There’s always some activity somewhere in the house, so we just try to encourage people either by light, by sound, or object. So, it’s not a program as such. It’s a session. It’s a jam session. It’s a gathering. It’s church. Yeah.
ZDA: What do you want people to come away with after they’ve experienced this? It sounds like the “happenings” that were popular here in New York decades ago in the late 1960s-early 1970s.
nc: Except this is not happenstance. It’s a very deliberate space, calibrated to touch the senses in certain ways — visually, aurally, the skin has to feel certain ways when you walk into it. It’s properly designed. I’m very much dedicated to the organization of space, the design of space to say what I want it to say. There [are] no chairs. A lot of people think it’s improvised. No. I actually detest improvisation. There’s intentionality. I mean, I don’t think John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, or any of those people were slackers. And I feel like the discourse around improv is so slack as to take away the work that artists who like to work in that way. So for me, it’s a
ZDA: So tell us a little bit about you so people get a sense of who you are and what your intention is for this program. I heard you say in one interview that you don’t like the language of ‘choreographerdancer.’
nc: I’m a thinker. I’m a thinker who thinks through making, so that’s who I am. As a choreographer, I use my body to speak about life itself to speak about questions of justice. You know. That intuition towards what is just allows me to go to bed at night and wake up with enthusiasm and the joy to pursue these concerns world over. I’m trying in my 60th year to move away from simpler questions of race and gender because they diminish us, towards bigger philosophical concerns. What is life itself? What is a just life? I want to grow into that space of nature, the power, the integrity, the undeniability of mountains, of rivers, of the sun, the moon. And to live outside of the very extractive extortion that both capitalism and the English language force us to constantly be in a space where we’re defending ourselves. Yeah. It’s very humiliating and I have lived a long life of this humiliation as a female, as a Black [person], and as an African. I’m sick of it.
For more info, visit bam.org/ dambudzo.
“Dambudzo” (Nurith Wagner-Strauss photo)
NJ studio brings joy of movement to young dancers
By LOIS ELFMAN
Special to the AmNews
Enthralled with dance, a 14-year-old girl adopted a new first name, Dancette, and a lifetime love was cemented. In 2007, when Dancette Pratts’ longtime teacher and mentor, Bette White Fernandez (who passed away earlier this year), decided to retire after 54 years, she turned over her dance studio to Pratts, who had begun teaching dance at the precocious age of eight.
It had always been a place where dancers of all ages came, and today, Inspirational Dance Studio in Maplewood, New Jersey, is a space where all are welcome to come, learn, and celebrate the art of movement while finding community. While diverse students were always welcome, under Pratts’ leadership the number of students of color grew exponentially, particularly as students started performing in local shows. A variety of dance styles are taught, from contemporary to ballet, jazz, tap, African, hip hop, Latin, and breakdancing.
“Teachers don’t listen to their kids sometimes, but I listen to them and I hear their ideas,” said Pratts. “I’ve brought in a lot of the Afro beats, Latin — salsa, me-
rengue, bachata — and made it more modernized and not so the old school way. The girls feel welcome, they [are] at home and they feel heard. They feel they can still express their style of dance within the dance community and the structure we have as well.” Dance competitions are very
popular, and Inspirational Dance is on board. There is a team of 16 dancers who perform solos, duos, trios, and small and large groups, performing all different styles. They have won many awards, including a prestigious competition at Disney. This past weekend, Inspirational Dance
Company danced at MetLife Field for the New York Jets game against the Dallas Cowboys.
Pratts said at dance competitions, people wonder where these excellent dancers come from. “We’ll come in and they’re like, ‘What are you going to do, hip hop?’” said Pratts. “Then
we’re winning tap and contemporary and different styles of dance … The majority of those competitions are white, and we do bring the color in there and the originality of what’s really happening now.”
Pratts, who has danced professionally, and her staff see to it that the girls display meticulous technique in competition. Some students have professional aspirations — including a few who act, sing, and dance — while others just want to express themselves. Some former students have gone into medical fields as nurses and physical therapists.
There are also adult classes in a variety of styles. While some grownups take dance quite seriously, others just enjoy the activity. Her goal is to keep everyone loving dance and to help the young dancers achieve their dreams.
“Keep growing these dancers and see them excel to the next level,” said Pratts. “What I love about Inspirational Dance Company is that I get to know them as not only my students and dancers, but I really get to know them as artists. Seeing them grow to whatever they want to do in their careers and paths, that’s my biggest thing.” For more info, visit inspirationaldance.com.
After a successful dance competition
After a halftime performance at a Jets game
Dancette Pratts (Photos courtesy of Inspirational Dance)
Vegandale New York 2025 continues its ‘world vegan domination’
By BRENIKA BANKS Special to the AmNews
Despite humidity sticking around during early autumn, Vegandale New York 2025 was a major success. The vegan experience, started in 2015 by Hellenic Vincent De Paul, captivated and brought out thousands in attendance. The festival is described as “the ultimate all-vegan destination, uniting food, music, and art for an unparalleled experience.”
Vegandale New York 2025 exuded a vibrant atmosphere and growing appeal among vegans, non-vegans, food, and festival enthusiasts. This year marks their second in the Citi Field parking lot, convenient for those driving and using public transit. Vegandale returned to its previous festival recipe by including more food vendors and fewer non-food vendors this time around. They maintained their different blocks, set-ups, signs, and other props for attendees to photograph and video. One food vendor, fan favorite, Dominican plant-based restaurant Next Stop Vegan, made its anticipated return. Owned by Bronx-native
Blenlly Mena and Dominicanborn Javier Saba, the establishment decided to skip Vegandale last September for reasons that didn’t align with what they envisioned for their business.
“We’re back at Vegandale because we love Vegandale — we’ve been supportive of them for a long time,” said Mena. “This year they changed some things around, they notified us that they have changed things back to the old ways,” Mena continued. “Entertainment will be a DJ and fun things people normally come to festivals for.”
Mena expressed her happiness with the vendor lineup for this year and applauded Vegandale for changes that aligned better with
her company’s values. Their two lines were long, and the owners shared that they sold out of all their food at the festival.
Trini Bites, another Caribbean vendor, enjoyed their day as well. The Long Island caterer is owned by Renee Davis, a first-generation Trinidadian American and registered nurse. Their hit Veggie Delight Bowl is made with well-seasoned pumpkin, callaloo, curry potato over coconut rice, and topped with pickled purple cabbage.
Coco Bred returned for their second year. The owner of the Brooklyn restaurant is Jaime Randle, a Jamaican-born, New York-raised chef. Her business, now over a year old, has been doing well, especially with Veg-
andale last year, increasing her brand awareness and visibility. Randle was happy to see a representative from the Amsterdam News again and was excited for Coco Bred’s return to the festival.
Vegandale New York 2025’s host and hype man, Scott Bernard, returned for another year. This festival matches well with his lifestyle as a nutritional and health coach. Bernard, along with DJ MixNYC and other stage guests, did well with keeping the crowd’s energy high and everyone dancing. When asked what his favorite part of the day was, Bernard responded, “seeing everybody have fun — when I see everybody have fun, it makes me want to have fun as well.” He efficient-
ly kept the crowd entertained with interactive tactics such as leaping into and dancing with the crowd. “Seeing the smiles on people’s faces, engaging, jumping into the crowd — that’s my favorite part, simple,” said Bernard.
DJ MixNYC kept the audience hyped via reggae, reggaeton, soca, and dance tunes, including staple songs from Black gatherings like the “Cupid Shuffle” and the “Cha Cha Slide.” The crowd was moving and grooving nonstop as the entertainment satisfied them. Many attendees enjoyed the energizing atmosphere and were impressed with the quality as well as diversity in food options.
However, the festival can be planned better when it comes to organizing its entrances and providing more supplies for its handwashing stations. Vegandale believes in a pinnacle experience “where interactive art, hundreds of vendors, and thousands of people come together to realize a world without animal exploitation.” Vegandale New York returns in September 2026. For more information, visit vegandalefest.com.
Vegandale New York 2025’s host and hype man Scott Burnhard returns for another year. (Brenika Banks photos)
Vegandale New York 2025 welcoming blocks in Citi Field parking lot on Saturday, Sept. 27.
A group of girlfriends pose with signs at Vegandale New York 2025.
Sheila E. cultivates unity, accepts prom proposal from fan at Lehman Center performance
By JOHNNY KNOLLWOOD Special to the AmNews
Grammy Award-winning percussionist Sheila E. stopped at the Lehman Center for Performing Arts in the Bronx on September 27 for an evening of dance, funk, and rhythm. The performer, who has collaborated with artists including Prince and George Duke and had chart success with songs like “The Glamorous Life,” performed a string of career-spanning hits and fan favorites that interjected elements of R&B, jazz, and salsa into the music. She was joined by drummer Wes McVicker, keyboardist Bertron Curtis, vocalist Lynn Mabry, longtime bassist and tour manager Raymond McKinley, and guitarist Mychael Gabriel, whom Sheila referred to as her nephew onstage.
The show opened with a performance by Bernadette Cooper and Klymaxx, whom Cooper referred to onstage as the “first all-female funk band.” Cooper and her group kept the audience on their feet, at one point, handing out signed photos to lucky attendees.
The tone was set for an energetic, danceable evening as Sheila E. took to the stage after a brief intermission, only remaining in place when confined to her timbales. Her performance was engaging and cultivated an environment of unity as she frequently shook hands, signed autographs, and even left the stage at times to join the audience in song.
Sheila E.’s repertoire spanned across genres and styles, but was united by the rhythm of the drum that kept attendees moving. She performed solo hits like “A Love Bizarre” and “The Glamorous Life,” and included Prince jams like “Erotic City” and “Baby I’m a Star.”
She acknowledged her roots in Black and Latino music, performing salsa-injected tunes from her latest release, “Bailar,” and at one point “taking it back to New Orleans,” as she described onstage, with a performance of “When the Saints Go Marching In.”
Throughout the night, Sheila E. sang, played guitar, and ripped up the timbales, showcasing how the diverse nature of her work extends past genres and styles, and into the tools she uses. In her work, she connects the dots between her cultural roots; her fans;
and contemporary, engaging, allaround fun music.
“I just want to share this moment with you all,” Sheila E. told the crowd as she beckoned to security to leave fans gathering at the front of the stage alone.
“We’re family. There’s enough division in the world.” In the style of church gatherings, Sheila E. asked everyone to stand, acknowledge a stranger, and tell them they loved them. The power of Sheila E.’s music and words was so effec-
tive that much of the audience listened, embracing how art can truly connect people.
At the night’s conclusion, one lucky fan may have made the biggest connection of the evening, asking Sheila E. to prom “again,”
38 years later, at the same school he attended and now works at.
“I’ll be there,” she said, holding up the sign and capping off an evening that left attendees smiling. You can stay up to date with all of Sheila E.’s work at sheilae.com.
Grammy Award winning percussionist Sheila E. performing at the Lehman Center in the Bronx on September 27. (Johnny Knollwood photos)
Lionel Richie makes insightful book tour stop in NYC — despite some heckling from confused attendees
By JOHNNY KNOLLWOOD Special to the AmNews
Legendary singer and songwriter Lionel Richie launched a tour for his new memoir, “Truly,” at the Town Hall in Manhattan on September 29, but some confused fans who were expecting a musical performance were visibly upset and hurled insults, and even books, at the singer before storming out of the theater.
Richie was joined in conversation by newscaster Robin Roberts, reflecting on his experience growing up in Tuskegee, Alabama, penning hits like “Easy” and “All Night Long,” and the challenges of navigating racism and bias in the music industry as a person of color — without singing a note, much to the chagrin of some fans who reportedly paid upwards of $700 for tickets.
The performance was described as a “conversation with friends” on the Town
Hall website, and a disclaimer labeled “No musical performance” was included next to the appearance description on his website. Despite this, fans who bought tickets on resale sites like StubHub, which lacked clear descriptions of the event, were confused and angry.
The environment was tense before the conversation. Empty seats littered the back of the theater as fans shuffled in. Richie entered the stage to rousing applause but was quickly met with heckling. “We want to hear you sing,” one fan shouted.
Richie clarified the situation right off the bat. “The good news is I’m here,” he told the audience. “The bad news is there is not a piano, a band, a crew, a lighting source, so for all of you that came to hear me sing: You’re in the wrong place.”
Attendees responded with boos and jeers as they stormed out of the theater. The environment became increasingly hos-
tile as Richie tried to recount stories from the early days of his career. “Shut up and sing!” one fan eventually shouted. “I’ve been in the business a long time,” Richie countered, “[and] there are assholes everywhere.” Soon after, one angry attendee slipped Richie a presumably rude note written on the back of his book’s cover, and another attendee threw his copy onstage. Despite the dismay of some attendees, the conversation between Richie and Roberts was insightful for any fans of his work who did stick around. He recounted his time living in Harlem, and an amusing story about retrieving the gear stolen from his van by buying it back from the neighborhood thieves at a low cost. He did an impression of Stevie Wonder doing an impression of Bob Dylan to orchestrate Dylan’s part in “We Are the World,” a charity track that included a slew of ’80s hitmakers like Cyndi Lauper, Steve Perry, and
so many more. He even discussed the discrimination he experienced in writing conflicting styles of music, being told, “Black people only do funky stuff” by a music executive, and writing “Three Times a Lady” in retaliation.
Unfortunately for fans who were interested in hearing the discussion, it was often interrupted by the loud bustling and complaining emanating from the theater lobby as Richie described how figures like Quincy Jones, Berry Gordy, and Smokey Robinson provided him with mentorship and inspiration.
Richie took the challenging evening in stride, never getting angry, always redirecting the conversation back to the book. Asked to reflect on his career, Richie capped off the evening with a sentiment that can be useful for everyone: “Love is the answer to success.”
Stay up to date with Lionel Richie’s book tour and future dates at lionelrichie.com.
Figures from the publishing world discuss the power of words
By LOIS ELFMAN Special to the AmNews
On September 25, authors, editors, and changemakers gathered for a collaborative event between Hachette Book Group and HerAgenda to take a deep dive into how powerful women in publishing and media continue to make an impact and succeed.
Titled “Off the Page: Women Changing Publishing and Media,” it was clear that publishing is a career with purpose, and these women are helping to shape the culture.
“Books are very personal for me,” said Rhonesha Byng, founder and CEO of HerAgenda, a digital media platform bridging the gap between ambition and achieve-
ment for millennial women. “To me, authors are like superheroes, and the publishing houses that allow them to have the platform are the people that give them the key…to their superpowers.”
The evening began with a one-on-one conversation between Sojourner Elleby, digital and social media manager for Hachette Book Group, and Sally Kim, president and publisher of Little, Brown and Company. Kim discussed her path into and through the publishing world. Throughout her career, Kim has championed diverse voices and endeavored to reach diverse readers.
After three decades, the publishing industry is quite different from when Kim began. “I love being part of making the
change happen,” she said. By being open to changes in her career, she saw her influence growing from an editor working with specific authors to a publisher able to have a broader impact.
“Readers are now showing up in a very different way,” said Kim. “[In the past] publishers would look to anoint writers and books. … Readers are now showing, ‘We’re going to decide what we want to read.’ … Who is at the table…reflects the people who are buying the books.”
In a panel moderated by Byng, authors Eboni K. Williams, Debbie Millman, and Shannon Downey discussed their paths to getting published and how they promote themselves and their work. Williams, an
attorney, storyteller, television host, and podcaster, mentioned that her first book, Pretty Powerful: Appearance, Substance, and Success, did not sell many copies — receiving her first royalty check after eight years — but it increased her public platform and provided great talking points. Her second book, Bet on Black: The Good News About Being Black in America Today, has sold well, but took a while to find a suitable publisher.
“The enormous significance of storytelling and representation,” said Williams, who in her career made the conscious decision to transition from practicing law to
Lionel Richie was joined in conversation by newscaster Robin Roberts to reflect on his new memoir, “Truly,” but was met with boos and jeers from confused hecklers who were expecting a musical performance. (Johnny Knollwood photo)
‘The Other Americans’ depicts the American Dream turning into a nightmare
By LINDA ARMSTRONG Special to the AmNews
At a time when the current presidential administration is targeting Latinx families who are trying to experience the American Dream, it is so appropriate and bold for actor, playwright, and producer John Leguizamo to write and star in “The Other Americans,” his new play at The Public Theatre at 425 Lafayette Street. In it, Leguizamo shows a Latinx family headed by Nelson (Leguizamo), a Colombian American, who owns several laundromats, and who believes that achieving the American Dream means moving his family from Jackson Heights to Forest Hills and running laundromats there as well. When Nelson experiences financial difficulties, he finds that the bank won’t consider him for a loan, even though he is an established businessman. Nelson and his family find that they are not welcome in the neighborhood, either as residents or as business owners.
When we meet Nelson, his wife Patti (Luna Lauren Velez), his future son-in-law Eddie (Bradley James Tejeda), Nelson’s older sister Norma (Rosa Evangelina Arredondo), who also run many successful laundromats, and Patti’s sister Veronica (Sarah Nina Hayon), the family is preparing for the homecoming of Nick (Trey Santiago-Hudson), Nelson and Patti’s son who has had issues with mental health. You can feel the tension in the room as the family prepares for Toni (Rebecca Jimenez), their daughter, to bring Nick back to the house. You also witness how Nelson is trying to figure out ways to keep his struggling business afloat, a business he is determined to leave to Nick, whether he wants it or not. There is a great deal of tension in this family over situations that have occurred and not been discussed; devastating secrets and lies smoldering underneath the surface. With this script, Leguizamo reveals the distorted nightmare that the American Dream can become for people of Latinx descent, and the extreme means to which a father is willing to go in order to secure what he thinks is the American Dream for himself and his family, no matter what the cost.
Questions are posed: what are you willing to do to be “successful,” and how far is too far to go in giving your family what you think they need? There is also the question of what type of justice you get when you are a Latinx victim and your assailant is white. If you are running a business in order to give your family a better life, does making a deal with the devil accomplish that, or lead to destruction?
This play looks at the dynamics that exist in some father/son relationships in the Latinx community, as well, not only
a lack of communication, but a father’s ability to stifle his son and feel justified in doing so. It also looks at the relationship between a father and daughter and how the female is not taken as seriously as the male when it comes to their involvement in the family business. Leguizamo leaves you numb by the end of this very revealing, outstandingly crafted, and engaging work. The cast will have you mesmerized. Leguizamo shows various levels of Nelson, but in the end, his character feels justified by his own actions and de-
fends them. Velez is captivating as Patti, a Latina who loves and supports her husband, until she can’t. Everyone on that stage delivers a stunning performance. Arredondo is riveting as Norma, the successful older sister who will not hesitate to give Nelson a piece of her mind. She sees him for what he is and she is a strong Latina who can hold her own. Jimenez is sympathetic as Toni, the daughter who is basically taken for granted by Nelson. Hayon is amusing as Veronica. SantiagoHudson delivers an incredibly emotional, dramatically devastating performance as Nick, a young man who has been through much and is part of a family that does not comprehend his need to talk about what he has been through and find closure. Santiago-Hudson is making his Public Theatre debut, but we should definitely be seeing a great deal more of this amazing talent.
The play has a great cohesiveness that is accomplished by its seasoned director, Ruben Santiago-Hudson. I would expect nothing less. Santiago-Hudson has always had a remarkable ability to take any work he is involved with to the next level and leave the audience thinking about the message they have just received.
I loved seeing so many Latinx audience members in the theater. I also appreciated how Leguizamo carefully crafted this script, often having the characters speak in Spanish and then English. It seemed like he was telling his Latin community, ‘This play is here to represent you.’ He was acknowledging how hard it can be to be a success somewhere that is growing increasingly hostile towards a community of so many hardworking people.
On the creative side, the production was exquisite. The set design by Arnulfo Maldonado was extraordinary. Everything about this production was phenomenal, including costume design by Kara Harmon, lighting design by Jen Schriever, sound design by Justin Ellington, original music by Ricky Gonzalez, hair and wig design by Anika Seitu, and choreography by Lorna Ventura.
“The Other Americans’’ will run through October 25. For tickets, go to http://www. publictheatre.org.
‘Mexodus’ tells a history of Black and Brown people that we didn’t learn in school
By LINDA ARMSTRONG Special to the AmNews
There is a musical that you need to experience. It’s a story that will educate and uplift while unraveling a history we did not learn in school. It’s a story that educates and uplifts while revealing a history rarely taught in schools — a tale of
Black and Brown people coming together to help enslaved people escape through the Underground Railroad across the Rio Grande into Mexico. This musical is an exhilarating time at the theater as its creators and performers Nygel D. Robinson and Brian Quijada create songs before our eyes, play multiple instruments and raise their voices in songs that dramati -
cally tell an untold story in this country.
“Mexodus” is mesmerizing and has an energy that is contagious. These two men craft a detailed, brilliant, and captivating story that symbolizes the partnership between enslaved Black people and Brown communities in Mexico, centering on an escaped man named Henry (Robinson). We hear the
tale of Henry’s struggles as he is separated from his mother at a young age and sold to another plantation where the lady of the house has her eye on him. Henry does what he has to survive and finds himself on the run. Almost drowning in the river, he is hurt and nursed back to health by Carlos
Trey Santiago-Hudson and Luna Lauren Velez in “The Other Americans” at The Public Theatre (Joan Marcus photo)
Jazz Notes: Jazz Gallery, Monk Fest, Village Vanguard
The saxophonist and composer Jaleel Shaw has become a dominant force in 21st century jazz as it speaks to America’s trying times. His latest album release of 11 tracks, “Painter Of The Invisible” (Changu Records 2025), is his first album with a band since 2013. This latest album speaks to the realities of this crumpling democracy, the attempt to erase Black history, ban books, and diminish human rights. His sax speaks with outrage, warmth, compassion, and hope, accompanied by his working artists: pianist Lawrence Fields, bassist Ben Street, drummer Joe Dyson, Shaw on alto and soprano saxophones, with vibraphonist Sasha Berliner and guitarist Lage Lund (both on two tracks each).
Shaw will celebrate his CD release party for his new album “Painter Of The Invisible” on October 10, at The Jazz Gallery (1158 Broadway). His longtime bandmates and friends for this performance will feature pianist Cameron Campbell, bassist Dezron Douglas, and ‘drummer’ E. J. Strickland. Shows at 7pm and 9pm.
We can’t see music; it is invisible, but in the dark of night or even in the light of day, hearing is monumental. There is still time to prepare, but once you actually see the danger, it’s basically too late! Here, Shaw and his abled musicians paint the invisible with vivid strokes of today’s reality.
Three tracks that stand out are “Baldwin’s Blues,” based on James Baldwin’s influence on Shaw, by “watching a lot of his debates and interviews.” A stimulating tune that romps with swinging riffs from alto, Fields’ rhythmic flyin’ harmonies, with Dyson comping in all the right spaces, and Street bellowing in and about.
“Tamir” honors Tamir Rice, the 12-year-old boy killed by Cleveland police in 2014, while playing with a toy pistol. “Trayvon Martin, Philando Castile — it was just happening back-to-back to back, to the point where you weren’t even shocked anymore,” said Shaw. This tune, over ten minutes long, hits a compassionate note with Shaw playing in intense spiritual mode (Coltrane-ish), long wailing
intonations, crying drums, and bold bass. Feel the emotional invisible lines!
Shaw’s passionate soprano saxophone soars as the members comp with soft whispers on “Meghan,” dedicated to Revive Music Group founder Meghan Stabile, who died by suicide in 2022. “She was a tireless advocate for Black American music, a close collaborator and a friend,” said Shaw. For reservations, visit jazzgallery.org.
The genius of pianist and composer Thelonious Monk was his unorthodox playing style, the way he committed to each note. His melodies were twists and turns of multiple phrases that translated his fierce compositions into brilliant masterpieces. His unorthodox playing style alone was worth the price of admission to witness him in creative motion. He didn’t use the assigned, normal curved hands. No, Monk hit the keys with fingers held flat, high above the keys, creating that unique crush-
ing percussive sound. Acknowledged, there are many great American pianists but there was only one Thelonious Monk. Not a bad reputation for a young man born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, who is one of five jazz musicians to have been featured on the cover of Time (the others
with the inspired inventiveness of saxophonists Joe Lovano, The New York Times says that Lovano is “one of the great connectors in the history of New York jazz over the last few generations” (wed – sat), and Miguel Zenón (sun). The final two pieces of this exciting quartet are bassist Rick Rosato and drummer Obed Calvaire [SFJAZZ Collective and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra]. Another thrilling moment to witness another quartet of musicians offer their perspective on the music of one of America’s great pianists and composers of jazz history. For reservations, visit smokejazz.com.
It seems astrological constellations are responsible for birthing genius under the same sign of Libra on October 10, as Thelonious Monk, legendary singer/ songwriter, playwright, poet, and activist Oscar Brown Jr., and drummer, composer Marcus Gilmore were all born on that auspicious day.
being Louis Armstrong, Dave Brubeck, Duke Ellington, and Wynton Marsalis).
In celebration of Monk’s birthday (born on Oct. 10, 1917), Smoke Jazz and Supper Club (2751 Broadway at 105th Street) will present a two-week celebration of the pianist’s birthday beginning on October 8 through October 12 with a quartet led by pianist, composer, and inventive big band leader Orrin Evans with the young invigorating saxophonist Melissa Aldana, bassist Robert Hurst [longtime sideman to Diana Krall, Herbie Hancock, and Brandford and Wynton Marsalis], and drummer, composer, multiGrammy Award-winner, and NEA Jazz Master Terri Lyne Carrington. This quartet represents an explosive array of talent who will add their own interpretation of Monk’s unique compositions and magical sound. Monk at Smoke continues its second week on October 15-19 with another invigorating quartet led by pianist Kevin Hays [Benny Golson, Bob Belden, Eddie Henderson, and Steve Potter], along
Gilmore, who will be 39 on October 10, has been working with his own ensemble for over a year. The collaborative unit leans outside the average jazz configuration, featuring the strings of guitarist Emmanuel Michael, double bassist Rashaan Carter, electric bassist Burniss Travis, pianist David Virelles, Morgan Guerin on EWI (electronic wind instrument), and Gilmore on drums and percussion.
The young drummer, along with his creative unit, returns to the Village Vanguard (178 7th Avenue South), where Gilmore released his latest album “Journey to the New: Live at the Village Vanguard” (2025). The drummer produced and arranged the album, which offers seven tracks of over 50 minutes of music written by him and several band members, with a Geri Allen cover. The title track (14:26) features Gilmore in high velocity with an outrageous solo and comping brilliantly on this jaunty ride of jazzy electronics, engrossed in the piano dexterity of Virelles.
Most of Gilmore’s repertoire will come from this latest CD. The album is a sublime journey through dancing electronics, moving piano rhythms, acoustic bass melodies, and harmonies that move intuitively, striking the ear with a fresh sound. Gilmore will also appear in the Fred Hersch Trio from October 21-26. For reservations, visit villagevanguard.com
Jaleel Shaw (Ron Scott Associates photos)
Mentorship is important for Smith. Marlene Taylor, a long-time Harlem primary care provider and infectious disease specialist, says she has had a great impact on her work.
“(Dr. Smith) instilled the importance of how to deal with patients in the Harlem community with compassion, understanding, and clinical expertise by acknowledging what is needed to address disparities,”
Taylor, who works at Ryan Health Adair on 124th street, said. Smith says Taylor is one of the providers that she is most proud of having supported since North General.
Since January, the Trump administration has taken several steps to cut medical re-
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sense,” said MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber about the funding cut announcement. “Right now, there’s no impact on the progress of the construction of the Second Avenue subway. We’re confident that we can comply with whatever these new rules are and that we’re going to continue, most importantly, to have an aggressive minority and women-owned business program in the
search and other resources for hospitals, universities, and other institutions. Smith says these can have a significant impact on the work she and other doctors can provide.
“If all of these cuts had happened 20 years ago, we would not be where we are today in terms of the prevalence of HIV; instead of going down, it would really be incredibly high,” Smith said. At this stage, Smith says doctors are looking to cure HIV, and it requires research.
In her role with the State Department, Smith has led the digital health initiative, where she has focused on conveying health information to community members and young people in particular.
One of the programs she helped develop recently was the award-winning YGetIt comic book and mobile app, designed to educate and provide support services for
state-funded side of our capital program.”
Espaillat and Sen. Chuck Schumer dedicated $3.4 million from the federal government in 2023 for the $7.7 billion second phase of the project, approved by thenTransportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
Funding the subway project has been a central issue since its inception.
In 1919, the Second Avenue subway project, for what was then called the Independent Subway System (IND), was later “crippled” by a lack of funding during the Great Depression era. The line was approved by the transportation board in 1929, but
teenagers and young adults on the topic of HIV and infectious diseases.
Under Smith’s leadership, the AIDS Institute is also continuing to build out its youth advisory group for ages 16-24 to better connect and serve young people.
Community involvement
In 2012, Smith began serving on Community Board 10 and co-founded the nonprofit, Marcus Meets Malcolm (MMM), which has hosted several events for Harlem residents on 120th Street over the last few years. She says she has learned a great deal about how crucial the board is in advocating for the community. She chose not to reapply this year but remains active with MMM.
The organization was co-founded by Smith, along with Tressi Colon and Yvette
continued to struggle with building costs and by 1939, it was abandoned. During the 1950s, with interruptions because of the Korean War, the transportation board picked the project back up and actually managed to dedicate $112 million in funding to it from a state bond measure before construction was once again postponed.
The city finally began construction in 1972 but stalled three years later and would not return to the project until 1995.
In the early 90s and 2000s, former Mayor Mario Cuomo pushed the project forward, but it was cut from the city’s budget. Former
Russell in 2020 and developed out of the pandemic when neighbors on 120th street — where Smith has lived for over 20 years — gathered each evening at 7 p.m. to clap for healthcare workers. A shared desire to connect and do more as a community soon led to extending the celebration into a half-hour dance party and eventually applying for an open street permit.
“We want to build the Harlem community one neighbor at a time,” Smith said.
Going forward, Smith says they want to help other blocks be able to work together as neighbors to deliver their specific needs and build out their own community.
“That way they can sort of assess their own needs and solve their own issues and solve their own problems, and then as a group overall, we can all get together,” Smith said.
Governor Andrew Cuomo continued his father’s work by spearheading the project in 2014. Construction for phase one to extend the Q line was almost complete in 2016, and finally had its first trains run in 2017. The cost was approximately $4.4 billion.
“Cuts to the MTA funding are not just numbers on a spreadsheet. They are decisions that impact real lives, real communities, and the real futures of our city. That threat of proposed cuts would delay or even derail the extension of the Second Avenue subway line,” said Councilmember Yusef Salaam. “And that would be a profound mistake.”
MY AGE ISN’T A PROBLEM,
“
Education
Bronx students’ U.S. Capitol tour was canceled by government shutdown — then AOC stepped in
By MICHAEL ELSEN-ROONEY
Chalkbeat New York
Eighth graders from Zeta Charter Schools in the Bronx were scheduled to tour the U.S. Capitol building Wednesday morning when the federal government shut down, placing their tour guide on furlough and leaving the disappointed students with no way to get into the building — but the group soon got an unforgettable civics lesson when Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez offered to step in as a replacement tour guide.
Ocasio-Cortez, who represents swaths of Queens and the Bronx where some Zeta students live, had already planned to greet the group on their tour. When she found out the tour was canceled, she decided to get the students into the building the only way she could: by personally escorting them.
“It was a totally different direction than we thought the day would go,” said Dan Rojas, school manager and one of the chaperones. “We knew that what we had planned was not going to happen in the way that we had planned it many months
ago. It turned very, very quickly into, actually, a much better experience.”
The adult chaperones were immediately star-struck when Ocasio-Cortez, a 35-yearold Democrat representing Queens and the Bronx who has shot to national prominence as a vocal leader of the party’s progressive wing, strolled up to the group outside the Capitol, Rojas said. However, few of the 12- and 13-year-old students recognized her.
“Before we actually met her, I had no idea who she was,” said 13-year-old Jordan Allen.
Allen was excited to learn about Ocasio-Cortez’s backstory of growing up in the Bronx and Westchester County and working as an organizer and bartender before unseating a powerful incumbent, Joe Crowley, at age 28 in the Democratic primary.
The impromptu tour hit many of the major spots in the Capitol building, including the Rotunda and Senate chambers, where lawmakers just hours earlier had reached an impasse over healthcare funding and sent the government into a shutdown.
Seeing the Capitol eerily empty without its normal tours in the immediate aftermath of the shutdown — the first in seven years — made the Zeta students feel like they were witnessing history.
“It was like seeing America change live,” said Allen. “It was amazing.”
The tour led by Ocasio-Cortez, often referred to as AOC, also included some stops that aren’t on the normal visitor agenda. Her tour focused on the long history of discrimination facing female lawmakers — and their creativity in overcoming it.
Ocasio-Cortez took the students to a reading room only accessible to members of Congress that serves as a gathering place for the women.
She told them about Patsy Mink, the first woman of color elected to the House of Representatives, and Shirley Chisholm, the Brooklyn native and first Black woman in Congress whose portrait now hangs in the capitol.
For 12-year-old Maia Gilliam, seeing Ocasio-Cortez in action made the biggest impression.
“It was inspiring to see such a powerful woman,” she said.
“She made the tour a lot more interesting,” added 13-year-old Zachary Martinez.
Ocasio-Cortez wanted the students to leave the tour feeling like they were welcome at the Capitol, a building she reminded them is called “the people’s house,” said Karla Santillan, a spokesperson for OcasioCortez who joined the tour.
Some Zeta students left feeling hopeful they can make a positive change at a moment when political divisions have never felt sharper and the federal government has ground to a halt.
“I feel like all these old people are often not making good decisions, and it’s really affecting us a lot, but as time goes on, people of our generation, or even people coming close to our generation — they’re making big changes,” said Martinez. “They’re changing the world. They’re making it better for everyone.”
Michael Elsen-Rooney is a reporter for Chalkbeat New York, covering NYC public schools. Contact Michael at melsenrooney@chalkbeat.org.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez takes eighth graders from Zeta Charter Schools on impromptu tour of U.S. Capitol building. (Zeta Charter Schools via Chalkbeat New York)
A celebration of Bill Perkins' life at street naming
(Bill Moore photos)
Trump’s tariffs could send prescription drug prices out of reach Health
(Pexels/Kampus Production photo)
By JENNIFER PORTER GORE
Word in Black
Studies confirm it: One in three Americans can’t afford to take recommended doses of prescription drugs because of skyrocketing prices. Even the price tag for low-cost generic drugs has risen so much that some consumers are cutting their doses in half or skipping them entirely to stretch out a month’s supply.
When President Donald Trump took office, he vowed to bring down prescription drug prices, but experts say his plan — threatening tariffs as high as 100% on drugs imported from China and India, the world’s leading pharmaceutical manufacturers — will make matters worse, hiking prices even higher and potentially triggering shortages at pharmacies.
That’s bad news for Black people, who have disproportionately high rates of chronic diseases, like heart disease and high blood pressure, that require daily medication. Given that Black consumers already struggle more than white people to pay for prescription medication, any price hike could put
some medications out of reach.
In addition, because Black communities often are “pharmacy deserts” (neighborhoods where drug stores are few and far between), critical, potentially life-saving prescriptions could be not only more expensive but harder to find in some areas.
“[When] looking at major issues with hypertension, mental health, diabetes, and how these products are brought into the market, it’s staggering,” said Kathleen Jaeger, a spokesperson for the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance, a coalition of generic drug manufacturers. “If there is no generic on the market, that actually pushes patients to buy the brand products, which are going to cost five to 10 times more.”
Managing chronic diseases will get dicier
In 2024, Americans’ spending on prescription drugs grew by $50 billion annually, an 11.4% increase from the year before. Approximately 90% of all prescriptions in the U.S. are filled with generic drugs, and policy analysts estimate that a tariff as low as 25% could in-
crease U.S. drug costs by as much as $51 billion annually.
An estimated six in 10 American adults take at least one prescription drug, but one-quarter of them have problems paying for their medication. Roughly 30% say they already can’t afford to take their medication as prescribed. The same percentage said they had to cut their spending for food or clothing to pay for their prescriptions.
Yet, while nearly half of all U.S. adults have cardiovascular disease, a condition that usually requires daily medication, almost 60% of Black Americans live with this condition. Nearly 18% of Black people live with diagnosed or undiagnosed diabetes, which is typically managed with regular doses of insulin or other drugs; the same percentage manage chronic anxiety, another condition that is usually treated through a prescription. The same is true for depression: More than 22% of Black people struggle with that disorder.
The White House argues that Trump’s tariffs on India and China are, in part, intended to promote domestic drug manufacturing, but
the process of building a pharmaceutical factory in the U.S. could take years. Meanwhile, when the tariffs kick in, people with chronic illnesses will have to pony up for name-brand versions of prescription drugs — that can be double or triple the price of the generics.
For instance, Prinivil, a brandname drug used to treat cardiovascular disease, can cost as much as $347 for a month’s supply, but the price tag for lisinopril — the generic version — is as low as $12.77 per month.
Another drug, Elavil, which treats mental health disorders, costs $71 for a 90-day supply of the brandname version, while the generic version sells for as little as $15 for the same amount, according to Jaeger’s organization.
If tariffs and shortages nudge a $10 to $20 generic prescription copay closer to a $30 or $40 copay, or force a temporary switch to a pricier, brand-name drug, that increases the likelihood a patient will skip a dose. That choice, experts say, can prolong a short-term illness or lead to a worsened health outcome for a chronic condition.
Price increases will hit Black Americans hardest
Still, bearing the pain of price increases at the drug store depends on whether there even is a pharmacy that can fill the prescription. Research shows pharmacy closures affect low-income and Black communities disproportionately. Combined with higher drug prices, this problem also makes it harder to fill prescriptions or get access to vaccines, such as for the flu or COVID.
There is some good news: Some entrepreneurial businesses have stepped in to help low-income patients.
On September 29, PhRMA announced that its AmericasMedicines. com will be available to consumers starting in January 2026. The site is designed to enable patients to purchase certain medications directly from drug manufacturers, although there are no details about which pharmaceutical manufacturers will participate and which specific drugs they will offer.
The next day, Donald Trump announced that Pfizer, a major pharmaceutical company, had agreed to lower the cost of prescription drugs for the Medicaid program. Pfizer also stated that it would participate in the Trump administration’s new website, which will enable consumers to purchase drugs directly from manufacturers at an average discount of 50%. As of Wednesday, reports indicated that Trump has backed down from imposing 100% tariffs on imported medicines since manufacturers say they are taking steps to lower prices. There’s no word about whether there will be lower tariffs on pharmaceuticals. Discount services like GoodRx and the Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company offer programs to help consumers afford the medications they need. GoodRx is a free service that lets consumers compare pharmacy prices and use coupons to lower their costs. Cost Plus sells medicines at the manufacturer’s price, plus a small fee. This is usually much lower than the retail markup, especially for generic drugs.
Religion & Spirituality
Religion & Spirituality
Hope in Hot-Mess Times
The Truth Will Set Us Free
Performing faith with a broken spirit, here and abroad
“By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, and there we wept when we remembered Zion. On the willows there we hung up our harps, for there our captors asked us for songs, and our tormentors asked for mirth, saying, ‘Sing us one of the songs of Zion.’ How could we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land?” Psalm 137:1–9 (NRSV)
This week, as our Jewish siblings concluded the holy days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, we entered October carrying both sacred reflection and global sorrow. In a time when violence is once again consuming Israel and Gaza, I preached this past Sunday
from Psalm 137, a haunting text about exile, memory, and the ache of displacement.
These are hard words to hear. When I was a younger preacher, I would have skipped them altogether, but scripture like this demands honesty. It shows us what happens when people are traumatized; when they lose their land, their safety, and their hope. The Jewish people who wrote these words were living in exile, carried off to Babylon, grieving for everything they knew.
stock and pets, gone are the fruits of the
with each of my parents as they were
Even now, during these holy weeks, our Jewish siblings remember that ancient trauma. They remember what it means to lose everything and still believe that God is near.
I read the psalm because it is a story not of divine cruelty but of human anguish. All of scripture is human beings wrestling with God, trying to make meaning of their pain.
One of the ideas I discuss in my book, “Fierce Love” is truth. Many of us have been taught that love means being nice. That being nice means being polite and not being offensive. That not being offensive means blurring the truth about injuries, frustrations, and the unkindness we endure. Love defined in this way means cloaking much of what we feel in lies. That is not true.
14 The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 15 In those days and at that time, I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, he shall ex ecute justice and righteousness in the land.16 In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this is the name by which it will be called: “The Lord is our righteousness.”
The psalmist here is not glorifying violence. They are saying, “What do you expect from us, Babylonians? You stole our home and now you demand that we sing you a happy song?”
Jeremiah 33.14-16 NRSVUE
Love means being honest; love carries the weight of candor to build intimacy and trust. In other words, love — true love — must handle the truth because the truth frees us to love.
deserved.
Lewis calls an “unbounded now,” an eternal kind of time, to keep God’s promises. I think hope is also about hindsight. To be able to turn around and look over our shoulders — like a Sankofa — and see what God has been up to. See God healing broken systems, see God working with humans to ensure human rights. See God in the protests, in the community organizing, in the discovery of medications that cure diseases.
That heartbreak is not unfamiliar. It reminds me of the way enslaved Africans were forced to sing for their captors in this country. They were expected to perform joy for people who profited from their pain. You do not feel like singing for someone who has stolen your freedom, but you do what you must to survive.
To sing God’s song in a strange land, to perform faith when your spirit is broken, can feel impossible. Yet that cry from exile echoes through every generation. “If I forget you, O Jerusalem,” the psalmist says, “let my tongue
Before those words above, the ture Jeremiah paints in this 33rd chapter of his prophecy looks like the destruction and devastation I see in my social media feeds. It looks like Gaza. It looks like Congo or Sudan. It looks like Haiti or Ukraine. It looks like California after fires and it looks like the Carolinas after storms. Where there has been dancing and laughter, now there is weeping and mourning. Where there used to be children playing in the streets, now they are climbing over the rubble, trying to find food, or remnants of their loved ones. Gone are live-
This holiday season, I want to encourage truth-filled interactions. I don’t mean hurling violent words at each other, words stored up at times for generations. But I do mean being honest with each other as if these are our last moments , because we never know how much time is left in our lives. I mean being honest and vulnerable. Making amends. I had powerful experiences
birthday (party), Mom had another crisis and was hospitalized; this time my dad signed a do not resuscitate order; they were both suffering from her suffering. This meant she was in hospice, this meant her days were numbered. I traveled from New York to Chicago to spend time in her hospital room, reading, watching her sleep, unless she was watching me.
cling to the roof of my mouth.” Their song is caught in their throat.
When I think about that pain, I also think about how trauma can mutate into rage. The psalmist’s last words are violent and shocking because they come from unbearable grief. They long for revenge against the ones who destroyed them.
It may not feel holy to admit that, but all of us, if we are honest, know that impulse. When we are deeply hurt, a part of us wants to strike back. Maybe not with stones, but with words, with silence, or with small acts of power. Broken people break people. Hurt people hurt people.
Sadly, this theology permeates much of our modern understanding. And to be honest, I don’t believe that. If it were true, so many people doing despicable things, and causing harm to communities and the planet, would not be flourishing. They would be the ones searching for food on garbage heaps and they are not. If that theology were true, amazing humans doing incredibly loving things for their communities would not be struggling to make ends meet. Do you see what I mean? It is difficult to make a direct correlation between good people getting good things, and bad people getbad things.
Mom, what are you doing? I’m watching you. Why aren’t you sleeping? I don’t want to miss seeing your face. You know my face. I want to memorize it, you’re beautiful. You are too, mommy. Do you know how much I love you? I do; do you know how much I love you? Yes, but I love you more.
We see this same pattern play out across history. Jews, Muslims, and Christians, siblings who share Abraham as their ancestor, have fought each other again and again over land, identity, and belonging. We call that region the Holy Land, but it is an unholy mess.
The issue I am raising is theodicy: Does a good God allow bad things to happen to good people? Does a good God allow good things to happen to bad people? I’ve got lots of thoughts on this topic that I’ll continue to share in this space, some of it shaped by a book by Rabbi Harold Kushner, “When Bad Things Happen to Good People.”
Our words were in a loop, tumbling out over and over again. This was what it was like, to be with her, to watch her watching me, to catch her face in the eerie blue glow of her room, to pull out the sofa bed and make it up again. To hear her cough, to use the tool to suck the phlegm out of her mouth. To fight with doctors and nurses about feeding her, hydrating her, keeping her comfortable.
What we are witnessing in Israel and Gaza this week is not only a war, but a disappearing. We are watching people who have been hurt for generations, hurt each other again. Trauma without healing breeds amnesia. It convinces us that our suffering is unique, that this time it is different, that vengeance is justified — but when you strip away the politics and power, it is still the same story. Children are dying. Families are being erased. Lives are being destroyed by grief that has never healed.
The same story echoes here at home. Europeans fled tyranny only to enact tyranny on Indigenous people. Colonizers seeking freedom enslaved Africans to build their churches and their roads. Centuries later, we still redraw boundaries and build walls, pretending that some lives matter more than others.
This is what it was like, to face the truth. Mom was dying, really, finally. Right before our eyes. She had been dying for a long time, but now? Now if you looked closely, you could see her leaving. There was something different about her eyes. They were receding, closing just a little bit at a time. They were knowing eyes, searching eyes, looking deeply into my soul, looking for something, saying something she was thinking but not saying. I’m hurting. I hurt you. I love you. I’m sorry I smoked. I don’t want to die. I’m afraid. I love you more, more than I can say.
For now, with Chaldean/Babylonian conquest, captivity and exile in the background, with desolation and the absence of human and animal life thriving, no matter how they got there, Jeremiah reminds these people of God’s covenant-keeping faithfulness. God will restore, God will repair, God will reclaim the people. God is a promisekeeper, Jeremiah is saying. And as sure as day follows night, humans should not doubt God’s intention, power and ability to not only repair what’s broken BUT to raise up people to partner with God to fix these broken things and make sure it stays fixed.
Living
It is human to cling to our tribe and protect what feels like ours, but that instinct, if left unchecked, leads to isolation and violence. The only way to sing God’s song in a strange land, the only way to survive, is to sing together. We must enlarge our tribe. We must say to one another, “You are my other. You are me. We are connected.” There is no such thing as being human alone. There is no faith without community. There is no survival without recognizing that our lives are intertwined.
Jeremiah writes to give hope to the people, even amid their sorrow.
Mommy was dying, leaving us, leaving me. And while she was dying, she was giving me something to live with. She was birthing me some more, liberating me, pushing me that last little bit out of her. She willed herself to live until she gave it all to me. She knew I needed
If we forget that truth, the destruction will not stop in Gaza or Tel Aviv or Kyiv. It will
How do we hope in hot-mess times? I think it is about learning how to see. Learning how to see in the distance, in the future; to be far-sighted enough to see the moral arc of the universe bending toward justice. To see and to imagine that God is faithful and has what C.S.
come for all of us. Our tall buildings, our wealth, and our power will not protect us from existential rage.
Hope is learning how to see. To see a Holy Partner at work in the world, moving against injustice with love, equipping authors, artists and activists; parents, poets and preachers to work with the power of Spirit to bring dead places back to life. To end wars and enmity. To cause justice to roll down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.
The only thing that saves us is remembering who we are and whose we are. We were created in a right relationship with God. We came into the world knowing we were loved and that our neighbors were, too. Somewhere along the way, we forgot. We forgot that we are holy, and we forgot that our neighbor is holy. That is where the fighting begins.
something — each of us needed something — but I know best what I yearned for. It was her blessing, her understanding, her permission to be fully myself, It was her gentle nudge for me to finish becoming me. I needed her to hold the (childhood) hurt with me, so we could let it go. It was absolution for both of us, for any sorrow, any failure. It was getting it straight between us, getting the feeling out of each of us. While plugged into noisy machines that made her life possible, mom plugged me into her, for a little while, reconnecting to me as though through an umbilical cord, sharing air, time, truth. When she birthed me the first time, I came through her, picking up some of her biomes, and now she gave me more to keep me well. More than immune system boosters, she gave me super saturated love, a love transfusion. She spoke words of admiration, words of understanding and grace. She helped me see myself like she saw me. It was a healing, the liberating power of truth in the space between my mother and me. Every time mom said, “I love you more,” she was telling me the truth. She loved me fiercely, but she should have known, wish she’d known, yet didn’t know about what happened to me when I was a girl…Each time she said, “I love you more,” along with it were paragraphs about what she hoped for me. Here is the truth preBe you, Jac. You’re not too shiny, too strong. You didn’t deserve what happened to you and you didn’t cause it by being you. It was not your fault.
I think often about our own history at Middle Church. This congregation began as a Dutch Reformed church in 1628, born from colonizers who enslaved Africans and stole Lenape land. And yet, centuries later, look around: There is no single majority in this room. We are a tapestry of color, language, and culture. Together, we have become something new.
I am the first African American and the first woman to serve as senior minister in the Collegiate Church. I stand here because people before me, like Mayken van Angola, an enslaved woman who fought for her freedom in 1662, remembered her worth. She knew deep in her bones that she was holy. That same memory lives in us.
Civil rights theologian, mystic and minister Howard Thurman wrote: Look well to the growing edge! All around us worlds are dying, and new worlds are being born; all around us life is dying, and life is being born. The fruit ripens on the tree, the roots are silently at work in the darkness of the earth against a time when there shall be new leaves, fresh blossoms, green fruit. Such is the growing edge! It is the extra breath from the exhausted lung, the one more thing to try when all else has failed, the upward reach of life when weariness closes in upon all endeavor. This is the basis of hope in moments of despair, incentive to carry on when times are out of joint and men have lost their reason, the source of confidence when worlds crash and dreams whiten into ash. The birth of the child — life’s most dramatic answer to death — this is the growing edge incarnate. Look well to the growing edge!
Holiness is our birthright, but it is also our responsibility.
This is a rough friends. BUT see that growing edge incarnate? Hope is there.
Mommy and I had more than one of those moments over the eight years she was living and dying at the same time. We are all, loves, are living and dying at the same time. Is there a truth you need to hear or tell? A love-filled truth-telling — speaking the truth in love — might set you free and liberate your loved ones as well. It might be hard, but it might also be amazing!
We are responsible to heal the world. To speak truth to power. To call out injustice. To refuse silence. We are responsible to let love be the light that cuts through the darkness. Freedom is not a concept unless we enact it. Liberation is not a dream unless we live it. So I ask you: What are you doing to make yourself free, and what are you doing to free your neighbor?
For more thoughts on hope, listen to my podcast, Love.Period. https://cac. org/podcasts/hope-is-the-thing/
Because God is in the business of liberation, and if we remember who we are — beloved, connected, and sacred, then we can finally sing together again. We can sing freedom. We can sing fierce love.
Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis is senior minister and public theologian at Middle Church in New York. She is the author of “Fierce Love” and “The Just Love Story Bible.” Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets, including the New York Times, Washington Post, Ebony, and Essence
Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis is senior minister and public theologian at Middle Church in New York. Celebrated internationally for her dynamic preaching and commitment to building a just society with fierce love, Dr. Lewis champions racial, economic, and gender/sexuality justice. author of several books, including “Fierce Love” and the “Just Love Story Bible,” her work has been featured on NBC, CBS, PBS, MSNBC, NPR and in the New York Times, Washington Post, and Ebony and Essence magazines.
Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis is senior minister and public theologian at Middle Church in New York. Celebrated internationally for her dynamic preaching and commitment to building a just society with fierce love, Dr. Lewis champions racial, economic, and gender/sexuality justice. The author of several books, including “Fierce Love” and the “Just Love Story Bible,” her work has been featured on NBC, CBS, PBS, MSNBC, NPR and in the New York Times, Washington Post, and Ebony and Essence magazines.
Demonstration at Kabri Junction in Israel demanding end to war and return of 23 October 7 hostages from Hamas in Gaza. (Shlomo Rodad/ Pikiwiki Israel photo)
Off the Page
working in media, starting in talk radio and then segueing to television, which then led to writing books. “For me, it was with great intention, clarity, and focus, and actually a bit of sacrifice.”
Millman, who was a branding
expert, launched her podcast, Design Matters, in 2005, years before podcasts were a thing. At the time, she wanted to reignite her creative soul. She has now written eight books. Her current one is Love Letter to a Garden. Representation and diversity are integral to her work.
“I almost always prefer to do whatever I’m doing as an outsid-
er,” said Millman. “I am not getting rich on my book writing. My book writing helps me in all of the other areas of my life.”
Downey combines crafting with activism, which is quite different than the stereotypical vision of a craft enthusiast. Her book is Let’s Move the Needle: An Activism Handbook for Artists, Crafters, Creatives, and Makers. She also
teaches at colleges and universities and actually wrote her book before her book proposal.
“If this platform goes away, I will still do the work, but [I value] having the opportunity to reach and connect with and influence and encourage the passions that [people] never thought they could,” Downey said. “It’s so exciting to help people lean into that identity.”
“I believe in the immeasurable power of representation and media in all its various forms –– podcasting, books to digital content to old school, terrestrial radio, and television –– will always have a place in our society,” said Williams. “The interplay of all of those change spaces, change institutions, and change power, balances.”
(Quijada), a former Mexican soldier. They develop a relationship that is something very special. It is interesting that Carlos goes to help Henry, even though he was raised to fear Black men as a child. In those times, it was obvious that white men wanted Black and Brown people to not come together, because by dividing us, we were made weaker.
The story shared with the audience is one that will shock you, touch your heart and make you realize that Black and Brown people need to come together and help each other. This musical is imperative to experience. It is important for all generations to know that this occurred. Robinson and Quijada drop dates of historic events and knowledge along with raps and beats. Their singing voices are phenomenal! You will find yourself completely taken with their musical talents and versatility as they play multiple instruments with ease.
This new musical also showcases the strength and resilience of the Black slave. “Mexodus” has dynamic direction by David Mendizabal and is being performed with incredible energy, flair and
at
The production features scenic design by Riw Rakkulchon, costume design by David Mendiz-
abal, lighting design
choreography by Tony
Thomas; and splendid direction by David Mendizabal. You can’t experience this musical and not feel changed — enlightenment is truly a beautiful thing.
Go and see this show and take as many people as you can. It is
only running through November 1. This history must be acknowledged and shared. These facts of a partnership between Black slaves and Brown people did happen and cannot be erased or ignored! For tickets visit mexodus.org.
honesty
Audible’s Minetta Lane Theatre in Lower Manhattan. This musical screams Black and Brown lives do matter.
by Mextly Couzin, looping systems architecture and sound design by Mikhail Fiksel; projection design by Johnny Moreno; orchestrations by Mikhail Fiksel, Quijada and Robinson;
Brian Quijada and Nygel D. Robinson in “Mexodus” at the Minetta Lane Theatre (Curtis Brown photo)
Off the page panelists (L-R) Debbie Millman, Rhonesha Byng (moderator), Eboni K. Williams, and Shannon Downey (Antoine Bennett photos) Sally Kim (L) with Sojourner Elleby
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NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT. NEW YORK COUNTY. USALLIANCE FEDERAL CREDIT UNION BY MERGER WITH NEW YORK METRO FEDERAL CREDIT UNION, Pltf. vs., UNKNOWN HEIRS AT LAW OF JAMES MCCASKILL A/K/A JAMES MC CASKILL, HIS NEXT OF KIN, DISTRIBUTEES, EXECUTORS, ADMINISTRATORS, TRUSTEES, DEVISEES, LEGATEES, ASSIGNEES, LIENORS, CEDITORS, AND SUCCESSORS IN INTEREST, AND GENERALLY ALL PERSONS HAVING OR CLAIMING, UNDER, BY OR THROUGH SAID DEFENDANT WHO MAY BE DECEASED, BY PURCHASE, INHERITANCE, LIEN OR OTHERWISE, ANY RIGHT TITLE OR INTEREST IN AND TO THE PREMISES DESCRIBED IN THE COMPLAINT HEREIN, ALL OF WHOM AND WHOSE NAMES AND PLACES OF RESIDENCE ARE UNKNOWN TO THE PLAINTIFF AND CANNOT AFTER DILIGENT INQUIRY BE ASCERTAINED, et al Deft. Index #850257/2022. Pursuant to judgment of foreclosure and sale entered August 12, 2024, I will sell at public auction at the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on October 29, 2025 at 2:15 p.m. prem. k/a 61 West 126 th Street, New York, NY 10027 a/k/a Block 1724, Lot 11. Approximate amount of judgment is $180,402.84 plus cost and interest. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed judgment and terms of sale and the right of the United States of America to redeem within 120 days from the date of sale as provided by law. CHRISTY M. DEMELFI, Referee., MARGOLIN, WEINREB & NIERER, LLP., Attys. for Pltf., 575 Underhill Blvd., Suite 224, Syosset, NY. #102541
SUPREME COURT-NEW YORK COUNTY- HILTON RESORTS CORP., Pltf. v. VERONICA NKOSI, ANDREA B. THWALA and BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF HC SUITES OWNERS ASSOCIATION, INC., Defts. - Index # 850096/2021. Pursuant to Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated September 3, 2025, I will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the NY County Courthouse located 60 Centre Street, NY, NY on Wednesday, October 22, 2025, at 2:15 pm, an interest of an undivided 0.0450946335738578% tenant in common interest in the timeshare known as Phase I of HNY CLUB SUITES located at 1335 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York. Approximate amount of judgment is $73,631.96 plus costs and interest as of June 6, 2025. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale which includes annual maintenance fees and charges. Allison M. Furman, Esq., Referee. Cruser, Mitchell, Novitz, Sanchez, Gaston, & Zimet LLP, Attys. for Pltf., 341 Conklin Street, Farmingdale, NY.
SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK. ONESTONE LENDING LLC, Plaintiff -against- ALTA OPERATIONS, LLC, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated November 17, 2023 and entered on November 27, 2023 , 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 October 22, 2025 at 2:15 p.m. premises situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County and State of New York, known as The Tower Unit 10A in the building known as "One Riverside Park Condominium" together with an undivided 0.3653% interest in the common elements. Block: 1171 Lot: 2508. Said premises known as 50 RIVERSIDE BOULEVARD, UNIT 10A, NEW YORK, NY 10069. Approximate amount of lien $1,027,596.74 plus interest & costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale. Index Number 850198/2020. JERRY MEROLA, ESQ., Referee. The Camporeale Law Group PLLC, Attorney(s) for Plaintiff, 585 Stewart Avenue, 770, Garden City, NY 11530 {* AMSTERDAM*}
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NYC Sunergy Services LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 08/04/25. 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, New York, NY, 10003. Purpose: Any lawful act.
NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NEW YORK U.S. Bank Trust, N.A., as Trustee for LSF9 Master Participation Trust, Plaintiff AGAINST Llewellyn C. Werner a/k/a Llewellyn Werner Individually and as the sole member of Hawkes AP, LLC; et al., Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered December 7, 2022, amended September 5, 2025, 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 10007 on November 12, 2025, at 2:15PM, premises known as 160 West 66th Street Unit 46-G a/k/a 160 West 66th Street, Apartment 46G, New York, NY 10023. The Condominium Unit (the Unit) known as Unit No. 46G the building (the Building) known as Three Lincoln Center Condominium and by the Street Number 160 West 66th Street, Borough of Manhattan, County of New York, City and State of New York, Block 1137 Lot 1272. Approximate amount of judgment $2,290,728.13 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index# 810045/2010. Scott H. Siller, Esq., Referee LOGS Legal Group LLP f/k/a Shapiro, DiCaro & Barak, LLC Attorney(s) for the Plaintiff 175 Mile Crossing Boulevard Rochester, New York 14624 (877) 430-4792 Dated: September 23, 2025 For sale information, please visit www. Auction.com or call (800) 2802831 87352
Crystal Venning Law PLLC (TX PLLC; formed 4/26/22). App. for Auth. filed 7/15/25 w/ SSNY to transact NY Cty. SSNY desig. svc. of proc. agent; mail: 125 Park Ave, 25th Fl, NY, NY 10017. TX off.: 440 Louisiana St, Ste 900, Houston, TX 77002. PLLC Cert. w/ TX SOS, P.O. Box 13697, Austin, TX 78711. Any lawful purpose.
NOTICE OF FORMATION
UNDERCOVER MOH LLC.
Arts. of Org. filed with the Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/16/25. Office: New York County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: Nicole Lefkowitz, 25 Water St., Apt. 744, New York, NY 10004.
Notice of Formation of LESLIE-LOHMAN HOLDINGS LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/16/25. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, c/o Carter Ledyard & Milburn LLP, Attn: Christopher Rizzo, Esq., 28 Liberty St. - 41st Fl., NY, NY 10005. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
NOTICE OF SALE
SUPREME COURT ‑ COUNTY OF NEW YORK.
SBT ADVANTAGE BANK, A DI VISION OF STERLING BANK AND TRUST, FSB, Plaintiff ‑against‑ YING MA, et al Defen dant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated July 18, 2025, I, the under signed Referee will sell at pub lic auction in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on Wednesday, November 12, 2025 at 2:15 p.m. prem ises situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, City, County and State of New York, known as Unit No. 3C in the building known as "The Iris Condominium" together with an undivided 1.39842% interest in the common elements. Block: 1198 Lot: 1117
Said premises known as 76 WEST 85TH STREET, UNIT 3C, NEW YORK, NY 10024
Approximate amount of lien $418,807.83 plus interest & costs.
Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale.
Index Number 850678/2023.
JEFFREY R. MILLER, ESQ., Referee
DRUCKMAN LAW GROUP
PLLC
Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 242 Drexel Avenue, Westbury, NY 11590
DLG# 39519 {* AMSTERDAM*}
SUPREME COURT ‑ COUNTY OF NEW YORK. OLYMPIC TOWER CONDO MINIUM BY ITS BOARD OF MANAGERS, Plaintiff ‑against‑ TAITAC CORP., et al Defen dant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated September 3, 2025 and entered on September 4, 2025, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Court house, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on Wednesday, Octo ber 29, 2025 at 2:15 p.m. premises situate, ly ing and being in the Borough of Manhattan, City, County and State of New York, the Unit known as Apartment No. 35G known as and by the street address number 641 Fifth Ave nue. Together with an undivided .2213396% interest in the Com mon Elements. Block: 1287 Lot: 1111
Said premises known as 641 FIFTH AVENUE, INIT 35G, NEW YORK, NY
Approximate amount of lien $43,233.60 plus interest & costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale. Index Number 159804/2024.
JEFFREY R. MILLER, ESQ., Referee
Schwartz Sladkus Reich Green berg Atlas LLP
Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 444 Madison Ave., 6th Floor, New York, NY 10022
{* AMSTERDAM*}
NOTICE OF SALE
SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF New York , CAPITAL ONE, N.A., Plaintiff, vs. KENNETH LAUB, ET AL., Defendant (s).
Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered on October 11, 2022, 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 October 22, 2025 at 2:15 PM, premises known as 163 EAST 64TH STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10065 F/K/A 10021. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County, City and State of New York, Block: 1399 , Lot: 25. Approximate amount of judgment is $10,653,559.26 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 159315/2017. If the sale is set aside for any reason, the Purchaser at the sale shall be entitled only to a return of the deposit paid. The Purchaser shall have no further recourse against the Mortgagor, the Mortgagee, the Mortgagee's attorney, or the Referee.
DORON A. LEIBY, Esq., Referee
Roach & Lin, P.C., 6851 Jericho Turnpike, Suite 185, Syosset, New York 11791, Attorneys for Plaintiff
Notice of Formation of Reese Peters Design LLC.
Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 09/05/2025.
Office Location: New York, NY.
SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to: 184 Franklin St Apt 5 New York NY 10013.
Purpose: To engage in any lawful act or activity permitted under the laws of the State of New York.
Management: The LLC is managed by Members.
premises consumption. TIP TARA THAI, TATA KITCHEN LLC
NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK. 57TH ST. VACATION OWNERS ASSOCIATION, INC., BY AND THROUGH ITS BOARD OF DIRECTORS, Plaintiff -againstJOAN BAFALOUKAS, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated August 27, 2024, 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 October 22, 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 ownership interest as tenant-incommon 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 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 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 $16,962.73 plus interest & costs.
Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale.
Index Number 850161/2023.
DORON LEIBY, ESQ., Referee DRUCKMAN LAW GROUP
PLLC
Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 242 Drexel Avenue, Westbury, NY 11590
DLG# 39125 {* AMSTERDAM*}
NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NEW YORK U.S. BANK NA, SUCCESSOR TRUSTEE TO BANK OF AMERICA, NA, SUCCESSOR IN INTEREST TO LASALLE BANK NA, AS TRUSTEE, ON BEHALF OF THE HOLDERS OF THE WAMU MORTGAGE PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2007- HY7, Plaintiff AGAINST TERRE SIEPSER SIMPSON
A/K/A TERRE S. SIMPSON
A/K/A TERRE SIMPSON A/K/A TERRE SIEPSE-SIMPSON; ET AL., Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered August 4, 2025, 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 November 5, 2025 at 2:15 PM, premises known as 106 Central Park South, Unit 3B, New York, NY 10019. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, City, County, and State of New York, Block: 1011 Lot: 4089. Approximate amount of judgment $1,863,650.44 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #850164/2023. Allison Furman, Esq., Referee Fein, Such & Crane, LLP 28 East Main Street Rochester, NY 14614 SPSNC846 87302
NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NEW YORK Wilmington Savings Fund Society, FSB, not in its individual capacity but solely as Owner Trustee of CSMC 2018SP3 Trust, Plaintiff AGAINST Sreeram Mallikarjun; et al., Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered April 23, 2025, I, the undersigned Referee, will sell at public auction in room 130 at the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY 10007 on November 5, 2025, at 2:15PM, premises known as 350 West 42nd Street Apartment 53C, New York, NY 10036. The Condominium Unit (the "Unit") in the premises known as Orion Condominium and by the street number 350 West 42nd Street, Borough of Manhattan, City, County and State of New York, Block 1032 Lot 1484. Approximate amount of judgment $1,206,958.02 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index# 850224/2021. Doron Leiby, Esq., Referee LOGS Legal Group LLP f/k/a Shapiro, DiCaro & Barak, LLC Attorney(s) for the Plaintiff 175 Mile Crossing Boulevard Rochester, New York 14624 (877) 430-4792 Dated: September 23, 2025 87371
Ya Habibi LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 8/12/2025. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 24-15 Queens Plaza North 6B, New York, NY 11101. Purpose: Any lawful act.
Pendenza LLC. App. for Authority filed with the SSNY on 9/26/2025. Office: New York County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: The LLC, 445 Park Ave., Ste. 967, NY, NY 10022. Purpose: Any lawful act.
Clean It Up Pest Control, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 08/11/2025. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 620 Malcolm X Blvd, Apt 12M, New York, NY 10037. Purpose: Any lawful act.
Meg Barber Basketball LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 18th Of June, 2025. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 115 Broadway Suite 1602, New York, New York 10006. Purpose: Any lawful act.
Quite Puzzling LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 03/28/25. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 30 West St 24 C, New York, NY 10004 Purpose: Any lawful act.
Gilded City Creations LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 6/10/25. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 255 W 108 St. 10A, New York, NY 10025. Purpose: Any lawful act.
NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NEW YORK WILMINGTON SAVINGS FUND SOCIETY, FSB, NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY BUT SOLELY IN ITS CAPACITY AS OWNER TRUSTEE FOR CASCADE FUNDING MORTGAGE TRUST 2018-RM2, Plaintiff AGAINST DONALD ELFE, ET AL., Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered February 6, 2025, 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 October 22, 2025 at 2:15 PM, premises known as 245 West 123rd Street, New York, NY 10027. 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, City, County and State of New York, Block 1929, Lot 12. Approximate amount of judgment $1,344,814.70 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #850007/2020. Doron Leiby, Esq., Referee Gross Polowy, LLC 1775 Wehrle Drive Williamsville, NY 14221 19-004389 86196
NOTICE OF SALE
SUPREME COURT COUNTY
OF NEW YORK , Mary Djurasevic , Plaintiff, vs . Marcy Ellin Boucher, a/k/a Marcy Ellen Boucher, a/k/a Marcy E. Boucher a/k/a Marcy Boucher ET AL. , Defendant(s).
Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale and Decision + Order on Motion dated January 30 , 2025, and duly entered May 21, 2025 I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the New York County Supreme Court, Room 130, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on October 29, 2025 at 2:15 p.m., premises known as 406 West 25 th Street, New York, N.Y. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of New York, County of New York, City and State of New York, Block 722 and Lot 45. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 850003/2024. Approximate amount of judgment is $5,298,632.71, together with interest and costs.
Jeffrey R. Miller, Esq., Referee
Law Offices of Morrison Cohen LLP, Joaquin Ezcurra, Esq., 909 Third Avenue, 27 th Floor, New York, NY 10022-4784, (212) 735-8600
Barbary Collective LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 8/12/25. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 447 Broadway #3000, NY, NY 10013. Purpose: Any lawful act.
Due Processors LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 9/26/25. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 41 State St, Ste 112, Albany, NY 12207 Purpose: Any lawful act.
NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NEW YORK WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A. SUCCESSOR BY MERGER TO WELLS FARGO HOME MORTGAGE, INC., Plaintiff AGAINST DOUGLAS E. SEWER, INDIVIDUALLY AND SURVIVING JOINT TENANT OF JOSEPH K. SEWER, ET AL., Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered May 1, 2025, 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 October 22, 2025 at 2:15 PM, premises known as 81 West 119 Street, New York, NY 10026. All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being in the City, County and State of New York, Block 1718 Lot 108. Approximate amount of judgment $1,333,945.21 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #850001/2010. Christy M. Demelfi, Esq., Referee Gross Polowy, LLC 1775 Wehrle Drive Williamsville, NY 14221 00-161915 87004
NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NEW YORK JPMORGAN CHASE BANK N.A., Plaintiff AGAINST ROOSEY KHAWLY, MARY THERESA KHAWLY, ET AL., Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered February 25, 2025, 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 November 12, 2025 at 2:15 PM, premises known as 15 West 53rd Street, Units 29A, 29F, and 30A, New York, NY 10019. All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, City, County and State of New York, Block: 1269, Lots: 1140, 1145, and 1146. Approximate amount of judgment $11,351,008.92 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #850464/2023. Clark Whitsett, Esq., Referee Fein, Such & Crane, LLP 28 East Main Street Rochester, NY 14614 CHNC1631 87303
AUTEUR DE VERITE LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 03/10/2025 . Office location: NEW YORK County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 136 W 129TH ST APT 3F, NEW YORK, NY, 10027. Purpose: Any lawful act.
Manor Of Collective LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 08/05/2025. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 13 Saint Marks Place Apt 9F, New York, NY 10003. Purpose: Any lawful act.
Brand Mystique LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 08/07/2025. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 251 W81 St 7E, NY, NY 10024 Purpose: Any lawful act.
NOTICE OF FORMATION of VSM NY WAREHOUSE LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 8/26/2025. Office location: New York County.
CATEGORY: Ltd Liability Company, NY: New York AD Number:
NOTICE OF FORMATION of VSM NY WAREHOUSE LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 8/26/2025. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent upon whom process may be served and shall mail copy of process against LLC to DANIEL MCCARTHY, GENERAL COUNSEL, VILLAGE SUPER MARKET, INC., 733 MOUNTAIN AVENUE SPRINGFIELD, NJ, 07081, USA. Purpose: any lawful act.
MTA PROCUREMENT
The MTA encourages vendors who have not done business with us to register for our bidders list using MY MTA Portal for vendors at www. mymta.info. Registered vendors can search for procurement opportunities across all MTA agencies and receive invitations to bid or propose on the types of goods and services they can provide. Certified minority and women-owned businesses (M/WBE), service-disabled veteran-owned businesses (SDVOB), and disadvantaged businesses (DBE), are strongly encouraged to compete for MTA opportunities. Visit our website at https://new.mta.info/doing-business-with-us for detailed information and guidelines.
SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK
SAGA HOUSE CONDOMINIUM BY ITS BOARD OF MANAGERS, Plaintiff -against- HANNA JESIONOWSKA PRACTICE L.L.C , et. al., Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated September 8, 2025 and entered on September 10, 2025, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction on November 12, 2025 at 2:15 p.m., in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street New York, NY, or at such other location within the Courthouse as may be designated by the Clerk of the Court and/or the Office of Court Administration, the premises situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, City, County and State of New York, known as Medical Unit No. 1 in the condominium building known as "Saga House Condominium" together with an undivided 6.19% interest in the common elements as described in the Declaration of Saga House Condominium. Block 1409 and Lot 1001. Said premises known as 157 East 74 th Street, Medical Unit No. 1, New York, New York. Approximate amount of lien $251,391.84 plus attorney’s fees and costs as awarded in the judgment, along with interest and costs.
Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale.
Index Number 156127/2024
JEFFREY R. MILLER, ESQ., Referee Levin & Glasser, P.C., Attorney(s) for Plaintiff, 551 Fifth Avenue, Ste. 1200, New York, NY 10176
{* AMSTERDAM*}
Woven Audiobooks Llc Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 9/29/25. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 712 W 176th St, New York NY 10033 Purpose: Any lawful act.
MORETTI PROPERTY VENTURES LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 08/13/2025 Office location: NEW YORK County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: Katzner Law Group 1407 BROADWAY RM 4002 , NEW YORK, NY, 10018. Purpose: Any lawful act.
SUPREME COURT-NEW YORK COUNTY- HILTON RESORTS CORP., Pltf. v. DAVID F. HURWITT as Administrator of the Estates of DAVID F. HURWITT and SUSAN HURWITT, Defts. - Index # 850288/2024. Pursuant to Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated September 8, 2025, I will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse located at 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on Wednesday, October 15, 2025, at 2:15 pm, an interest of an undivided 0.01972800000% and an interest of an undivided 0.00986400000% tenants in common interests in the timeshare known as 57TH STREET VACATION SUITES located at 102 West 57th Street, New York, NY. Approximate amount of judgment is $16,637.91 plus costs and interest as of June 27, 2025. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale which includes annual maintenance fees and charges. Paul Sklar, Esq., Referee. Cruser, Mitchell, Novitz, Sanchez, Gaston, & Zimet LLP, Attys. for Pltf., 341 Conklin Street, Farmingdale, NY.
SOUL ARTISTIC TRENDS ART COMPANY LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 05/21/2025. Office location: NEW YORK County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 950 EVERGREEN AVE, 2L , BRONX, NY, 10473. Purpose: Any lawful act.
Lithos Studio 'LLC' Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 08/08/25. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 500 W 18th St Apt E19D, New York, NY 10011. Purpose: Any lawful act.
NOTICE
Notice is hereby given that a license, number #NA-0340-25129320 for Beer, Wine &Amp; Liquor has been applied for by the undersigned to sell Beer, Wine &Amp; Liquor at retail in a Restaurant under the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law at 621 Hudson St, , New York, NY 10014, New York County for on premises consumption. Cleo Restaurant LLC , Cleo Restaurant LLC
NOTICE OF SALE
SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK.
AXOS BANK, Plaintiff
-against- HUDSON 805 LLC, et al Defendant(s). Index Number 850233/2022.
Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated November 26, 2024 and entered on February 3, 2025 (the “Judgment”), I, the undersigned Referee will sell at a public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street New York, New York on November 12, 2025 at 2:15 p.m. (E.T.) premises situate, all that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, City, County and State of New York, known as Unit No. 805-06 in the building known as the Printing House Condominium. Together with an undivided 0.0124% interest in the Common Elements. District: 0403 Section: 014.00 Block: 02.00 and Lot: 044.002. Said premises known as 421 HUDSON STREET, UNIT 805/806, NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10014.
Approximate amount of lien $7,584,837.12 plus post-judgment interest & costs.
Premises will be sold subject to provisions of the filed Judgment and the Terms of Sale.
JEFFREY MILLER, ESQ., Referee
Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton, LLP
Attn: Benjamin O. Gilbert bogilbert@sheppardmullin.com
Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10112 (212) 896-0682
NOTICE OF FORMATION OF ALEXANDER ALLANA GROUP LLC.
Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/09/2025.
Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against it may be served.
The Post Office address to which the SSNY shall mail a copy of any process against the LLC served upon him/her is: 1540 York Avenue, Apt 4L, New York, NY 10028. The principal business address of the LLC is: 1540 York Avenue, Apt 4L, New York, NY 10028. Dissolution date: None.
Purpose: Any lawful act or activity.
Notice of Qualification of MILES ON HUDSON, LLC
Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/16/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 04/25/24. 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 CVTB 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 02/06/25. Princ. office of LLC: 100 Causeway St., Ste. 1120, Boston, MA 02114. 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 122072543. 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., 401 Federal St. - Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Qualification of FIFTH AVENUE REAL ASSETS 7 LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/08/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 07/23/25. 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 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, Div. of Corps., 401 Federal St., John G. Townsend Bldg., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Qualification of GO LIC ADVISORY LLC
Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/09/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 05/07/25. 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.
PURPLE ARROW PRODUCTIONS LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 09/08/25. 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, 8333 Braesmain Drive, Apartment 1459, Houston, TX 77025. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.
Notice of Formation of JC8687 LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/14/25. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Martin D. Hauptman, Esq., c/o Mandelbaum Barrett PC, 3 Becker Farm Rd., Ste. 105, Roseland, NJ 07068. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
NOTICE OF FORMATION of VITRUVIAN MAN ENTERPRISES, LLC. Arts of Org filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 8/22/2025. Office location: NY county. SSNY designated as agent upon whom process may be served and shall mail copy of process against LLC to 177 Duane Street, #6 New York, NY 10013. Purpose: any lawful act.
Notice of Qualification of Levittown SL OpCo LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/17/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 09/04/25. Princ. office of LLC: 745 Fifth Ave., 25th Fl., NY, NY 10151. 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: Corporation Service Co., 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808-1674. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Ste. 3, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Qualification of Levittown SL PropCo LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/17/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 09/04/25. Princ. office of LLC: 745 Fifth Ave., 25th Fl., NY, NY 10151. 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: Corporation Service Co., 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808-1674. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Ste. 3, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Formation of LIMA TOWERS DEVELOPER, LLC
Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/13/25. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 6 Greene St., Ste. 500, 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., 80 State St., Albany, NY 122072543. Purpose: To control the funds used to fund costs for acquisition and renovation of Lima Towers.
Notice of Qualification of IRC AIRBEL VENTURES LLC
Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/24/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 12/20/23. Princ. office of LLC: 122 East 42nd St., NY, NY 10168. 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 STEAMBOAT PROP ACQUISITION PARTNERS LLC
Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/09/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 08/06/25. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Michael Spizzuco, Esq., Brach Eichler L.L.C., 101 Eisenhower Pkwy., Roseland, NJ 07068. DE addr. of LLC: c/o Corporation Service Co., 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 RBC MUNICIPAL CAPITAL, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/17/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 12/02/24. 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, Div. of Corps. - John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St. - Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Qualification of MONTICELLOAM FUNDING SH-95, LLC
Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/28/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 08/26/25. 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: 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: Engaging in and exercising all powers permitted to a limited liability company formed under the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act.
Notice of Qualification of PATRIOT HYDRO FUNDING, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/22/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 10/27/22. Princ. office of LLC: 1700 Broadway, 35th Fl., NY, NY 10019. 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, Charuni Patibanda-Sanchez, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Qualification of CASIMIR TECHNOLOGY, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/04/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 09/04/25. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Attn: Moritz Hilf, Vibrant Capital Partners, 350 Madison Ave., NY, NY 10017. DE addr. of LLC: c/o Corporation Service Co., 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State of the State of DE, Corp. Dept., Townsend Bldg., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Formation of MARGARET NELL LLC
Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/26/25. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 325 East 79th St., Apt. 2A, NY, NY 10075. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Emily M. Bromley at the princ. office of the LLC. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
State of Connecticut Court of Probate, Waterbury Regional Children's Probate Court
NOTICE TO William Glenn whose last known address was in Harlem, New York.
Pursuant to an order of Hon. Clifford P. Hoyle, Judge, a hearing will be held at Waterbury Regional Children's Probate Court, 65 Center Street, Waterbury, CT 06702 on February 3, 2026 at 10:00 AM, on a petition for Termination of Parental Rights concerning Cayden D. G., a minor child born to Maxine Wright on July 1, 2012 at Derby, CT. The courts decision will affect your interest, if any, as in the petition on file more fully appears.
RIGHT TO COUNSEL: If the above named person wishes to have an attorney, but is unable to pay for one, the Court will provide an attorney upon proof of inability to pay. Any such request should be made immediately by contacting the court office where the hearing is to be held. By Order of the Court
Clifford P. Hoyle, Judge
Notice of Qualification of SKYTON BEAUTY LLC
Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/30/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 09/03/25. 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, Div. of Corps., John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Qualification of WASABI ROLLOVER LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/30/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 05/06/24. 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.
Formation of NEW YORK DENTAL COLLABORATIVE, LLC filed with the Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 9/22/2025. Office loc.: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. The address SSNY shall mail process to Arti Jagirdar, 17 W. 24th St., Floor 2, New York, NY 10010. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Formation of RBEC1 DEVELOPER, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/28/25. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 30 Hudson Yards, Fl. 72, 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. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Qualification of ASPEN DOBBIN BORROWER LLC
Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/30/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 09/12/25. 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. 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.
PEIGYSTYLES LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on March 21, 2024. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 1178 Broadway, #4079, New York, NY 10001. Purpose: Any lawful act.
Notice of Formation of 130 W 19th 8D LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with NY Dept. of State on 9/3/25. Office location: New York County. NY Sec. of State designated agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served, and shall mail process to 130 West 19th St, Apt 8D, New York, NY 10011. Purpose: any lawful activity.
Notice of Formation of AHRENS CREATIVE LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/22/25. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, 333 W. 56th St., Penthouse A N, NY, NY 10019. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Formation of ANNIE'S NEW YORK LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/12/25. 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 122072543. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of formation of Catalyst 48 LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 9/21/25. Office location: New York County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: Erica Leone, 280 Park Ave S NY,NY 10010. Purpose: any lawful activity.
Notice of Qualification of NothingBetter Health Group, PLLC. Application for authority filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 9/5/2025. Office Location: NY County. PLLC formed in Virginia (VA) on 5/4/2025. SSNY designated as agent of PLLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 10304 Eaton Pl., Ste 100, Fairfax, VA 22030. Purpose: any lawful purpose.
Daniel Adam Goldstein LCSW PLLC filed w/ SSNY 8/26/25. Off. in NY Co. Process served to SSNY - desig. as agt. of PLLC & mailed to the PLLC, 424 E. 52nd St, #5C, NY, NY 10022. Any lawful purpose.
Notice of Formation of FARNER NARNER, LLC
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
Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/29/25. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 200 Park Ave. South, 8th Fl., NY, NY 10003. 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 RBF1 DEVELOPER, 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
Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/28/25. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 30 Hudson Yards, Fl. 72, 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. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
HEXAGON INVESTORS LLC.
Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 09/11/25. 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 Shivam Agarwal, 959 1st Avenue, Apartment 8P, New York, NY 10022, which also serves as the Registered Agent address. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.
Palisade Acquisition III, LLC filed Arts. of Org. with the Sect'y of State of NY (SSNY) on 4/1/2025. Office: Bronx County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: The LLC, 225 Crossways Park Dr, Woodbury, NY 11797. Purpose: any lawful act.
Florihana Realty LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on August 23, 2025. Office location: Richmond County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 626 New Dorp Lane, Staten Island, NY 10306. Purpose: Lessor of real estate.
Notice of Formation of ROSEMOND PROPERTIES LLC
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.
Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/08/25. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 195 Fenimore St., Brooklyn, NY 11225. 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 WUNGOO HOLDINGS LLC
Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/22/25. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, 300 E 64th St., Apt. 27C, NY, NY 10065. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
New York schools
Continued from page 2
Occupational Therapist Priority 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 progress of occupational therapy on patients; Educate caregivers and family members of clients on patient care. usotjobs@prioritycarestaffing. com.
Adams indictment
receiving federal funding,” said a CUNY spokesperson in a statement.
Continued from page 4
“And while support programs like financial aid continue, CUNY remains in close contact with elected officials and continues to coordinate with its 26 colleges to monitor for impacts and help community members navigate this difficult moment.”
are also open for the 202627 academic year. Additionally, undocumented high school graduates can qualify for financial aid through the Senator José Peralta New York State DREAM Act or the Alternate Eligibility Pathway.
the shutdown past a few weeks and could close permanently.
“I think the federal government has made it exceptionally clear that the school system can’t rely on it to execute its core function consistently and equitably to ensure that dollars, congressionally mandated, get to schools in time to support teach -
[to] do its job and pass a bipartisan budget that reopens the government.”
Notice of Formation of DD GANSEVOORT LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/29/25. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 7 Penn Plaza, Ste. 600, 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.
PRIMEROS NORTH AMERICA LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 07/24/25. 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 David M. Glanstein, Esq., Glanstein LLP, 711 Third Avenue, 17th Floor, New York, NY 10017. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.
Metamechanics Architecture PLLC.
6/24/2025. New York County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against it may be served. 236 West 27th St Suite 1303, New York, New York 10001. 236 West 27th St Suite 1303, New York, New York 10001. Architecture.
At the staffing level, CUNY has faculty researchers whose work is supported by federal funding and who are fur-
In an email sent out to students, CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez explained that those who received federal financial aid, loans, or Veterans Affairs (VA) education benefits should be safe for now since the latest round of funding was already authorized and disbursed before Oct.1 for this semester. But, they are strongly encouraging students to fill out their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form for the upcoming 2026 semester as
Similarly, SUNY leadership is urging high schoolers to fill out their
“SUNY operations and federal financial aid to our students remain unchanged, and we are proactively reaching out to high school seniors across our state to ensure they fill out the FAFSA form for the 2026-27 academic year,” said a SUNY spokesperson. “We will continue to monitor the situation and provide regular updates to our campuses about any potential
To help students with applications, Governor Kathy Hochul announced that the New York State Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) and the NYS Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Incentive Program
The last round of federal funds for New York City public schools were also doled out on Oct. 1 so districts are safe for now, said Evan Stone, co-founder and CEO of Educators for Excellence. However, the longer the shutdown goes on, the greater the risk that billions in funding to teachers and early childhood education programs, like Head Start, will be delayed.
The last round of federal funds for New York City public schools were also doled out on Oct. 1 so districts are safe for now, said Evan Stone, co-founder and CEO of Educators for Excellence. However, the longer the shutdown goes on, the greater the risk that billions in funding to teachers and early childhood education programs, like Head Start, will be delayed.
Many of the city’s Head Start and daycare to 3K providers are small, community-based educators who are already paid less than teachers. They also tend to be predominantly run and staffed by women of color serving low-income neighborhoods. Stone said that many of these providers may miss payments and don’t have “significant cash reserves” to survive
Meanwhile, legislators in Congress on both sides of the aisle have ‘dug in their heels’ on political issues, leading to a stalemate for the last week with no end in sight. Democrats are hoping that their crusade for affordable healthcare by extending enhanced Obamacare subsidies will win them favor with the voting masses, while GOP leaders claim they will negotiate on the subsidies after the shutdown is ended. As of Oct. 7, the bill vote that would keep the government open through Nov. 21 has failed four times.
“This is day seven of the Trump shutdown of the federal government, and Democrats in the House and Democrats in the Senate continue to hold the line on behalf of the American people,” said House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said at his latest press conference on Oct. 7.
ers and students,” said Stone.
Major federal funding for schools is doled out on a quarterly basis, said Stone, the next one begins on Jan. 1, 2026. He truly hoped that the shutdown would end well before then. Stone bristled that the shutdown seems meant to merely sow confusion for families and students, eroding trust in public systems and schools.
“I am really worried about the healthcare cuts on services supporting students. I think the long-term impact of cuts to Medicaid or increases in costs that push families and kids off their healthcare plans could be really devastating,” said Stone, “so I understand what this fight is over and at the same time it’s really important for Congress
“Because we’re fighting to protect their healthcare in the midst of a crisis that has been inflicted upon them by Republicans from the very beginning of Donald Trump’s presidency,” said Jeffries. “Republicans have hurt everyday Americans in order to reward their billionaire donors. That’s what the One Big Ugly Bill was all about. Largest cut to Medicaid in American history. Stole food from the mouths of children, seniors, and hungry veterans in order to provide massive tax breaks — permanent in nature — for the wealthy, the well-off, and the well-connected.”
In the meantime, bedrock federal programs, like Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Medicare, and Social Security, as well as federal funding to state infrastructure, may suffer disruptions. And, as is anticipated with a government shutdown, millions of federal employees are furloughed and forced to work without pay until it ends.
Andre Brown
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greater injustice by my wrongful conviction, some type of justice now can start as the wheels are turning towards that justice.”
While resentencing seems almost certainly to favor Brown, there is no guarantee he will remain free. He could face a reduced sentence with enough time still on the books for reimprisonment, or even receive the same 40 years or more. However, resentencing will likely factor in outdated and disproven tough-on-crime policies, including draconian sentencing practices, during Brown’s trial.
“The D.A. now has to look at what would a sentence be like today,” said his attorney Oscar Michelen. “Where we know more about mass incarcera -
tion, where we understand that these lengthy sentences do not rehabilitate, they’re merely punitive and create a cycle of recidivism and poverty. But if we want to be legally accurate, the judge could sentence him up to 50 years [of] incarceration.
“Obviously, I don’t think the judge would vacate the sentence if he’s gonna go right back and give him the same thing. And we do believe that after he reads our papers and the DA’s position, that he is going to sentence him to time served. But it’s totally within the discretion of the judge.”
Brown’s sentence stems from two consecutive 20-year sentences for attempted murder in the 1999 shooting which left two young men with lasting injuries. However, his previous attorney did not introduce significant evidence during the trial and focused his defense
on attacking the teenage victims’ character, including calling them “drug dealing thugs.”
At the time of the shooting, Brown walked with a limp from being shot himself and such a defense would directly counter witness testimony recounting the masked suspect sprinting. His innocence claim points to the medical evidence and argues a case of mistaken identity, with his lawyers presenting an alternative suspect they say closely resembles Brown.
The Bronx D.A. maintains the conviction holds up and previously questioned why the evidence mentioned in the ineffective counsel claim was not previously introduced until 2019 by his current lawyers.
In their filings, the prosecutors argued the limp would be detrimental to Brown’s defense during trial and was withheld strategically given his gunshot
injury stemmed from his time dealing drugs, a fact he is now candidly open about.
However, the Bronx D.A. also argued if the conviction occurred today, the office would not pursue a lengthy 40year sentence against Brown.
“Mindful of the impact that defendant’s conduct had on the victims, including their enduring pain, we nevertheless believe that the defendant has served a just punishment and public safety and the interests of our community are not served by returning the defendant to prison,” wrote the prosecutors. They also pointed to post-release, where Brown not only avoided recidivism but is living a “productive life.”
In prison, Brown reconnected with his childhood friend Tameka, whom he later married. Today, they raise their son AJ and his stepdaughter Trinity. “These wonderful children, they [bore] the brunt of … the decision of the Appellate Division to reinstate the case and my life was turned upside down at that time. And throughout the course of the summer, it was a lot of despair, anger, frustration [and] stress.”
‘Park 2030’
Continued from page 16
of their plans and whether they would work with the Parks 2030 initiative, no responses were received by press time.
The policy framework for Parks 2030 advocates dedicating 1% of the New York City budget to park maintenance; establishing a permanent, well-trained parks workforce with additional Urban Park Rangers and Parks Enforcement Patrol officers; constructing at least one new 20-acre park in each borough so all New Yorkers have 5-minute walking access to a park or open space; using a 30% tree canopy coverage as a tool in climate change mitigation; and reforming the capital process for repairs and new construction in parks.
NY4P’s Ganser emphasized the vital role of parks in city life. “The importance of parks, open space, and equity in open space and quality of life: These are issues that affect every New Yorker,” he told the AmNews “Having access to safe, clean, green spaces in a city like New
After returning home, Brown worked with at-risk youth as a credible messenger and founded a GED program and chess club at a nonprofit he worked for in New Rochelle. Letters and petitions calling for Hochul to grant him clemency poured in after his conviction was reinstated.
His lawyers firmly believe in Brown’s innocence, taking his case pro-bono (free) with the ultimate goal of exonerating him. Michelen, the lead counsel, boasts multiple exonerations under his belt and his co-counsel, Jeffrey Deskovic, is an exoneree himself who became a lawyer after establishing a nonprofit under his name to help challenge wrongful convictions. The two also work together representing John “Divine G” Whitfield, who Colman Domingo portrayed in an Oscar-nominated performance in the film “Sing Sing.”
“I have not paid Oscar Michelen a dime at all out of pocket,” said Brown. “Since 2016, he has been working for free [and] not getting sleep. Jeffrey Deskovic has been working for absolutely nothing, and they have gotten minimal hours of sleep.”
York is essential. I feel this is one of the most important issues that our city is facing.” He argued that investment in parks is a low-cost, high-impact way to improve quality of life and encourage residents to remain in the city.
Ganser acknowledged that Mamdani, who represents a Queens district that he described as “starved for parks,” has spoken about the importance of parks, and he suggested that Mamdani’s constituents are highly aware of the need for parks. Cuomo, Ganser said, has in the past supported New York State parks and will ideally do the same for the city if he wins the election.
“I don’t think there’s a scenario where these candidates don’t mention parks,” Ganser said. “They have generally spoken about parks, though they haven’t yet responded to this ‘Parks 2030’ platform, which was just released, so we’re still early in the process. I don’t see this as a problem at the moment, but if they don’t discuss [any plans for parks] in November, that will become an issue.”
Monroe women’s soccer program aims for another national championship
By LOIS ELFMAN
Special to the AmNews
Currently 6–0–1, the Monroe University women’s soccer team is aiming to reclaim its spot as best in the nation. Although Monroe is a four-year institution, its athletics programs compete in the National Junior College Athletic
Association (NJCAA). In 2018, the women’s soccer team was victorious in the NJCAA Division I National Championship.
In the years since, Monroe’s women’s soccer team has continued to do well despite repeated coaching changes, but it has not returned to the same level it had in 2018. After years with Monroe’s
men’s soccer team — winning National Championships in 2019, ’22, and ’23 — head coach Jonathan Avila has made the move to the women’s team, intent on providing the leadership and direction to reach the ultimate success.
“We’re looking to build a program that’s nationally ranked, get to the playoffs, and just have
Bronx native Stacia Suttles is ready for her next boxing challenge
By LOIS ELFMAN Special to the AmNews
It has been an eventful few months for professional boxer Stacia “The Natural” Suttles.
The Bronx native dominated her fights as part of Team Combat League (TCL), helping the New York City Attitude to the championship and being named Most Valuable Fighter of the 2025 TCL postseason.
“I had really good fights; I actually ended up having 15 consecutive wins, two knockouts within the season,” said Suttles.
“The NYC Attitude made it into the playoffs by kind of the luck of the draw. … We were out of the playoffs and then the week before the playoffs started, we got a call that a team was eliminated for various reasons, so we were in the playoffs.
“First, we beat a team that beat us twice, then we beat
the top team of the league, an undefeated team,” she added.
“In the finals, we were fighting Philly, a team that we also lost to twice and we ended up beating them by one point in the finals. It was like a movie moment.”
Suttles hopes that the next scene in the movie involves signing with a promoter and starting to have regular professional fights. TCL has been a fantastic experience and the championship is sweet, but each fighter on the team only fights one round. Undefeated as a professional, 2–0 with one KO, she is eager to see herself on traditional fight cards.
“A goal I had going into TCL was to gain exposure, show promoters who I am, what I’m about, show them my fighting style, and I was able to do that,” said Suttles, 31. “I’m hoping that it turns into a good contract
with a big promotional company. That really is my goal.”
Until the ink is dry on a contract, Suttles, who currently lives and trains in Philadelphia, has continued to run her business helping children and adults develop social and emotional skills through boxing. She teaches in after-school programs, summer camps, and does private coaching. One day this summer, she attended a summer camp at the Haverford School for half the day and then went to a weighin for a TCL fight.
“I definitely recommend Team Combat League to amateur boxers coming into the pro ranks that want to get that experience,” said Suttles. “Now, I want to continue in the traditional avenue of professional fighting. … Hopefully, by the end of the year we’ll have something set.”
After a women’s coach was hired in 2019, DiBernardo and his assistant coaches went back to coaching the men’s team. Avila has long wanted to take over the women’s program, and the opportunity finally arose.
“We’re making it happen,” said Avila, who started working with the returning players last spring. “They were thrilled to start a new season. All the incoming players came in and adapted right away. It’s been a good transition. The team is very good. Everyone came with a good mentality.”
The women’s soccer roster is very international with players from around the world and, of course, the New York area. Avila knows what it takes for players to adapt and excel.
a good team,” said Avila. “We’re on our route to do that right now. The team looks good; they’ve been working hard. The staff has been working hard.”
Avila had a hand in the team’s 2018 championship when longtime men’s soccer coach Marcus DiBernardo and his staff stepped in when the women’s coach left.
“We help them understand training time, game days; we’re able to connect with players through every single aspect because we’ve gone through that experience,” said Avila. “We know the expectations as well. We’re able to work with all our players and help them throughout the season if they run into any problems or issues — not just on the field, but off the field as well.”
The Monroe Mustangs are next in action tomorrow at home in New Rochelle vs. Harford Community College. It is sophomore day.
Sophomore forward Adela Odindo and sophomore defender Leticia Williams (No. 33) help spearhead the currently undefeated Monroe women’s soccer team. (Photos courtesy of Monroe Mustangs)
Bronx boxer Stacia Suttles pictured with a Team Combat League trophy and championship belt. (Photo courtesy of Stacia Suttles)
SPORTS
Pioneering journalist Rob Parker honored by Southern Connecticut State University
Southern Connecticut State University named its sports press box after pioneering journalist Rob Parker at ceremony on Saturday. (Photos courtesy of Rob Parker)
By JAIME C. HARRIS
AmNews Sports Editor
This past Saturday, on a warm, sun-splashed afternoon, Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU) in New Haven celebrated its annual homecoming weekend, highlighted by its football team taking on Bentley University. The 34-21 defeat didn’t dampen the festive atmosphere that permeated Jess Dow Field as the school honored one of its most prominent alumni. Pioneering journalist Rob Parker, SCSU Class of 1986, saw his name immortalized in a halftime ceremony unveiling the Rob Parker Press Box overlooking the gridiron.
“I still can’t wrap my head around it,” Parker said while mingling outside of the press box with numerous guests, which included members of his family, before a presentation on the stadium’s video board, featuring his taped reflections on his journey from a young high school student at Martin Van Buren High School in Queens to scaling the highest rungs of sports journalism.
“I mean, I never could have imagined all of this when I first came here, just looking to become a sportswriter. It’s truly a humbling experience to have this day. Look at this!” he said, pointing to the nameplate bearing his name on a wall outside of the press box entrance.
Parker, who received a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University after his graduation from SCSU, said he was compelled to attend the latter after “[reading] in a journalism magazine they had a good journalism program.” His career accomplishments are extensive.
At age 22, Parker was hired by the New York Daily News and became the first African American to cover the Cincinnati Reds on a daily basis when he joined the staff of the Cincinnati Enquirer in 1991. In 1993, Parker became the first Black sports columnist for the Detroit Free Press.Two years later, he broke barriers as the first Black
sports columnist for Newsday Parker has also been a decadeslong fixture on radio and television. He was the first on-air person hired at WDFN-AM in Detroit, the city’s first all-sports station; worked 20 years at WDIV–Local 4, the NBC affiliate in Detroit; and was an analyst for ESPN for eight years, primarily on the popular show “First Take.” He also did a five-year stint on FS1’s “Undisputed” and “The Herd” as an analyst. Parker is currently co-host of the
“Odd Couple with Rob Parker and Kelvin Washington” on FOX Sports Radio based in Los Angeles. As the founder and editor of MLBbro.com, a website that covers Black and brown Major Leaguers, Parker has mentored more than 50 journalists, including ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith. He was inducted into the National Association of Black Journalists Hall of Fame in 2023 and is the founder of the Black Sportswriters Hall of Fame at North Carolina A&T.
Alabama State alum Jacory Croskey-Merritt upholds HBCU’s NFL legacy
By JAIME C. HARRIS AmNews Sports Editor
Washington Commanders rookie running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt was one of his team’s outstanding performers in last Sunday’s 27-10 road win over the Los Angeles Chargers. Having his college football roots at HBCU Alabama State, he rushed for 111 yards and caught two passes for 39 to help elevate the Commanders to a 3-2 record.
The 24-year-old Croskey-Merritt’s path to the NFL was unlikely and circuitous. The Montgomery, Alabama native attended Alabama State from 2019-2022 and over 31 games, ran for an unremarkable 1,164 yards. Transferring to New Mexico, Croskey-Merritt, who prefers to be called Bill, stemming from a childhood nickname after the animated character Little Bill, showed pro promise in the 2023 season, finishing with 1,190 yards and 17 touchdowns.
WNBA finals
has been a transformational player in this league.”
(AP
He transferred again to Arizona, but played just one game in 2024 due to eligibility issues. After being named the offensive MVP of last year’s prestigious East-West Shrine Bowl showcase for NFL prospects, Croskey-Merritt was acquired by the
Commanders in the seventh round (No. 245 overall) in April’s draft. Now, he is Washington’s lead back, topping them in rushing yardage with 238, averaging 6.6 yards per carry, and four touchdowns through Week 5 of the league’s schedule.
Engelbert said she’s “never been a quitter” and will do better. There will be a new multi-stakeholder task force to review the officiating. She said she would be meeting with Collier this week, but after the press conference, it has been reported that Collier refuses to meet with her.
Seven-time Super Bowl champion quarterback and a Fox football analyst, Tom Brady, named Croskey-Merritt his weekly LFG (let’s fu*king go) Player of the Game after his showing against the Chargers.
“I want to say thanks to God, my teammates, my family for just being with me the whole way,” said Croskey-Merritt upon learning of Brady’s bestowed honor, “so it definitely gives me a lot of confidence.”
HBCU players were once staples of NFL rosters. Today, they are sparse. For the 2024 season, there were fewer than 20 HBCU players on the collective 53-man rosters of the 32 NFL squads. This year, Carson Vinson, the erstwhile Alabama A&M offensive lineman, was the only HBCU alum drafted, chosen in the fifth round (141st overall) by the Baltimore Ravens. None were taken last year. In 2023, cornerback Isaiah Bolden from Jackson State was the lone HBCU player to hear his name called at the NFL’s annual April draft, picked in the seventh round (245th overall) by the New England Patriots.
After Collier’s initial statement, Elena Delle Donne said she has not heard a word from Engelbert since announcing her retirement in April. If the league’s commissioner did not even send well wishes to one of the WNBA’s iconic players — Rookie of the Year, twotime MVP, and WNBA Champion — then this is someone with utter disconnect from the players. Engelbert has done some great things from a business perspective, but none of them would have happened without the players. Time for a change.
Caitlin
Former Alabama State running back Jacory CroskeyMerritt is shining in his NFL rookie season with the Washington Commanders.
Photo/Carrie Giordano)
Legendary sports writer Jerry Izenberg reflects on Ali-Foreman’s 50th anniversary fight
By TONY PAIGE
Special to the AmNews
Part 1 of a two-part story
The monsoon came 20 minutes after history was made. When 4-1 underdog Muhammad Ali recaptured the heavyweight title on October 30, 1974 – 50 years and counting – by knocking out Big George Foreman in the eighth round in Kinshasa, Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo), the skies opened up with end-of-the-world rain.
Noah would have been impressed.
“There was a tiny canopy over the middle of the ring,” remembered Jerry Izenberg. If the rain had come earlier? “There would have been no fight.”
Columnist emeritus for NJ.com (formerly The Star-Ledger), Izenberg, 95 years young, was the sports columnist back then. He had covered the first 53 Super Bowls, 54 consecutive Kentucky Derbies, but no truth to the rumor that he was ringside for David vs. Goliath.
The pre-fight hype was all about how Ali (44-2 with 31 KOs) could survive the Herculean punches of heavyweight champ Big George Foreman (44-0 with 37 KOs). Fore-
man had blown away Ali’s nemesis, Smokin’ Joe Frazier, and Ken Norton, both inside of two rounds.
Besides, Foreman was 25 while Ali was seven years older. Were people worried for Ali?
“Absolutely. Anybody who knew him was,” stated Izenberg. Ali’s upset over Foreman – the Rumble in the Jungle – was as real as can be, and Izenberg was there with a surprising take after all these years.
“The fight was nothing,” declared Izenberg from his home in Las Vegas. The biggest boxing spectacle for his money was Ali-Frazier III.
“It was a guy with his hands up and another guy trying to go through the gloves, which he couldn’t do.
There was never a rope-a-dope.
“I’m sorry to disillusion all the romanticizing of it. [Ali] got hit, he got hurt. He realized this guy could punch. He went back and told his corner to, ‘shut the … up. I know what I’m doing.’”
Yes, he did. He let Foreman punch himself out until Ali knocked him out. With the bout over, Izenberg and the late Dave Anderson of The New York Times weren’t happy with what they had written because of rushed dead-
lines and shrinking satellite feed time. They wanted more Ali.
The two boxing scribes got on a bus and went looking for the once again, heavyweight champion on the military compound that was their African home.
“We go down to the river. Ali thought it was very mystical,” recalled Izenberg, author of 16 books, including “Once There Were Giants: The Golden Age of Heavyweight Boxing.”
His next is a novel on baseball great Josh Gibson (Damn You Josh Gibson: A Ghost Story) due out in February (on Amazon and BarnesandNoble.com). “He is standing at the water’s edge. He’s yelling. We can see his head going up and down. We can’t hear him.
“Finally, he raises both arms in the ‘Rocky’ pose. He sees us, and says, ‘Fellas, don’t ask me how I feel because I can’t tell you and if I could, you wouldn’t understand.”
Ali drew on the energy of the Zairian fans with their incessant chant of, “Ali boma ye!” (Ali, kill him!). He needed a villain for this fight, as he always did, and Foreman fit the bill perfectly.
“He had those people believ-
ing George Foreman was white,” chuckled Izenberg. Ali recaptured the heavyweight crown with skill, guile, and something earthlier.
“Ali never beat him,” exclaimed
BKFC brings its fists of fury to Newark’s Prudential Center
By DERREL JOHNSON Special to the AmNews
The Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) hosted its inaugural event in New Jersey at Newark’s Prudential Center this past Saturday, featuring two title fights and a visit from MMA legend Conor McGregor.
Orlando’s undefeated BKFC King of Violence Champion Mike Perry retained his title with a win over previously undefeated Jeremy Stephens in front of a crowd of more than 10,000. Perry knocked Stephens down six times, including three in the fifth and final round, earning a TKO stoppage.
“It is fitting that I’m the King of Violence,” Perry said after his win. “It makes sense. I can take it; it’s nothing to me except just a little candy, and I’ll munch on it all day long. I’m grateful for the opportunity.”
“That was an incredible representation of bare-knuckle fighting, ladies and gentlemen,” said McGregor to combat sport fans. The
37-year-old McGregor became the first-ever UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) double champion — a champion in two weight classes simultaneously — in November 2016 at Madison Square Garden, when he defeated Eddie Alvarez to hold both the featherweight and lightweight titles.
“I have respect for you, and I’d love to (fight) you one day for sure,” McGregor told Perry. “Congratulations to you, your team, and your family. I’ve got a lot of respect for who you are and what you’re about.”
Unfortunately for the Dublin, Ireland, native, who hasn’t fought since 2022, the UFC announced on Tuesday that he has received an 18month ban under its anti-doping policy for missing three mandatory tests in a 12-month window, on June 13, September 19, and September 20 of 2024.
In the co-main event on the 10-fight card, undisputed BKFC World Women’s Flyweight champion Christine Ferea stopped the previously unbeaten BKFC World Women’s Featherweight champion
Izenberg. “No, Ali had an ally. The ally was Africa, and when I thought about him with his arms in the air … in that moment … he was king of the world.”
Jessica Borga to win the inaugural BKFC Queen of Violence Championship with a fourth-round stoppage. Ferea is 11-1, including the
longest winning streak in the BKFC by a female fighter: nine.
“This is the best feeling in the (expletive) world,” Ferea said in her
post-fight interview. “Thank you, (BKFC founder) David Feldman, and thank you, Conor McGregor, for coming in here and blowing this sport up even more.”
Jaron Ennis (34-0 30 KOs) will make his super-welterweight debut Saturday, October. 11, versus Angolan Uisma Lima (14-1 10 KOs) at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia. The following Saturday, Danny Garcia (37-4 21 KOs) will fight a record 10th time at the Center against Queens native Daniel Gonzalez (22-4-1 7 KOs). Garcia is 7-2 at the Barclays Center, including the first two losses of his career.
The UFC makes its annual Madison Square Garden appearance on Saturday, Nov. 15. While the main event features Jack Della Maddalena making his first welterweight title defense against Islam Makhachev, it is China’s Zhang Weili, who dares to be great, moving up 10 pounds to 125 to challenge Valentina Shevchenko in a battle between two of the most accomplished women in UFC history, who could steal the show.
Jmani Oliver (right) of Freehold, New Jersey, punishes Irakli Ghvinjilia on Saturday on his way to a unanimous decision in their lightweight clash during BKFC-82 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo courtesy of BKFC)
Sports writing legend Jerry Izenberg with the late boxing and cultural icon Muhammad Ali. (Jerry Izenberg photo)
Sports
Winning continues to be elusive for the floundering Jets and Giants
By JAIME C. HARRIS
AmNews Sports Editor
By any objective measure, expectations for the Jets and Giants this season were modest. Ahead of the 2025 campaign, this writer projected 7-10 records for both rebuilding teams. For the Jets, upgrades in talent and the arrival of a new head coach, Aaron Glenn, and general manager, Darren Mougey, suggested clear signs of empirical and statistical improvement.
Those forecasts appear unlikely to materialize barring drastic changes. As Week 6 of the NFL season begins — with the Giants hosting the 4-1 defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles tonight at MetLife Stadium (streaming on Amazon Prime) and the Jets facing the 3-2 Denver Broncos in London on Sunday (9:30 a.m.
New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart tries to evade New Orleans Saints linebacker
Demario Davis in the Giants’ 26-14 road loss on Sunday. (AP Photo/Tyler Kaufman)
EST kickoff) — the two teams have a combined record of 1-9.
The 0-5 Jets are the only winless team in the league and are last in
the AFC East. The 1-4 Giants’ sole victory came in Week 4 (21-18) at home over the 3-2 Los Angeles Chargers; they are languishing at
the bottom of the NFC East. Sloppy play has been a shared characteristic. In Sunday’s 37-22 loss to the Dallas Cowboys at
MetLife Stadium, the Jets committed 10 penalties for 61 yards and had one lost fumble. For the season, they have eight turnovers — tied for the fourth most in the league with five other teams, including the Giants. The Big Blue had five turnovers in Sunday’s 26-14 loss to the Saints in New Orleans: three fumbles and two interceptions by rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart, making his second career start.
“It’s hard to win when you turn the ball over five times on five consecutive drives,” lamented Giants head coach Brian Daboll following the loss. “…too many DPI (defensive pass interference) penalties. You get five turnovers to zero, you’re not going to win in this league.”
The Giants’ 43 penalties are tied with two teams for the second most in the NFL and the Jets are knotted with four other teams for third most with 42.
Amidst league turmoil, the Aces and Mercury vie for the WNBA title
By LOIS ELFMAN Special to the AmNews
The WNBA has grown exponentially since its first season. That was back in 1997, when there was rightful uncertainty among ardent supporters about whether a professional women’s basketball league had long-term sustainability. Today, the 13-team Women’s National Basketball Association is packing NBA arenas and will add franchises in Toronto and Portland next season. But the league is in turmoil in the midst of its finals between the Las Vegas Aces and Phoenix Mercury.
The Aces led the WNBA’s first-ever best-of-seven series 2-0 when Game 3 tipped off Wednesday in Phoenix. The Aces took Games 1 (89-86) and 2 (91-78) at home last Friday and this past Sunday. Prior to this season, the finals were bestof-five, another indicator of the league’s growth.
In Game 1, the Aces averted the Mercury offense as reserve guard Dana Evans hit huge shots down the stretch, finishing with 21 points, including five 3-point-
the third. Wilson added 28.
The battle off the court between the players and WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert has garnered as much coverage as the games. The players’ current collective bargaining agreement ends on October 31. Negotiations, thus far, have shown a huge divide between the players and league leadership. In her Minnesota Lynx season exit interview, Napheesa Collier took aim.
“This conversation is not about winning or losing; it’s about something much bigger,” Collier said.
“The real threat to our league isn’t money; it isn’t ratings or even missed calls or even physical play.
It’s the lack of accountability from the league office.”
Collier’s comments included the lack of attention to complaints about officiating, alleging that Engelbert said only losers complain about the officiating. Collier also said she asked the commissioner why young players like Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, and Angel Reese, who have elevat-
ed the WNBA’s fanbase, must play for inferior salaries their first four years in the league. She alleged that Engelbert’s response was that Clark should be grateful for the $16 million she makes off the court because, without the platform of the WNBA, she would not make anything.
“The league has made it clear it isn’t about innovation; it isn’t about collaboration; it’s about control and power,” said Collier. Players, WNBA alumnae, and commentators have supported Collier.
Engelbert gave a retort in a press conference before game one of the Finals. While saying she had “the utmost respect” for Collier, she repeatedly referred to “a lot of inaccuracy.” In reference to the Clark comment, she said, “Obviously, I did not make those comments.
ers. League MVP A’ja Wilson also had 21 points with 10 rebounds. In Game 2, veteran guard Jackie
Young lit up the Mercury with 32 points, setting a finals record for most points in a quarter with 21 in
Las Vegas Aces guard Jackie Young (0) scored a game-high 32 points in her team’s 91-78 win on Sunday over the Phoenix Mercury in Game 2 of the WNBA Finals. (AP Photo/John Locher)
