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Service and Sacrifice: Remembering Black men in uniform lost on 9/11

By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff

Although 24 years have passed since the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001, New York City’s dedicated families and communities that lost loved ones on that fateful day continue to honor their legacies.

“Part of our duty as a memorial museum is to commemorate and honor the 2,983 people that were killed on 9/11 and in the 1993 bombing,” said Dylan Williams, the 9/11 Memorial & Museum Curatorial Assistant. “All these people had rich lives with their own kind of hopes and dreams and aspirations, things that they were working on, things that they were doing, things that they would look forward to. And so we use artifacts that were donated to us to tell that story.”

The 12 Black firefighters lost but not forgotten

There were 343 New York City Fire Department (FDNY) firefighters who died on 9/11 with 12 of them being Black firefighters. Their names were as follows: Gerard Baptiste, Capt. Vernon Cherry, Tarel Coleman, Andre Fletcher, Keith Glascoe, Ronnie Henderson, William Henry, Karl Henri Joseph, Keithroy Maynard, Vernon Richard, Shawn Powell, and Leon Smith Jr.

“Within the walls of the firehouse, we each have a responsibility to ourselves to protect each other because of one common denominator, life. I worked ten years in Brownsville, East New York, and Bedford-Stuyvesant, and all brother firefighters know that death

See SERVICE AND SACRIFICE on page 36

Deaths in city custody ramp up calls for jail reform

By TANDY LAU Amsterdam News Staff

Five deaths in city custody — three people on Rikers and two in NYPD lockup — have occurred over roughly the past two weeks, leaving investigators puzzled and the city continuing to seek answers to improving jail conditions.

Ardit Billa, 29; Jimmy Avila, 34; and Carlos Cruz, 43, were all detained on Rikers Island before they died from late August to early September, according to the NYC Department of Corrections (DOC). For each death, Commissioner Lynelle MaginleyLiddie extended condolences through a statement and promised an investigation. Meanwhile, the Legal Aid Society reported that client Christopher Nieves, 46, died in NYPD custody at the Brooklyn Criminal Court on August 29. He was facing a low-level charge for shoplifting food from a grocery store. At around the same time, 29-year-old pedicab driver Musa Cetin also reportedly died in NYPD custody after an arrest for operating his

three-wheeler without a license. (Available fundraisers are linked in the online version of this story.)

So far in 2025, 12 people have lost their lives in or immediately after their release from custody at Rikers Island alone, according to local investigative reporting website TheCity.nyc.

Advocates for reform gathered on September 9 for a rally outside before a hearing by the Board of Corrections, the independent oversight agency for city jail conditions. They held banners memorializing those who died on Rikers, including Billa, Avila, and Cruz.

“All of these names, and all of these people we’re adding, are human beings,” said Public Advocate Jumaane Williams. “They are family members, they are sons and daughters, cousins and friends and uncles. They are neighbors. They were not sentenced to death. Most of them likely were not sentenced at all and were simply waiting for trial to have their case(s) heard.”

To be clear, most people on Rikers Island are held on pre-trial detention, even with

bail reform laws for most misdemeanor and low-level felony cases spurred by the three-year detainment of teenager Kalief Browder over ultimately dropped charges for a stolen backpack that led to his suicide. However, those bail laws do not preclude deaths in police custody for the likes of Cetin and Nieves.

Advocates speak up at rally

Attorney David B. Rankin, who represents Avila’s family, provided a detailed account of conditions leading to Avila’s death (the DOC simply reported staff aiding him). He was arrested just three days before and had spent less than a day on Rikers before staff found him.

“When Mr. Avila was arraigned before a criminal court judge, they knew he was suicidal,” said Rankin. “They knew he was having mental health problems. There was a judicial order which said this man needs to be placed in mental health treatment — right now, not later. He was taken to Rikers Island, left in a cell with See DEATHS IN CITY CUSTODY on page 35

FDNY Capt. Firefighter Vernon Cherry in uniform. (Collection 9/11 Memorial & Museum, Gift of The Cherry Family photo)

Lay the Guns Down founder Mike Tucker hopes documentary screening will inspire gun violence prevention efforts

By TANDY LAU Amsterdam News staff

A local gun violence prevention advocate will commemorate National Day of Remembrance for Homicide Victims on Sept. 25 with a screening of the documentary “Put the Guns Down: A World Epidemic,” narrated and produced by hip hop legend Ice-T. Mike Tucker, founder of BedfordStuyvesant’s Lay the Guns Down Foundation, is facilitating the film’s East Coast roll-out and will show it at Herbert Von King Park in Brooklyn at 4 p.m.

The film is directed by filmmakers Terry C. Carney Sr. and Eric Herbert, highlighting the relationship between gun violence and mental health in South Los Angeles. Tucker is a two-decade veteran in the Brooklyn gun violence prevention space, spurred by the 2005 police killing of his son. A personal friend who worked on the project connected with him and the film immediately resonated with the Brooklynite.

“I just watched this extraordinary film and this is what is really being done,” said Tucker. “This is what’s being talked about and there’s so much more that we can do when people have a clearer understanding and they know who the key players are and if they know what elected officials are doing. Sometimes it gets lost. And being able to shine the spotlight on gun violence, the epidemic that it is, the mental health aspect [and] the poverty portion of it … is what I hope that the families, the elected officials, and everybody that’s

going to be a part of the screening take away from it.”

Those same systemic issues out west can be found in neighborhoods traditionally plagued by gun violence in New York, adds Tucker. “Shining a light on the mental health aspect of it is one of the most important things that I would like to accomplish in being a part of this movement and [promoting] this documentary,” he said.

Lay the Guns Down remains a largely grass-roots affair through Tucker, who is a common sight hosting basketball tournaments and concerts around Brooklyn during the summer to keep the youth busy. His programming often involves public figures speaking out against gun violence, ranging from ex-Giants pass rusher Justin Tuck to Rep. Tom Suozzi.

For the screening, Tucker plans on bringing out 50 families impacted by gun violence. He says they will offer feedback in a Q-and-A session afterwards, with a panel discussion tackling what will be done about gun violence. The event will be free to the public and is in partnership with the Brooklyn district attorney’s and Brooklyn borough president’s offices.

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez credited campaigns like Lay the Guns Down for declining shooting rates in King’s County. In July, the borough ended the year’s first half with a 29% drop in homicides and 19% drop in shootings.

“Brooklyn has driven gun violence to record lows because of a sustained effort that combines law enforcement with ed-

ucation and community leadership,” said Gonzalez in a statement emailed to the AmNews. “Projects like Lay the Guns Down build on that progress by featuring credible messengers, calling for change, and encouraging people to put down firearms. I hope many in our community watch and engage with this important film.”

“Lay the Guns Down Foundation has worked for years to support survivors of gun violence and advocate for solutions that tackle its root causes,” added Brooklyn BP Antonio Reynoso. “I’m proud to support the upcoming film screening and any efforts to bring more community members into this conversation.”

Why the continuing push-pull over NYC’s short-term rental laws is

By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff

Facing the dual issues of skyrocketing housing and affordability costs, pockets of New York City’s Black and Brown small homeowners are calling for critical changes to the short-term rental (STR) laws. This allows them to better use booking platforms, like Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com, to rent out their homes.

Last month, Queens homeowners and housing advocates rallied around Councilmember Farah Louis’ bill Intro. 1107. The bill would amend the short-term rental law for one- and two-family homes by allowing locks on doors, permitting up to four guests, and allowing rentals while homeowners are on vacation. Advocates say the changes would help locals maintain their homes while promoting tourism.

“New York City as a whole is a renter majority. But when you look at an area like Southeast Queens, the vast majority of the residents are homeowners. And so we’re often placed in a tight situation because a lot of the policies, a lot of the laws that are passed aren’t neces-

sarily done so with us in mind because we are not the majority in New York City,” said Candace Prince-Modeste, president of the NAACP’s Jamaica Branch.

Prince-Modeste’s home was passed down to her by her family. She wants above all else to see Black communities thrive. She travels often and would consider making extra income with a short-term rental to put towards the mortgage, insurance, property taxes, utilities, and building upkeep if she could.

“A lot of my colleagues, a lot of my neighbors, they are landlords,” continued PrinceModeste. “Just by reading the news, you’d think that landlords are like the worst things. Landlords are not necessarily folks who own or operate multi-unit buildingings. Oftentimes, they’re someone who has maybe a two-family home, or four-family home. They’re literally just trying to do what they need to do to make the mortgage payment and put a little aside for a rainy day.”

Mayor Eric Adams, with support from labor and union advocates, fought against a legal challenge from Airbnb to get Local

See SHORT-TERM RENTAL on page 25

squeezing renters

Lay the Guns Down founder Mike Tucker (center) with Moms Demand Action advocates. (Courtesy of Mike Tucker)

A person making a reservation on

West Point restores Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee’s portrait

By MICHAEL HILL Associated Press

A painting of Gen. Robert E. Lee, dressed in his Confederate uniform, is back on display in the West Point’s library, several years after the storied academy removed honors to the Civil War military leader.

There also are plans to restore a bust of Lee that had been removed from a plaza at the U.S. Military Academy, and a quote from Lee about honor that was removed from a separate plaza is now on display beneath the portrait, an Army spokesperson said Tuesday.

The items were removed to comply with a Department of Defense directive in 2022 that ordered the academy to address racial injustice and do away with installations that “commemorate or memorialize the Confederacy.”

The Pentagon’s decision to re-hang the portrait, which shows a Black man leading Lee’s horse in the background, was first reported by The New York Times. It had been hanging in the library since the 1950s before it was placed in storage.

The actions at West Point come as the Trump administration restores Confederate names and monuments that had been removed in recent years.

“At West Point, the United States Military Academy is prepared to restore historical names, artifacts, and assets to their original form and place,” Rebecca Hodson, the Army’s communications director, said in a prepared statement. “Under this administration, we honor our history and learn from it — we don’t erase it.”

President Donald Trump issued an executive order in March titled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History” that decried efforts to reinterpret American history. The Army then restored the names of bases that originally honored Confederate leaders, finding service members with the same surnames to honor.

A commission created by Congress recommended in 2022 that the name and images of Confederate officers be removed from military academies. Lee graduated second in his West Point class in 1829 and later served as superintendent, and his name and image

had prominent places at the academy on the Hudson River.

Congress took this action after repeated complaints by current and former enlistees and officers in nearly every branch of the armed services, who described a deep-rooted culture of racism and discrimination that stubbornly festers, despite repeated efforts to eradicate it.

Ty Seidule, a retired brigadier general who served as vice chair of the commission, said Lee’s image should not be on display because he “chose treason” and does not represent the values taught to cadets at West Point.

“It is against the motto of ‘Duty, Honor, Country,’” Seidule said. “Robert E. Lee is the antithesis of that, because his duty and honor was for a rebellious slave republic.”

Seidule, now a history professor at Hamilton College, also questioned whether the restoration of these symbols at West Point are legal under the federal law that led to their removal.

An Army statement asserts that the law does not bar the restoration of Confederacy-related names, symbols, displays, monuments or paraphernalia on military property.

Court rules Lisa Cook can remain a Fed governor while fighting Trump’s attempt to fire her

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER and LINDSAY WHITEHURST

Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal court has ruled that embattled Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook can remain in her position while she fights President Donald Trump’s efforts to fire her.

The ruling, which will almost certainly be appealed, is a blow to the Trump administration’s efforts to assert more control over the traditionally independent Fed, which sets short-term interest rates to achieve its congressionally mandated goals of stable prices and maximum employment. Congress has also sought to insulate the Fed from day-to-day politics.

U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb late Tuesday granted Cook’s request for a preliminary injunction blocking her firing while the dispute makes its way through the courts. Cobb ruled that Cook would likely prevail in the lawsuit she filed late last month to overturn her firing.

Trump, a Republican, said he was firing Cook on Aug. 25 over allegations raised by

one of his appointees that she committed mortgage fraud related to two properties she purchased in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Atlanta in 2021, before she joined the Fed. Cook is accused of saying the properties were “primary residences,” which could have resulted in lower down payments and mortgage rates than if either was designated a second home or investment property.

The White House insisted Trump had the right to fire Cook.

“President Trump lawfully removed Lisa Cook for cause due to credible allegations of mortgage fraud from her highly sensitive position overseeing financial institutions on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors,” White House spokesman Kush Desai said Wednesday in a statement. “This ruling will not be the last say on the matter, and the Trump Administration will continue to work to restore accountability and confidence in the Fed.”

But Cobb ruled that the allegations likely weren’t sufficient legal cause to fire Cook. Under the law governing the Fed, governors can only be removed “for cause,” which See LISA COOK on page 27

U.S. Military Academy cadets at West Point (U.S. Department of Defense)

Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook (Federal Reserve)

William Allen wants Harlem to be civically engaged and use its power

THE URBAN AGENDA

By David R. Jones, Esq

By JASON PONTEROTTO Special to the AmNews

Having been involved in civic work since he was 10, William Allen has always focused on the Harlem community, so it’s no surprise he currently serves on Community Board 10, representing Central Harlem. Allen has held several titles over the years, such as a Democratic District Leader for Harlem, lecturer at several New York colleges, and independent consultant. On any given day, though, Harlemites can see him at any community event, working to bring resources to the people. He believes better communication and more civic participation are the keys to supporting residents, Black business owners, and families.

“It’s not even about young people not participating. Older folks are not participating anymore ... It’s horrible,” Allen said. “Harlem needs a strategic community education engagement plan, and that is, here’s how we get people engaged, here’s how we get them information, here’s how we engage them, and it’s how we hold each other accountable.”

Born and raised in Harlem, Allen was involved from a young age. His mother took him to the Frederick E. Samuel Democratic Club of Harlem, where he became active. He was a tutor for kids with his 140th Street Block Association and at age 13, became the first teenager appointed to a local community board, CB10. He later became elected as secretary under Lloyd Williams during Williams’s tenure as chair. His trajectory was influenced by wanting to be around elders and by the example of his parents and supportive neighbors, according to Allen.

Black New Yorker Trump’s Racist Attack on Black America

Donald Trump no longer hides his contempt for Black and brown people. His racist attacks are no longer abstract. He openly feeds white grievance that fuels so much of our political discourse using direct and explicit white supremacist tropes and regressive policies.

Pique over Trump’s power grabs, mass deportations and fraying the social safety net consumes news coverage and public debate about his second term. And rightfully so, because the dramatic Medicaid, housing and federal job cuts have left so many poor and working-class people in a bind – and often hopeless.

apartments available, while white people were offered units. The Trumps settled a U.S. Justice Department lawsuit with a pledge to not discriminate.

In 1989, Trump placed notorious advertisements in the New York Times and several other prominent newspapers calling for reinstatement of the death penalty at a time when the public was consumed by the Central Park Five case. In the September 2024 presidential debate, Trump again vilified the five men, who years earlier were found to have been wrongly convicted of attacking a jogger in the park.

(Courtesy William Allen)

“I think by me having a great love for the elderly, that saved my life,” Allen said — he grew up around the rise of the drug and crack epidemic in Harlem. “Being around them and their values and their history grounded me so I was not the kid that used drugs or was disrespectful to adults or wanted to grow up faster than my age.” Allen also gives credit to having outlets like the Minisink Townhouse Summer Camp and encourages parents today to put their children in similar after-school programs.

After graduating from LaGuardia High School, Allen attended Fordham University, where he became the first non-white Student Government Association vice president.

After losing his twin brother, Theodore, to gun violence, Allen transferred to City College, where he continued to be active on campus, becoming president of his graduating class and editor of the school newspaper. Around this time, he was also a trustee of the school board.

In 1986, he helped establish the Harlem Churches for Community Improvement with several ministers. He had also been running a comedy club at the National Black Theatre.

From 2018 to 2021, Allen served as national crisis director for the National Action Network (NAN), where he connected civil rights lawyers with people in 40 states. He said places like Harlem need a stronger presence of civil rights lawyers who are well-known to community members, the way they used to be more prominent when he was younger.

On the topic of gentrification in Harlem, Allen said it is a result of a lack of civic education and awareness, and staying on top of issues in the community.

See BNY on page 25

The president’s nonstop outrages, however, have provided cover to cast himself as a protector of persecuted white people. The message of his strategic incitements is clear in the assault on diversity and inclusion, the desire to downplay slavery, attacks on Black leaders and majority-Black cities, support for Confederate monuments and granting migrant status to white Afrikaners from South Africa. Not coincidently, the administration’s purge of 97,000 federal workers disproportionately impacted Black women.

Trump now has New York City’s mayoral election in his sights, dangling ambassadorships and other federal jobs in an apparent attempt to cull the field of candidates. Does anyone believe his carpetbagging will help New Yorkers, 70 percent of whom are the very Black, Latinx, Asian and other groups the president loathes?

The mayoral candidates have an obligation –moral, personal and political – to speak out forcefully against this racist felon and grifter. They are courting the votes of Black New Yorkers to win the election. Voters deserve to know where the candidates stand on Trump. The stakes could not be higher.

Aside from running America’s largest city, the election matters because the mayor will be a major national player, willingly or not, in the runup to the 2026 midterm election. Control of the U.S. House of Representatives will ultimately determine the ongoing human cost of MAGA’s culture of cruelty and Trump’s gangster capitalism. If Republicans retain control of Congress, our democratic norms face further erosion.

For five decades, New Yorkers have observed Donald Trump, and the conclusion is undeniable: The president of the United States is not worthy of our trust nor respect. His prejudice dates to the start of his real estate career in 1973, when Human Rights Division testers found Black people who went to Trump buildings were told there were no

Few contemporary national political leaders have such a consistent pattern of deploying racist language and tropes. As president, Trump’s hostility is cut from the same cloth as Woodrow Wilson, president from 1913 to 1921, who was an arch-racist in post-Civil War race relations in the United States. Wilson presided over a period of lynching, Jim Crow segregation and the systematic reversal of racial integration in the federal work force.

Trump’s most repugnant gambit began in March, when he launched the great historical whitewashing. In vivid distillation of his views, Trump whined that the Smithsonian Institution focuses too much on “how bad slavery was” and not enough on the “brightness” of America. His intent is to rewrite –– if not all together erase –– the parts of American history that do not show white Europeans and their descendants in the best light.

I can assure Trump that the immense suffering of the enslaved was, in fact, quite bad, as were the evil tactics employed by white Americans in the Woodrow Wilson era, while the country rallied for national unity as World War I raged. That said, Trump’s white grievance, racially tinged insults and desire to downplay slavery is not the only concern.

The president greenlights his bigoted supporters, like Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), to say the white supremacist’s parts in public. In a speech this month at the National Conservatism Conference, Schmitt waxed nostalgically about America as a homogenous European utopia, with no mention of people of color. “We Americans are the sons and daughters of the Christian pilgrims that poured out from Europe’s shores to baptize a new world in their ancient faith,” Schmitt said. These were the people he described as lamenting the “memory of a country that once belonged to them.”

People of good conscience must take a stand against Trump and his minions as they try to rewrite history and return us to a time when people of color were second-class citizens.

What NYC special needs students face in school, and why families are pushing back

Limited

time, overcrowded classrooms, poorly trained teachers are leaving students with disabilities with fewer options; parents are demanding better

By JADA VASSER Special to the AmNews

With the 2025–2026 school year having arrived, families and school members are preparing their children. Community members and officials are signing and reworking legislation tailored to helping all children thrive, especially those with disabilities.

New York is home to numerous school districts, labeled by borough and then detailed specifically to the schools in those cities and neighborhoods. According to the city’s Department of Education, about 200,000 children in the public school system have Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) that help support coping with a disability that hinders their learning.

Enjoli Morris is a mom raising three special needs daughters living with autism: Winter, 11, and twins Skylar and Sanae, 9; Sanae also lives with cerebral palsy. For several years, they attended a New York City school dedicated to giving specialized instructional support to students with disabilities, yet their time there was met with hard conversations and quick decisions to be made.

“In the beginning, we were in District 75 schools and that was a little hard for her and myself because of the way they approached Winter,” Morris said. “She was dealing with dysregulation … and she was nonverbal at the time, and I did not know what direction she would go.”

NYC Department of Education District 75 schools cater specifically to special needs students living with things like autism spectrum disorders, emotional disabilities, and other challenges.

The behavior and actions taken toward Winter, who was dealing with elopement, a behavior where someone with autism leaves a safe space with their caregiver without supervision or permission, to try to help regulate her were disheartening, resulting in Winter not wanting to attend school anymore and even running away at one point, with school officials having to chase her down.

Their situation belies a problem faced by many special needs children in New York’s public school system and school systems across the country. While many are attending the schools, their families discover it is difficult for them to adjust to traditional learning environments, which ultimately leads to parents being forced to find alternatives. In the case of the Morris family, this meant specialized private school.

“Some methods they tried with Winter [were] holding her down, restraining her,

not working to understand who she is as a person and why she may be dysregulated,” Morris said. “It came to a point where she did not want to go to school and would have tantrums … eventually, I had to take her out of school because it was just too much for her.”

Responding to concerns

Students with emotional, behavioral, or attention disabilities are more likely to be subjected to harsher punishments and disciplinary actions, rather than positive reinforcement and second chances. According to a report by Advocates for Children staff, specific subsections of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) prohibit schools from segregating special education students from class due to their disabilities, as well as hold schools accountable for only providing students with “necessary behavioral support.”

“You have to meet these kids where they are,” said Hazel Adams-Shango, a New York City independent special education advo-

cate and family worker. “Get down to their level and see what they need — it won’t be the same for every child.”

With the overpopulation of students in NYC public schools, lack of funding for public schools, and lack of teachers in the schools, the use of negative behavioral methods like suspensions have been up and down. According to a report by Public Funds Public Schools, New York has been underfunding their public schools since 2003, creating “one of the most inequitable school funding systems in the nation,” according to EdTrust New York. However, IDEA funding has been increased by the city to $13 million, bringing its revenue to $304 million, according to a report from State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli.

Although funding for New York City public schools has been on the rise, lack of individuals wanting to work in education and with special needs children continues to create gaps in the school system.

“You have competing interests in careers in New York City. You have people going to law

school, nursing, careers that pay way more than being a teacher does,” Adams-Shango said. “It creates shortages in other special education pieces, like behavioral therapists, speech and language pathologists, occupational therapists, and a host of others. These careers are not ones African American students know about unless they’ve experienced it themselves in childhood.”

Faults of the system and schools

Suspension for long periods of time creates negative consequences for a child, especially a special education child. With their brains and bodies signaling different messages to them than another child, it’s hard to keep them regulated and attentive when suspensions are used for discipline. In 2015, the Solutions Not Suspensions Act, used to reform discipline in NYC schools, was passed to help limit the duration of suspensions and missed class time for students. Although the act was meant to ease the spread of suspensions, the numbers continued to See SPECIAL NEEDS STUDENTS on page 16

Enjoli Morris (center) with daughters Skylar (left), Winter (right), and Sanae (bottom). (Courtesy Enjoli Morris)

What is NYC’s Housing for Health Initiative and whom does it serve? New approaches to homelessness gain ground

By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff

Solutions That Empower is an editorial series spotlighting financial empowerment and racial equity. We’ll feature changemakers, community voices, and practical tools that help our readers build wealth, access resources, and drive real change.

New York City’s housing crisis has been an undeniable problem for decades. It drives gentrification and displacement in historically Black and Brown neighborhoods, and forces homeowners and tenants to leave the city while others end up on the streets or in shelters. The latest uptick in the city’s homeless population growth from 2022 to 2024 is attributed to increases in eviction proceedings after the COVID pandemic, a shortage of affordable housing, increased rents, and the previous influx of asylum seekers, according to a 2025 New York State Comptroller’s report. However, solutions might be on the horizon. NYC Health + Hospitals (H+H), which runs the city’s safety net hospitals and clinics, has a Housing for Health initiative focused on developing supportive housing on underused hospital land specifically for the city’s homeless individuals, many of whom are Black and Latino. Across the state, people experiencing homelessness last year also fell disproportionately into those racial and ethnic categories, with approximately 10% suffering from severe mental illness or chronic substance abuse, said the report.

One of the more popular solutions city leadership and advocates have come up with to house New Yorkers equitably amid the city’s stark housing crisis is simply to build more housing — but that’s only half the battle.

As a city entity, H+H was happy to use their “public land for public good” and help simultaneously tackle the housing and homelessness crisis, said Leora Jontef, assistant vice president for housing and real estate at NYC H+H. She estimates that the city’s safety net hospitals provided care to about 1 million New Yorkers with or without insurance. In 2024, about 80,000 of these people were experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity — including more than 17,000 children. Their healthcare is often expensive, she said.

“This is the population that comes to the emergency department three times more than housed New Yorkers. They are frequent users of our system,” said Jontef. “And then, when they’re really sick — if you’re unhoused … you often have situations where you have to be admitted.”

In a pilot program, H+H followed 200 formerly unhoused patients over six months. In addition to improving participants’ lives by finding them housing, the program reduced hospitalizations, emergency room

visits, and lengthy hospital stays, Jontef said.

The patients’ housing situations ranged from supportive, with onsite medical services, to financial, such as receiving rent-subsidized apartments.

“I feel like home. I could go to sleep, I could wake up anytime. I could cook my meals,” said Jesus Cerda, who immigrated from the Dominican Republic to the United States with his father. He found himself homeless and suffering from mental illness at the age of 16. In 2022, he lived in a studio apartment in a former tuberculosis hospital in Queens and is highlighted as one of H+H’s success stories.

“I think having this, everything, a bed — a big bed, compared to a twin bed in the shelter — that makes me feel happy … that’s improving my mental health and also my physical health,” said Cerda. “This apartment makes me feel like a king because I’m in control. It’s something that I never had before.”

As of the end of June 2025, more than 3,000 patients and their families have benefited from the initiative’s housing navigation and medical respite programming, and nearly 1,500 patient households have received stable housing, said H+H.

“It is a privilege to be in a more nontraditional place to really support people who are coming to us with a lot of faith and trust at a moment of vulnerability, and we [can say], ‘Okay, we’re going to help you. What do you need?’” said Jontef.

New responses

In March 2025, the housing initiative celebrated the opening of Woodhull Phase II on Woodhull Hospital land in Brooklyn. It is expected to break ground on the Just Home project on Jacobi Hospital’s land in the Bronx. H+H is also advancing its proposal for the Morrisania River Commons project, a 328unit affordable and supportive housing development project and clinic in the Bronx that was a part of the 2018 Jerome Avenue Neighborhood Plan and Rezoning.

In 2023, the Morrisania and Crotona neighborhoods of the South Bronx were about 30% Black and 61% Latino, according to New York University’s Furman Center. About 36% of renter households in the community district were severely rent-burdened that year. Between 2010 and 2024, rents for more than 8,000 units in more than four buildings went up; 15% were market rate and 78% were “income-targeted,” according to the data.

The proposed building would be on Gerard Avenue, replacing the clinic’s parking lot and annex. It would include a mix of studios, onebedroom, two-bedroom, and three-bedroom apartments. The project is supported by River Commons Owners LLC, Type A Projects, BronxWorks, and L & M.

“We know that smart housing policy is smart health policy,” said Ahmed Tigani, the city’s acting housing preservation and development (HPD) commissioner, in a state-

ment. “We’ve seen how closely they’re tied — when people have a stable home, they’re more likely to stay well, get care when they need it, and be part of a stronger, safer community. This project isn’t just about solving a crisis — it’s about preventing the next one.”

Challenges to overcome

Still, the downside of these types of projects are that they take a long time to get approved, financed, and built when people are in dire need of housing today.

“We have the land, but financing is always a limitation, and there’s limited city resources,” said Jontef. “All of these programs have significant city subsidies, which are great, like housing rental subsidies and housing finance tools. There’s just a lot of projects that are in the queue.”

Adolpho Abreu, housing campaign director at VOCAL NY, said the Housing for Health initiative builds on proven models for creating permanent housing for those experiencing homelessness. “It gets us to having healthier communities. We’re ensuring vulnerable populations, especially those experiencing mental health crises or just need onsite medical services, are provided for and won’t necessarily have to travel far [to receive services],” said Abreu. He believes the initiative could be effective but might run into some issues with community support, since there tends to be a “lack of compassion for folks experiencing homelessness, those with mental health issues, or folks with active drug use.” He also lamented that building affordable housing takes so long when more than 2,500 units of supportive housing in the city remain vacant, according to the City Comptroller’s 2025 report.

Councilmember Althea Stevens, who oversees City Council District 16 where the proposed Morrisania River Commons project is slated to be built, came into office after the Jerome Avenue rezoning plans were put in place. She has faith in the project overall, but remains concerned about the impact more supportive housing will have on the district. Ideally, Stevens would like to see more family-sized apartments as opposed to studios, more programs promoting homeownership, and varied levels of incomes in the buildings. The proposed housing project requires a vote in the City Council and mayoral approval to move forward with construction.

There are close to 17 shelters in Districts 16, 15, and 17 in the Bronx. “We went from being a district that had an overwhelming amount of shelters to now being a district that is building an overwhelming amount of supportive housing,” said Stevens. “I’m not opposed to supportive housing. It’s a real necessity, but we can’t always be the district. There needs to be diversity in where these things are being built, and we need additional resources.”

Rendering of proposed Morrisania River Commons project in the Bronx.

Proposed site for apartment building is parking lot at 1225 Gerard Avenue in the Bronx. (Photos contributed by NYC Health + Hospitals)

(AmNews photo illustration)

NYC Civic Corps seeks applicants for public service training jobs; state pushes back against federal cuts

By TANDY LAU Amsterdam News staff writer

Despite massive federal cuts, the city’s AmeriCorps program will boost 150 paid positions in this upcoming cohort after a $3.2 million increase from the city budget. NYC Civic Corps is encouraging job-seeking New Yorkers — particularly new graduates and career changers with interest in public service — to apply before the Sept. 28 deadline.

“Programs like the Civic Corps are not optional,” said Deputy Mayor for Administration Camille Joseph Varlack during a press conference. “They are essential. These roles create real economic opportunity for working-class New Yorkers. They strengthen the capacity of nonprofits, expand access to services in our most vulnerable communities, and open pathways to careers in public service.”

Earlier this year, the Trump administration slashed almost $400 million in grants for AmeriCorps. The federal agency bankrolls community service and volunteer opportunities ranging from rebuilding houses after a natural disaster to delivering meals to the elderly to assisting veterans.

In New York State, more than 40 programs, including Civic Corps, lost roughly $30 million in total federal funding. Gov. Kathy Hochul joined a lawsuit against the federal government in April over the cuts.

“From providing vital public health services in New York City, to helping kids read in the Southern Tier, AmeriCorps is a representation of true public service,” said Hochul in April. “Our AmeriCorps workers give so much back to their communities — their compassionate and valiant work does not go unrecognized.”

However, the Adams administration’s support will keep the city’s program afloat with the help of the New York State Commission on National and Community Service.

Roughly 80 host nonprofits and city agencies across all five boroughs will participate in this year’s program, which starts in October and runs for 10 months until next July.

Around 40% of the openings will focus on youth development. There is also a sizable number of positions for community health initiatives, which include food access and preventative care.

Corp members receive a living allow-

ance of up to $24,500, with healthcare and 15 days of paid time off. Graduates can receive a $5,176 grant towards student loan repayment or future tuition, as well as loan forbearance — allowing participants to pause student loan payments during the program with any interest repaid by federal money. They will also receive an unlimited MTA MetroCard and NYC Service — the agency overseeing the program — says transportation benefits will now expand to CitiBike membership.

Cheryl A. Pemberton-Graves, Chief Volunteer Officer at Lighthouse Guild (which serves people with visual impairments), says the nonprofit’s first year hosting a Civic Corps member helped build out a companion program for volunteers to assist visually-impaired New Yorkers with leaving the house and receiving support.

“By the time he left here, we had an opportunity to have an open house of sorts, and clients with volunteers to do some of these other things,” she said. “We knew it was important, because people were asking for something like that. But until people started doing it, we didn’t know how much it was opening up to them. We couldn’t get to that

point without an AmeriCorps volunteer.” Eligibility is reserved for applicants 18 years or older with a diploma and U.S. citizenship or permanent residency. NYC Service will conduct a criminal background check, but a spokesperson told the AmNews the agency welcomes applications from people with conviction records and will work on a case-by-case basis to ensure their eligibility.

Since Civic Corps began 16 years ago, more than 2,200 alumni have ultimately landed in permanent public service careers. 78% of all alumni, including those who do not work in public service, report that their Civic Corps experience helped prepare them for their current work. The program also promises a career fair for participants, and Americorps offers an alumni job portal with a free resume review.

“NYC Civic Corps is a program that bridges divides, makes communities healthier, and creates a sense of belonging to this city we all love and champion,” said NYC Chief Service Officer Laura Rog. “Organizations depend on the support of NYC Civic Corps members to reach New Yorkers in underserved communities with dignity and crucial resources.”

NYC Civic Corps alumni pose for a photo at a City Hall press conference. (Photo courtesy of NYC Service)

Volunteers set to beautify the city with Daffodil Project

By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff

Over the next two weekends, New Yorkers for Parks (NY4P) will distribute nearly one million daffodil bulbs and native plant seeds to community organizations for planting across the city.

Under the Daffodil Project, the group’s annual volunteer effort, NY4P promotes the planting of a living memorial to the victims of 9/11 and COVID-19, while encouraging New Yorkers to support its “1% for Parks” campaign –– an effort to get the city to raise its annual funding for parks from 0.6% to 1% of the city’s $115 billion budget.

“Parks lost nearly 800 positions over the last three years. In this last budget, there were some positions restored, but nowhere near the number that have been lost,” points out Adam Ganser, NY4P’s executive director.

Instead of cutting jobs, Mayor Eric Adams’ administration has simply not filled the spots that were left open as em-

ployees vacated various Parks Department positions between 2023 and 2025.

“So, we really missed the opportunity to make the Parks Department whole again,” said Ganser. “Honestly, I think it’s out of step with what New Yorkers want.

New Yorkers want safe, green, clean, public open spaces and parks. That’s never been more true than after the pandemic; you see more and more people using these spaces.”

“And New York just isn’t keeping in line… with what New Yorkers want or keeping

pace with other major cities,” Ganser continued. “Most other major cities are investing 2% to 5% of their budget into their parks. And New York is stuck at 0.5% or 0.6%.”

Nationally, funding for parks varies widely: Minneapolis allocates 5.3% of its budget, Chicago gives 3.5%, Los Angeles 2.9%, and San Francisco 1.6%. Despite having a park system spanning 30,000 acres, New York City has consistently spent less than one percent of its budget on its parks since 1979.

To advocate for increased investment, NY4P recently launched its “Parks 2030” platform, which details strategies for enhancing city parks and helping to fight climate change. In April, NY4P and the Center for New York City and State Law hosted a mayoral candidates’ forum to get the next city leaders thinking about how they would address these issues. Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani and Mayor Adams pledged support for the 1% for

State leaders tour Harlem and present businesses with unclaimed fund checks

By JASON PONTEROTTO Special to the AmNews

New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli and New York State Assemblymember Jordan Wright hosted a walking tour of Harlem to deliver unclaimed fund checks to several notable businesses in the community.

On September 2, the elected officials visited several Harlem staples, including Make My Cake, the Abyssinian Baptist Church, the Studio Museum in Harlem, and Sylvia’s Restaurant. During the tour, officials spoke with business owners and employees about the unclaimed funds and addressed many of their concerns.

Earlier this year, DiNapoli pledged to give back $20 billion in unclaimed funds to businesses across the state. The Office of Unclaimed Funds has awarded more than $430 million since January, with an average of $2 million a day. Business owners can file claims online at the State Comptroller website to see if they are eligible for funds. Smaller checks of $250 or less can be mailed directly to entities.

At Make My Cake, the first stop of the Harlem Tour, a check totaling $1,176 was presented to and accepted by Elizabeth Camejo, who has worked at the bakery since 2019. DiNapoli and Wright each bought cookies from the bakery.

The tour stopped next at the historic Abyssinian Church, where Pastor Kevin R. Johnson received a check for $1,384. He became the full-time pastor last year after Rev. Calvin Butts died in 2022. Since he joined, the church has gained 400 new members, many of whom are under age 50, according

to Johnson. After recently doing a backpack giveaway, Johnson said the funds will go into their Abbey Cares Fund to continue supporting the Harlem community.

As the tour stayed on Malcolm X Blvd. (aka Lenox Avenue) and moved downtown, Wright told DiNapoli about the history of Harlem and his personal close ties in the community through the legacy of his grandfather, Judge Bruce Wright, and father and former assemblymember in his current seat, Keith L. Wright. The walk included running into several Harlem residents whom Wright has known for years.

At the site of the new Studio Museum on 125th Street, Director and Chief Curator Thelma Gordon and Chief of Staff Terrence Phearse gave an overview of the space to the

elected officials and Amsterdam News Publisher Elinor Tatum. The museum received a check for $6,528.

“These funds will support the museum’s programming, which our community will once again be able to engage with when we open on November 15,” according to a statement from the Studio Museum press office that was read at the event.

The tour continued crosstown to Lenox and Sylvia’s Restaurant, where Executive Chief of Staff Taneidra McFadden received a check of $682 that she said can go to several areas where the business needs support. Their margins have been much tighter in recent years and they hope to get additional funding to cope with challenges and uncertainties so they can keep their prices

affordable for the community, provide good salaries and training, and retain staff.

“One of the challenges we’ve had is the funds. If we could get more support in the training to help us to retain [employees], that would be really good,” McFadden said.

The final stop was next door at the Red Rooster restaurant on 138th Street, where the tour leaders presented Beverage and Service Manager German Uribe Cruz with a check for $3,396. The restaurant, named after the original Red Rooster, is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year.

Addressing the challenge of getting the word out about unclaimed funds and potential money businesses can access, DiNapoli said Wright and his office are partnering with local events such as Cordell Cleare’s Senior Citizens’ Day two weeks ago, where they informed community members about these resources.

DiNapoli encouraged small-business owners to contact Wright’s office for help in cutting through red tape and other hurdles when trying to obtain licensing and other approvals.

“This is a community that wants to support the small business, the mom-and-pop shops, the locally owned, rather than the box stores and the chains, so we have to — all of us at every level, whether that’s state or city — do all that we can to cut through red tape [and] provide access to capital through the different programs,” DiNapoli said.

For more information about unclaimed funds, visit the New York State Comptroller’s Office website.

Community group members picked up free daffodil bulbs and wildflower seeds at the New Yorkers for Parks’ 2025 Daffodil Project site in Brooklyn. (Karen Juanita Carrillo photo)

Comptroller Tom DiNapoli (left) and New York State Assemblymember Jordan Wright (right) hold walking tour of Harlem. (Bill Moore photo)

See DAFFODIL PROJECT on page 31

Union Matters

LIRR strike looms as wage disputes continue

By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff

Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) workers could go out on strike by this time next week.

Some 3,700 LIRR employees –– members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET), Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen (BRS), International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW), International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, and Transportation Communications Union (TCU) –– want cost-of-living raises and are voting on whether they should go out on strike to get them.

The unions are waiting for the results of a strike authorization vote by BLET members to determine whether to authorize a strike. Results of this vote are expected by September 15. If the majority of BLET members vote in favor, the strike could begin as early as September 18. The strike could only be halted by the unions, MTA, or Governor Hochul’s request for the Trump administration to appoint a presidential emergency mediation board.

The potentially striking employees, who make up more than half of the LIRR’s unionized workforce, are advocating for cost-ofliving raises and claim that they have not

received a salary increase since April 16, 2022. Their ongoing contract dispute with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has been in mediation since February 2024, following the TCU’s rejection of a tentative agreement.

taled out at 9.5 percent. While other LIRR unions accepted that offer, these five unions rejected it. Instead, these unions want a threeyear contract with 15% raises — they say that would match the agreements secured by rail workers elsewhere in the country.

“[L]et me be clear: we are not anti-technology. Technology can and should be used to make railroading safer, more efficient, and more sustainable. It should assist the men and women in the cab, not replace them. We are not anti-technology. We are antiexploitation.”

– BLET President Mark Wallace

According to reports, the MTA offered the unions a three-year contract with more than 3 percent yearly fractional increase that to-

“We are only asking for a fair contract — one that provides modest wage gains, or at the very least, maintains real wages,” Gil

Lang, general chair for the BLET’s LIRR engineers, stated in a press release. “Our members would not ratify anything short of that.” This fight for a strong contract takes place as railroad unions attempt to secure the future of their members’ jobs, many of which are being threatened by new technologies.

Last month, BLET President Mark Wallace told members at a western regional meeting that the use of new, unproven technologies is threatening their jobs.

“Technology is advancing rapidly. And the carriers see it as an excuse to cut jobs,” he warned. “Automation. Remote control. One-person crews. All pushed in the name of profit. But let me be clear: we are not anti-technology. Technology can and should be used to make railroading safer, more efficient, and more sustainable. It should assist the men and women in the cab, not replace them.

“We are not anti-technology. We are antiexploitation. When technology is used responsibly, as a tool to support workers, to reduce risks, and to protect communities, we welcome it. But when it is used recklessly, as a weapon to eliminate jobs, to undermine safety, or to squeeze more profit out of fewer people, we will immediately oppose it with everything we have.”

LIRR train 2798, the “Cannonball,” departs Penn Station for the Hamptons on Friday, May 28, 2021, Memorial Day weekend. (Marc A. Hermann/MTA photo)

Central Park Conservancy honoring the 200th anniversary of Seneca Village

By JASON PONTEROTTO Special to the AmNews

An often unseen, but critically important part of New York history is being commemorated in remembrance of Black people who formed one of the first independent communities in the city.

The 200th anniversary of Seneca Village is being celebrated at an event hosted by the Central Park Conservancy on Sunday, Sept. 14, at Mother AME Zion Church in Harlem. It will feature a sermon, live music, and a panel discussion with historians about the history of the Black community.

The event is part of a series of events from the program, Seneca Village: Toward a Permanent Commemoration, and funded by the Mellon Foundation. The Conservancy announced the initiative in February as part of its goal to permanently commemorate the Black community

“Seneca Village is a vital part of the history of New York City and Central Park, and that community’s memory deserves to be honored within Central Park’s landscape,” said Betsy Smith, president & CEO, Central Park Conservancy during the February announcement. “The Central Park Conser-

vancy is thrilled to lead these conversations with the public to deepen our collective understanding of its legacy.”

In recent years, the story of Seneca Village, a thriving community predominantly made up of free African Americans that was later demolished to create Central Park, has sparked much discussion. It developed in 1825, after Andrew Williams, a 25-year-old African American shoeshiner and congregant of Mother AME Zion Church, purchased three lots of land between 82nd and 89th for $125. By the 1850s, it comprised dozens of homes, churches, and a burial ground — becoming a haven for Black people, even within the free state of New York.

However, the land was seized by eminent domain, forcing the 1,600 residents out and leaving them displaced by 1857. More of the history of the Village can be found at the Conservancy website.

AME Zion Church, which had formed as New York’s first Black church in 1820, purchased six lots of land after serving as a refuge for runaway slaves during the Underground Railroad. It became known as “Freedom Church,” and notable abolitionist leaders like Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, and Harriet Tubman were all

The event runs from 11:00 a.m. to 2 p.m. and begins with a church service, followed

connected to the space.

by an open house of the history of the church, and will be followed by a discussion at 1:00 p.m.

Site of Seneca Village in Central Park ( Bill Moore photo)

Opinion

Our new Secretary of Offense and the assault on due process

Of all the policies and actions by the Trump administration, including the deployment of National Guard troops to U.S. cities, none is more disturbing than the U.S. military attack last week on a suspected drug boat. One would presume that the engagement course with suspected narco-terrorists would be arrest and interrogation, not annihilation. But in the Trump world order, suspicion is tantamount to guilt, and the killing of 11 alleged members of Tren de Aragua is consistent with his changing the Department of Defense to the Department of War.

In effect, then the Secretary of Defense is now the Secretary of Offense.

Should we be concerned about this irrational act? Certainly, because the next executive order could potentially allow protesters against the deployment of troops to U.S. cities to be classified as resistors to domestic policies and gunned down by the troops. There is no evidence that the boat was in fact trafficking drugs from Venezuela, and it apparently had no intentions of conducting warfare, which might have justified being fired upon. Trump’s method has always been to strike first and ask questions later. He faces a multitude of questions about the strike that occurred in international waters without any provocation.

Trump claimed they were members of the gang, and he can make the same claims about immigrants and anti-war protesters, knowing well enough, he can, with impunity, impose his lawlessness.

The lives on the boat must be granted innocence until proven guilty, so their civil and human rights were violated, and they were denied due process. Not only denied legal defenses, but in this instance denied their lives.

Let us hope this is an anomaly, something that won’t happen again, though that’s just another wishful thought when it comes to the lack of justice and human dignity in the Trump world.

Gun violence declines came through strategic planning and community focus, says Manhattan D.A.

By ALVIN BRAGG

Manhattan has so much to offer in the summer, from attending outdoor concerts and performances, to barbecues, to sitting outdoors in a park. It is a time for friends and family to gather. Yet, too often, these gatherings can be tragically disrupted by gun violence, which typically spikes during the warmer periods.

This is particularly true in Harlem and other areas of Upper Manhattan, which have historically been chronic summer gun violence hotspots. As a lifelong New Yorker and Harlemite, I have seen this firsthand, and it is unacceptable and discouraging.

But I am proud to say that this year, and this summer specifically, has been different. As Manhattan District Attorney, combating gun violence is my priority, and we are achieving significant results.

It is extremely encouraging that gun violence continues to decline in Manhattan and across New York City, according to a recent announcement by the NYPD. Through collaboration with law enforcement partners, targeted enforcement strategies, and preventative investments with community partners, we are seeing a significant, sustained decline in gun violence in Harlem this summer.

Year-to-date, as of Aug. 31, overall homicides and shootings have dropped 30% in the six NYPD precincts encompassing West, Central, and East Harlem. Homicides have decreased or remained stable in four of these six precincts. The 25th Precinct in East Harlem saw zero homicides year-to-date, compared to seven at this time in 2024 – a drop of 100%. Shootings are down in each of the six precincts compared to last year.

tigation helped uncover two rival crews who allegedly accounted for approximately 50% of the shootings in the 23rd precinct over several months.

Strategic community investments and youth engagement can also help us identify young people who are at risk of gun violence and stop shootings before they occur. This summer, my office announced $295,000 in funding for youth gun violence prevention to eleven com-

comprised approximately 96% of shooting victims in New York City. Our Men of Color Response Team focuses on this population and engages them to address the complex challenges they face, preventing future victimization or harm as they move forward in their lives.

Finally, we are taking steps to address the growing number of ghost guns and 3D-printed firearms and gun parts flooding our city.

“Centering victims and survivors is the cornerstone of our work. I’ve met with dozens of survivors and their families, and it’s easy to see the profound impact gun violence has on their lives.”

munity-based organizations, seven of which serve Harlem youth. This is the fourth consecutive year my office has awarded this funding, which compensates participants who engage in meaningful programming aimed at addressing the root causes of youth gun violence.

Elinor R. Tatum: Publisher and Editor in Chief

These stats mirror a significant decline in shootings throughout the entire borough. Homicides are down 37% and shootings are down 34% in Manhattan year-to-date. Furthermore, homicides are down 43% and shootings are down 66% compared to the same time in 2021, before I took office. Here is how we are achieving this massive reduction in violence. One key strategy is prosecutions, including those developed through long-term, proactive investigations. This year, we announced a series of major cases, including the prosecution of a Harlem-based criminal enterprise for a wide range of alleged street crimes and financial fraud. This inves-

Centering victims and survivors is the cornerstone of our work. I’ve met with dozens of survivors and their families, and it’s easy to see the profound impact gun violence has on their lives. Shootings create secondary trauma: fear of being shot as an innocent bystander, fear for loved ones, and an outsized impact on the feeling of safety in neighborhoods.

This trauma can metastasize into continued violence, which is why we significantly expanded the reach of our Survivor Services Bureau (“SSB”) during my administration. SSB supports victims, witnesses, and their families by connecting them to crucial services, including counseling, therapy, and mental health resources. Thanks to recent investments, SSB staff has doubled and engages with our Assistant District Attorneys at the earliest stages of cases.

The trauma of gun violence disproportionately impacts certain communities: in 2024, Black and Hispanic individuals

With growing technology, 3D-printed firearms can be made in your home with a 3D printer and materials purchased online and a file downloaded from the internet, providing instructions on how to assemble these weapons. In addition to prosecuting defendants who manufacture or sell these weapons, we are working to remove the online files that are used as the blueprints to make the 3Dprinted parts.

We have engaged with the private sector to remove a significant number of these files and are calling on 3D-printing companies to adopt additional security measures. We have also proposed legislation to combat the proliferation of certain 3D-printed gun parts and to close the state’s 3D-gun manufacturing loophole. Although the data is continuing to trend in the right direction, we know there is more work to do. One victim of a shooting is too many, and we will continue to use every tool at our disposal to drive down these numbers further and deliver safe communities everywhere in Manhattan.

Alvin

Bragg is the current Manhattan District Attorney, and the 37th person elected to the office.

Madison Gray: Executive & Investigative Editor

Damaso Reyes: Editor at Large

Kristin Fayne-Mulroy: Managing Editor

Cyril Josh Barker: Digital Editor

Siobhan "Sam" Bennett:

Joseph McNeil: Remembering an unsung Civil Rights hero

By HERB BOYD

Unless you’re a news junkie or a devout civil rights advocate, you may have missed the passing of Joseph McNeil on Sept. 4. He was 83.

During his lifetime, he rarely received his due as a civil rights activist, though in the annals of the movement he is remembered for his pioneering role in the sit-in protests. Those acts in defiance of Jim Crow laws began in Greensboro, North Carolina on February 1, 1960 when he was still a high school student.

Perhaps you’ve seen the historic photos of four young Black men at Woolworth’s lunch counter waiting in vain to be served; well McNeil was one of the original sit-in members, and now only one, Jibreel Khazan (Ezell Blair, Jr.), is still alive. When I was writing one of my books on the Civil Rights Movement, McNeil told me that his commitment then was like a down payment on his manhood, “to take on something that might have enormous risks, and implications, and it turned out to be something we all

can be very proud of.”

What they did expanded the movement and forced Woolworth’s to change its policy in North Carolina and at stores across the country. McNeil went on to a distinguished academic and 40-year military career, rising to the rank of major general with more than 6,600 flight hours. He received the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal upon his retirement in 2000.

Yes, Joseph, what you did as youth, teacher and man in uniform are things that make us all proud.

Federal overreach and local betrayal: A double threat to Black Freedom in D.C.

By KEVIN BECKFORD AND YASMIN SALINA

The Trump administration recently issued an executive order ending cash bail in Washington, D.C., after declaring a federal takeover of the city’s policing. He’s also vowing to eliminate “no cash bail” policies in Chicago, New York, and Illinois, labeling them “disaster” sites. These recent policy decisions are amongst a longstanding tradition of pushing narratives and policies that criminalize Black communities under the guise of public safety.

Unfortunately, policies that expand the footprint of jails and compromise the liberties of individuals are quite standard among policymakers, including those in liberal bastions like Washington, D.C., which enacted a “no cash bail” policy in 1992. Local leaders in Washington, D.C., and elsewhere have recently pushed for regressive pro-policing and propretrial detention policies.

Under the guise of public safety, Washington has supported measures that disproportionately impact Black residents. Last year, the Bowser administration and the city council endorsed policies like the D.C. Crime Bill (ironically titled Secure DC), which expands police powers and expands the opportunity for pretrial detention, despite copious amounts of evidence that such measures do not enhance public safety. The Crime Bill wasn’t an isolated local choice — it’s connected to the broader movement for jails like the executive order to end no cash bail, which recasts “public safety” as a pretext to expanding policing, expanding pretrial detention, and punishing poverty.

Policies that reinstate cash bail or expand pretrial detention effectively criminalize poverty, thereby locking

individuals and families into cycles of incarceration simply because they cannot afford bail. Pretrial freedom is a fundamental right, yet for many Black and Brown people in places that use cash bail and long, unnecessary detention, it has become conditional on wealth rather than innocence. People –– very, very few of whom have not been charged with violent crimes and/or will likely be proven innocent — lose their jobs, their freedoms, and housing in many situations, due to cash bail policies. And yes, recent policies around jailing and detention in recent years have compromised the liberties of many Washingtonians.

“No cash bail” jurisdictions have a track record of keeping jail populations down and communities safer, and should be the standard.

A recent study from Harris County, Texas, which eliminated pretrial detention for misdemeanors, found that safety outcomes improved and people were less likely to be arrested or rearrested. Additionally, convictions in Harris County stemming from plea bargains have gone down, and acquittals have gone up, which can be attributed to the reality that people can rightfully fight their cases when they are not in jail.

These results show what is possible when freedom, not jailing, is the default. They also highlight the hypocrisy of rejecting models that are working simply because they disrupt fear-mongering politics that policymakers, regardless of political persuasion, rely on. We can’t scream that crime is the lowest it’s ever been in the past 30 years in response to federal policing in the district, and passively allow for the federal pursuit of local policies that will lock more people up.

It is also important to note that youth in particular are uniquely vul -

nerable under cash bail and pretrial detention policies. Black youths in D.C. are disproportionately arrested and detained, often for minor offenses, and are funneled into the criminal legal system before they even finish high school. Instead of punitive approaches, we must invest in transformative alternatives: restorative justice programs, trauma-informed community supports, education enrichment, and culturally-responsive mentoring. These interventions do far more to prevent harm and build safe communities than increased policing or jailing ever could.

This federal administration’s call for a federal takeover and the recent executive order ending cash bail are not about safety, but are all about control. It’s about using D.C. as a political prop while disregarding the lived experiences of residents who have proven that safety can be achieved. Unfortunately, some of the narratives and policies pushed forth by local leaders might have fed into this moment we find ourselves in.

As advocates, residents, and policymakers, we must reject both the attacks and the complacency that perpetuate pretrial incarceration and over-policing. The moment calls for courage, imagination, and an unwavering commitment to justice. As the nation’s capital, Washington, D.C, should always model what true safety and security look like. True justice in D.C. will never be measured in dollars or bonds; it will be measured in the freedom of our people to exist, dream, and thrive without a price tag on their liberty.

Dr. Kevin Beckford and Yasmin Salina are co-founders of The Hustlers Guild. Dr. Beckford is the senior associate of Partnerships and Engagement with the Pretrial Justice Institute.

CHRISTINA GREER, PH.D.

Do you ever go to a restaurant and feel like you’ve tried something new and exquisite while also remembering meals from your childhood? I recently went to the newly opened Markette Restaurant (formerly Haymarket), the creative culinary vision of British Jamaican Chef India Doris.

Although Chef India hails from London, the flavors are definitely straight from the pots of her Jamaican grandmother.

Some of my fondest memories are all of the conversations I had with my grandmother while she was in her kitchen, standing over her pots … whether she was adding ham hocks to her collard greens, frying fish, making grits to perfection, or steaming the biggest backyard okra I’ve ever seen. Sitting at Markette with my friends, who spanned two generations, made all of us nostalgic for the cooking of our various grandmas and reminded us of flavors we’ve experienced during our travels to the Caribbean, Europe, and the continent.

Chef India has curated a menu of delights ranging from tuna crudo, a flatbread cooked to perfection; tomatoes that will make you question whether you’ve ever had a real tomato up until that very moment; and salt cod fritters that were fried to a perfect crisp and felt like a pillowy hushpuppy inside. I ate my shared starters so quickly I had to remember my home training and table manners.

For me, it’s always so great to support a female chef — someone who is young and innovative in the industry, and who is leaning into highlighting incredibly fresh ingredients with what food critics define as a “modern Euro-

pean menu.” As I ate my braised oxtail, dorade fish with crispy skin, and periperi chicken (which had the absolute ideal amount of heat), I also thought of all of the similar cuisines that bind Black Americans, Caribbeans, and Africans. When I wrote “Black Ethnics,” I wanted to focus on all of the ways Black people can build coalitions. Writing it in a book is one way; seeing those connections seamlessly on a plate is another.

As I am constantly reminding my readers of this column, if we like something, we must support it, cultivate, and help it grow. There are so many young chefs who need to see Chef India, her absolutely esthetically beautiful restaurant, and her courage to begin this endeavor. Luckily for me, Markette is only a few blocks away from Madison Square Garden. I now have the perfect restaurant to complement my Knicks games. I hope to try the lamb skewers, the bavette steak, and the linguine for my next round. And if I don’t have time for dinner, I will definitely be at the bar, enjoying the incredibly innovative cocktail menu. I’ve found a new gem in New York City. Markette is at 326 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, near West 28th Street. See you there!

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

Guyana, Jamaica governments get five more years

By BERT WILKINSON Special to the AmNews

What might be the last two of a plethora of general elections held in the Caribbean Community (Caricom) this year occurred in the past week, with both the Guyana’s and Jamaica’s governments easily retaining incumbencies.

Campaigning with strong evidence of healthy cash flows, both the administrations of Guyanese President Irfaan Ali, 45, and Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness, 53, will govern their respective countries for the next five years while their rival opposition parties struggle to rebuild.

Guyana results

In the case of oil- and gas-rich Guyana, the main opposition, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), suffered a devastating defeat, dropping from more than 30 of the 65 seats in the last parliament to a mere 12 and now being replaced by We Invest in Nationhood (WIN), a political outfit that was formed a mere three months ago. In its very first attempt, WIN, led by U.S.-sanctioned businessman Azruddin Mohamed, 38, picked up 16 seats and has now replaced the APNU as the party that represents Guyanese of

African descent in the country. This is the first time that the APNU/PNC coalition will not be either in government or functioning as the main opposition party in Parliament — such was the humiliation at the September 1 polls. Jamaica’s election was held two days later.

Ironically, an APNU-led coalition had actually won the 2015 elections and had run the country until it lost in 2020 to the Indo-dominated governing People’s Progressive Party (PPP). How it will rebuild after losing such a large chunk of the electorate, including youth and first-time voters, remains a mystery. Party leaders say it will take a charismatic leader to bring back the flock, which has strayed to WIN and the PPP, for the next race in 2030. Its persistent challenges in raising campaign financing was a major contributor to its low profile on both social media and the national stage. The electoral commission gave the PPP a majority of 36 seats, with a comfortable three-seat lead in the assembly. Ali was sworn in at a glittering ceremony on Sunday while U.S. fighter jets staged a flyover at the seaside event.

Ali pledged to be a leader of all Guyanese, an acknowledgment, critics say, of the racial sensitivities that have bedeviled this resource-

rich nation for decades.

“I stand before you this day, both humbled and exalted by the solemn honor you have once more entrusted to me to serve as your president,” Ali said after being sworn in, signaling a continuation of people-centered governance. “I draw from you, the people, and my family, reminding me daily that leadership is not a pursuit of self but a covenant of service. It is not the benefit for a few, but for the upliftment of all. It is in that spirit that I have taken the oath of office.”

Jamaica retention

In the far north of the 15-nation Caricom bloc, Holness defied the predictions of pollsters, which had given the change of government nod to the main opposition People’s National Party (PNP) of white Jamaican attorney Mark Golding, 60.

Going into the contest with a mere 14 of the 63 seats from the 2020 elections, the PNP grew to 29 seats on this occasion, but these were not enough to unseat Holness and his Jamaica Labor Party (JLP).

In gaining the nod of the Jamaican electorate, Holness is now on track to create history by becoming the first JLP leader to win a true third term, joining retired PNP leader and prime minister P.J. Patterson as not only a

third-term winner but one who had served 14 consecutive years.

“No weapon formed against me shall prosper,” Holness told supporters as it became clear that the JLP would win around 34 of the 63 parliamentary seats, including some areas that many thought were the preserve of the PNP.

“We must guard against arrogance. This government, in our third term, must be laser-focused on ensuring that there is prosperity for all Jamaicans,” Holness said. “This was not a victory by default. Make no mistake about it: This was not an easy victory. Make no mistake about it: This was a fight, but we did not descend from my political orga-

Why are African nations agreeing to take in U.S. deportees?

IMMIGRATION KORNER

In his first term, Donald Trump allegedly referred to African nations as “s-hole countries.” In this term, he has slashed aid to the continent at breakneck speed. Yet now, in a disturbing echo of history when some African leaders were complicit in selling their own into bondage, governments are striking secretive deals to accept U.S. deportees — for cash.

The price tag is eye-popping. Rwanda was reportedly paid $100,000 in April to take a single deportee and has since agreed to accept up to 250 more. Eswatini, formerly Swaziland, was offered more than $10 million to detain more than 150 people. Other agreements with Uganda and South

Sudan remain cloaked in secrecy. In addition to cash, these deals may come with promises of favorable trade terms, foreign aid, or even the easing of sanctions. In short, human lives are being turned into bargaining chips in global politics — much like during the Middle Passage.

Rwanda, again, in the spotlight

Rwanda has already received seven deportees from the U.S., officials confirmed. Some have requested to return, while others hope to stay and rebuild their lives in Rwanda. This comes just three years after Rwanda’s failed migrant deal with the United Kingdom. That 2022 plan, which sought to resettle asylum seekers in Kigali, was struck down by Britain’s Supreme Court as unlawful — but not before the U.K. had already spent nearly $1 billion, including $300 million handed to Rwanda

that was never recovered.

Now the U.S. is following a similar playbook.

The risks for deportees

The human costs are already mounting. In South Sudan, eight deportees from countries including Cuba and Vietnam were transferred after weeks of being held in a shipping container at a U.S. base in Djibouti. South Sudan, a nation racked by conflict, has not disclosed where those men are being kept.

In Eswatini, deportees are being held in solitary confinement in a maximum-security prison for up to a year, often without legal representation. Human rights lawyers have already taken the government to court over this treatment. These deportations are not simply about removing people from U.S. soil. They are about offshoring America’s immigration problem to fragile states with little capacity — or

will — to safeguard detainees’ rights.

Uganda’s conditional deal

Uganda has agreed to accept deportees on the condition that they are not minors or convicted criminals. Still, local rights advocates have condemned the arrangement.

“We are sacrificing human beings for political expediency; in this case, because Uganda wants to be in the good books of the United States,” said Ugandan lawyer Nicholas Opio.

The bigger question

Here lies the crux: Deportees are not being returned to their home countries. Instead, they are being shipped thousands of miles away to unfamiliar nations, where they face indefinite detention and uncertain futures.

Trump frames this as getting tough on the “worst of the worst,” but make no mistake: These deals are not about justice or public

nization, we did not descend to the gutter to fight. We did not seek to trick the people to win. We did not seek to tear down anyone to lift up ourselves. We did not seek to tear down Jamaica in order to be able to administer the affairs of Jamaicans.”

A busy year

This year has been one of the busiest for nations in the bloc, with elections held in Trinidad, Suriname, Jamaica, Guyana, Bermuda, Anguilla, Curacao, the Cayman Islands, the Turks and Caicos, and Belize. Preparations are also underway for possible elections in St. Vincent this year and the Bahamas early in the new year.

safety. They are about U.S. taxpayer dollars, leverage, and transactional diplomacy.

The grim truth is that vulnerable Black and Brown people — some legal residents, many of whom have already served their time and rebuilt their lives — are once again being reduced to pawns in a political trade. For African states to be complicit in this in 2025 is not only atrocious and unconscionable, it is a shameful replay of history — a modern-day trafficking of human lives that echoes the betrayal of centuries past when some Africans sold others into slavery. Yes, Donald Trump is egregious — but Africans choosing to enable him is unconscionable.

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.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness, leader of the Jamaica Labor Party, celebrates his reelection in Kingston, Jamaica, Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Collin Reid)

International News

FIFA hits Argentina and Albania with 6-figure fines after fan racism at World Cup qualifiers

By GRAHAM DUNBAR AP Sports Writer

GENEVA (AP) — FIFA has fined six national federations, including defending champion Argentina, for racist abuse by fans at World Cup qualifiers in June.

The six nations charged with “discrimination and racist abuse” were Albania, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Serbia, and Bosnia-Herzegovina, according to the sanctions list published by FIFA from its disciplinary committee. It did not provide details on any of the cases.

The Albanian federation had the largest fine of 161,500 Swiss francs ($200,000) imposed for a slew of charges at a June 7 home game against Serbia, which includ-

ed disturbing a national anthem and transmitting “a message that is not appropriate for a sports event.”

Albania and Serbia have historic political tensions that in soccer led to the notorious “Drone Game” in Belgrade in 2014 at a European Championship qualifying game.

The teams drew 0-0 in Tirana in June and the return game in Belgrade is scheduled for Oct. 11. FIFA said Albania must also reduce stadium capacity by 20% at a future game. It hosts Latvia next Tuesday in the qualifying group led by England.

Argentina was fined 120,000 Swiss francs ($149,000) by FIFA for a single charge of discrimination or racist abuse at a June 10 game against Colombia in Buenos Aires.

The game ended 1-1 and Argentina mid-

fielder Enzo Fernández was sent off for a dangerous tackle. FIFA said he must serve a two-game ban and pay a fine of 5,000 Swiss francs ($6,200). Argentina has already advanced to defend its title next year at the World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Six-figure fines show a renewed toughness by FIFA against racism and discrimination since a global call at its annual meeting last year for soccer bodies to take action.

Chile’s soccer federation was fined 115,000 Swiss francs ($143,000) for fan racism after a 1-0 home loss against Argentina on June 5. Colombia got a 70,000 Swiss francs ($87,000) fine after hosting Peru on June 6.

Serbia must pay 50,000 Swiss francs

(Pexels/Gonzalo Acuña photo)

($62,000) for racism and other incidents at a June 10 game against Andorra, and Bosnia-Herzegovina was fined 21,000 Swiss francs ($26,000) for racism and other offenses when hosting San Marino.

In most cases, FIFA also ordered its member federations to have a “prevention plan” for future games.

In a separate case from the Club World Cup in June, FIFA has closed an investigation for lack of evidence against the Captain of the Mexican team Pachuca, Gustavo Cabral, after Real Madrid defender Antonio Rüdiger claimed he was racially abused by him.

At the time, Cabral denied the racism allegation and said he used an insult common in his native Argentina.

Special needs students

Continued from page 6

rise, especially among Black and Latino students, who represent an overrepresented and underdiagnosed population when it comes to qualifying for an IEP program, according to 2020–2021 school year data from the Civil Rights Data Collection.

Dominic Buchmiller, a New York City special education attorney, said information about what an IEP entails for the student can get lost in translation, leaving parents confused and searching for more answers — and more suspensions have not helped. He supports using early childhood diagnosis to help create more in-school and outsideof-school support for special needs children.

“Early evaluations that are comprehensive are incredibly important for a student to get access for what they need to make progress,” Buchmiller said. “The families can self-identify a need … but the school district also has an obligation to identify students [who] need special education services. It’s called the initial referral.”

To qualify for an IEP in NYC, according to District 75 NYC, a child must have one of 13 specific disabilities labeled under IDEA and show that the disability has a negative impact on their education. While the process seems easy-going, parents often reach out for outside school support for their children.

“I represent families who have kids with learning disabilities, and they’re not happy with the classroom,” Buchmiller said. “I will work with the parents who disagree with the IEP that the DOE creates for the student and then file a complaint … and try to get the support the New York City Department of Education [should provide] …”

Chief of Special Education Suzanne Sanchez said her main goal is overseeing the education of New York City students with IEPs, making sure they acquire quality services with outcomes that will continue to enhance their education.

The way teachers and staff approach and speak to children, especially special needs children, is important. Sanchez said that trying to approach all students in the same way leads to disconnects, having students with special needs feel left out or behind their classmates, and creating uncomfortable feelings about school. Sanchez also said that the people behind the scenes in different educational departments all have to be on the same page to keep children at the center.

“Not all children learn the same way, so how we teach and how we approach reaching goals for those students matters,” Sanchez said. “Schools use different skills; imagine a child transferring between those schools and learning two different ways. It’s difficult and not what they deserve, therefore we have to get on the same page.”

Reworking the system for a better future

The work of advocacy and transparency is never done in families who have special education children. The state of New

York is home to about 382,658 special education students who make up around 15% of the total student population. Among those students, NYC hosts about 200,000 of them. According to New York State Education Department data, special education parents did not report that the schools their children attended during the 2020–2021 school year facilitated parental involvement to help improve services their children were receiving.

Skylar, one of Morris’s twins, began to have aggressive tantrums that became challenging to overcome and hard for the school to manage because she became aggressive. A disturbing way they dealt with it was to place Skylar in a dark tent all day to help manage her outbursts. Instead of working with her and learning who she was as a child learner and a person, they kept her in that dark tent while the class kept learning, resulting in the mother having to remove her from the school.

“Instead of trying to calm her down or have her learn deep breathing and things that I did at home that I knew would regulate and calm her, they placed her in a tent all day,” Morris said. “It was hard to see. She was not getting the education she deserved or needed in order to thrive.”

Morris spent a lot of time in phone and face-to-face meetings, trying to communicate and get the schools to understand methods to help her children thrive in school. She said it seemed as if they understood when she was there, but when she was not, it was a completely different experience, resulting in her having to do surprise pop-up visits to check on her children.

“I don’t think they wanted to take the time to do what I asked. Even when I did pop-up visits to see how they were reacting in certain situations, I still had to get in there and show them hands-on,” Morris said. “The communication was way off. Even though they wrote things down and took notes, they didn’t do what I asked.”

Communication plays a huge role in managing childhood education, especially when a child is special needs or requires additional help. Resources like Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support (PBIS) can be used to help redirect special needs children from receiving harsh punishments stemming from their disability, according to Kent McIntosh, professor of special education at the University of Oregon and a member of PBIS who helps focus on how schools can be made better for the students and educators who attend them.

“The work that we do leans on these essential elements of this system-level framework … it is something freely available and includes systems, practices, data, all of which is geared toward outcomes and holds equity at the center of what we do,” McIntosh said. “Our work is to provide free support and resources for educators,

states, schools and districts, and individual teachers.”

As a father of a child who has special needs, McIntosh said stereotyping students into categories can be separating and installing principles into the school itself versus specific classrooms can help create a better host environment overall.

“Instead of taking kids out of their classrooms and trying to teach them separately, it’s about how do we make the school itself a better host environment for everybody,” McIntosh said. “If we provide something good for every student, then all of a sudden, it becomes clearer and easier for students to know what they’re supposed to be doing, to work with each other, to internalize respect; just ways to manage and thrive.”

The PBIS website has a host of free resources for community members, advocates, families, and schools to implement into their curriculums. Topics range from Bullying Prevention to Crisis Recovery — PBIS covers the foundation so teachers can fit appropriate topics into their daily work. The organization even hosts schools internationally, recently doing a report from a middle school in Japan using Tier 1 of PBIS, which led to strong improvements in the learning and culture of that school.

Sanchez and her team at NYC DOE are dedicated to continuous research and creating weekly digest news for communities to view to stay up to date with notices and priorities. From office hours with superintendents to a new initiative for the 2025–2026 school year called “Inclusion Innovators,” the team is pushing up the ladder for special education representation and workflow.

“In Inclusion Innovators, our center is working directly with six different school districts in New York City, and we are bring-

ing onsite coaching and professional development to their professionals on all things [related to] special education,” Sanchez said. “The goal here is to build that muscle and build that capacity locally at the districts, so that any student who walks into a community school feels not only ready, but resourced.”

In some cases, relocation is best. When Enjoli took action and decided to remove her children from District 75 public schools to a private school, she saw a complete turnaround in her daughters. They began to speak, self-regulate, and even enjoy going to school.

“The environment is completely different and their reactions are completely different,” Morris said. “They’re thriving. They’re speaking. They get on the bus. The school they are at now has meetings more often and communicates better, which makes it easier for everyone to be on the same page and work with the child as one, not as separate entities.”

PBIS has a list of resources and guidebooks for teaching certain curriculums for special needs children and how to manage behavior and discipline. Creating and maintaining equity by viewing students as people first will allow the change of discipline to flow and encourage more participation from students and their families.

“I am 100% confident that my children are now going in the right direction — I can see the difference. If they were in the District 75 school, I’m not too sure how far they would’ve come,” Morris said. “They were able to be met where they were and expanded from that to now being able to communicate and calm down on their own. It was a necessary change not just for me, but for them.”

Jada Vasser served as the Amsterdam News’ 2025 Ida B. Wells Society intern.

Kent McIntosh. (Courtesy Kent McIntosh) Hazel Adams-Shango. (Courtesy Hazel Adams-Shango)

Arts & Entertainment

Comedian Chanel Ali talks seriously about her upcoming one-woman show

By LINDA ARMSTRONG Special to the AmNews

Chanel Ali is preparing for her one-woman comedy show, “Chanel Ali: Relative Stranger” at the Soho Playhouse (located at 15 Vandam Street) Sept. 17-28, presented by Sarah Cooper with direction by Ryan Cunningham. The AmNews recently caught up with her to talk about her personal story of becoming a comedian and her journey in the industry People may be familiar Ali, recently named one of Deadline’s 15 Comedians to Watch in 2025: she’s had two Comedy Central specials, an album, and was last seen on MTV’s “Girl Code,” “Night Train with Wyatt Cenac,” and Netflix’s “Dash & Lily.” Enjoy the Q&A that follows.

AmNews: How did you come to be raised in foster care?

Chanel Ali: I was taken away by child protective services from my mother and I never knew my father, so I ended up in the system and also living with distant relatives, friends, etc.

AmNews: What were the struggles you faced in the foster care system?

CA: It was tough to learn how to take care of myself in environments that didn’t prioritize me. I had to develop strong friendships, mentors, and supporters who would really listen to me and take note of the strengths I had.

AmNews: When did you know you wanted to be a comedian and how did you get started?

CA: I more so had the thought that I am a comedian when I was seven. I was studying standup comedy and comedians, leading me to identify what personality traits they had in common. They were smart, confident, had a bold sense of humor — some were cute. As an orphan it felt like I needed to find my superpower and I felt like comedy could be it for me. I was always speaking up, making people laugh, talking to adults like I wasn’t afraid of them. I wasn’t fearless but I wasn’t gonna let that feeling keep me still.

AmNews: When you came to New

York on a Megabus, where did you live and how did you make ends meet?

CA: I moved into an Airbnb, paid it up for two weeks and then hit the comedy scene running. Eventually I found another comic who was renting a room and I was able to get a more stable living situation. I had tons of jobs, mostly in some writing or customer service capacity. My last real job, I worked for OkCupid, that dating website. Providing support to people looking for love. As long as someone can make money and keep their stress level in check, phasing out a regular job to become an artist is a very doable thing.

AmNews: Who helped you to get started in comedy?

CA: In my open mic days, my biggest supporters were the bouncers at the comedy clubs and other comedians and my close friends.

The comedy establishment doesn’t show much love until

you’re somebody. Once the Philadelphia comedy scene showed me love, the city got behind me too.

AmNews: Why choose to tell your personal story through comedy?

CA: Comedy is my artistic medium. This writing represents my best work thus far. I reflect back on my life with hope and humor, through this show, I’m inviting others to giggle at their chaos. There’s so much strength in poking holes and laughing at your demons. Because you’re still standing.

AmNews: How did you end up being reunited with your father at 18 years old?

CA: My father is a police officer and I always knew his name but couldn’t look him up because of how officers’ information is protected. Eventually, the government ordered him to provide his DNA because they wanted to charge him for back-due child support. That court case con-

lifetime, right behind being a big sister to my brothers. I’m so proud that my legacy will be joy, silliness, and honest reflections about society seen through my lens. Being a woman who plays around, has strong opinions, can’t wait to speak up, I’m proud to make these qualities look good.

AmNews: How long did it take you to put together your one-woman show?

CA: It took about a year of work. I toured with it in Scotland and Australia, plus a few early shows in NYC. I devoted every second to it. It poured out of me and I held Q&As after every show. The whole audience always stayed. That helped me know I was building something special.

AmNews: What do you feel when you’re on stage, whether it’s doing comedy or now rehearsing for your upcoming production?

CA: I feel like I’m at home. Soon as I get that mic in my hand, soon as I get under that light, I’m kinda calm. Feels like I’m right where I’m supposed to be and when I get a big laugh, it hits me in beautiful harmonies, big waves.

firmed paternity and gave me enough information to track down the police station he worked for. So, really, I willed it into place.

AmNews: How unpredictable is life, that you being in a 23andMe commercial — produced by Kevin Hart — would lead you to learning you have a 30-year-old brother?

CA: The moment I realized this was unfolding, I sincerely thought I was secretly being filmed for a prank show. My life had already been quite wild in my opinion, but this discovery made my jaw drop. So many factors had to come into place for me to book that commercial, take the test, etc. I don’t think it was an accident. I think the universe wanted me to have the truth and to have more family. It’s been the greatest blessing.

AmNews: What does being a Black female comedian mean to you?

CA: Being a Black artist is the title I’m most proud to hold in this

AmNews: What message do you want your show to have for other children in the foster care system and for people in general?

CA: I want more people to consider being foster parents, I want them to see the value in being a positive influence in children who have already demonstrated superpower like strength and resilience. I want any orphans to see a part of themselves in my story and draw strength from my reflections. You can do anything you set your mind to.

AmNews: Why should people come to see “Chanel Ali: Relative Stranger”?

CA: It’s a miraculous true story, filled with heart and big humor where you get to understand how someone can rise up to be so fun, funny, and badass. I promise your little weird self will feel seen as I discuss family, identity and truth that sets us free. For more info and for tickets, visit relativestrangershow.com.

Chanel Ali preparing for her one-woman show “Chanel Ali: Relative Stranger.” (Photo courtesy of Chanel Ali)

Spike Lee’s ‘Highest 2 Lowest’ welcomes streaming era as film platforms Black New York and beyond

By TANDY LAU AmNews staff

(NOTE: Story contains spoilers for “Highest 2 Lowest”)

Apple TV+ brought fictional record label Stackin’ Hits records to life on Thursday, Sept. 4 to usher in director Spike Lee’s newest joint “Highest 2 Lowest” to the streaming service just weeks after a limited theatrical release. The listening party showcased London-born songwriter Aiyana-Lee’s performance of the title soundtrack at the exclusive Water Street Associates tower across the river from the Brooklyn penthouse where film’s protagonist David King (Denzel Washington) resides and presides.

Whether intentional or not, art imitated life as Spike put on Aiyana-Lee (no relation) just as Denzel’s King did her character Sula in the movie’s ultimate payoff. Spike gave brief remarks before handing the mic off and intently listened to her performance as if he was courtside watching the Knicks.

During the night, Aiyana-Lee recounted how Spike reached out over Instagram. “He said ‘this is the real Spike Lee.’ I see the check mark and I’m kind of like ‘could it really be this guy or did someone pay for the verification and is impersonating him?’” Can’t be too careful these days with all the bots on social media after all. They connected and she found herself in her first movie.

“Spike is hands on [and] really cares about the art,” said Aiyana-Lee. “Every time I watch this movie, I discover something new and he really cares about music.”

But “Highest 2 Lowest” pays homage to the past as much as to the future. The film’s eclectic reverence for Black music history (a standout scene notably deploys James Brown’s “The Payback”) remained apparent during the listening party, with vinyl from the likes of Sam Cooke, Marvin Gaye, and Public Enemy lining the walls under the fictional Stackin’ Hits banner.

The listening party kicks off a major rollout for “Highest 2 Lowest.” Show times aren’t hard to find here in New York City, but Apple TV+ streaming is the first opportunity for some audiences across the country (and world) to see the film due to the limited release.

As a film, “Highest 2 Lowest” takes inspiration from inspiration as an on-screen redux of Akira Kurosawa’s critically-acclaimed “High and Low” (or, more accurately, “Heaven and Hell” in Japanese), which stemmed from Ed

McBain’s novel “King’s Ransom.” The 2025 version mirrors its forefathers in a tug-of-war between personal ambition and morality — kidnapped child and all. Of course, Lee provides his personal touch of social commentary.

There’s no Officer Long a la “Do the Right Thing,” but the male NYPD detectives (played by John Douglas Thompson and Dean Winters) show how your bank account and conviction record can determine whether you’re a

victim or evidence.

New York State lawmakers particularly welcomed the film highlighting the Ebony Alert system, which notifies the public about missing Black youth — they make up 38% of all missing children cases in the U.S. but receive disparities in media coverage and investigative resources. Missing Black children can often be mistaken as runaways, leading to their exclusion for an Amber Alert.

Bill S6865/A8386, championed by State Senator Lea Webb and Assemblymember Noah Burroughs, would establish the second statewide Ebony Alert system in the U.S. after California. The legislation is shown in the film.

“They didn’t just mention the Ebony Alert bill,” said Webb. “They lifted up the Senate bill number, they went and lifted up the fact that it’s just a bill, at this point it’s not law yet, [and] the importance of media and how it shapes the culture [and] raises awareness.”

When the AmNews first reviewed “Highest 2 Lowest” last month, writer Mark Winston Griffith pointed to parallels between Spike Lee and David King. Denzel’s portrayal of the aging hitmaker certainly seemed to belie Spike’s own leanings against artificial intelligence and social media. You can almost hear Lee’s own internal monologue when King advises his son Trey (played by ex-Marvel Television star Aubrey Joseph) to tune out the online noise.

But Spike’s wistful vision isn’t limited to just raging against the machine. “Highest 2 Lowest” clings onto a past New York City as the five boroughs face transition. Scenes set at the Puerto Rican Day Parade and an uptown train north of 110th Street anchor a world when Lee’s films served as an authoritative window into neighborhoods that transplants now flock to for cheap rent and cool bars. Even the anachronistic Black cool of the music mogul, sullied by the downfalls of Diddy and Russell Simmons, along with a general disillusionment against Black capitalism, harkens to his heyday.

Ariama C. Long contributed to reporting for this story.

Highest 2 Lowest is now available for streaming on Apple TV+

Spike Lee at the “Highest to Lowest” showcase. (Photos courtesy of Apple TV+)

Still of Denzel Washington as David King in “Highest 2 Lowest.”

Travel & Resort

D.C. Proud: 48 Hours in the Nation’s Capital

By TRACY E. HOPKINS Special to the AmNews

When I was a student at Howard University, I didn’t fully embrace Washington D.C. as my home away from home. However, as an older adult I have developed a deep appreciation for the District’s diverse arts and cultural offerings, and now when I visit it feels like a sort of homecoming.

My most recent trip was during Labor Day weekend’s annual DC JazzFest, where I saw great performances by Cecile McClorin Salvant at Arena Stage and Lalah Hathaway at The Anthem, reminisced with a Lyft driver about dancing at The Ritz back in the day, and discovered several new Blackowned businesses. And despite the tyrannical politics of the day, it was refreshing to see there are still plenty of upwardly mobile Black folks thriving and stylishly moving and shaking in “Chocolate City.”

Following my lead, here are a few highlights of where to soak up the culture and to see and be seen on your next trip to Washington, D.C.

One nation under a groove

Across the street from The Go-Go Museum & Cafe (gogomuseumcafe.com) in the historic community of Anacostia, there’s a captivating mural of a young girl by internationally renowned artist El Mac (Miles McGregor) entitled, “Unique: The Light Within.” While walking in the neighborhood, I also spotted a sticker on a lamppost that read, “DC Proud: The people of DC are joyful, powerful and we deserve the right to govern ourselves.”

Anacostia is where Frederick Douglas — nicknamed “the lion of Anacostia” — purchased his final home Cedar Hill in 1877 and lived his final years. And the resilient and hopeful spirit Douglas imbued is still flourishing.

Founded by local activist and music producer Ronald Moten, The Go-Go Museum & Cafe doubles as a community hub that provides a safe haven for disenfranchised youth.

“It’s like a living museum. It’s not just about music. It’s about using our superpower in our culture and our history to move us forward,” says Moten, whose ancestors walked across the 11th street Bridge across the Anacostia River in 1862 during Freedom’s Crossing, when enslaved people fled Maryland.

Inside, the museum pays homage to the homegrown percussive and polyrhythmic hybrid of soul and funk. There’s a large portrait of singer and guitarist Chuck Brown, “the godfather of go-go,” who gained national prominence on the strength of his 1979 R&B hit “Bustin’ Loose.” Experience Unlimited (E.U.), the group that further popularized go-go with their platinum single “Da Butt” from the 1988 School Daze soundtrack,

also has a significant presence.

In addition to several interactive educational exhibits, the museum hosts live music performances and has a cafe with diasporainspired street food.

“Most people who come here don’t believe what we’ve done, because of the before and after. The [co-curator] of the museum, Professor Natalie Hopkinson, helped me take 16 exhibits I had in my head and turn it into a reality.”

Although there have been overt attempts to suppress and criminalize go-go culture — including a 1987 law that curbed young people’s access to go-go venues and a 2019 noise complaint against a corner store playing go-go music that sparked the #DontMuteDC movement — in 2020 Mayor Muriel Bowser signed a bill that officially designated go-go music as the official music of the District of Columbia.

“Go-go is D.C.’s superpower. It’s one of the

only forms of music that hasn’t been colonized,” explains Moten.

“Hip-hop was a great thing and still is. But because of its colonization, young people coming out aren’t incentivized to make [positive] music like Common. [Instead], they use it to tear our community down by talking about drugs and killing. With go-go, you aren’t going to play anywhere with that kind of music. That’s only because we have some sort of control over it.”

The museum is free for DC Residents ($10 suggested donation) and $15 for non-DC residents.

Where to stay

Close to Union Station in the vibrant NoMa nabe (short for north of Massachusetts Avenue), The Morrow (themorrowhotel.com/) is a sleek Curio Collection by Hilton hotel with 203 cozy guest rooms and an inviting living room-style lobby. Although

I didn’t get a chance to participate during my two-night stay, The Morrow hosts spiritual pilates classes on Saturday mornings and “Trap & RnB” yoga classes on Sunday mornings (fee based and registration required). What I did experience, however, was top notch happy hour with a panoramic view at Sly Rooftop, one of two food concepts currently offered at the hotel by celebrated chef and restaurateur Marcus Samuelsson. The perfect setting for a girls’ night out or date night, I savored shrimp cocktail, truffle fries and blue cornbread paired with an ample pour of sparkling wine. Marcus DC is the hotel’s other coveted culinary hot spot that blends modern American cooking with Black culinary traditions. My observation, from the outside looking in, is that it draws a handsome crowd nightly.

More nearby nosh options include a Trader Joe’s for wine and snacks and chefdriven concepts in the foodie haven Union Market District (unionmarketdc.com/eatdrink/).

On the waterfront

Overlooking the southwest waterfront Wharf, Chef Jeffery Williams helms the kitchen at Willowsong (willowsongdc.com) at the Intercontinental Washington DC. In a prime space that formerly housed Chef Kwame Onuwachi’s shuttered Kith/Kin (his current restaurant is Dōgon at the Salamander DC), Williams offers a seasonal American menu that utilizes locally sourced products. The service is excellent, the food is fresh and well seasoned, and dinner appetizers like crispy prawn and calamari, Brussel sprouts, and a baby gem Caesar salad are hearty.

After dinner, catch a rising star at the Wharf’s Arena Stage (arenastage.org), a pioneer of the regional theater movement that showcases diverse and innovative works from around the country and nurtures new plays like Fremont Ave. (October 8 through November 23, 2025) written by Reggie D. White and directed by Lili-Anne Brown.

More must-see sights

Now more than ever, it’s vital to visit and support D.C.’s free Smithsonian museums, including the always illuminating National Museum of African American History and Culture and the grassroots Anacostia Community Museum.

Plus, check out “Photography and the Black Arts Movement, 1955–1985” at the National Gallery of Art (September 21 through January 11, 2026). The first-of-itskind exhibit explores the work of American and Afro-Atlantic diaspora photographers, including Gordon Parks, Lorna Simpson, Jamel Shabazz and Carrie Mae Weems, in developing and fostering a distinctly Black visual culture and identity.

Anacostia mural by El Mac. (Tracy E. Hopkins photo)

Marcus DC (The Morrow/Scott Suchman photo)

Go-Go Museum founder Ronald Moten with patrons. (Tracy E. Hopkins photo)

Your 2025 Emmy Awards ranked-choice guide: Drama Series

By MARK WINSTON GRIFFITH Special to the AmNews

The 77th Emmy Awards will be held September 14 and broadcast on CBS and Paramount +. Chances are, you haven’t seen all of the nominated productions, so think of me as your friendly neighborhood guide to 2025 television achievement. Or in some cases, underachievement.

On August 14, I began the gradual release of my ranked choices of the nominees, from my least favorite to my most favorite, in four marquee categories: Outstanding Television Movie; Outstanding Limited Or Anthology Series; Outstanding Comedy Series; and Outstanding Drama Series.

These choices are NOT predictions of what will win, nor am I trying to tell you what is the objectively “best” television film or series, just my personal favorites. Hopefully, reading these minireviews will simply help you be a more informed and discerning viewer.

This week: Outstanding Drama Series

8. ”Paradise”

From the mind of Dan Fogelman, the creator of “This Is Us,” comes the dystopian thriller “Paradise.” The title is an ironic take on the show’s premise: An underground bunker universe that serves as an alternative home for the survivors of a doomsday event on Earth is gradually revealed to be anything but utopian. Sterling K. Brown stars as Xavier Davis, a Secret Service agent assigned to body the U.S. President (James Marsden). When the President is mysteriously murdered, Davis pulls back the curtain on the sham promised land that is shadow-governed by

gazillionaire Samantha Redmon (Julianne Nicholson, who makes evil look fun). And the harder Davis tugs on the curtain, the more conspiracies are laid bare.

“Paradise” has the dubious distinction of feeling the most television network-like of all the Emmy nominees. Maybe it’s the Shonda Rhimes-esque vibe, the implausibly good-looking cast members, or the less-than-convincing plot progressions. Ultimately, “Paradise” is entertaining enough, but despite its intriguing premise, rarely does it feel fresh or imaginatively conceived.

7. The White Lotus

white fragility, but the show also can’t help but drape non-white culture in mystical otherness.

Every guest has a one-note anxiety. For example, Rich (Walter Goggins) amplifies an obsession with avenging his father’s death in every scene he’s in, Similarly, Tim (Jason Isaacs) spends the entire season in anesthetized fear about the revelation of his criminal activities. Rather than draw his characters with three dimensions or with anything resembling empathy, Mike White, the series creator, approaches them with simple derision. No doubt, our world is overpopulated with despicable people, but White apparently found the

“The White Lotus” has become enough of a cultural phenomenon that requires little introduction: Each season, like an R-rated “Fantasy Island,” it follows the vacationing exploits of privileged, mostly white, Americans against the backdrop of an exotic waterside resort. Each season begins with the revelation of a death among one of the guests and we spend the subsequent episodes following the chain of events, sexual exploits, and substance abuses that got us there.

The first season, set in Hawaii, was a pretty fun and novel romp. The second season, set in Italy, was arguably the most twisty, titillating, and perceptive of human nature. But now in its third season, this time set in Thailand, the character types and relationships are starting to repeat themselves and feel stock: Once again there is the young, oversexed toxic male; the dysfunctional family; the co-dependent and emotionally abusive heterosexual couple; and the fraying friend group. The locals may not be as routinely screwed up as the tourists, but they also rarely achieve as high a level of humanity. There are caricatures of wealth and

profits, and lots of people looking mighty fine in their scrubs. Meanwhile, there’s always enough medical jargon flying fast and more furiously than you can shake a stethoscope at.

“The Pitts” conceit is that it plays out in real time, Each episode is an hour within a high- intensity, 15hour shift in a Pittsburgh hospital emergency care facility. And on this particular day, the head physician, Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch (Noah Wyle) is coping with the anniversary of the death of his mentor who succumbed to COVID.

of the actors who portray the patients, for instance, perform as if overacting is written into their union contracts.

least interesting of them to put on screen. And by providing little insight into how these people got to be such jerks, the entertainment value offered by season 3 is little more than privilege porn.

6. The Pitt

Because the entire season takes place in the course of a single day, it doesn’t have the room for extensive on-air backstories. As a result, the character development is limited and the storylines are compressed. Of course, we confront a range of ethical issues as well as explicit race, gender, and sexual orientation matters subtly ripped from today’s culture wars. Meanwhile, we witness several heart attacks, a child drowning, drug overdoses, child abuse, a full body burn victim, sex trafficking, fist fights, and the theft of an ambulance. And that’s just among the patients. The doctors are involved in an arrest, assault, drug theft, homicide, and a miscarriage. And if that wasn’t enough, there is a mass shooting involving dozens of dead and injured that turns the hospital into a M.A.S.H. unit and morgue. Yes, like I said, all in one shift. Doctor Robby proves not only to be a talented and compassionate doctor, but a highly relatable

Along with cop shows, hospital dramas are one of the most abused formulas in television. No matter what set in, urban center or otherwise, we are sure to find talented and morally high-grounded doctors, corporate suits demanding

Given the overwhelming popularity of “The Pitt,” you may want to discount my views as fringe. It’s not that I feel “The Pitt” is not good, I just had a hard time finding high doses of originality, especially having watched a decent share of network hospital and ER television shows in my lifetime. To that end, if I see another television doctor giving chest compressions long after the patient has proven to be unrevivable, with colleagues standing across with futility in their eyes, or if another patient and their family (literally and figuratively) spill their guts and share the intimate details of their lives in front of doctors they met barely ten minutes ago, I swear I will gnash my teeth with my remote.

5. Slow Horses

human being, even as the show can’t always avoid the superhero tropes embedded in the hospital drama genre. Wyle is the undeniable center of gravity of the show and provides its best performance, but often by default. Most

Like “The Pitt,” “Slow Horses” has to work uphill against the clichés of an over-tread television genre. In this case, it’s the cop show, more specifically, the subgenre known as the spy thriller. “Slow Horses,” based on the “Slough House” novels by Mick Herron, is set in England and follows a group of MI5 agents exiled to a broken down spy annex called Slough House. These outcasts are led by the brilliant Jackson Lamb (Sir Gary Oldman) who just may be the most jerkish and slovenly cretin to ever foul the world of espionage. Not a day goes by that Lamb is not gratuitously farting up an enclosed space and disrespecting everyone he comes in contact with. Think Columbo meets Oscar the Grouch meets an unrestrained barnyard animal.

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Sterling K. Brown in “Paradise” (Disney/Anne Marie Fox photo)

Sir Gary Oldman in “Slow Horses” (Apple TV+ photo)

Noah Wyle in “The Pitt” (Warrick Page/Max photo)

(L-R) Nicholas Duvernay, Natasha Rothwell in “The White Lotus” (Fabio Lovino/HBO photo)

One of the most fun aspects of “Slow Horses” is all the spy jargon and gritty intelligence gathering on display. And yet with all the hightech gadgetry, transnational intrigue and CCTV surveillance, the spy craft always seems to come down to people secretly tailing one another on foot. And while the show is premised on the idea that the Slough House crew is made up of incompetent screw ups, they consistently outpace, outsmart, and outgun their supposed elite colleagues working out of the posh MI5 headquarters, known internally as “The Park.”

Season 4 has the heroic, talented, but always out-of-his depth, River Cartwright (Jack Lowden) investigating the attempted assassination of his grandfather, David Cartwright (Jonathan Pryce). Oldman delivers yet another tour de force performance while creating one of the most indelible crimefighting anti-heroes in recent memory. Oldman is surrounded by a stellar supporting cast who keep you rooting for their characters long enough to make you forget how preposterous the action is. Slow Horses? Given the extreme body count among the operatives, it feels more like Dead Horses.

4. Andor

and goofy creatures promenading the galaxy. And the supposedly elite, white-helmeted stormtroopers inexplicably remain the Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight. But what makes “Andor” worth watching is that it’s a less-thanglamorous take on the process of revolution building, the sacrifices that come with political radicalization, and the moral compromises made on the road to being a true believer. Instead of an unambiguous struggle between good vs. evil, there are shades of righteousness and ill intent. The Empire and rebellion combatants are more separated by the side of the tracks they were born on than their honor code. And the Empire’s moral corruption is inspired less from abject evil than from the drunkenness of unfettered power.

Diego Luna stars as Cassian Andor. He doesn’t always make for the most convincing rebel swashbuckler, but the other members of the cast more than prop him up, namely Denise Gough as a blindly ambitious member of the Imperial Security Bureau; Kyle Soller, as a security services Kool-Aid sipper who is obsessed with finding Andor; and Stellan Skarsgård as the flawed but catalytic mastermind behind the resistance.

Up to now, it wasn’t just the action throughout the Star Wars franchise that occurred light years

Unless you are a Comic-Con regular, it would be justified to approach the latest addition to the “Star Wars” canon with trepidation. Did we really need another prequel to “a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away?” How long can this franchise run off the fumes of the 1977 film and fandom?

I don’t have answers to these and life’s other vexing questions, but I can at least tell you that “Andor” — which gives us the backstory of Cassian Andor’s road from thief to rebel spy, as introduced to us in the 2016 film, “Rogue One” — is cut from a surprisingly different cloth than other “Star Wars” properties, especially considering its Disney parentage.

Yes, there are still silly gunfights

ously. But the current state of domestic and international affairs right now is stressful enough without our entertainment reminding us how manipulative or sanctimonious politicians are.

“The Diplomat,” however, is the perfect cocktail of televised palace intrigue: Smart government machinations and tricky plot twists with dashes of frisky comedy and sexual tension. In short, “The Diplomat” is fun.

fire script pop and glisten.

1. Severance

away; the politics felt far removed as well. In “Andor,” there is thankfully little of the hocus pocus of The Force, and the Empire’s oppression feels closer to home and more familiar. Specifically, the Empire is reminiscent of the Third Reich and looks like a plausible MAGA future in its suppression of human rights, control over the media, and its authoritarian bluntness. If only Lando Calrissian would show up to take down the Death Star here on Earth.

3 “The Last Of Us”

Although it’s considered prestige television, at first glance, “The Last of Us,” a television adaptation of an immersive video game, could be mistaken for yet anoth-

er zombie apocalypse. Let’s be honest, it is. But “The Last of Us” is, first and foremost, compelling storytelling. And much like the “Walking Dead,” despite the incessant chase scenes, blood and gore, and the cure for the Zombie virus that will probably never arrive, the most lethal bodies roaming the earth are not the infected zombies, but the “healthy” human survivors driven by scarcity and hyped-up amygdalas.

If you were anticipating the consequences of all the damage wrought as Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) ran the gauntlet in season one, your blood thirst will be sated. If there is an overarching theme for season two it’s “what goes around comes around.” Indeed, hell hath no fury like a “The Last of Us” character who feels wronged. As a result, each episode of “The Last of Us” is one of the most vividly violent hours on television, which has the effect of putting the tender moments in the series in extraordinarily touching relief. Unlike season one, the pacing drags at points and sometimes the impulse towards revenge and gratuitous combativeness becomes hard to empathize with. And no spoilers here, but there are dramatic season 2 pivots in the story arc that will make you question whether season three will be as good.

2 “The Diplomat”

Keri Russell stars in the title role as Kate Wyler, a highly respected veteran of the foreign service. In the first season, Kate becomes the American ambassador to the United Kingdom, only to discover that she is being groomed and positioned for bigger things by higher ups and her insufferably meddling

Giving new meaning to the term “work-life balance,” “Severence” spins the tale of a shady corporate employer, Lumon, that develops and uses “severance” technology on its own employees. Severance bifurcates an employee’s consciousness into one set of memories for home and another for the office, with never the two intended to meet. Lumon creates an exclusively company-focused mindset by insulating the office-bound employee mind from the outside world. Adam Scott stars as severed Mark S./Mark Scout who develops bonds with a motley crew of severed co-workers who collectively make up Lumon’s “MDR” department.

husband, Hal Wyler (Rufus Sewell).

To describe the second season would be to set off a series of spoilers, so I will respectfully refrain. Suffice to say, Kate proves herself time and time again to be the smartest one in the room, even while she is being manipulated. She unwittingly sets herself up for a promotion, although not the one she was originally expecting. There are so many noteworthy performances starting with Russell, who has found another great vehicle since her brilliant and dour turn in “The Americans.”

Sewell is charming while being creepy, while David Gyasi is both commanding and vulnerable as Austin Dennison, the British foreign secretary and Kate’s mutual lust in-

Most

terest. The likes of Rory Kinnear, Allison Janney, and Michael McKean are also on hand to make the quick-

Season two ends where season one left off: with each “innie” member of the MDR unit getting a glimpse of their respective “outie” lives. If season one spends most of its time on innie and outie world building, season two follows the collision of these worlds. Scott gives an impressively dexterous performance as he shuttles between identities. The supporting cast includes all-stars like Christopher Walken and John Turturro as severed employees, and Patricia Arquette as an icy Lumon overseer who eventually goes rogue. Honorable mention goes to Tramell Tillman as the ridiculously uptight assistant manager, Milchick. The most satisfying element of “Severance” is its quirky originality. Beyond the broad category of science fiction, “Severance” doesn’t fit neatly into any television genre and thus is not bound by many formulas or narrative conventions. In particular, the Lumon office building is a surreal labyrinth of fluorescent lights, sterile hallways, and twisted psycho-engineering lurking behind every door. This inventiveness reliably keeps viewers off balance and clueless as to what’s coming next, and the season two finale will leave you smacking your lips in anticipation of the next season.

political thrillers, even the best of them like “House of Cards”, tend to take themselves really seri-

David Gyasi in “The Diplomat” (Liam Daniel/Netflix photo)

Genevieve O’Reilly in “Andor” (Disney+ photo)

Tramell Tillman in “Severance” (Apple TV+ photo)

(L-R) Bella Ramsey, Pedro Pascale in “The Last of Us” (Liane Hentscher/HBO photo)

Bassist Christian McBride talks Montclair Jazz Fest, AfroCuban Night, recent collab with Sting, and more ahead of free Sept. 13 event

By JOHNNY KNOLLWOOD Special to the AmNews

The 16th annual Montclair Jazz Festival was in full swing on Tuesday August 26 in the Wellmont Arts Plaza, as percussionist Pedrito Martinez and his band delivered a blend of salsa, jazz, and space funk to an enthusiastic audience ahead of the festival’s free Downtown Jamboree on September 13. “We just want to get some great artists who are representing the best of what we call ‘jazz,’” said artistic director and Grammy award winning bassist Christian McBride to the AmNews in an exclusive onsite interview. “We have Lakecia Benjamin, Luisito Quintero, Ursa Major, Jazzmeia Horn — it’s going to be a fantastic day.”

The festival is hosted by Jazz House Kids, a Montclair based non-profit that provides artistic and educational resources to children, and was founded by vocalist Melissa Walker, who is also McBride’s wife. The organization is well known for community engagements including this summer’s “Soundcheck Series,” which featured free performances ahead of the festival’s flagship Jamboree.

The final soundcheck series, Afro-Cuban night, showcased percussionist Pedrito Martinez, who has worked with artists that include McBride, Ruben Blades, and Wynton Marsalis. Martinez and his group

kept the audience on their feet, dancing past the setting of the sun and further into the night as his group delivered a unique blend

of salsa and funk that utilized spacey sounds from the trombone and keyboards, and lots of sporadic improvisational exploration. “I

have never seen him, or heard him, where some part of my body wasn’t moving,” McBride said of Martinez ahead of his performance. “That dude is powerful.”

Martinez performs alongside former “The Police” members Sting and Andy Summers on McBride’s forthcoming release, “Without Further Ado, Vol. 1,” covering the track “Murder by Numbers,” which originally appeared on the group’s landmark album, “Synchronicity,” released in 1983. “He was the one who suggested, ‘Hey if we do “Murder by Numbers” we should get Andy Summers,” McBride said on getting the mini-reunion together ahead of a recently publicized lawsuit between the two collaborators surrounding the hit song, “Every Breath You Take.” But Sting said, “I would feel weird doing that song without Andy since he’s one of the co-writers.” McBride will hit the stage twice on September 13, first with his group Ursa Major, and at the festival’s conclusion, spinning tracks as DJ Brother Mister.

If Martinez’s performance at Afro-Cuban night is in any way indicative of the fun, danceable pathways to cultural connection available through Montclair Jazz Fest, the jamboree is surely not to be missed. For more info about the Downtown Jamboree and Jazz House Kids, visit montclairjazzfestival.org and jazzhousekids.org.

Percussionist Pedrito Martinez performed at Montclair Jazz Festival’s Afro-Cuban night On August 26, ahead of free Downtown Jamboree on September 13. (Johnny Knollwood photos)

Artistic director and Grammy Award winning bassist Christian McBride at Afro-Cuban night in the Wellmont Arts Plaza on August 26.

‘Twelfth Night’ at Delacorte Theater is funny and fabulous

By LINDA ARMSTRONG Special to the AmNews

William Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” is being given a hilarious revival at the Public Theater’s Delacorte Theater in Central Park. Free Shakespeare at the Delacorte is something to look forward to every year, and is always phenomenal.

Under the brilliant, creative direction of Saheem Ali, this already funny play is even funnier, and now there’s amazing music and singing in the mix as well. The production stars an all-star cast and they are doing it to perfection. I love Ali’s take on Orsino, the Duke, portrayed by Khris Davis as a very muscular, homeboy type surrounded by his servants. Davis is an incredible actor who always brings his A game. Orsino shows muscles and is dressed like he’s ready for a fight, with his servants all in suits and acting as his entourage.

Lupita Nyong’o as Viola has such a marvelous stage presence, as does her real-life brother Junior Nyong’o, perfectly cast as Sebastian, Viola’s twin brother.

On stage, it’s a who’s who throughout the cast with wonderful, funny performances delivered by Jesse Tyler Ferguson as Andrew; a friend of Sir Toby Belch memorably portrayed by John Ellison Conley; the fair Olivia amusingly played by Sandra Oh, the love interest of Orsino. Malvolio, the dedicated servant of Olivia, is marvelously portrayed by Peter Dinklager. Maria, the servant of Olivia as well, is charmingly done by Daphne Rubin-Vega. Feste the fool is played splendidly by Moses Sumney. Everything about this production will have you laughing, smiling, and enthralled. If you don’t know the story of “Twelfth Night,” you will thoroughly enjoy learning it, and if you do know the story, you will appreciate this version of it. It is so creative and inclusive, with a diverse cast. As always, the Public Theater makes sure that its productions are delivered at a level of beauty, charm, and power that astound and revitalize the spirit.

The

The technical team and creative team for

this production is absolutely on-point and includes Maruti Evans, scenic design; Oana Botez, costume design; Bradley King, lighting design; Palmer Hefferan and Kai Harada, sound design; Michael Thurber, composer/ orchestration/music director; Krystal Balleza, hair, wig, and make up design; and Darrell Grand Moultrie, choreographer. You have until September14 to experience this free Shakespeare in the Park production. For tickets, visit publictheater.org. You will be so glad you did!

Jazz Gallery’s 30th anniversary celebration continues into fall

By JOHNNY KNOLLWOOD Special to AmNews

The Jazz Gallery is celebrating 30 years of presenting groundbreaking, original music to New York City audiences with a standout Fall season that features, bandleader Gerald Clayton, a residency by the Roy Hargrove Big Band, and pianist Sullivan Fortner performing duo sets with mainstay voices in the genre including George Cables, Jason Moran, and David Virelles. The Midtown Manhattan venue boasts several affordable ways to see the performances from ticket discounts to livestreams — making the shows accessible to audiences in New York and beyond.

The Jazz Gallery was founded in 1995 by WBGO host Lezlie Harrison, Dale Fitzgerald, and late trumpeter Roy Hargrove with the aim of providing a space for talent to show-

case and explore their unique voices in the heart of the city where jazz reached new evolutionary heights. The gallery hosts “emerging artists who challenge convention, take creative risks and lead their field as performers, composers and thinkers,” according to the mission statement on their website.

Most performances are streamed live, and available to the public for a fee, allowing fans from all over the world to engage with the shows. Students and musicians can pay $60-$75 a year for memberships that include perks like $10 tickets, select free shows, access to all live streams and more. Everyone else has the option to become a member for as low as $13 a month, with different tiered levels that have various discounts and gifts. You can check out all the discount options here and stay up to date with all the exciting events on their calendar at their website.

Cast of “Twelfth Night” playing at Delacorte Theater. (Joan Marcus photo)

Jason Moran (Photo by Professor Bop, licensed under

Festivals Galore, Jazz Power, Avery Sommers

Summer is quickly yielding to the breezy grasp of its first cousin, autumn this September, as a host of jazz festivals make their way to various stages across New York City and beyond.

White Plains, that neatly tucked piece of suburbia and a deep breath away from the Big Apple, returns September 10-14 for the 14th year of its five-day JazzFest featuring 18 live performances jamming across downtown White Plains with a colorful array of exciting talent, from budding talent to renowned artists.

Some highlighted artists will include the Sounds of A&R (April May Wells and Randall Haywood), a dynamic duo — she belts out jazz standards, as he shadows with soulful trumpet riffs; roaring saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins Quartet; pianist Craig Tabron playing with boundless expression; NEA Jazz Master pianist and compost Kenny Barron Trio with drummer E.J. Strickland and longtime bassist Kiyoshi Kitagawa; the celebrated pianist and composer Bertha Hope, who turns her every performance into a new improvisational journey; vocalist Kurt Ellin’s Wildflowers featuring Joey Calderazzo (longtime pianist w/ Branford Marsalis); and the explosive percussionist/congas bringing the Latino spice Chembo Corniel Quintet that includes pianist Igor Atalita, bassist Carlos Mena, multi-instrumentalist Evan Francis, and drummer Diego Lopez. The native New Yorker will draw material from his latest acclaimed CD, “Artistas, Musicos y Poetas (Artists, Musicians and Poets).”

JazzFest culminates on September 14, in a free, all-day “Sunday Jazz Alfresco” event, headlined by the distinctive sound of Steve Turre Sextet, applauded for his trombone and seashell artistry. For a complete schedule, visit artswestchester.org.

The 9th Annual Ode to the Black Fiddler Music Festival on September 13 gains more momentum each year with new fans and inventive string artists carrying tradition from plantation roads, halls of classical music to soul imagination. The string journey from electric to acoustic takes place from 1–9 p.m. at The Bronx Brewery (856 E 136th St). Some of the featured artists, whose eclectic musicality dismisses the concept of boundaries will include: violinist Alexandria Hill [Recollective Orchestra, Chicago Sinfonietta, and classical musicians like Yo-Yo Ma and Anthony Gill]; violinist vocalist, and composer Charisa the ViolinDiva has performed with Lauryn Hill, Quincy Jones; composer and arranger Majid Khaliq blends classical with contemporary experimentation. His resume includes performances with Kenny Barron, Wynton Marsalis, Issac Stern, and

Antonio Hart.

Iymaani Abdul-Hamid, founder of the Black Fiddler Festival and IAH Studio, has created an important event that honors history and celebrates the brilliance of string musicians of color. It represents a truth the White House is attempting to erase. This Festival is more than entertainment; it’s a cultural experience embracing the universal language of music. For a complete lineup and tickets, visit universe.com.

The Montclair Jazz Festival 2025, presented by Jazz House Kids, returns to downtown Montclair, NJ on September 13; with eight hours of free live jazz on two outdoor stages, and its new stage at Lackawanna Station. The all-star lineup will include vocalist, composer, and bandleader Jazzmeia Horn Quartet; bassist and composer, and Artistic Director of Jazz House Kids Christian McBride & Ursa Major saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin & Phoenix, the Jazz House Collective featuring its ensemble of alumni and faculty paying tribute to James Moody. For more info, visit montclairjazzfest.org.

On September 12, enjoy the live music and feel the solidarity at the release party celebrating Yamin’s latest CD “Squeeze In Tight: Jazz and Blues Songs for Solidarity,” Acts Center at the Eliza (4782 Broadway), 7-9 p.m..CD bandmembers include: pianist/ vocals and composer Eli Yamin, alto sax Zaid Nasser, bassist Elias Bailey [veteran of Freddie Cole’s band], and David F. Gibson [veteran of Count Basie and Duke Ellington and Frank Foster’s Loud Minority], and guest performances by Jazz Power Initiative students, both former and current. “Playing the blues gives us energy –– our job is to make people feel good, ” said Eli.

Drummer David F. Gibson, who transitioned on July 30, will be honored. “This

was one of David’s last recordings. He was a great friend for over 25 years,” recounted Eli. “He loved mentoring our young students and was very involved in our program.” The drum chair will be filled by Dwayne “Cook” Broadnax, another Philadelphia native and friend of Jazz Power. “I wrote Squeeze in Tight, coming out of the COVID pandemic, I felt people needed a hug,” said Eli Yamin, co-founder, managing and artistic director of Jazz Power Initiative. It’s about solidarity, feeling stronger, giving you strength against adversity, and inspiration to meet each day with positivity.”

This is Eli’s ninth CD release that features 12 tracks with seven originals ranging from the title track, a big swinger with lively vocals, as Eli’s piano is reminiscent of Jerry Lee Lewis’ hard-hittin’ keys. “Blues Watch,” a taste of 50s rock and roll with contemplative fun lyrics. The mid-tempo “Freight Train” cover by Elizabeth Cotton and arranged by Eli helps folks reconnect to a sense of home, and he notes “Listen to the Young Cats” “is about learning from musicians half my age.” For ticket info, visit jazzpower.org.

Avery Sommers, known for her booming voice and demanding stage presence during her national tour performances in Chicago and Best Little Whorehouse, became a familiar voice on Broadway with her performances in Ain’t Misbehavin’ and Platinum. The South Floridian returns to the New York City bright lights on September 16, at 54 Below (254 West 54th Street) with her new show Showstoppers, a collection of songs from roles she has performed “This Joint is Jumpin’,” “Can’t Help Loving That Man of Mine,” “I Know Where I’ve Been,” interspersed with her own showbiz story and television clips (from her various TV roles). Avery is a creative vocalist, who

stamps each song with her own unique interpretation. Showtime 7pm. For more information and tickets, call 646-476-3551.

A combustion of jazz and everything in between happens at The Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival, a four-day celebration held Sept. 18-21 with live music events held at the August Wilson African American Cultural Center (AWAACC). The Saturday and Sunday outdoor concerts are FREE and take place on the streets of Liberty Avenue in downtown Pittsburgh.

For those jazz enthusiasts looking to swing before Pittsburgh, best hop aboard the jammin’ Jazz Train hosted by the creative pianist, composer Orrin Evans (live jazz performances onboard). The train departs for Pittsburgh on September 18 and returns on September 22. Participating Amtrak stations are New York, Newark, N.J., and Philadelphia. The diverse lineup features such notables as Branford Marsalis Quartet, the blues pleaser GRAMMY Award-winning, 24-year-old Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, all-female Be’La Dona Go-Go band, actor, singer Keith Daivid, Jazzmeia Horn (sings with the spirituality of Nina Simone and Abbey Lincoln), NEA Jazz Master Dee Dee Bridgewater, Tarbaby, Etienne Charles & Creole Soul, the distinct vocals of Bilal, Eric Benet, and Michael Mayo (his debut at Pittsburgh Jazz Fest). Mayo brings a fresh new sound to the giant pond of vocalism, an inventive singer whose soft, fluctuating riffing scats dance like a bird in the sky. On his latest album “Fly” Deluxe Edition (Mack Avenue Music 2025), he is just as amazing on his originals like “Bag of Bones” and “I Wish” or covers like “Speak No Evil,” or “Spring Can Really Hang You Up.” He flies in that distinct category with Bobby McFerrin, Al Jarreau, Chet Baker, and Miles Griffith. “It’s an honor to have the ability to approach the music with curiosity and realize there is more to be observed,” said Mayo during a phone interview. Guitarists Dan Wilson and South African Jonathan Butler will pay tribute to the master George Benson.

Black history and jazz culture come together for a special festival tribute to pioneering producer, and entrepreneur Leon Hefflin, Sr., who, from 1945-1958, produced the largest jazz festival in America, The Cavalcade of Jazz at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles. The PIJF is produced by its founder, Janis Burley Wilson, celebrating her 15th year as producer of one of the major jazz festivals in America. Her working with the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust enticed her curiosity. “I didn’t know anything about planning or booking festivals, so I started traveling to festivals around the country and incorporated that knowledge into our Pittsburgh Festival,” explained Wilson, also President and CEO of August Wilson African American Cultural Center (AWAACC). For a complete schedule and ticket information, visit pittsburghjazz.org.

Jazzmeia Horn (Photo courtesy of Empress Legacy Records)

Short-term rental

from page 3

Law 18 (or the Short-Term Rental Registration Law) passed in 2022. The law required homeowners to register first with the Mayor’s Office of Special Enforcement (OSE) otherwise booking platforms couldn’t process their transactions.

“With a vacancy rate of a mere 1.4%, New York City cannot afford to have housing units siphoned off for illegal short-term rentals,” said Adams in a statement. “Every unit of permanent housing saved is a unit that can house a New York City family. We’re the most pro-housing administration in city history and that’s because we continue to use every tool we’ve got to connect New Yorkers with homes as we make sure our city is the best place to raise a family.”

The debate over regulating short-term rental laws in the city actually stretches

back decades.

According to the OSE, the city’s laws have restricted rentals of less than 30 days in homes to two guests staying with permanent residents since the late 1960s. In 2010, under Governor David Paterson, the state doubled down on that standing by passing the Multiple Dwellings Law, which dictates that STRs in the city have to be registered and that apartment units or multi-family homes can’t be rented out for less than 30 days. The intent back then was cracking down on “illegal” rentals or “underground hotels” that weren’t up to code, increasing rents, inflating home prices in residential neighborhoods, and depleting available housing stock.

Enforcement was uneven and there were still tens of thousands of listings around the city.

In the latest annual report from OSE, active short-term rental listings citywide have dropped from over 38,000 in 2023 to

about 3,000, said the report. Over 4,300 applications were not in compliance with the city’s STR laws and required denial. OSE also rejected more than 550 applications for STRs in rent-regulated units.

“For decades, short-term rentals have been a lifeline for immigrant and working families — a way to make ends meet, manage mortgages, and preserve homes in neighborhoods too often left behind by policy decisions,” said Elsie Saint Louis, CEO and executive director of Haitian Americans United for Progress (HAUP) in a statement. “HAUP stands with the coalition in urging the City Council to pass Intro 1107, because fairness demands that our families have access to the same economic opportunities as the rest of New York.”

In a recent 2025 poll, conducted by the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, New Yorkers in general are widely frustrated with housing affordability and the severity

of current short-term rental regulation. The poll also found that 82% of New Yorkers felt that the 2022 law has not accomplished its stated goal of improving affordability.

Airbnb is in huge support of the coalition urging the City Council to pass the bill Intro 1107 and repeal parts of the short term rental law.

“So since the law has come into effect two years ago, rents across the city are up 8%, the vacancy rate has remained virtually unchanged, and everyday New Yorkers are dealing with increases in costs that amount to a 72% higher cost of living than anywhere else in the country,” said Airbnb policy chief Michael Blaustein. “And quite frankly, who’s paying the brunt of these price increases? It’s people in the outer boroughs … It’s Black and Brown New Yorkers who are longtime New Yorkers. They’re being forced out of the city in record numbers due to the affordability crisis that Local Law 18 has made worse.”

Continued from page 5

“If you wait for me and politicians to do something for you, we’ve lost. When Black politicians were powerful is when our community exercised its own power,” Allen said. “We had the Masons, the Eastern Stars, Marcus Garveyites, NAACP chapters all over the place, Urban League, CORE. We

were active as a community, so therefore those who we elected became powerful, because we saw ourselves as powerful.” This was Harlem political leadership during the time of Percy Sutton, Adam Clayton Powell Jr., and others. He challenges people today to tap into resources like the church and get involved with tenant and block associations. Small Black businesses, Allen said, must tap into Harlem resources such as community boards, the Greater Harlem Cham-

ber of Commerce, and civic organizations, so people will know who they are and they can access funds.

In 2023, Allen rejoined CB10 after being appointed by Salam. He wants a system where the board is divided into 10 zones representing different blocks in the area.

“Just imagine if all these leaders from every block [were] present or represented in those meetings. Just imagine how much more powerful our community would be,”

Allen said. He is hopeful that, with an incoming new borough president, there will be movement on the idea, as they will have power over who is appointed to the board.

“I don’t think I’m special. I just think I was present [and] because I was present, the opportunities emerged,” Allen said about his life of civic involvement. “I’m hoping that I’ve opened the doors for others to safely follow, and that it is so important to have young people in the room of power and decision-making.”

How would Mamdani improve NYC public schools? The mayoral frontrunner offers few clues Education

By ALEX ZIMMERMAN Chalkbeat

This story was originally published by Chalkbeat.

On the first day of school, Zohran Mamdani stood in front of a middle school in Queens with the president of the teachers’ union and expressed enthusiastic support for a state mandate to reduce class sizes and a new law banning cellphones in school.

But, when asked by a reporter, he struggled to lay out how his administration would improve the city’s highest-need schools if he wins in November.

Education has not been a focal point in the election, even though the school system is the city’s largest department and commands a budget of more than $41 billion with roughly 146,000 employees. Mamdani, a 33-year-old Queens assemblyman who won the Democratic primary, devoted a single 168word paragraph to K-12 education on his campaign website.

Pressed on his plans to improve schools on Thursday, Mamdani did not outline any specific policy initiatives. He emphasized the importance of funding and criticized his leading opponent, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is running as an independent.

“One of the first fights that I was a part of in Albany was the fight to fulfill the Campaign for Fiscal Equity and to actually start to fully fund our public schools, which was a fight that had the opposition of then Gov. Andrew Cuomo,” Mamdani said, referring to a long-running legal battle over whether the state adequately funded its schools.

He vowed to root out nepotism and “look line by line at every single position” in the Education Department bureaucracy to ensure that they are “actually working towards the betterment of the system” — a promise similar to the one Mayor Eric Adams’ administration made before taking office four years ago.

Mamdani also committed to cut down on wasteful spending and

consider input from educators.

“Amidst all of the contracting and consulting that we pay for through [the Education Department], we know that there’s immense amount that can be saved … and through an understanding that when you are procuring curricula, it may actually be worth your time to speak to some of the teachers who then have to teach that curriculum,” Mamdani added.

His administration would “redirect that funding back straight into that classroom,” he said. “That has been a large focus of how we are envisioning what it will look like to run the largest school system in the United States.”

To several education advocates and observers, the response underscored that Mamdani has largely stuck to broad promises to invest in schools rather than advancing detailed ideas about what those investments should look like.

“As a leader, putting forward a vision of education to be held accountable to is really important,”

said Jonathan Collins, a professor of political science and education at Columbia University Teachers College. He added: “It’s September — the runway is getting shorter.”

Asked if he plans to release a more detailed agenda for K-12 schools before the election, Mamdani did not commit to doing so.

“We are continuing to develop policy,” he said.

The next mayor will inherit a school system that faces many pressing challenges, including elevated rates of chronic absenteeism, falling enrollment, and reading and math proficiency rates that cleave along lines of race and class.

Adams has focused on overhauling reading and math instruction and expanding career education programs. His reelection campaign is widely considered to be a long shot, leaving the next mayor to decide whether to continue those efforts.

Mamdani’s education agenda includes ending the current

system of mayoral control of the Education Department in favor of an approach that includes more community voice, though he has not shared details about his vision for changing the governance system. He also favors mental health support and school integration.

The city’s teachers union refrained from endorsing in the Democratic primary due to rifts between educators over the candidates’ positions on Israel and whether to prioritize prior executive experience. The union later endorsed Mamdani for the general election.

Cuomo has offered a lengthier set of education proposals, including an effort to replace lowperforming schools with other models such as charters, which are publicly funded but privately managed.

“While I don’t necessarily align with everything in Cuomo’s platform, there is more of a detailed platform for sure,” said Matt Gonzales, a member of New Yorkers

for Racially Just Public Schools, an advocacy group that plans to soon put out a policy roadmap that it hopes the mayoral candidates will embrace. (Gonzales said he was not speaking on behalf of the organization.)

Gonzales applauded Mamdani’s focus on school funding and affordable child care, and said the mayoral frontrunner could help define a progressive vision for schools as the Trump administration attacks diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.

“There’s an opportunity for not just Mamdani, but others who are trying to lead cities and states, about what a diverse, inclusive education system should look like,” he said. “There is no [Democratic party] vision for public education.”

Alex Zimmerman is a reporter for Chalkbeat New York, covering NYC public schools. Contact Alex atazimmerman@chalkbeat.org.

Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news site covering educational change in public schools.

Zohran Mamdani announcing his mayoral campaign in Long Island City on Oct. 23, 2024. (Tandy Lau photo)

Lisa Cook

Cobb said was limited to actions taken during a governor’s time in office.

The “removal of a Federal Reserve Governor extends only to concerns about the Board member’s ability to effectively and faithfully execute their statutory duties, in light of events that have occurred while they are in office,” Cobb wrote. Cobb was appointed by President Joe Biden, a Democrat.

“President Trump has not stated a legally permissible cause for Cook’s removal,” the ruling added.

The decision means Cook will be able to participate in the Fed’s meeting Sept. 16-17, when it is expected to reduce its key short-term rate by a quarter-point to between 4% and 4.25%.

Federal Reserve governors aren’t like cabinet secretaries and the law doesn’t allow a president to fire them over policy disagreements or because he simply wants to replace them. Congress sought to insulate the Fed from political pressure, the court noted, by giving Fed governors long, staggered terms that make it unlikely a president can appoint a majority of the board in a single term.

“Allowing the President to unlawfully remove Governor Cook on unsubstantiated and vague allegations would endanger the stability of our financial system and undermine the rule of law,” Cook’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, said in a written statement. “Governor Cook will continue to carry out her sworn duties as a Senate-confirmed Board Governor.”

The court also directed the Fed’s board of governors and its chair, Jerome Powell, “to allow Cook to continue to operate as a member of the Board for the pendency of this litigation.”

Lowell had argued in court filings that Cook was entitled to a hearing and a chance to respond to the charges before being fired but was not provided either. The court agreed that she was not provided due process by the Trump administration. Her lawsuit denied the charges but did not provide more details.

The case could become a turning point for the 112-year-old Federal Reserve. No president has sought to fire a Fed governor before. Economists prefer independent central banks because they can do unpopular things like lifting interest rates to combat inflation more easily than elected officials.

Many economists worry that if the Fed falls under the control of the White House, it will keep its key interest rate lower than justified by economic fundamentals to satisfy Trump’s

demands for cheaper borrowing. That could accelerate inflation and could also push up longer-term interest rates, such as those on mortgages and car loans. Investors may demand a higher yield to own bonds to offset greater inflation in the future, lifting borrowing costs for the U.S. government, and the entire economy.

If Trump can replace Cook, he may be able to gain a 4-3 majority on the Fed’s governing board. Trump appointed two board members during his first term and has nominated a key White House economic adviser, Stephen Miran, to replace Adriana Kugler, another Fed governor who stepped down unexpectedly Aug. 1. The Senate Banking Committee is scheduled to vote Wednesday on Miran’s nomination.

Trump has said he will only appoint to the Fed people who will support lower rates.

Trump has repeatedly attacked Powell and the other members of the Fed’s interest-rate setting committee for not cutting the short-term interest rate they control more quickly. It currently stands at 4.3%, after Fed policymakers reduced it by a full percentage point late last year. Trump has said he thinks it should be as low as 1.3%, a level that no Fed official and few economists support.

Powell recently signaled that the central bank was leaning toward cutting its rate at its meeting next week.

Cook is the first Black woman to serve as a Fed governor. She was a Marshall Scholar and received degrees from Oxford University and Spelman College, and prior to joining the board she taught at Michigan State University and Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

AP writer Will Weissert contributed to this report.

Public Hearing

The Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority (“TBTA”) doing business as MTA Bridges and Tunnels, will hold public hearings pursuant to Vehicle and Traffic Law Sections 385-a and 1180-e on Weigh-in-Motion and Work Zone Speed Enforcement programs. The hearings will review the public uses, benefits, purposes, and location of these legislative initiatives and will give the public an opportunity to comment.

Description of the Projects

TBTA is implementing modern technology recently authorized by New York State to protect the structural integrity of bridges and tunnels operated by TBTA. Specifically, TBTA will use Weigh-in-Motion (WIM) technology for a pilot on the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge (RFK) to impose monetary liability on the owners of overweight trucks. TBTA is also implementing work zone speed enforcement camera technology to improve safety for workers and vehicle passengers by deterring motorist speeding in work zones.

Weigh-in-Motion Pilot on the RFK Bridge

New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law was amended to authorize the use of WIM technology on the RFK Bridge for a pilot project. To protect the RFK Bridge’s structural integrity, WIM technology will enable TBTA to safely and efficiently enforce truck weight restrictions and impose fines on violators. The pilot project will deter overweight trucks that cause degradation to the RFK Bridge from traversing the bridge.

WIM technology utilizes roadway sensors to weigh passing vehicles on a bridge in conjunction with adjacent cameras to capture identifying information corresponding with overweight vehicles. The WIM system is required to undergo a daily self-test and a semi-annual calibration check.

Signage will be installed to notify motor vehicle operators that the WIM monitoring system is in use. Owners of overweight trucks that exceed the maximum gross vehicle weight by 10% or more and/or axle weight by 20% or more will be subject to a fine. If a truck is in violation of both gross vehicle weight and axle weight restrictions, the owner is liable for a separate penalty for each such violation.

Work Zone Speed Enforcement Program

The Work Zone Speed Enforcement (WZSE) pilot program, which was signed into law in 2021, was expanded to include TBTA and extended to 2031. The WZSE program is designed to improve safety for workers and vehicular travelers by deterring motorists from speeding in work zones. Speed cameras will be placed at work zone construction and maintenance locations to identify and issue violations to owners of vehicles that exceed the posted speed limit by 10 miles per hour or more.

All of TBTA’s bridges and tunnels are eligible to have speed cameras in place. The cameras and violations will be in effect only during the hours that crews are working in a work zone. Work zones with speed cameras will have clear signage leading up to the work zones.

Dates,

Times and Place of the Public Hearings

Monday, October 6, 2025, 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. and Tuesday, October 7, 2025, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

This public hearing will be held in a hybrid format with options to participate in-person as well as virtually via Zoom’s online platform and conference call feature, with a livestream available on the MTA YouTube channel.

Location of the Hearings (In-Person)

New York City Transit, 130 Livingston Street, 1st Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201. The public may join the hearing via Zoom at https://mta.zoomgov.com/j/1603815727 or by phone at (646) 828-7666. A link will also be provided on the MTA website.

Directions

By Subway: ACFR to Jay Street – MetroTech, R to Court Street, 23 to Borough Hall, 45 to Borough Hall. ACG train to Hoyt/Schermerhorn. By Bus: B25, B26, B38, B41, B45, B52, B57, B61, B62, B65, B67, B103

Registering for the Public Hearings

Registration to speak can be made in advance by visiting https://www.mta.info/2025-wim-wzse-hearing which will remain open through the hearing date. Registration will close at the start of each hearing. The public may join the hearing via Zoom at https://mta.zoomgov.com/j/1603815727 or by phone at (646) 828-7666. A link will also be provided on the MTA website.

For More Information, to Pre-Register to Speak or to Submit Comments

Those wishing to pre-register to be heard at the Public Hearing must register on the website at https://www. mta.info/2025-wim-wzse-hearing. Verbal testimony will be limited to two (2) minutes. You may present verbal testimony or submit written statements in lieu of or to supplement oral testimony concerning the proposed projects.

Written comments will be accepted online at https://www.mta.info/2025-wim-wzse-hearing. Comments may also be submitted via postal mail to: MTA Government & Community Relations, Attn: Bridges and Tunnels WIM/WZSE Hearing, 2 Broadway, 16th Floor, D16.94 New York, NY 10004. All written and online comments must be received by 5:30 p.m. on Friday, October 10, 2025. Comments received after this date and time will not be included in the transcript. For questions about the hearing, contact: Rose Pascone, Assistant Director of Government and Community Relations, MTA Bridges and Tunnels, 2 Broadway, New York, N.Y.10004. Tel: 646252-7634 or Rose.Pascone@mtahq.org.

Accessibility and Language Assistance Services

At the public hearings, American Sign Language and CART Captioning will be available.

People who are blind or have low vision can request accommodation by September 30, 2025, either online or by telephone.

People who are deaf or hard of hearing may use their preferred relay service, or the free 711 relay service and then ask to be connected to the Public Hearing Hotline at (646) 252-6777 to speak with an agent.

For Language Assistance or Other Accommodations

If language assistance or any other accommodation is required, please submit a request at least three (3) business days before the hearing date in one of the following ways:

• Online by submitting a request through the registration form at https://www.mta.info/2025-wim-wzse-hearing

• By telephone by calling the public hearing hotline on 646-252-6777.

• By postal mail by sending a letter to: MTA Government & Community Relations, Attn: Bridges and Tunnels WIM/WZSE Hearing

2 Broadway, 16th Floor, D16.94 New York, NY 10004.

Health

Surmounting obstacles to get Black and Brown New Yorkers listed for organ transplants

By TAAYOO MURRAY Special to the AmNews

Medical dramas like “Grey’s Anatomy” often present an unrealistic picture of the organ transplant process, making it seem very linear and easy to navigate. We usually focus on how long patients wait for, and even die waiting for an organ transplant but scant attention is paid to what it requires to be listed for an organ transplant.

But here’s the reality: Approximately 815,000 Americans are currently living with kidney failure, with 555,000 of that number on dialysis. As of 2021, only one in 8 Americans with end stage kidney disease (ESKD) were on the waitlist for a kidney transplant, which means around 660,000 patients may be eligible for a kidney transplant, but may not even have been evaluated for listing.

There is no standard guideline for determining which patients with ESKD are eligible for a kidney transplant, and with no standard way of communicating between dialysis clinics and transplant centers, it is difficult to track patient referrals and updates in patient status.

“It sounds easy, but it’s not so easy,” explains Dr. Thomas Schiano, medical director of adult liver transplantation at the Recanati/Miller Transplantation Institute at Mount Sinai Hospital. “Part of this is because the patient’s doctors may not be referring them to the transplant center in a timely fashion. So that means that the physician and the patient need more education about the indications for transplant.”

William Humiston III, 40, an emergency medical technician living in Ballston Spa, N.Y., found himself in this situation when he was referred to hospice after being misdiagnosed by his primary care doctor with pneumonia and Lyme disease.

“I had fluid on my lungs. I was having trouble breathing. I passed out a couple times, and something was wrong. But for four months she treated me for Lyme disease and pneumonia,” Humiston shared. “She even said I needed to see a therapist, because I was making it up in my head.”

He eventually received a liver transplant at Mount Sinai hospital in October 2024, after his wife connected with the liver transplant coordinator at the hospital.

Humiston was fortunate to get his procedure. But even still, having current and approved health insurance is a requirement to be listed for an organ transplant. As of the first quarter of 2024, 27.1 million Americans were uninsured, representing 8.2% of the population. During that same period, the African American uninsured rate was 9.7%. At 6.5%, white Americans tend to

have the lowest uninsured rates among the major racial groups.

These statistics take on grave significance when examined in the context of Black people being three times more likely to have kidney failure compared to their white counterparts, and Hispanics being 1.5 times more likely than non-Hispanics to have kidney failure. However, in some cases, other than undocumented immigrant patients, social workers in New York hospital systems will help uninsured patients navigate the process to get health insurance.

This issue is further exacerbated by a shortage in specialist care. For example, there are currently 580 board certified hepatologists, a ratio of 1 to 330,000 patients, and they are primarily concentrated around urban areas and academic medical centers, leaving many states with very few or even no hepatologists according to medical information publisher Wolters Kluwer.

The landscape for kidney disease patients is better with 9,653 active nephrologists as of 2014, and 9006 focused on direct patient care. There is concern however, that with an aging workforce, we will see a decline and shortage in nephrologists by 2037, with rural areas being the hardest hit. When a patient is referred to a hepatologist or nephrologist for further screening, if they have to wait for months to get an appointment, this further delays evaluation for listing.

“What I would like to emphasize to patients is that you want to do this process while you are still feeling well, because it’s a lot of appointments.” explains Nicole M. Ali, MD, medical director of the Kidney Transplant Program at NYU Langone. Evaluation for organ transplants takes a minimum of four hours, and with kidney transplant evaluations involving meeting with a social worker, a nutritionist, a nephrologist, a transplant surgeon and a transplant nurse coordinator. This is in addition to extensive blood work, cardiac testing, cancer screening, and imaging like a CAT scan.

Patients also often lack support, a point person or caregiver to help coordinate everything. “Many people don’t have a person that they can rely on, because that person also needs to work. Or they don’t want to ask a brother and sister to take care of them,” said Ali. The stigma of not wanting to be a burden is very pervasive, especially in Black and Brown communities.

Codette Darton, clinical operation manager of liver and intestinal transplant at Mount Sinai, explains that a lot of misconceptions still exist around liver transplantation. “There are some doctors who are under the impression that we don’t transplant people addicted to alcohol, so they don’t refer the patient,” said Darton.

Until recent years, the medical standard for liver transplantation for someone with alcohol liver disease (ALD) was six months.

The ”6-Month” rule required patients to be sober for at least six months before they could be eligible for a liver transplant, but this is no longer the case. Over time, studies revealed that it was a poor indicator of post-transplant abstinence, and inconsistent assessment protocols across the medical system, which inevitably increased health disparities, affecting mostly Black patients and women.

“We’re seeing an explosion of alcohol cirrhosis, especially from a much younger population, because they’re out clubbing and partying,” said Darton, “and all these commercials that promote Ciroc and all these other alcohols. The young people are getting caught up with the glamor of it all, and as a result, they’re showing up with alcoholic hepatitis and need to be transplanted.”

Humiston, who was 39 years old when he started getting sick, admits that “I was a drinker, but not horribly.” Approximately 2% of the US population has alcohol liver disease, with a prevalence of 26% among hazardous drinkers, and 55.1% among individuals with diagnosed alcohol use disorders. Alcohol cirrhosis (AC) specifically affects about 100 per 100,000 enrollees in privately insured populations and 327 per 100,000 in the U.S. Veterans’ population.

Both Mount Sinai and NYU Langone have successfully transplanted patients in their 70s and patients with other medical

(Pexels/RDNE Stock project)

conditions. They emphasize having each patient being evaluated on their individual merits. Agnes Pomoaa, 71, and a native of Ghana who has been a U.S. resident for 17 years, has almost completed her evaluation at One Brooklyn Health, to be listed for a kidney transplant at NYU Langone Hospital. She is not yet on dialysis, but wants to be transplanted before her kidney disease progresses further, so that she can visit her home country Ghana at leisure. “If I get the transplant, I can go there for at least one month and come back,” said Pomoaa. Finding solutions

Both Schiano and Ali attributed delay in referral and access to transplant centers as the biggest issues preventing low income and minority patients getting listed. “I’ve certainly had patients come to me for kidney transplant evaluation, and I say, how you’ve been on dialysis for two years now. Why didn’t you come before? And these are not uneducated patients”, shares Ali, “they’re attuned to their health and all of that. He said to me, well, the dialysis center never sent me. He never told me about kidney transplant. I didn’t know anything about it.” Ali went on to say these patients were being seen by a dialysis center in Brooklyn, but when they moved to Long Island and started treatment at a different center, they were immediately referred to NYU Langone.

Mount Sinai has an outreach clinic in As-

toria, Queens and Long Island that performs evaluations for liver transplant listing. The patient population is mostly South Asian, from Bangladesh, Pakistan and India.

“I would say we’re able to do about 90% of the evaluation(for liver transplant listing),” said James F Crismale, MD, liver medicine and gastroenterology specialist at Mount Sinai Queens, “we do have one transplant surgeon that comes out once a month to all the Long Island practices, and from there, they can be listed for transplant.” Crismale shared that they often see patients referred with elevated liver enzymes who may already be receiving treatment for metabolic diseases like diabetes, hypertension and cardiac disease.

Another benefit of the outreach clinics in Queens and Long Island is access to advanced testing. “We have a simple office based ultrasound test called the FibroScan that can actually allow us to get a better sense about whether there is any scarring or damage to the liver,” said Crismale. He went on to say that access to this simple test can determine how aggressive they need to be in doing an evaluation for liver transplant listing, and if the patient has fatty liver disease, recommend lifestyle changes.

The partnership between One Brooklyn Health (OBH) and NYU Langone is turning the tide on early kidney transplant evaluation in Brownsville, Brooklyn. The OBH and NYU Langone Health Kidney Transplant Access Program started in January 2025, and

is a project that came to fruition because of the work done by the Coalition to End Racism in Clinical Algorithms (CERCA), run by the New York City Department of Health. To date they have evaluated almost 50 patients for referral to NYU Langone.

“We (at OBH) provide patients with advanced kidney disease access to transplant evaluations right at Brookdale Hospital, instead of requiring them to travel long distances or navigate unfamiliar health systems,” said Dr. Sophia Kostelanetz, Health Equity Lead and Primary Care Physician, Department of Medicine, at One Brooklyn Health. She went on to explain that the program serves patients who already have longstanding, trusted relationships with them.

“The gold standard is, can we get you a transplant before you are even on dialysis?” explains Kostelanetz. The OBH program meets a direct community need as between 2020 to 2022, the age-adjusted rate for chronic kidney disease hospitalization in Kings county was 120 per 10,000. Coupled with the removal of race as a factor in calculating eGFR, more Brooklyn residents would be eligible for kidney transplant listing –– they just need to be evaluated.

The program operates weekly on Fridays, with a dedicated transplant nephrologist, coordinator and social worker. They are currently integrating a peer mentor, an individual from their own community who has undergone a transplant, and plan to add a community health worker to the

program later this year. This community health worker will provide home visits, education, care, navigation and disease management to help overcome social barriers. Dr. Ali wants the community to have hope. “The messaging out there for New Yorkers is that there’s this perception that the waiting time for a kidney transplant in New York is 6 to 8 years,” said Ali, “Or some people tell me that the transplant program told them 8 to 10 years, or 5 to 7 years. Our median time to transplant at NYU Langone is 9.1 months.”

For New Yorkers needing an evaluation for kidney transplant, here are some resources:

• NYU Langone Kidney Transplant Program

• OBH and NYU Langone Health Kidney Transplant Access Program

• Columbia University Irving Medical Center

• Montefiore Einstein Center for Transplantation

• Weill Cornell Medicine

• For New Yorkers needing an evaluation for liver transplant, here are some resources:

• The Recanati/Miller Transplantation Institute (RMTI) at Mount Sinai

• Sandra Atlas Bass Center for Liver Diseases at North Shore University Hospital

• Columbia University Center for Liver Disease and Transplantation

This report was produced with support from Renaissance Journalism’s 2025 LaunchPad Fellowship for NextGen Journalists.

Religion & Spirituality This College Chaplain Fills The Pews By Teaching, Not Preaching

By REV. DOROTHY S. BOULWARE Word in Black

It’s understandable for parents of strong faith to worry about the spiritual lives of their children who’ve gone away to college. After all, it’s easy for a young person, perhaps on their own for the first time, to succumb to the temptations of partying late on Saturday night and sleeping in on Sunday morning.

But Minister Lawrence Lockett Jr., chaplain at Morgan State University in Baltimore, is packing them into the pews most Sundays. He is engaging them in lively ways during the week. And students are joining the choir, accompanying worship on various instruments, and serving as readers and leaders throughout the service.

It is by the grace of God for sure, but also by the loving service of Lockett, who’s beginning his second year as the school’s director of chapel. He has grown his flock from the 25 or so students who showed up at his first services to more than 200 each Sunday. Sometimes, it’s standing room only.

“We’ve been trying to figure out what to do next because on Easter Sunday we had 342 people, and some were standing in the back,” he said.

Word In Black talked to Lockett about the secrets of his success: how his adjustment of Sunday services got people into the pews, why his philosophy for guiding students on their spiritual journey centers on independent thought, and how his “Spin the Block” initiative is shaking things up on campus. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Word in Black: The first thing we want to know is, how do you get so many young people to chapel every Sunday?.

Lawrence Lockett: Well, first of all, I changed the time of service from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. I realized a lot of the students like to sleep in late. It gives them time to do whatever they need to do. I’m sure many of them still like to party hearty over the weekend. So they have a good chance just to kind of refocus, recalibrate, get themselves lunch, and then come over to the chapel for service.

When I started in November, maybe 20-25 students came, but now it’s over 200 that come every Sunday, and it’s pretty cool. So now we’re repositioning ourselves to go after the freshman class this year. If we have the same success as last year, there’s definitely not going to be any room.

Word in Black: Tell me about pastoring on a college campus.

Lawrence Lockett: Morgan actually started as a biblical institute, so the Christian traditions have always been here. As a pastor or shepherd, I’m walking students through their questions, not always just trying to preach answers to them. It’s about being vulnerable. I tell them I was in their same position, just trying to figure it out. And it’s not me just trying to give them answers.

Having been there helps me really walk with them and anchor them in the storm of life that’s going to come. I want them to understand that their soul really matters. A lot of students focus on mental health, but they really need to focus on spiritual health as well. It should be one and the same. So I’ve been trying to preach that, if anything, spiritual health is just as important as your mental health. But we do encourage the use of the counseling center, for sure, if there is a mental health crisis.

WIB: What does Monday through Friday look like for you?

LL: Mondays, we are usually off because

of Sundays. On Tuesdays, we have Bible studies, so I’ll host a Bible study at noon along with my colleagues that work in the chapel. And then, I’m teaching a class called Hip-hop and the Gospel on Tuesdays at 2:30 p.m., dealing with mixing culture and religion.

On Wednesdays, we do something called “breath and balance,” which is just a meditative type of program with breathing exercises as stress relievers. We work with the School of Nutrition Science and the food resource center so that the students get a nice free meal and practice breathing exercises and methods to feel good about the day. For Thursdays, we started something called the mosaic, in which we have different campus ministers gather in small groups, just like a mosaic painting. So the students who come on Sundays then get plugged into small groups on Thursdays. And on Fridays at 1 p.m., we do prayer for Muslims.. We have an imam lecture and then lead in corporate prayer. It’s a good mix.

WIB: What is “Spend a Block?” Didn’t you receive an award for it?

LL: That started last year. We just basically do services outside: outside the residence halls, in the quad, wherever it may be. Honestly, worship on a college campus looks different than it did 20 or 30 years ago. Students want something real and authentic, something they can gravitate to, and something that’s convenient. So when we’re outside, people are like, “What’s all the noise outside? What’s all the music?” Then they come outside, and there are chairs, so they grab one and sit and enjoy the service. We come to them. They don’t have to come to us. At the very beginning of the semester, we do services outside the four residence halls. And that kind of gives us a steamroll into homecoming week. And we’ve seen a lot of success because of that.

WIB: What should I expect when I arrive for Sunday service?

LL: You’re gonna see a lot of involvement with students. I’ve learned that students like to feel invested, and they want to participate in what’s going on. They don’t want to be told by adults what they should and shouldn’t do. So when you go to the service, you’ll see our praise team full of students. You’ll see a choir full of students. You’ll see students reading scripture. You’ll see students giving testimonies. And then I’ll come in and give a sermon, or I’ll have a guest friend or a guest preacher come in to do the sermon. But you’re gonna see a lot of student involvement, and I think that also assisted with a lot of the growth because when they see fellow students, they understand they’re just like me, and if they can do it, I can do it.

WIB: What about musicians and choir?

LL: The musicians are also students. They say, “Hey, I love to play. I wanna use my gifts in some way, shape, or form.” And they’ll ask whether or not there’s a spot for them. And we say absolutely. And there is a chapel choir. Some of the members are also members of the university choir.

WIB: What is the “next” you see for the chapel?

LL: I want the students to know God, find freedom, discover purpose, and make a difference. The chapel really is the heartbeat of the campus, and I want students to know more about where faith, hope, and belonging really stem from. I also want the chapel to become more interfaith and involve as many students and beliefs as possible.

Lawrence Lockett Jr., Morgan State University chaplain. (Lawrence Lockett Jr. via LinkedIn photo)

Daffodil Project

Parks initiative. Mamdani proposed funding parks with revenue from property sales. Although Adams initially promised to allocate more funds for parks when he became mayor in 2022, his administration has not yet followed through. Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s team has not released specific plans for city parks.

NY4P is showcasing the challenges faced by parks through events like the Daffodil Project. Last weekend, they handed out daffodils and native flowers at Soundview Park in the Bronx and Prospect Park Plaza West in Brooklyn. Participants had to register beforehand to get seeds. To join the waitlist for upcoming seed giveaways over the next two weeks in Jackson Heights, Queens; Union Square in Manhattan; A. Philip Randolph Square in Harlem; Willowbrook Park in Staten Island; and Far Rockaway, visit ny4p.org/the-daffodil-project.

The Daffodil Project serves as a memorial to 9/11; having begun the year after the attacks. “Many of the people who first started planting daffodils were directly impacted by that tragic moment,” notes Ganzer. “But what it has become now is this massive community planting moment. People come from community gardens, neighborhood associations, schools, and parks all across the city. They come to these distributions, and when they take bulbs home with their friends,

family, and neighbors, they plant them in street tree beds or in a local park with the Parks Department. So when you see a daffodil in the city — and there are millions blooming in March and April — they have all come from this project.”

If planted this September, these native and perennial daffodil and wildflower seeds, sourced from the NYC Parks Plant Ecology Center and Nursery, will bloom and be visible throughout the city next spring. “Ecologically appropriate plants

and seeds are critical for the conservation of our city’s 20,000 acres of green and blue spaces,” said Seth August of NYC Parks Plant Ecology Center and Nursery. “In partnering with the Daffodil Project for the second year in a row, we are thrilled to empower park supporters and volunteers to make an even bigger impact in enhancing their community green spaces. This initiative provides a unique opportunity for fostering biodiversity and civic engagement across all five boroughs.”

Daffodils near Flushing Meadows Unisphere. (New Yorkers for Parks photo)

Native and perennial daffodil and wildflower seeds, sourced from the NYC Parks Plant Ecology Center and Nursery, will bloom and be visible throughout the city next spring. (Karen Juanita Carrillo photo)

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NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NEW YORK U. S. Bank National Association as trustee for CMALT REMIC 2007-A2 - REMIC PassThrough Certificates. Series 2007-A2, Plaintiff AGAINST Nkenge Scott a/k/a Scott Nkenge, et al., Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered May 8, 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 8, 2025 at 2:15 PM, premises known as 69 West 119th 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 Borough of Manhattan, City, County and State of New York, Block: 1718, Lot: 13. Approximate amount of judgment $2,169,163.01 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #850053/2023. Christy M. Demelfi, Esq., Referee Frenkel Lambert Weisman & Gordon, LLP 53 Gibson Street Bay Shore, NY 11706 01096395-F00 85760

SUNNYBROOK LANE LLC. Filed with SSNY on 05/16/25. Office: New York County. SSNY designated as agent for process & shall mail copy to: ℅ EResident Agent, Inc. 1 Rockefeller Plaza, Ste 1204, New York, NY 10020. Purpose: Any lawful.

Royal Bleu LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on March 28,2025. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 2140, Lakeview Ridge Cir Apt 107, Apopka FL. Purpose: Any lawful act.

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.

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.

MTA REAL ESTATE Request for Proposals

RFP No. EZ082025: Opportunity to purchase a parcel of land at the corner of Hunters Point and 29th Street in Long Island City, New York. For information on this RFP, please go to https://rfponline.nymta.info/

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 2019-RPL11 Trust, Plaintiff, vs. Unknown heirs at law of Hyunjeong Han, if they be living and if they be dead, any and all persons unknown to plaintiff, ET AL., Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale and Decision + Order duly entered on May 17, 2023 and a Decision + Order on Motion duly entered on May 29, 2025, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY 10007 on October 1, 2025 at 2:15 p.m., premises known as 70 Little West Street Unit 22G, New York, NY 10004 a/k/a 70 Battery Place, Unit 22G, New York, NY 10280. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County, City and State of New York, Block 16 and Lot 1878 together with an undivided 0.36855 percent interest in the Common Elements. Approximate amount of judgment is $665,379.10 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #850044/2021. Cash will not be accepted. Thomas R. Kleinberger, Esq., Referee Knuckles & Manfro, LLP, 120 White Plains Road, Suite 215, Tarrytown, New York 10591, Attorneys for Plaintiff

Notice of Formation of a NY Limited Liability Company

GASS LLC, Articles of Organization filing date with Secretary of State (SSNY) was 06/03/2025. Office Location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and SSNY shall mail copy of process to 523 West 152 nd Street #42 New York, New York 10031

US. Purpose is to engage in any and all business activities permitted under NYC laws.

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT ‑ COUNTY OF NEW YORK.

HNY CLUB SUITES OWNERS ASSOCIATION INC., Plain tiff ‑against‑ JULIE A. BRIT TAIN, MARK L. BRITTAIN, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated July 7, 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 October 15, 2025 at 2:15 p.m. premises being an undivided ownership interest as tenant‑in‑common with other owners in the Timeshare Unit in the building located at 1335 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY; known as The NYH Condominium. Together with an appurtenant undivided 1.4182% in common interest percentage. This is a foreclosure on own ership interest in a timeshare unit, a studio penthouse on a floating use basis every year, in accordance with and subject to declarations. Declaration of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions dated October 27, 2003 and November 3, 2003 as CFRN # 2003000442512 as re corded in the Office of the City Register, County, City and State of New York. The Timeshare Unit is also designated as Block 1006 and Lot 1303.

Said premises known as 1335 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS, UNIT HU2, NEW YORK, NY 10019

Approximate amount of lien $20,954.60 plus interest & costs.

Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale. Index Number 850094/2023.

PAUL R. SKLAR, ESQ., Refer ee

DRUCKMAN LAW GROUP PLLC

Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 242 Drexel Avenue, Westbury, NY 11590 DLG# 39206 {* AMSTERDAM*}

Notice of Qualification of ELITE CLINICAL NETWORK, LLC

Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/05/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Nevada (NV) on 12/30/20. Princ. office of LLC: 6970 Wineberry Dr., Las Vegas, NV 89119. 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. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, 202 N. Carson St., Carson City, NV 89701-4201. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT ‑ COUNTY OF NEW YORK. 57TH ST. VACATION OWNERS ASSOCIATION, INC., BY AND THROUGH ITS BOARD OF DIRECTORS, Plaintiff ‑against‑ ALAN MILLER, JANE MILLER, LAUREN MILLER, et al Defen dant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated July 2, 2025, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auc tion in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on October 8, 2025 at 2:15 p.m. premises situate, lying and be ing in the Borough of Manhat tan, County of New York, City and State of New York, being an undivided ownership interest as tenant‑in‑common with other owners in the Timeshare Unit in the building located at 102 West 57th Street, New York, NY. Together with an appurtenant undivided .009864% common interest percentage. This is a foreclosure on ownership inter est in a timeshare unit, a studio penthouse on a floating use basis every year, in accordance with and subject to declara tions. Declaration of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions dated October 10, 2008 and October 31, 2008 as CFRN # 2008000426142 as recorded in the Office of the City Register, County, City and State of New York. The Timeshare Unit is also designated as Block 1009 and Lot 37.

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

Approximate amount of lien $15,079.73 plus interest & costs.

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

Index Number 850282/2023. CHRISTY M. DEMELFI, ESQ., Referee DRUCKMAN LAW GROUP PLLC

Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 242 Drexel Avenue, Westbury, NY 11590 DLG# 39110 {* AMSTERDAM*}

Notice of Qualification of BLACKSTONE ABF ASSOCIATES L.P.

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT ‑ COUNTY OF NEW YORK. HNY CLUB SUITES OWNERS ASSOCIATION INC., BY AND THROUGH ITS BOARD OF DIRECTORS, Plaintiff ‑against‑ TAHITA QUOIN DOYLE, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated June 25, 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 October 1, 2025 at 2:15 p.m. premises being an undivided ownership interest as tenant‑in‑common with other owners in the Timeshare Unit in the building located at 1335 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY; known as The NYH Condominium. Together with an appurtenant undivided 0.0381% in common interest percentage. This is a foreclosure on own ership interest in a timeshare unit, a studio penthouse on a floating use basis every year, in accordance with and subject to declarations. Declaration of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions dated October 27, 2003 and November 3, 2003 as CFRN # 2003000442512 as re corded in the Office of the City Register, County, City and State of New York. The Timeshare Unit is also designated as Block 1006 and Lot 1302. Said premises known as 1335 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS, NEW YORK, NY 10019 Approximate amount of lien $66,810.23 plus interest & costs.

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

Index Number 850255/2023. PAUL SKLAR, ESQ., Referee DRUCKMAN LAW GROUP PLLC

Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 242 Drexel Avenue, Westbury, NY 11590 DLG# 39246 {* AMSTERDAM*}

Guy Furrow, LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with SSNY 08/06/2025. Office: New York County. SSNY desig. agent for service of process & shall mail to: 460 West 24th Street, 14A, New York, NY 10011. Purpose: Any lawful act.

it may be served & shall mail to: 100 Morningside Dr. Apt 1J, New York, NY 10027 Purpose: Any lawful act.

AR REAL ESTATE BROKERAGE LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 06/24/25. Latest date to dissolve: 12/31/2080. 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, 80 Varick Street, Suite 1A, New York, NY 10013. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

BGM SOLUTIONS LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 06/04/2025. Office location: NEW YORK County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 228 PARK AVE S #485903, NEW YORK, NY, 10003. Purpose: Any lawful act.

Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/12/25. Office location: NY County. LP formed in Delaware (DE) on 03/07/25. Princ. office of LP: 345 Park Ave., 31st Fl., NY, NY 10154. NYS fictitious name: BLACKSTONE ABF ASSOCIATES GP, L.P. Duration of LP is Perpetual. SSNY designated as agent of LP upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 122072543. Name and addr. of each general partner are available from SSNY. DE addr. of LP: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of LP filed with DE Secy. of State, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Rutha Berger Design LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 5/20/25. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 437 East 80th St Apt 28, New York, New York, 10075. Purpose: Any lawful act.

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT ‑ COUNTY OF NEW YORK. HNY CLUB SUITES OWNERS ASSOCIATION INC., BY AND THROUGH ITS BOARD OF DIRECTORS, Plaintiff ‑against‑ UNKNOWN HEIRS AND DIS TRIBUTEES OF THE ESTATE OF PHILIP DEARBORN, if liv ing, and if he be dead, etc..., et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated June 18, 2025, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on September 24, 2025 at 2:15 p.m. premises being an undivided ownership interest as tenant‑in‑common with other owners in the Timeshare Unit in the building located at 1335 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY; known as The NYH Condominium. Together with an appurtenant undivided 0.0381% in common interest percentage. This is a foreclosure on own ership interest in a timeshare unit, a studio penthouse on a floating use basis every year, in accordance with and subject to declarations. Declaration of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions dated October 27, 2003 and November 3, 2003 as CFRN # 2003000442512 as re corded in the Office of the City Register, County, City and State of New York. The Timeshare Unit is also designated as Block 1006 and Lot 1302. Said premises known as 1335 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS, NEW YORK, NY 10019

Approximate amount of lien $30,742.97 plus interest & costs.

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

Index Number 850674/2023.

BRUCE LEDERMAN, ESQ., Referee DRUCKMAN LAW GROUP PLLC

Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 242 Drexel Avenue, Westbury, NY 11590 DLG# 39577 {* AMSTERDAM*} NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT: NEW YORK COUNTY. NYCTL 19982 TRUST SUCCESSOR IN INTEREST TO NYCTL 2016A TRUST AND THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON AS COLLATERAL AGENT AND CUSTODIAN, Pltf. vs. KIPS BAY COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION, INC., et al, Deft. Index #153256/2024. Pursuant to judgment of foreclosure and sale entered June 4, 2025, I will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on October 1, 2025 at 2:15 p.m. prem. k/a 303 East 33 rd Street, Unit CF B, New York, NY 10016 a/k/a Block 00939, Lot 1002. Approx. amt. of judgment is $6,888.56 plus costs and interest. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed judgment and terms of sale. SOFIA BALILE, Referee. THE DELLO- IACONO LAW GROUP, P.C., Attys. for Pltf., 312 Larkfield Rd., Lower Level, East Northport, NY. File No. 22000218 - #102419

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. 57TH ST. VACATION OWN ERS ASSOCIATION, INC., BY AND THROUGH ITS BOARD OF DIRECTORS, Plaintiff ‑against‑ ADWOA BOATEMAA OKYERE, YASMIN AGYEPO MAA BOAMA, if living, and if they be dead, etc..., et al Defen dant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated June 3, 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 October 1, 2025 at 2:15 p.m. premises situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhat tan, County of New York, City and State of New York, being an undivided ownership interest as tenant‑in‑common with other owners in the Timeshare Unit in the building located at 102 West 57th Street, New York, NY. Together with an appurtenant undivided .009864% common interest percentage. This is a foreclosure on ownership inter est in a timeshare unit, a studio penthouse on a floating use basis every year, in accordance with and subject to declara tions. Declaration of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions dated October 10, 2008 and October 31, 2008 as CFRN # 2008000426142 as recorded in the Office of the City Register, County, City and State of New York. The Timeshare Unit is also designated as Block 1009 and Lot 37.

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

Approximate amount of lien $28,286.03 plus interest & costs.

Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale. Index Number 850055/2020.

SOFIA BALILE, ESQ., Referee DRUCKMAN LAW GROUP PLLC

Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 242 Drexel Avenue, Westbury, NY 11590 DLG# 38674 {* AMSTERDAM*}

SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK.

WOORI AMERICA BANK, Plaintiff -against- DK BEAUTY INC., et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered herein and dated March 27, 2025, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street New York, NY on October 8, 2025 at 2:15 p.m. premises situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County, City and State of New York, known as Unit No. 2010 in the building known as the "20 West 33rd Street Condominium" together with an undivided 7.1629 percent interest in the common elements.

Block: 834 Lot: 1013

Said premises known as 18-28 WEST 33RD STREET, UNIT 2010, NEW YORK, NY

Approximate amount of lien $6,021,316.46 plus interest & costs.

Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale. Index Number 850042/2024. SOFIA BALILE, ESQ., Referee Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC

Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 40 Calumet Ave, Lake Hiawatha, NJ 07034

{* AMSTERDAM*}

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

HSBC BANK USA, -against-

KAREN KENNEY A/K/A KAREN KENNY, ET AL.

NOTICE OF SALE

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN pursuant to a Final Judgment of Foreclosure entered in the Office of the Clerk of the County of New York on July 14, 2022 , wherein HSBC BANK USA is the Plaintiff and KAREN KENNEY A/K/A KAREN KENNY , ET AL., are the Defendants. I, the undersigned Referee, will sell at public auction at the NEW YORK COUNTY CIVIL SUPREME COURTHOUSE, 60 CENTRE STREET, ROOM 130, NEW YORK, NY 10007, on October 15, 2025 at 2:15PM, the premises known as 144 WEST 123RD STREET , NEW YORK , NY 10027 ; tax map identification 1907-53 ; and description:

ALL THAT CERTAIN PLOT, PIECE OR PARCEL OF LAND SITUATE, LYING AND BEING IN THE BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN, COUNTY, CITY AND STATE OF N.Y. . . .

Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index No.: 810040/2012 . Elaine Shay , Esq., as Referee . Robertson, Anschutz, Schneid, Crane & Partners, PLLC, 900 Merchants Concourse, Suite 310 , Westbury, New York 11590, Attorneys for Plaintiff. All foreclosure sales will be conducted in accordance with Covid-19 guidelines including, but not limited to, social distancing and mask wearing. *LOCATION OF SALE SUBJECT TO CHANGE DAY OF IN ACCORDANCE WITH COURT/CLERK DIRECTIVES.

NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF New York , NYCTL 1998-2

Trust and the Bank of New York Mellon as Collateral Agent and Custodian , Plaintiff, vs . Katherine Mosley , ET AL., Defendant(s).

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale and Decision + Order on Motion dated October 18, 2023 and duly entered on November 28, 2023 and an Order Appointing Substitute Referee dated May 20, 2024 and duly entered on May 21, 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 15, 2025 at 2:15 p.m., all that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County, City and State of New York, Block 2011 and Lot 23. Said premises may also be known as 125 West 142 Street, New York, NY.

Approximate amount of judgment is $100,111.55 plus interest and costs.

Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale. Index #154723/2022.

Jeffrey R. Miller, Esq., Referee

The Law Office of Thomas P. Malone, PLLC, 60 East 42nd Street, Suite 553, New York, New York 10165, Attorneys for Plaintiff

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.

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.

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.

The P LYLES GROUP LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on JUNE 23, 2025. Office location: NEW YORK County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 458 WEST 146TH ST UNIT 3N, NEW YORK, NY 10031. Purpose: Any lawful act.

THE DOCUMENTARY HELPLINE LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 07/18/2025. Office location: NEW YORK County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 545 E 12TH ST , 2B,, NEW YORK, NY, 10009. Purpose: Any lawful act.

SB Tennent LLC LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 07/09/2025. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 228 PARK AVE S #594730, New York, NY 10003. Purpose: Any lawful act.

Pizza Accademia LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on August 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: 228 Park Ave S #117123, New York, NY 10003. Purpose: Any lawful act.

NOTICE

Notice is hereby given that a license, number NA-0370-24146467 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 3700 Jerome Ave , Bronx, NY 10467, Bronx County for on premises consumption. Made In The Bronx LLC D/B/A , Made In The Bronx

NEW YORK - INDEX NO.: 850023/2025– SUPPLEMENTAL SUMMONS. Plaintiff designates NEW YORK COUNTY as the place of trial based upon the location of the premises herein described having tax map Block 792, Lot 1036, NEW YORK, NY, County of NEW YORK – CITIMORTGAGE, INC., PLAINTIFF, -against- ABBIE SMILEY AS HEIR TO THE ESTATE OF JACQUELINE MONFORT STEPHANIE MONFORT AS HEIR TO THE ESTATE OF JACQUELINE MONFORT, any and all persons unknown to plaintiff, claiming, or who may claim to have an interest in, or generally or specific lien upon the real property described in this action; such unknown persons being herein generally described and intended to be included in the following designation, namely: the wife, widow, husband, widower, heirs-at law, next of kin, descendants, executors, administrators, devisees, legatees, creditors, trustees, committees, lienors, and assignees of JACQUELINE MONFORT, deceased, any and all persons deriving interest in or lien upon, or title to said real property by, through or under them and their respective wives, widows, husbands, widowers, heirs-at law, next of kin, descendants, executors, administrators, devisees, legatees, creditors, trustees, committees, lienors, and assignees, all of whom and whose names, except as stated, are unknown to plaintiff, THE BOARD OF MANAGERS OF THE 135 CONDOMINIUM, NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TAXATION AND FINANCE, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA-INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, “JOHN DOE #1” through “JOHN DOE #12,” the last twelve names being fictitious and unknown to plaintiff, the persons or parties intended being the tenants, occupants, persons or corporations, if any, having or claiming an interest in or lien upon the premises, described in the complaint, DEFENDANTS. YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the complaint in this action and to serve a copy of your answer, or, if the complaint is not served with this summons, to serve a notice of appearance on the Plaintiff's Attorney within 20 days after the service of this summons, exclusive of the day of service (or within 30 days after the service is complete if this summons is not personally delivered to you within the State of New York); and in case of your failure to appear or answer, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the complaint.

NOTICE YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME

If you do not respond to this Summons and Complaint by serving a copy of the answer on the attorney for the mortgage company who filed this foreclosure proceeding against you and filing the answer with the court, a default judgment may be entered against you and you can lose your home. Speak to an attorney or go to the court where your case is pending for further information on how to answer the summons and protect your property. Sending a payment to your mortgage company will not stop this foreclosure action.

summons and protect your property. Sending a payment to your mortgage company will not stop this foreclosure action.

YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF (MORTGAGE COMPANY) AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT.

Dated: Syosset, New York, August 4, 2025. Roach & Lin, P.C., attorney for Plaintiff, 6851 Jericho Turnpike, Suite 185, Syosset, NY 11791. Tel: 516938-3100. To the above-named defendants: The foregoing summons is served upon you by publication pursuant to an Order of the Hon. HON. FRANCIS A. KAHN III, a Justice of the Supreme Court, State of New York, dated July 31, 2025 and filed with the NEW YORK County Clerk together with the supporting papers thereon. This is an action to foreclose a mortgage held by Plaintiff on the premises known as Block 792, Lot 1036, NEW YORK, NY, County of NEW YORK as described in the complaint on file and commonly known as 135 WEST 16TH STREET, UNIT NO. 554, NEW YORK, NY 10011.

NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF NEW YORK. VALLEY NATIONAL BANK, successor by merger to Bank Leumi USA, Plaintiff, v. W29 534 HIGHLINE OWNERS LLC, et al., Defendants. Index No. 850126/2024

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale granted herein on July 24, 2025, I the undersigned, the Referee in said Judgment named, will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the Supreme Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY of the County of NEW YORK, State of New York on October 15, 2025 at 2:15 pm of that day, the premises directed by said Judgment to be sold and therein described as follows:

Said premises being known as and by street address 534 WEST 29TH STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10001 Block 700 Lot 53

Said premises are sold subject to the terms and conditions of the filed Judgment and the Terms of Sale. Approximate amount of Judgment $19,193,780.55.

Dated: Garden City, New York September 2, 2025

MARK L. McKEW, ESQ., Referee

Adam E. Mikolay, P.C. Of Counsel to LANCE FALOW, ESQ.

Attorney for Plaintiff’s Assignee HIGHLINE HEIGHTS LLC 400 Garden City Plaza Suite 405 Garden City, New York 11530 (516) 222-2050

NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT ‑ COUNTY OF NEW YORK.

57TH ST. VACATION OWNERS ASSOCIATION, INC., BY AND THROUGH ITS BOARD OF DIRECTORS, Plaintiff ‑against‑

SUSAN J. STONE, et al Defen dant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated July 2, 2025, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auc tion in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on October 8, 2025 at 2:15 p.m. premises situate, lying and be ing in the Borough of Manhat tan, County of New York, City and State of New York, being an undivided ownership interest as tenant‑in‑common with other owners in the Timeshare Unit in the building located at 102 West 57th Street, New York, NY. Together with an appurtenant undivided .012865% common interest percentage. This is a foreclosure on ownership inter est in a timeshare unit, a studio penthouse on a floating use basis every year, in accordance with and subject to declara tions. Declaration of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions dated October 10, 2008 and October 31, 2008 as CFRN # 2008000426142 as recorded in the Office of the City Register, County, City and State of New York. The Timeshare Unit is also designated as Block 1009 and Lot 37.

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

Approximate amount of lien $24,780.51 plus interest & costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale.

Index Number 850249/2023. CHRISTY M. DEMELFI, ESQ., Referee

DRUCKMAN LAW GROUP

PLLC

Attorney(s) for Plaintiff

242 Drexel Avenue, Westbury, NY 11590

DLG# 39118

{* AMSTERDAM*}

NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NEW YORK, 2 Cap Investments, LLC , Plaintiff, vs. Frog Investments, LLC, ET AL ., Defendant(s).

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale and Decision + Order on Motion duly entered on August 9, 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 10007 on October 8, 2025 at 2:15 p.m., premises known as 321 West 110th Street, No. 7A a/k/a 321 Cathedral Parkway, Unit No. 7A, New York, NY 10026. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County of New York, City and State of New York, Block 1423 and Lot 1846. Approximate amount of judgment is $2,931,375.00 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale Index #850074/2022.

Allison M. Furman, Esq., Referee

Underweiser & Underweiser LLP, One Barker Avenue, Second Floor, White Plains, New York 10601, Attorneys for Plaintiff.

SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK. BOARD OF MANAGERS OF THE 130 WEST 30TH STREET CONDOMINIUM, SUING ON BEHALF OF THE UNIT OWNERS, Plaintiff -against- DAVID M. SIMON a/k/a DAVID SIMON; LISA D. GOODMAN a/k/a LISA GOODMAN, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered herein and dated December 3, 2024, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction in Room 116 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street New York, NY on October 1, 2025 at 2:15 p.m. premises situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan and County of New York, City and State of New York, known as Residential Unit No. 16A in the building known as 130 West 30th Street Condominium located at 130 West 30th Street together with an undivided 2.241% interest in the Common Elements. Block: 805 Lot: 1043

Said premises known 130 West 30th Street, Unit 16A, New York, NY 10001.

situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan and County of New York, City and State of New York, known as Storage Unit No. 11 in the building known as 130 West 30th Street Condominium located at 130 West 30th Street together with an undivided 0.079% interest in the common elements. Block: 805 Lot: 1060

Said premises known as 130 WEST 30TH STREET, STORAGE UNIT NO. 11, NEW YORK, NY 10001

Approximate amount of lien $113,708.03 plus interest & costs.

Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale. Index Number 850614/2023.

ROBERTA E. ASHKIN, ESQ., Referee

Schwartz Sladkus Reich Greenberg Atlas LLP

Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 444 Madison Ave., 6th Floor, New York, NY 10022

{* AMSTERDAM*}

Z&L 66, LLC LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on June 22, 2025. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 235 W 56TH ST, APT 29G, New York, NY 10019. Purpose: Any lawful act.

Mind Share Therapy LCSW PLLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 8/14/2025. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 363 West 30th Street Apt 2D, New York, NY 10001 Purpose: Any lawful act.

Notice of Qualification of TS SIGNAGE LLC

Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/08/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 08/04/25. Princ. office of LLC: 1 Vanderbilt Ave., NY, NY 10017. 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 Charuni Patibanda-Sanchez, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of MarcyPen Capital Partners LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/14/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 05/22/19. 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 BLACKSTONE ABF ASSOCIATES L.L.C.

Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/12/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 03/07/25. Princ. office of LLC: 345 Park Ave., 31st Fl., NY, NY 10154. 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 DE Secy. of State, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Etico Managment LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 1/29/2025. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 211 Thomspon Street APT 2E, New York, NY 10012. Purpose: Any lawful act.

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.

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.

Notice of Formation of BREAKTHROUGH BEHAVIORAL BILLING LLC

Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/25/25. 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.

CREET LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 03/30/25. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: Entity Protect Registered Agent 447 Broadway 2nd Fl , New York,NY 10013 Purpose: Any lawful act.

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 WILSHIRE ADVISORS LLC

Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/28/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 01/05/21. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, 320 Park Ave., 7th Fl., NY, NY 10022. DE addr. of LLC: c/o Corporation Service Co., 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, Corp. Dept., Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of GovCIO, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/30/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 10/11/23. 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: IT Services remote employees working from home.

Brittany Anne Consulting LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on June 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: 152 E 84th St, Apt 5I, New York, NY 10028. Purpose: Any lawful act.

Notice of Formation of 155 7J LLC

Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/23/25. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, 201 E. 36th St., #6A, NY, NY 10016. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

GWENDOLYN CODY, MD, PLLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 07/29/25. Office: New York County. SSNY designated as agent of the PLLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the PLLC, 228 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10003-1502. Purpose: For the practice of the profession of Medicine.

Notice of Qualification of RD PROPERTY LLC

Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/09/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 07/01/25. NYS fictitious name: RD MANAGEMENT REAL ESTATE HOLDINGS LLC. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o RD Management LLC, Attn: Richard Birdoff, 810 Seventh Ave., 10th Fl., NY, NY 10019. DE addr. of LLC: Corporation Service Co., 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Secy. of State, P.O. Box 898, Dover, DE 19903. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of SHARPE ADVISORS, LLC

Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/13/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Wyoming (WY) on 08/12/25. Princ. office of LLC: (WeWork c/o Nick Mela), 524 Broadway, 11th Fl., NY, NY 10012. 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. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, Herschler Bldg. East, Ste. 101, 122 W. 25th St., Cheyenne, WY 82002-0020. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of ADAPT INVESTMENT MANAGERS USA LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/28/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 06/30/25. 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 the State of DE, Div. of Corps., John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice is hereby given that license serial number NA-037025-103382 for an On-Premises license has been applied for by the undersigned to permit the sale of beer, wine and spirits at retail in a bar under the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law at Oberon located at 196 N. 10 th Street, Brooklyn in Kings County for on-premises consumption. MurrayWalsh LLC, 196 N. 10 th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11211.

Notice of formation of InHome BeautyServices LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 7/11/25. Ofc. loc: NY Cty. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Registered agent svcs, 54 State St. #804 Albany, NY 12207, Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Stuyvesant Apartments 257 LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 4/28/2025. Office in New York Co. SSNY desig. agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to 1 W 85 th St, Suite 1F, New York, NY 10024 . Purpose: General.

Notice of Formation of AMM APPAREL LLC

Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/18/25. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 315 W. 39th St., #700, NY, NY 10018. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 122072543. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

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.

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF ELLIE'S GRANOLA LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 02/08/2025. 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: WILLIAM SOBEL 93 4TH AVE, NEW YORK, NY, 10003, USA. PURPOSE: any lawful act or activity.

Notice of Formation of RBF1 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.

SOLID STATE BAKERY LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 07/23/25. 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, 27 West 70th Street, #2A, New York, NY 10023. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Javier Jbara Music LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 07/28/2025. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 449 W 153rd Street Apt 3, New York, NY 10031. Purpose: Any lawful act.

Notice of Formation of 60 ORCHARD PH LLC

Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 06/26/25. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 60 Orchard St., Unit 8, NY, NY 10002. 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 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.

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.

1

AERO ENGINEERING PLLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 07/09/2025. Office location: NEW YORK County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 1 New Mill Road, Smithtown, NY, 11787. Purpose: Any lawful act.

of G&N FAMILY CAPITAL LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/25/25. 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.

of State of NY (SSNY) on 01/08/25. Office location: NY County. LP formed in Delaware (DE) on 12/26/24.

Deaths in city custody

Continued from page 2

bedsheets by himself, and found dead less than six hours later.”

Rankin pointed to how close he’s gotten to jail reform advocates due to the number of cases relating to Rikers. Just last year, Rankin secured the largest pretrial civil rights settlement in state history from a case alleging his client sustained brain damage while attempting to hang himself as multiple corrections officers stood by.

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.

Whistleblower Justyna Rzewinski, a licensed clinical social worker who reported unlawful solitary confinement practices in Rikers Island’s mental health facilities, shed light on the Program to Accelerate Clinical Effectiveness (PACE) unit where Billa reportedly died.

“This was a specialized unit,” she said. “This is the program to accelerate clinical effectiveness, where there’s only 38 people on the unit, three mental health treatment aides beside the nurse practitioner, a registered nurse, and a mental health clinician — all stationed on this unit. And yet he died, and

nobody knows why. Only 29 years old, diagnosed with schizophrenia, and this just shows that if this can happen on this high level of care [in what] DOC and CHS (Correctional Health Services) says is the best unit on Rikers Island, it can happen to anyone, anywhere.”

Campaigning to close Rikers

Long known for decrepit conditions, Rikers Island is legally mandated to close by 2027 and decarcerate to transport the remaining population to four newly constructed boroughbased jails with significantly smaller capacities. However, those facilities, which boast better conditions and faster transport to court cases, are behind schedule and will almost certainly miss the 2027 deadline.

Meanwhile, the city jail population currently sits north of 7,000, exacerbated by state prison strikes earlier this year. The borough-based jails can hold 4,160 beds in total in the four facilities.

Freedom Agenda co-di-

rector Darren Mack, who was formerly incarcerated and is a key proponent of closing Rikers, told the AmNews that the city can chip away at the problem by shuttering defunct Rikers jails to consolidate operations and lean more on the 6-A early Rikers release program. He pointed to the island’s largest jail, the Anna M. Kross Center (AMKC), which was emptied in 2023.

“[T]he money that’s saved from closing the AMKC could be redistributed back into communities for justice-impacted

supportive housing and mental health — all the things we know that actually develop community safety,” said Mack. Councilmember Sandy Nurse pointed to her bill, Int. 1242, which would place a full-time coordinator in City Hall charged with ensuring that Rikers Island closes. She said the bill will be voted on this Thursday, Sept. 11, and stems from recommendations by the Lippman Commission, an independent task force tapped to chart the borough-based jail plan.

Activist Victor Pate (top right) demands

names and death dates of people who died on Rikers. (Tandy Lau photos)

Service and Sacrifice

Continued from page 2

in fires does not discriminate,” wrote Cherry, in a letter found in his locker before the tragedy. The letter was donated by his family to the 9/11 Memorial & Museum and highlighted in its brief documentary from last year.

These twelve lost were also members of the FDNY’s Black Vulcan Society. The fire department’s first Black member, William A. Nicholson, was relegated to tending to the horses for Engine Company 6 in 1898. After enduring four decades of harrowing racism within the department, Black firefighters gained recognition and rose through the ranks. Wesley Williams, the city’s first Black battalion chief, founded the Vulcan Society for the over 50 Black firefighters employed in 1940. The organization combatted entrenched discriminatory practices within the FDNY, fought vociferously for diversity among its ranks, and created a sense of community and refuge for its members.

The Vulcan organization remains strong. This year’s Vulcan president, Jonathan Logan, and current firefighters invited the families of 9/11 firefighter victims to their annual Brooklyn memorial service at the First Quincy Community Garden.

“Our loved ones are gone, but we’re still trying to keep their memory alive,” said Irene Smith, the mother of Leon Smith Jr., who founded the FF. Leon W. Smith Jr Foundation to give out student scholarships in his honor. She recalled that her son often experienced the hardship of being a Black firefighter in the city over the course of 19 years on the job, but he was determined to be treated with respect and dignity.

She championed a street renaming on Hancock Street in Brooklyn in his honor. She said part of her ritual is going to her son’s firehouse for a memorial ceremony and attending a lunch with family members of other Vulcans at a nearby diner. They then head over to the annual garden memorial service. She added that it’s also free to place a tribute for 9/11 victims in The New York Daily News memorial section, which she does twice a year.

Smith is very close with Vulcan Society family members like Monique Powell, who lost her brother Shawn Powell, and Leila Joseph, who also lost her brother Karl Joseph on 9/11. Powell’s broth-

er has been immortalized in a co-naming of Monroe Street in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn. Joseph spearheaded the FF. Karl Henri Joseph Education Fund Inc to honor her brother, who was a young probie when he passed.

“We draw strength from each other,” said Joseph. The Joseph family and friends may go to the site in Manhattan, attend a memorial mass at church, but ultimately, every year, they meet up at the Vulcan ceremony. “For me, it’s a comfort to see other people every year, seeing some of the

other families.”

Vernon Maynard, the older brother of Keithroy Maynard, added that his family tries to make the best of every day but says there is definitely a void. He recalled being excited to vote that morning in 2001 with his brother, and hoped that he would come home initially after he heard about the plane crash. He said that the Vulcan Society and its community have been a major support for his family. “Up to this day, I have to keep going. Sometimes going back and forth to work brings the

emotion,” said Maynard. “It hits you when you realize.”

A Black Co-Pilot

A lesser-known name from the 9/11 tragedy is Leroy Homer Jr., the Black First Officer of United Airlines Flight 93, who was co-piloting one of the planes the morning of the hijacking. Homer was a fighter pilot for the armed forces, turned commercial pilot. He received many awards posthumously for his heroic actions alongside the other flight crew, like the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Congress

of Racial Equality Award (CORE), the Westchester County Trailblazer Award, and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference Drum Major for Justice Award. His wife, Melodie Homer, started the LeRoy W. Homer Jr. Foundation to encourage young people from underrepresented communities with an interest in flying to pursue professional careers in the field of aviation. “I recognized that LeRoy was left out of the story and people didn't understand what his role was that day,” she said in the documentary.

Photo of Captain Vernon Cherry, a 28-year FDNY veteran at Ladder 118 in Brooklyn. (Collection 9/11 Memorial & Museum, Gift of The Cherry Family photo)

Photo of Leroy Homer Jr., a Black pilot for the U.S. Air Force. (Collection 9/11 Memorial & Museum, Gift of the Homers photo)

Alcaraz reclaims the world’s No. 1 spot after US Open win over Sinner

By B.L. OLIVER Special to the AmNews

Political dignitaries and notable figures from an array of industries dotted Arthur Ashe Stadium at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens on Sunday to witness Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner stage another chapter of their growing rivalry in the men’s singles final of the US Open.

President Donald J. Trump and several members of his cabinet were among the 24,000 in attendance. He was met with a mix of cheers and boos as the first sitting president to attend the US Open since Bill Clinton’s appearance in 2000. Singer Bruce Springsteen, NBA star Stephen Curry, his wife Ayesha Curry and his father Dell Curry, and actress and singer Lindsay Lohan were also among the well-known

public figures that saw 22-yearold Alcaraz defeat Sinner 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 to capture his second US Open title and sixth Grand Slam singles championship.

The tournament’s No.1 seed Sinner was seeking to best No. 2 seed Alcaraz in their third straight major finals. The 24-year-old from Italy triumphed 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 over Alcaraz at Wimbledon in July. It came five weeks after Alcaraz took down Sinner in June at the French Open 4-6, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (10-2) in a grueling match that took 5 hours and 29 minutes to complete — the second-longest men’s Grand Slam final ever.

On Sunday, Alcaraz came out on fire, winning the first set in eight games. But Sinner took the second in nine games. Unfortunately for him, it would be the last set he won. In capturing the US Open title, Alcaraz reclaimed the men’s No. 1 world ranking.

He is the second youngest man to claim six Grand Slam titles behind only Bjorn Borg, who turned pro in 1973, unexpectedly retired at age 25 in 1983, and made a brief comeback in 1991.

Minutes after his victory, Alcaraz expressed his respect for his opponent.

“Every tournament you are playing, I am seeing you more than my family,” he jokingly said to Sinner. “Every achievement I have is because of you.”

Later, Alcaraz admitted regaining the No. 1 spot is meaningful. “For me, achieving [No.1] again is a dream … Doing it on the same day as getting another Grand Slam feels even better.”

As for Sinner, who has four major championships, he graciously acknowledged that it was Alcaraz’s day. “Carlos, congrats, amazing performance,” he said to Alcaraz on the court. “You deserve it.”

Aryna Sabalenka solidifies her top ranking with another US Open title

By JUANNE RENEE HARRIS

Special to the AmNews

Aryna Sabalenka won her second consecutive US Open women’s singles championship in straight sets, 6-3, 7-6 (3), defeating American Amanda Anisimova in the US Open women’s singles final. With this win, Sabalenka joined an elite group, becoming the 10th woman to win back-to-back US Open women’s singles titles in the Open Era (starting in 1968), and the first to do so since Serena Williams won three years in a row in 2012, 2013 and 2014.

Despite her No. 1 world ranking, it was Sabalenka’s first major win all year. Saturday afternoon at Arthur Ashe Stadium, in front of a largely pro-Anisimova crowd and after losing to Anisimova in the Wimbledon semifinals, Sabalenka played sharply and consistently, maintaining her composure and not letting her emotions get the best of her as she has done in the past when play wasn’t going her way. After Sabalenka took the first set, Anisimova won three consecutive games to rally from a 5-3 deficit in the second set to take a 6-5 lead. And, when the match came down to a tiebreaker, expe-

rience and fate seemed to be on Sabalenka’s side. Sabalenka controlled the tiebreak, winning her 19th tiebreaker in a row and extending her impressive 20-1 record in tiebreakers to 21-1. Sabalenka’s four unforced errors for the match

versus Anisimova’s 29 also played a big role in her win. After falling to her knees and covering her head in her hands as she sobbed in celebration, Sabalenka later explained, “I think because of the finals earlier this season,

this one felt different. This one felt like I had to overcome a lot of things to get this one. I knew that with the hard work we put in, like, I deserved to have a Grand Slam title this season. When I fell, it was true emotions, because it means a

lot to defend this title and to bring such great tennis on the court. And to bring the fight and be able to handle my emotions the way I did in this final, it means a lot. I’m super proud right now of myself.”

Following the match Sabalenka offered words of encouragement to Anisimova, who moved up from number eight to number four in the rankings. Sabalenka told her, “trust me, the moment you’re going to win your first one and you’re going to win it, you play incredible tennis . . . girl you’re going to enjoy it even more after this tough loss in the finals.”

Dabrowski and Routliffe win second US Open women’s doubles title

Earlier in the week, Taylor Townsend and her partner Katerina Siniakova squared off against Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe in the 2025 US Open women’s doubles final. After advancing to the final without dropping a set in the tournament, the number one seed American-Czech team, lost to the third seed Dabrowski and Routliffe in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4. With the upset win, Dabrowski and Routliffe claimed their second US Open doubles title in three years.

Carlos Alcaraz holds the championship trophy on Sunday after his victory over Jannik Sinner in the US Open men’s singles final. (Margot Jordan photo)

US Open women’s singles champion Aryna Sabalenka is all smiles on Saturday after defeating Amanda Anisimova. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

The No. 5 seed Liberty look ahead to the start of this weekend’s WNBA playoffs

By DERREL JOHNSON Special to the AmNews

One of the keys to the New York Liberty winning last year’s WNBA title was having the league’s best regular-season record at 32-8. It put them in position to host Game 5 of the finals playing against the Minnesota Lynx at home at the Barclays Center, coming away with a dramatic 67-62 overtime victory, taking the best-of-five series 3-2 and earning the franchise’s first-ever championship.

However, the path to this season’s title will begin on the road. The Liberty will close out the regular season tonight in Chicago versus the Sky as the No. 5 seed going into the postseason. A 75-66 win over the Washington Mystics on Tuesday in Brooklyn improved the Liberty to 26-17. With just one game left before the playoffs begin, their place in the stand -

ings had been cemented because of their inability to catch the teams above them, and those below them are unable to tie or surpass the Liberty.

They will face the No. 4 seed Phoenix Mercury this weekend in Game 1 of their bestof-three opening round series.

As of AmNews press time, the WNBA had not released this weekend’s schedule. The Liberty still have the talent and experience to make a run and become back-to-back champions, and they looked the part when they started this season with a franchise record 9-0. But injuries to their three best players, forward Breanna Stewart, guard Sabrina Ionescu, and forward/center Jonquel Jones at various stages derailed them.

After the Liberty’s 84-76 win last Friday against the Seattle Storm on the road, Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello emphasized how valuable the trio is to

Living with MS, Chris Wright forges inspirational basketball journey

By TYRESE ALLEYNE-DAVIS Special to the AmNews

“You have to be obsessed to play this game. Every time I stepped in between those lines when I was in Europe, I told myself that I was the best in the arena, no matter what,” said former professional basketball player Chris Wright to this writer.

At 35, the Washington, D.C., native has played against some of the toughest competition basketball has to offer. Yet, his most difficult opponent arrived off the court in 2012, when he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at just 23 years old.

Wright first noticed tingling and numbness while playing professionally in Turkey. The symptoms worsened, and doctors later confirmed he had MS, an autoimmune disease that damages the protective covering of nerves in the body. The diagnosis was life-altering, but not life-defining. After returning home, he began the fight to reclaim his career. Due to his strong relationship with his former college coach at Georgetown University, John Thompson III., Wright and his family were given access to the university’s medical staff, where he started the long process

of understanding the condition and regaining his strength. That determination carried Wright back to the court. In 2013, he signed a 10-day contract with the Dallas Mavericks and became the first NBA player to appear in a game with multiple sclerosis. Though brief, the stint was historic. He soon returned overseas, carving out a lengthy career across Europe, including hitting a game-winning shot in his first Eu-

roLeague basketball game. Wright’s road to that moment began years earlier on the courts of Washington, D.C. A standout at St. John’s College High School, he became the program’s all-time leading scorer with 2,580 points. In 2007, Wright was named the D.C. Gatorade Player of the Year and played in the McDonald’s All-American Game. He was named to The Washington Post’s All-Met team three times, a feat previously achieved

the team. When (Ionescu, Jones, and Stewart) have (finished games), we're 11-0,” Brondello said. “We haven't seen a lot of it. That's the only downside of it this year. I think the last time we saw it was just straight off the All-Star break before Stewie went down.”

Stewart and Jones have both missed 14 games, and Sabrina Ionescu had missed five of the last six contests with injuries to her left foot before returning to the lineup on Tuesday. Stewart and Jones also played against the Mystics when the Liberty finally had their full roster with the return of center Nyara Sabally, who played in her first game since July 16, recovering from a knee injury.

“We look complete,” said Brondello before the game. “It’s getting the chemistry and rotation down pat. And playing good basketball so we can go into the playoffs really confident.”

only by Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Adrian Dantley.

After a successful four years at Georgetown, playing from 20072011, Wright dreamed of an NBA career, but the league’s 2011 lockout forced him to consider other options, leading him overseas.

“When I came over to Europe, it took me a while to understand that the game is much more than basketball. It’s like science. It’s such a different pace,” Wright said. “You

have to know how to get your teammates involved early and play within a system so that you can get your moment to shine when it’s your time to score.”

He also learned life lessons.

“The thing that I’m most proud of is having my family with me, exposing my kids to so many languages and cultures and seeing them grow,” he said. His experiences there are featured in the new Hulu documentary “Imported,” which follows the journeys of current and former overseas basketball players.

Now retired after 14 years of professional basketball, Wright is writing a new chapter. He has worked alongside longtime Washington Wizards broadcaster Dave Johnson, co-hosts the “Dawg Talk” podcast with former Georgetown teammate Austin Freeman, and recently took on coaching duties with the Washington Warriors AAU program.

Living with MS continues to shape his perspective. “As a father and a professional living with MS, it can be hard to put on the cape and be Superman every day,” Wright said. “But I always tell my kids no matter what happens, bad things may happen in your day. Don’t bring it home. Have a positive attitude.”

Liberty forward Kennedy Burke and her teammates will play their final regular-season game tonight on the road against the Chicago Sky before the WNBA playoffs begin this weekend. (Brandon Todd/New York Liberty photo)

Former professional basketball player Chris Wright (center), pictured with his brother (left) and father, had a successful playing career despite having multiple sclerosis. (Chris Wright photo)

Sue Bird, Sylvia Fowles and Maya Moore enter the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame

By LOIS ELFMAN Special to the AmNews

This past weekend marked the induction ceremony for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. In what may have been the most illustrious group of honorees ever, a pattern of interconnectivity emerged. Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard both played on the 2008 Olympic team, which was also honored as a collective unit. Another member of that 2008 team, LeBron James, was also on the 2012 Olympic team, which connects him to the three women honored: Sue Bird, Sylvia Fowles and Maya Moore.

taught them about what it takes to achieve extraordinary results.

Fowles and Bird both retired after the 2022 WNBA season. Moore stepped away from basketball in 2019 to commit her life to criminal justice reform and she officially retired in 2023. In 2020, she succeeded in freeing a wrongly convicted man, Jonathan Irons, from prison. They married soon after and have a life filled with purpose. I always say that Moore knew what it meant to be excellent, and she demonstrated that in her Hall of Fame speech.

The connection between Bird, Fowles and Moore runs even deeper. The three women were Olympic teammates in 2012 and ’16, with Bird and Fowles also being vital members of the 2008 and 2020/21 gold medal teams. Fowles was also part of Moore’s third and fourth WNBA titles with the Minnesota Lynx. Bird, a native of Syosset, New York in Nassau County, Long Island, is one of New York’s all-time high school greats, playing first for Syosset High School then her final two years at Christ the King in Queens, where as a senior she led her team to the national title, earning New York State Player of the Year honors.

ketball legacies of the male honorees, but they all made a lot of money during their NBA careers.

In no way diminishing the bas-

For the women, basketball was a higher calling. They played in the WNBA and on Olympic teams for a love of the game, nation-

Basketball Hall of Famer Tamika Catchings shares positive energy with followers

By LOIS ELFMAN

Special

to the AmNews

WNBA Champion, four-time Olympic gold medalist and dual Hall of Famer (Women’s Basketball and Naismith) Tamika Catchings has revived her YouTube channel and dubbed it PositiviTEA with Tamika. The inspiration came from a fan that praised her positive attitude and encouraged her to share it with viewers.

“I didn’t want to do something professionally staged; I wanted it to be natural, I wanted it to be wherever I’m at; I wanted to go with the flow,” said Catchings.

“I do it on my iPhone. I have a tripod and a ring light. I travel with those depending on what day of the week it is. Sharing the everyday kind of thoughts. In everything that I do, there’s something that brings me joy.”

She is honest in sharing her experiences, some of which have been negative, but Catchings provides positive ways to move

forward. Drawing on faith and focus, whether by writing down goals and plans or finding ways to reframe challenges, Catchings emphasizes the power of shifting to a positive mindset.

The name relates to the fact that she is a tea entrepreneur, owning Tea’s Me Café Indy and Tea’s Me Community Café. In 2017, a tea shop she frequented was about to go out of business, and she bought it. There are now three locations, two of which are on college campuses as well as an online business selling loose leaf teas and a bottled tea line (teasmeindy.com).

When she was drafted by the Indiana Fever in 2001, Catchings had no way of knowing she’d remain rooted in the city. Not only did she play her entire WNBA career there — retiring after the 2016 season — but she’s remained in the city. In 2004, she started the Catch the Stars Foundation, continuing her commitment to the region.

The foundation recently distributed 1,200 backpacks for back to school, and a fitness clinic is upcoming.

Although initially hesitant to delve into basketball commentary, Catchings has now worked with ESPN for eight years, mostly commentating games in the Southeastern Conference, of which her alma mater, University of Tennessee, is a member. Having played for Pat Summitt and the Lady Vols, Catchings always saw packed houses for college games, but she’s aware that was not the case everywhere. Today’s enthusiasm surrounding both college and the pros is exhilarating.

“It’s exciting to see people talking about the game everywhere I go,” Catchings said. “Seeing people in the stands, it’s about time, and it’s such a diverse group. A lot of young girls have the opportunity to see and to dream. Hopefully, one day we’ll be watching them.”

al pride, personal drive for excellence and a desire to build a foundation for future generations. Bird and Moore were both part of University of Connecticut national championships as well as notable winning streaks, which

“One of the most profound aspects of team sports is seeing a group of individuals over time start to trust each other and truly play for each other,” said Moore. “You overcome through love, dedication and trust. … You don’t have to be me or Sue or Syl or any of these greats here tonight to feel the joy of winning together. These teams can inspire us to take these values and create championship culture right where your feet are. I’m so grateful how I’ve been able to take my championship experiences to an even more precious context, which is our collective communities.”

From left to right, Maya Moore, Sue Bird and Sylvia Fowles were inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame this past weekend. (Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame photo)

Tamika Catchings, one of basketball’s all-time great players, is a voice of uplift and overcoming adversity on her YouTube channel Positivi-TEA. (Photo courtesy of Tamika Catchings)

Sports

The Giants’ offense sputters as Justin Fields and the Jets show promise

By JAIME C. HARRIS

Special to the AmNews

In Week 1 last season, the Giants scored just six points in a 22-point loss to the Minnesota Vikings. It foreshadowed what would be a painful 2024 campaign for the offense and the collective team. New York slogged to a 3-14 record. The offensive unit finished 31st in 32-team NFL at 16.1 points per game. Only the Cleveland Browns, who averaged 15.2, were worse.

The Giants were 28th in total yards at 294.8 per outing, passing for just 189.9. The only team to make the playoffs that passed for fewer yards was the Philadelphia Eagles who had — wait for it — former Giants running back Saquon Barkley putting up remarkable numbers, rushing for a league high 2,005 yards in 16 games.

This past Sunday in their regularseason opener on the road facing the Washington Commanders, the Giants produced a surreal sequel to their abysmal offensive performance 12 months ago, generating

the same non-competitive result in a 21-6 defeat.

Starting quarterback Russell Wilson, playing in his first regular-season game as a Giant, and operating an offense that besides gifted wide receiver Malik Nabers has a dearth of Pro Bowl-caliber players, looked like he was ready to concede the QB1 spot to rookie Jaxson Dart. Not because Dart is likely to turn the Giants’ offense into a potent group, but because they selected him 25th overall in April’s draft to be their future franchise signal caller and the future appears to be now. The 36-yearold veteran Wilson was 17-37 for 168 yards and ran for 44.

On Tuesday speaking with the media, Giants head coach Brian Daboll committed to Wilson for this Sunday's game (1 p.m.) in Dallas versus the Cowboys.

“...You know, it’s an emotional game, it’s a tough game," Daboll said.

“[We] didn’t play particularly well, I would say, collectively, but in terms of making any of those deci-

Jets quarterback Justin Fields threw for 218 yards and rushed for 48 in an encouraging regular-season debut with the team on Sunday despite a 34-32 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. (AP Photo/Vera Nieuwenhuis)

sions, really at any position or schematic changes, I’d like to do it with a clear head and watch the tape. Again, like I said yesterday, that game doesn’t fall on Russell Wilson. We’ve got to do a better job collectively, coaching, playing, but Russ will be the starter.”

Conversely, despite a 34-32 loss

to the Pittsburgh Steelers and their former quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the Jets offense showed promise under the direction of quarterback Justin Fields, who made his regular-season debut with the team. First-year head coach Aaron Glenn and new offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand devised a

plan that deftly combined an effective balance of passing and running. Fields was 16-22 for 218 yards and amassed 48 on the ground. In total the Jets gained 182 rushing yards topped by running back Breece Hall, who had 107.

The Jets play the Buffalo Bills at MetLife this Sunday (1 p.m.).

Morehouse seeks getback against Howard this Saturday in the HBCUNY Classic

By JAIME C. HARRIS AmNews Sports Editor

The Morehouse College Maroon Tigers and Howard University Bison will renew their football rivalry this Saturday when they face each other in the fourth annual HBCUNY Classic for the third time.

It will be Morehouse’s fourth appearance in the game while Howard will be making its third showing. Last year, Howard took a 35-14 win back home to Washington D.C.. Howard also topped Morehouse, located in Atlanta, Georgia, 31-0 in 2022 in the inaugural Classic. Kickoff is at 1 p.m. and in the long tradition of Historically Black College and University events, the festive atmosphere will include tailgating parties, fellowshipping by the Divine Nine Black Greek Letter fraternities and sororities, and marching bands featuring Morehouse’s enthralling

“House of Funk” and Howard’s aptly named “Showtime” bands.

"We are excited to host another exhilarating game of college football with the HBCUNY Classic at MetLife Stadium," Albert Williams, president and CEO of Sports Eleven05 LLC and the producer of the game, said when the fourth edition of the Classic was announced.

“This game celebrates the rich traditions of HBCUs and the excellence of these two very revered academic institutions, Morehouse and Howard University. It's an honor to create a space for community including family, friends, students, and alumni to come together in the spirit of camaraderie and joy.”

Ron VanDeVeen, president and CEO of MetLife Stadium expanded “It is an honor to welcome iconic HBCU teams like More -

house College and Howard University along with thousands of HBCU alumni and fans to MetLife Stadium for what is sure to be an unforgettable event.”

Under their head coach Terance Mathis, the Maron Tigers, representing the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC), enters the matchup 0-1 coming off of a 45-9 season opening loss to Johnson C. Smith. The Bison, playing in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), led by head coach Larry Scott, are 1-1 after defeating Florida A&M 56-14 on August 30 to start their 2025 campaign and falling to Temple University 55-7 last Saturday.

Howard and Morehouse, pictured in last year’s game, will meet in the HBCUNY Classic for the third time this Saturday at MetLife Stadium. (Bill Moore photo)