New York Amsterdam News September 25-October 1, 2025 by AmsterdamNews

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Daniel Prude remembered as calls grow for mental health response reform

By TANDY LAU

Amsterdam News Staff

New Yorkers across the state commemorated Daniel Prude on what would have been his 47th birthday this past Saturday, Sept. 21, as they called for passing his namesake bill in Albany. The Chicago man who was visiting his brother in Rochester died at the hands of police there during a mental health response in March 2020. The incident sparked local, then-freshman, State Sen. Samra Brouk to introduce Daniel’s Law a year later, with permission from Prude’s family. If passed, the legislation ostensibly limits

law enforcement’s participation in mental health responses across the state. Medical research points to police escalating psychiatric crises, leading to preventable use-offorce and death. The issue often stems from a lack of training, but there is no evidence training officers to respond to mental health crises actually helps. Body armor, flashing sirens, and guns can be enough to heighten such encounters.

So advocates see civilian units, usually made up of intervention specialists and medical professionals, as the better alternative to deploying cops in non-violent scenarios. There is specifically a push for peer-led programs with people who live

with a mental health condition at the forefront. Additionally, proponents say many cops do not want to respond to mental health crises either, and such measures would divert them towards focusing on index crimes like murder and rape. Non-police crisis response teams already exist and are scattered across New York’s municipalities, but currently exist in a “patchwork system.” Daniel’s Law would bring them under a governing council, shaping participating municipalities with uniform protocols developed through evidence-based research while remaining mindful of their varied populations.

Dr. Hazel Dukes revered in Lifting As She Climbs awards ceremony during African American Day Parade breakfast

By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff

New York’s Black elected officials were on hand at the 56th Annual African American Day Parade (AADP) Breakfast this past Sunday to honor the late Dr. Hazel N. “Ma” Dukes and the chosen recipients of her Lifting As She Climbs legacy award.

The AADP Breakfast Committee, headed by President Deneane Brown Blackmon, has organized a more intimate awards celebration ahead of the annual parade’s spectacle for the last 25 years. Electeds and community leaders get a chance to socialize over food and the joy of seeing familiar faces with hugs abound.

“Dr. Dukes was not just a civil rights icon. She was a mentor, a connector, a truth teller, and a visionary,” said Blackmon. “She poured herself into the people she loved, and she loved deeply. I was one of those people she mentored and supported. She called me her friend and her daughter, and that bond changed my life forever.”

“This community in Harlem has taken quite

a hit. Hazel Dukes, certainly, but we lost our Congressman Charles Rangel. We lost Lloyd Williams, who ran our Harlem Week for many,

many years,” said AADP Breakfast Committee Chair and Co-Founder Keith L. T. Wright.

Advocates remember people killed by police during mental health crises during Daniel’s Day programming in Crown Heights this past Saturday, Sept. 21. (Tandy Lau photo)

From left to right: Dr. Thelma Boozer Baxter, NYS Governor’s Chief of Staff Stacy Renae Lynch, former NYC First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Mid-Manhattan Branch President Kyndell Ann Reid, mental health leader Mary D. Redd, and Dr. Ilyasah Shabazz. (Ariama C. Long photo) See DANIEL’S LAW on page 31

‘No respect for the law’: Advocates decry attempts to undercut state solitary confinement ban

By TANDY LAU Amsterdam News staff reporter

A committee formed to appease an illegal prison guard strike earlier this year recommended rollbacks to the state’s solitary confinement ban in prisons last Friday (Sept. 19).

The ban, known as the Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Confinement (HALT) act, severely limits the practice of isolating people in a cell and was passed in 2021, signed into law by then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo, after supermajority support in both the State Senate and State Assembly. Despite the law’s near-unanimous vote, opponents continue efforts—some later deemed unlawful—to overturn and undermine it.

Jerome Wright, co-founder of the #HALTSolitary campaign, lambasted the attempts to suspend or weaken the solitary ban as an affront to the democratic process. He also pointed to the irony of law enforcement refusing to comply with the law.

“[If] I’m elected [and] my community asks for this, I deliver it and you’re not going to give it to me, what do I have this job for?” said Wright. “Am I just window dressing for this fascist system? If I’m an elected official and I get a law passed and nobody follows it, what am I doing as an elected official? Why do we have politics? Why do we have laws?”

Under HALT, the state cannot practice prolonged solitary confinement, which is defined by more than 15 days and is con-

sidered torture under the United Nations’ Mandela Rules. Prisons are limited to keeping someone in a cell for no more than 17 hours over three consecutive days for all but the most serious cases. The law also mandates out-of-cell time and prevents prison staff from confining incarcerated individuals who are pregnant or disabled.

Solitary confinement’s impacts are welldocumented and tied to lasting psychological and physical health conditions. In fact, research also points to the practice increasing prison violence risks against both incarcerated individuals and staff.

This past February and March, correctional staff working for the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) held a wildcat strike. The walkout was not supported by their union, NYSCOPBA, and violated New York State’s Public Employees’ Fair Employment Act, better known as the Taylor Law, which prohibits public employees from striking.

The prison guards’ chief demand called for suspending HALT—a law DOCCS never fully implemented—which they blamed for increased assaults on staff. Yet the strike bemoaning safety conditions for corrections officers coincided with prison staff beating two incarcerated Black men to death.

Before the walkout, shocking body camera footage showed more than a dozen officers involved in killing Robert Brooks at Marcy Correctional Facility in December 2024. A few months later,

statements by Gov. Kathy Hochul and DOCCS officials, along with testimony from his cellmate, indicated Harlemite Messiah Nantwi died in a similar fashion in March while held at Mid-State Correctional Facility.

Last year, 143 people reportedly died in state prison, a 33% rise from 2023. Since 1861, a total of 43 DOCCS employees have died in the line of duty—nearly a fourth were killed by other law enforcement

Mayor Adams steers in a different direction on horse-drawn carriage ban

By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff

Mayor Eric Adams scored a few campaign points with animal rights activists last week after announcing his support for a ban on horse-drawn carriages in Central Park. A ban he seemed opposed to in 2021 when he ran for his first term as Mayor.

“New York City is a place where history and progress live side-by-side, but as long as I am mayor, we will always put public safety first. While horse-drawn carriages have long been an iconic fixture of Central Park, they are increasingly incompatible with the conditions of a modern, heavilyused urban green space,” said Adams in a statement. “A series of incidents over the last few years has raised concerns about the welfare of the horses, as well as the safety of pedestrians, cyclists, drivers, and carriage operators themselves.”

Horse-drawn carriages have been a part of Central Park’s design and history since its conception, according to the Central Park Conservancy. The park opened to the public in 1859. Eight years later, elaborate

carriage parades for the wealthy, as well as rides for middle-class New Yorkers and visitors, became a staple. Horse cars, which are large carriages pulled by a team of horses through the city’s streets, were also a large part of the transportation system in the city and Long Island at that time.

While the industry has tried to evolve with the times, at its core, an actual animal pulling a buggy is what draws in customers. TWU Local 100, the union that represents about 170 horse owners and drivers, would attest to giving the animals in their employ the utmost care.

However, in the past few years, there have been some unsettling incidents that have been cause for concern. Since 2022, two horses have died: Ryder, who collapsed at West 45th Street and 9th Avenue, and Lady, who fell on West 51st Street and 11th Avenue. There have also been instances where horses get spooked and bolt, oftentimes crashing into traffic, people, or other carriages.

The city council proposed Ryder’s Law, a bill that would phase out horse-drawn carriages and replace them with electric See BAN on page 25

See SOLITARY on page 25

(01-21-20) NY State Senator Luis Sepulveda speaks at a press conference supporting the end of solitary confinement within NYS prisons. He is joined by members of the NY State Senate and Assembly. (NY State Senate photo)

Elegant Horse-Drawn Carriage in Urban Park Setting (Photo by Mingyang LIU via Pexels.com)

Kamala Harris says she ‘had a certain responsibility’ to argue against Biden running again

By CHRIS MEGERIAN Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Vice President Kamala Harris said Monday evening that she regrets not expressing her concerns about then-President Joe Biden running for a second term when a majority of Americans felt he was too old for the job.

“I have and had a certain responsibility that I should have followed through on,” Harris told Rachel Maddow on MSNBC in her first live television interview since the election.

Such a conversation, even if it happened privately and behind the scenes, would have been an extraordinary breach in a relationship between a president and vice president.

Harris’s comments expand on a passage in her book, “107 Days,” that looks back on her experience in replacing Biden as the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee after he dropped out of the race. Harris ultimately lost to Republican candidate Donald Trump.

In the book, Harris wrote that everyone in the White House would say, “It’s Joe and Jill’s decision” about running for reelection, referring to the former president and first lady.

“Was it grace, or was it recklessness? In retrospect, I think it was recklessness,” she wrote. “The stakes were simply too high. This wasn’t a choice that should have been left to an individual’s ego, an individual’s ambition. It should have been more than a personal decision.”

In her interview with Maddow, Harris said, “When I talk about the recklessness, as much as anything, I’m talking about myself.”

Harris said in the interview that she was concerned that “it would come off as completely self-serving” if she had counseled Biden not to seek re-election. She had competed against him for their party’s 2020 nomination, and she was wellpositioned to run again.

A representative for Biden declined comment.

Although Harris wrote that she wasn’t worried about Biden’s ability to continue doing the job, she had concerns about him campaigning.

“His voice was no longer strong, his verbal stumbles more frequent,” she wrote. Before Biden dropped out, there were plans for him to run a White Housecentric campaign while Harris did more traveling. A week after Biden’s disastrous debate against Trump, she wrote that “he felt so frail.”

Harris, who turns 61 next month, hasn’t detailed her future plans. Asked about running for president again in 2028, Harris

said, “That’s not my focus right now.” She’s already passed on an opportunity to run for governor of her home state of California.

She backed a plan by Gov. Gavin Newsom to redraw congressional districts to counteract a similar plan by Republicans in Texas that was intended to help Trump keep control of the House of Representatives in next year’s midterms.

“We tend to play by the rules, but I think this is a moment where you got to fight fire with fire,” Harris said.

She spoke harshly about Trump in the

interview, criticizing him as acting like “a tyrant” and “Communist dictator,” and saying “That’s what we’re dealing with right now in Donald Trump.”

Harris also pointed the finger at business leaders who she accused of capitulating to the president. “These titans of industry are not speaking up,” she said.

Maddow referenced a passage in Harris’s book where she wrote that Pete Buttigieg was her first choice for vice president, but she was worried that Americans weren’t ready to vote for a ticket featuring a Black

woman and a gay man.

“It’s hard to hear ... he couldn’t be on the ticket, effectively, because he was gay,” Maddow said.

Harris said “it wasn’t about any prejudice on my part” but “we had such a short period of time, and the stakes were so high. It made me very sad, but I also realized it would be a real risk.” She conceded that “maybe I was being too cautious.”

Buttigieg told Politico he was “surprised” by the passage in the book about him and that he believes in “giving Americans more credit.”

Kamala Harris (Photo by Adam Schultz/Biden for President)

How Judi Desire and her ‘tiny but mighty’ community food project is feeding the people

New Yorker

By TYRA WATTS Special to the AmNews

Pull Quote: “We just try to mix it up with different food, and everyone says that they finish their food by the end of the week because they enjoy it. And this year, we included cooking demos and recipes,” - Judith Desire.

For Judith Desire, founder and CEO of the Uptown & Boogie Healthy Project, a nonprofit organization serving underserved communities in Harlem and the Bronx through farmers’ markets, Community Supported Agriculture programs, youth training and education, and sustainability initiatives, she has seen food insecurity all around her.

But her journey to starting the organization came from an unlikely place.

In 2021, Desire noticed that there wasn’t much bicycle infrastructure in Manhattan and the Bronx, and cyclists who couldn’t cover more than five miles, and didn’t have enough stamina.

While figuring out why it was happening, Desire thought about how important eating was for her when she was bike touring, and she noticed that many people weren’t eating properly.

“They [the bike riders] didn’t know what to eat. I guess they were eating like a pedestrian,” said Desire. “They didn’t realize how much exertion they would have while biking, and then we led bike rides starting at farmers’ markets. We mainly were at Down to Earth

Markets, and we worked with the health department and the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to access health bucks. The health bucks were $2 coupons towards fruits and vegetables.”

Desire started seeing a difference in the ridership after starting the bike rides at farmers’ markets and distributing health bucks. She saw how people were riding, communicating, and sharing food. After three rides, Desire asked the people if this was helpful, and they told her they didn’t have access to healthy food.

“They have never been to a farmer’s market or the markets that were in their area at the time that they worked,” Desire stated. “And I was like, ‘Oh, all I needed was some fruits and vegetables?’ And I started hearing, you know, they weren’t seeing a lot of farmers’ markets representing themselves in Manhattan and the Bronx, and I thought that was interesting.”

Desire also added that at the same time, she was taking care of her mother, who had Alzheimer’s and Dementia. Her mother lived in Mitchell-Lama subsidized housing near JFK Airport. There were no farmers’ markets nearby, just two supermarkets. The content that Desire read talked about reducing stress and eating food correctly, and she had to figure out where she could get access to healthy food.

“I would go to Lower Manhattan to access

See BNY on page 27

THE URBAN AGENDA

By David R. Jones, Esq

A New Day for NYCHA

For decades, Black and Latino residents of New York City’s public housing have lived with the consequences of systemic disinvestment, neglect, and broken promises. So, when the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) announces new plans to redevelop public housing land through mixed-income models or public-private partnerships, it is no surprise that many residents respond with deep skepticism.

Their mistrust is not irrational — it is rooted in history, experience, and a persistent failure of government at all levels to prioritize their communities.

NYCHA, the largest public housing authority in the country, serves more than 500,000 New Yorkers, the majority of whom are Black and Latino. Since the 1980s, federal support for public housing has steadily declined, leaving NYCHA with a capital repair backlog that now exceeds $50 billion. Elevators break down regularly, heat goes out in the winter, and mold festers in bathrooms.

This chronic neglect has created a profound climate of distrust. When residents hear about plans to bring in private developers or construct mixed-income buildings, many fear displacement, rent hikes, and the erosion of their rights. They worry that “revitalization” is just a euphemism for gentrification.

Despite this, there are encouraging signs that it is not business as usual these days at NYCHA.

Recently, I had an opportunity to sit down with top NYCHA staff to discuss resident engagement, tenant survey data and reflections from our own tenant advocacy and organizing work. From that dialogue, it seems to me NYCHA not only understands that their success modernizing the city’s vast public housing stock hinges on greater resident trust and buy-in, but they are open to innovative ideas for how to achieve it.

Unfortunately, the perspective of many residents is that pilot programs like PACT (Permanent Affordability Commitment Together) are often rolled out with limited transparency and uneven results. To be fair, the RAD model has offered progress toward the preservation of public housing stock. Through it, federal funds are being unlocked to bring in higher levels of rental assistance that have been leveraged to make comprehensive repairs possible to aging public housing developments that might otherwise fall into further disrepair.

Still, the top-down introduction of the program through the NYCHA Next Gen and 2.0 Initiatives, makes resident engagement an afterthought. For example, NYCHA’s PACT residents are asked to choose a development team before they have knowledge of the state of their building or are surveyed with little

clarity on what the re-development program will mean for them. Too often, residents are informed late in the process and given limited opportunities to shape the outcomes.

A Resident Tool for All Developments

But it doesn’t have to be this way. Last year, my organization partnered with private architecture and engineering firms Peterson Rich Office and ERA Architects to work with the tenant association of 1471 Watson to produce a resident-led booklet including an assessment of the property , resident preferences, and an expression of how THEY want to tackle major renovations.

Built in 1970, 1471 Watson is a 96-unit public housing development in the Soundview section of the Bronx. It is home to approximately 144 residents, many of them senior citizens with longstanding ties to the community. Like so many NYCHA buildings of its age, Watson suffers from severely deteriorated mechanical systems that put at risk the health and safety of residents. The six-month process to form the booklet revealed that residents understand the severity of housing quality issues but also their place in the climate and environmental emergencies facing their communities. Resident voices matched the assessment of the engineers: piping restoration, exterior waterproofing HVAC upgrades, roofing and window replacements are needed urgently.

Beyond assisting 1471 Watson residents in charting a renovation pathway for their building, we hope NYCHA will embrace this booklet as a blueprint for engaging public housing residents and tenant associations in the pre-development stage on potential strategies to remedy acute housing conditions.

Rather than a “top-down approach” the booklet is part of resident-informed model that must include giving tenants a balance of power during the development process and a vote prior to deals closing. Because public housing tenants are not passive recipients of aid; they are experts in their own communities, with decades of lived experience navigating broken systems. Their voices must be central to any effort to rebuild public housing.

NYCHA’s future as the city’s most affordable housing resource depends on its ability to secure funding, modernize infrastructure and adapt to changing urban dynamics. But if these efforts are perceived by residents as a threat rather than a lifeline, they will fail.

New York City has a chance to lead the nation in equitable public housing reform. But that will only happen if it listens to the people who have kept NYCHA alive through years of neglect. They deserve more than consultation — they deserve real control over the future of their homes.

Judith Desire, posing with her Uptown & Boogie Healthy Project tabling.

(Photo courtesy of Judith Desire)

A Queens school is preparing NYC kids for HBCUs and teaching them to defy the odds

HBCU Early College Prep is in its first year, but aims at opening doors for many classes

By JASON PONTEROTTO Special to the AmNews

For Dr. Asya Johnson, access to quality education for Black students is most important.

“We have to start right now to be able to not only give them a quality education, but give them the experience so that they can see what they can be. [The] more exposure that they see people in fields where people look like them, the more competent they feel to go out and pursue these careers,” Johnson said about her students.

Earlier this month, the doors of HBCU Early College Prep opened—New York’s first college prep high school focused on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The tuition-free school, in South Jamaica, Queens, on the third floor of I.S. 238— Susan B. Anthony Academy—came together as part of the vision of Johnson when she proposed the idea in 2023. Fast-forward two years and she is now known as the “HBCU Principal.”

of HBCUs.

“Being in all the schools I’ve been in, one thing that I rarely heard talked about or scholars even being interested in was HBCUs, and some of it was this notion that HBCUs were unaffordable to families,” Johnson said. Historically, HBCUs have accepted students with lower grade point averages. Johnson pushes back against the narrative that HBCUs don’t provide scholarships, pointing out that many are available through the schools and resources like UNCF and the Thurgood Marshall Fund.

“Our top kids can get into the Spellmans, Morehouses, and Howards, but we’re not exposing them to it,” she continued.

This kind of path was not likely for Johnson, given her journey early in life. As a young girl growing up in North Philadelphia in the 1980s during the height of the crack epidemic, she lived with her mother, who was heavily addicted. She often had to fend for herself, being in seven different elementary schools by the second grade and also living in a fourbedroom shack with nothing but a queensize bed while her mother would get high. She was then raised by her father, who she says instilled a strong work ethic in her, and also by her stepmother.

It wasn’t until Johnson’s senior year in high school that she met a woman who introduced her to what an HBCU is and paid for her to attend an HBCU tour, which completely changed her trajectory. She ultimately found Delaware State University (DSU) to be the perfect fit.

“I walked into a place where I felt welcome and loved and affirmed,” Johnson said. “My professors cared very much about me. Failure was not an option. I lead with that as an expectation, and I’m very clear with my students that 100% of you are going to be successful, and that is on everything that I love.”

Johnson also met her husband, Vernon Johnson, a Harlemite who also serves as a school principal, with whom she shares three sons. She later received her doctorate in educational leadership from Drexel University.

After years of working in the NYC Public School system as a principal, aiming to bring opportunities to underserved students, John-

son took the next step in introducing HBCUs to Black NYC students when she proposed the idea of HBCU Early College Prep as part of former Chancellor David Banks’s Master Principal Initiative.

Students can earn up to 64 transferable college credits and, in addition to a high school diploma, earn an associate’s degree plus the option of guaranteed admission to Delaware State, the exclusive partner with the school. They will also be able to take virtual college courses from the HBCU. Up to 30% of Delaware State students come from New York, according to Johnson.

On September 4, the inaugural class of 100 students (9th graders) out of more than 1,000 applicants, were greeted by a special First Day of Class ceremony with city leaders, as well as DSU President Tony Allen.

“To be your exclusive academic partner makes me extraordinarily proud, and I know we can do it,” Allen said in his remarks. “We know this approach can work because we’ve seen it work. Hundreds of students are already enrolled at our Early College School in Dover, completing work toward their college degrees.”

Defying the odds

“Right past the Checkers, under all the scaffolding” is how one of the ninth-grade student, with his friends on Hillside Avenue, described HBCU Early College Prep.

Parents of the students at the school have been well-engaged and are hopeful it will succeed.

“They have been waiting and advocating for this school before it was even birthed from my mind,” Johnson said on the BlackPactImpact

podcast, discussing the community of parents she has encountered in Queens.

Over the last year, Johnson has given presentations about the new HBCU high school at several events in Queens, including pep rallies, community centers, churches, and the Jamaica Branch of the NAACP.

Tia McNeil, 35, is the mother of ninth grader Haylie Jackson, 14, and said she already sees that the school has had a positive impact on her daughter. McNeil works as a nurse and said she wishes she had gone to an HBCU.

“I wasn’t able to experience it, so I feel like this is a great opportunity. I think I’m more excited than her,” McNeil said. “I wanted her to actually be in an environment where she knew that Black people could succeed, that there are other people that look like her, that are in great positions, that can do well in school.”

According to McNeil, the application was made easy. She is hopeful the school will have a positive influence in the community, with how well both the school and the students present themselves, and will inspire neighbors to enroll their kids.

“A lot of these kids are lost in the Black community, and I’m just happy that Dr. J (Principal Johnson) had the vision to do this, because now you’re gonna create a whole culture of the way we’re viewed as Black people,” McNeil said. Her daughter is in the process of rehearsing to become a majorette for the school band.

In 2024, the Black high school graduation rate in NYC was 80%, which is a significant improvement over the last few decades, but there is still a notable gap compared to 89% for white students. Johnson said the biggest issue is that Black students in New York and nationally are not being informed about the benefits

Data from the UNCF shows that despite only making up 3% of educational institutions, HBCUs are responsible for 80% of Black judges, 50% of doctors and lawyers, 40% of engineers, and members of Congress. Black students are also 40% more likely to graduate when attending an HBCU.

According to Johnson, HBCUs would be a positive alternative to schools in university systems like SUNY, where Black students are typically far away and in an environment with people who do not look like them, and CUNY, where they are often living in the same circumstances as when in high school. In both cases, she says, former students have often ended up dropping out.

“Why not go to a Black college? Why are we taking our intellectual and athletic talents to PWIs (Predominantly White Institutions) when we can go and do those same things at HBCUs?” she asked.

Problem-solving framework

Known sometimes as “HBCU Principal” or to students and staff as “Dr. J,” Johnson fits into the long lineage of Black educators through history, such as Horace Tate and Mary McLeod Bethune, who have played an important role in using education to advance their Black communities. She has spent her career using lessons from her experience in schooling to give opportunities to the Black students with whom she works with.

In junior high school, Johnson was placed in the Magnet Program, a specialized educational program for high-achieving students. However, she said she was not inspired to care about work despite her ability to get good grades, so she chose to leave the program.

“I unintentionally opted myself out of access to college and rigorous coursework by going

See HBCU on page 16

HBCU Early College Prep Principal Dr. Asya Johnson (center) making a heart symbol with other 9th-grade students. Sept. 4, 2025. (Courtesy of HBCU Early College Prep)

Can condo conversions be a good pathway to homeownership?

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.

In New York City, buying a home is a daunting process. There are down payments, negotiations, inspections, unexpected fees, closing costs, and much more, and that’s in the midst of simply trying to find a home in one of the most expensive housing regions in the world. But condominium conversions have emerged as an option for renters that could be a promising solution to maintaining affordable housing stock in the midst of a housing crisis.

The city’s homeownership rate is well below the national average and has barely changed over the past decade, according to the New York City Comptroller’s office. This is especially true for Black and Brown and/or low-income tenants. Condo conversions –– the act of land -

lords converting rental buildings into individual units that tenants own and pay a mortgage on in the same way they would a home –– have piqued the curiosity of home shoppers. Not all major landlords are enthusiastic about the prospect of turning over the reins to their tenants, but others see the benefits.

“If you look at buildings today, at what the income is on the rent stabilized basis versus the expenses. There’s very little income,” said President and CEO of FM Home Loans David Brecher, who owns several buildings in Harlem and other areas of the city. “But that unit, to be owned individually, at a little bit of a higher number. The numbers work out very, very well for the tenant because the big driver here is the low interest rate.”

The City University of New York (CUNY) Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College published a 2021 report about the impact of condo conversions and cooperative housing. Condo conversions have “historically” been a viable pathway for homeownership in the city, particularly for working and middleclass families that rent, but the practice dropped off gradually after the 2019 housing law changes, said the report.

The research also states that tenants typically receive discount rates of about

30 to 35% on average when buying, homeownership in neighborhoods with conversions increased, and that condos maintain a good resale price as well as appreciate greatly over time. This could be a significant avenue for an accumulation of wealth for existing tenants and outside low-income buyers, said the report.

History

The first “offering plan” for a condo conversion in New York City was submitted to the New York State Attorney General’s office for a Queens property in 1961, according to the report. The federal government passed the Tax Reform Act of 1969, a tax code on the wealthy, meant to help low and middle-income people. The tax law “reduced the maximum allowance of depreciation deduction on rental properties,” resulting in the ownership of multifamily apartment buildings becoming less cost-effective. This caused a spike in condo conversions in the 1970s and 80s. When going through the conversion process, state laws require that the landlord first, notify their tenants and give them a chance to buy their unit before the sale of a building is made available on the market. Similar to the long-proposed Tenant Opportunity To Purchase Act (TOPA), the Affordable Housing Re -

tention Act (AHRA), or the city’s Community to Purchase Act (COPA).

Usually, the tenant gets a discount and is eligible to deduct their mortgage interest payment and property taxes from their income taxes. If buying isn’t an option, then tenants should be protected from eviction under state law or in the landlord’s offering plan.

“Our analysis of the U.S. Housing Census data from 2015 to 2018 found that neighborhoods with condo conversions experienced an average homeownership rate increase of 1.3 percentage points compared to what would have occurred without conversions,” said Yildiray Yildirim, who is the director for the William Newman Department of Real Estate, in an email.

Things changed drastically in 2019 when the state passed the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act, which included Part N (or the Martin Act). This clause stated that landlords couldn’t go through with conversions until at least 51%, as opposed to the 15% previously required, of the

Limestone townhouses on a Brooklyn street with extended floors. (Ariama C. Long photos)

Dilapidated houses on a Brooklyn street.

UN’s 80th General Assembly posits two-state solution for Palestine and Israel

By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff

Recognition of a Palestinian state stood out as the major issue confronting the 80th United Nations General Assembly this week, in an attempt to find a two-state solution to the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

On Sunday, September 21, Britain, Canada, Portugal, and Australia all officially recognized the state of Palestine.

“We are acting to keep alive the possibility of peace and a two-state solution,” Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer told those at the UN “That means a safe and secure Israel…alongside a viable Palestinian State. At the moment, we have neither. Ordinary people—Israeli and Palestinian—deserve to live in peace, to rebuild their lives, free from violence and suffering. That’s what the British people desperately want to see.”

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said his nation’s vote was a response to the ongoing threat of Hamas terrorism in Israel, the continued expansion of settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and “actions such as the E1 Settlement Plan and this year’s vote by the Knesset calling for the annexation of the West Bank.”

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese framed his nation’s recognition of

Palestine as an effort to push for a Gaza ceasefire and the release of hostages from the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack. “Today’s act of recognition reflects Australia’s longstanding commitment to a two-state solution, which has always been the only path to enduring peace and security for the Israeli and the Palestinian peoples,” he stated.

Portugal’s Foreign Minister, Paulo Rangel, told a press conference that the increasing number of Arab states that say they would recognize Israel if there were a Palestinian state helped push his government’s decision.

“This is a substantial, a practical, a very pragmatic, and feasible effect of the recognition,” he said. “It was these kinds of conditions that have led to three countries from the Arab region of the Gulf, countries from the European Union, from the West, and also the Palestinian Authority taking steps that some of them have not taken in the past. So, with this very, very practical effect, we think that it was time to recognize.”

‘New York Declaration’ urges action

The push for a Palestinian state continued on Monday, September 22, with France and Saudi Arabia co-hosting a session to support the “New York Declaration,” a res-

olution that outlines how the two-state solution could be drawn up. It would be based on an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all hostages held in the Gaza territory, and the establishment of a selfgoverning Palestinian state that excludes any participation from Hamas.

“Decades of diplomacy have come up short,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said during his speech. “The situation is intolerable, and it is deteriorating by the hour. We are here today to help navigate the only way out of this nightmare: A twostate solution, where two independent, sovereign, democratic states—Israel and Palestine––live side-by-side in peace and security within their secure and recognized borders on the basis of pre-1967 lines, with Jerusalem as the capital of both states––in line with international law, UN resolutions, and other relevant agreements.”

Guterres added, “We must recommit ourselves to the two-state solution before it is too late. Let’s be clear: statehood for the Palestinians is a right, not a reward, and denying statehood would be a gift to extremists everywhere. Without two states, there will be no peace in the Middle East, and radicalism will spread around the world.”

The formal recognition of a Palestinian state by so many countries is mostly sym-

bolic but will probably provoke strong reactions from Israel and the United States. Both countries boycotted the meeting hosted by France and Saudi Arabia. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, set to speak at the General Assembly on Friday, September 26, has announced that he will respond to these declarations upon his return to Israel.

The United States, now the only permanent member of the United Nations Security Council that has not recognized Palestinian statehood, has said that these actions could cause more harm.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has stated that it could “embolden Hamas” and make future peace prospects more difficult. Further, when President Donald Trump addressed the General Assembly on Tuesday, September 23, he insisted that Hamas has remained the obstacle to peace, “As if to encourage continued conflict, some in this body seek to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state. This would be a reward for these horrible atrocities, including October 7. But instead of giving in to Hamas’ ransom demands, those who want peace should be united with one message: release the hostages now.”

The United Nations General Assembly is scheduled to run through September 29.

On Sept. 12, the United Nations voted to endorse the ‘New York Declaration,’ an outline for a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. (UN Photo/Loey Felipe photo)

Karen Attiah, Washington Post’s last Black full-time opinion columnist, stands ten toes down after firing

By EMMA DELAHANTY Special to the AmNews

Karen Attiah, a Washington Post opinion writer, who was fired after 11 years at the newspaper, publicly pushed back against her termination and said that she would not be silenced.

Her firing came in the wake of the shooting death of right-wing pundit Charlie Kirk, but in a Substack post, Attiah, 39, says she did nothing more than use Kirk’s own words in a social media posting.

“My journalistic and moral values for balance compelled me to condemn violence and murder without engaging in excessive, false mourning for a man who routinely attacked Black women as a group, put academics in danger by putting them on watch lists, claimed falsely that Black people were better off in the era of Jim Crow, said that the Civil Rights Act was a mistake, and favorably reviewed a book that called liberals ‘Unhumans,’” she wrote.

She then pointed out a citation she made on Bluesky of Kirk’s own words when referring to several high-profile and accomplished Black women: “Black women do not have the brain processing power to be taken seriously. You have to go steal a white person’s slot.”

“The Post accused my measured Bluesky post of being ‘unacceptable,’ ‘gross misconduct’ and of endangering the physical safety of colleagues –– charges without evidence, which I reject completely as false.”

Kirk, 31, known for his controversial farright stances on race and gender, was shot and killed Sept. 10 while appearing at a Utah college campus. One suspect, Taylor Robinson, was taken into custody and charged with murder.

Various places have let go of employees who have commented publicly on Kirk’s death. Including Mathew Dowd, a political analyst for MSNBC, the New York Times reported. Jimmy Kimmel, host of ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” was “indefinitely” suspended from the network’s late-night lineup after the suggestion by FCC Chair Brendan Carr, but was reinstated Tuesday after a wide backlash, accusing ABC of censorship.

Rumors have also spread that Attiah clashed with the Post’s Opinion Editor, Adam O’Neal, after he reportedly offered buyouts to writers whose work didn’t fit the editorial mix, The Guardian reported. Attiah was the last full-time Black opinion columnist for the Post. Her departure marks a continued departure of writers and editors over the past year. “Washington D.C. no longer has a paper that reflects the people it serves,” she wrote.

Her post concluded with a link to sign up for her online lectures, Resistance Studies Series. (Karen Attiah/Instagram photo)

Union Matters

Tech workers ticked: Union protests Trump admin’s $100,000 H-1B visa fee

By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff

Members of the Alphabet Workers Union-CWA Local 9009 held an emergency rally on September 22, protesting the Trump administration’s new $100,000 application fee for new H-1B visas. The new fees, which took effect by proclamation on September 21, are a one-time charge for new applicants and do not apply to those with existing visas or those seeking renewals.

The new $100,000 application fee will hit technology-oriented companies, which sponsor and employ thousands of H-1B visa holders every year, the hardest. Major companies like Microsoft, Google, and Amazon may be able to absorb the costs, but smaller and mid-sized businesses in healthcare, engineering, and information technology may struggle to handle the potential costs of hiring new staff so frequently.

So far, the only concession the White House has made to business owners is to let them know that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has the discretion to approve fee waivers for workers deemed vital to national interests. Companies could respond to the new fees in various ways: by allowing more work to be done remotely and shifting it offshore, or by limiting their H-1B visa sponsorships to only employees in the most senior roles.

All of these potential reactions are creating uncertainty for H-1B workers.

“If there are problems with the visa program, there should be a real and thoughtful process to reform it, not just suddenly disrupt hundreds of thousands of people’s lives and jobs into chaos,” said Parul Koul, president of AWU-CWA Local 9009 and a software engineer at Google. “These policies are playing games, and these decisions are made without any say from us.”

Koul added that the union was formed to fight for tech workers in moments just like this. “This is exactly that kind of moment. We can’t let these policies that would fundamentally change the direction of our lives be imposed on us without a say or be renegotiated in backroom deals. This is

why we, as Google workers, are here today to call on Google to use its immense power to take a meaningful stand for H-1B workers and all other workers… We deserve dignity, respect, and for our contributions to be valued. Taking a stand is what our union, which has been fighting for tech workers, is all about.”

Alphabet Workers Union-CWA, a union open to all Alphabet company employees and contractors, is calling on Google to support its immigrant workforce.

Broader attacks on workers’ rights

Tim Traversy, a software engineer at Google and fellow union member, warned that the H-1B fee could be part of a larger strategy. “History shows us that attacks on vulnerable groups are always just the tip of the spear,” he said. “Already we’ve seen a series of anti-worker moves from the Trump administration... When they announce these decisions, they’re testing us to see how much we’re going to put up with.”

Traversy urged fellow workers not to be passive. “Now is not the time to keep our heads down and hope for the best. We must reject these divisive strategies totally and choose to fight for job security for all. Our employer, Google, has a choice to make—will they stand with the immigrant workers that helped build this company?”

The White House has defended the new H-1B visa application fee, stating it is intended to level the playing field for U.S. workers, who it said are being “replaced with lower-paid foreign labor.” These claims that H-1B workers are underpaid, and that their hiring leads to the underemployment of U.S. workers, were supported by a 2021 report from the nonpartisan Economic Policy Institute (EPI) think tank.

“[T]he abuses of the program have been many,” EPI’s report found, “include[ing] vastly underpaying workers, laying off U.S. workers and replacing them with much lower-paid H-1B workers, forcing U.S. workers to train their H-1B replacements as a condition of receiving severance and unemployment insurance, and cheating the H-1B lottery to acquire additional visas.”

Parul Koul, president of the Alphabet Workers Union-CWA Local 9009 and a Google software engineer, discussed workers’ uncertainty following the Trump administration’s new $100,000 H-1B visa application fee.

Lu Liu, a software engineer and member of Alphabet Workers Union-CWA Local 9009, said the union has heard from workers who fear losing their legal status due to the new H-1B visa requirements. (AWU-CWA Local 9009 photos)

Fearing federal overreach, Myrie wants to amend NY Civil Rights law

By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff

State Sen. Zellnor Myrie recently introduced a bill to amend the New York Civil Rights Act, in an attempt to strengthen New Yorkers’ rights against a federal administration prone to overreach, and which critics say consistently threatens constitutional rights.

“This is not a moment to be sitting on the sidelines. Our laws give us a roadmap to protect our civil rights –– the rights generations have fought and died to enshrine,” said Myrie, who chairs the Senate Codes Committee. “The New York Civil Rights Act will give us the tools we need to hold accountable those who deprive us of our constitutional protections. At a time of deep anxiety and uncertainty, New Yorkers are not defenseless.”

In an op-ed for Bloomberg Law, Myrie explained that New York City is grappling with “indiscriminate” U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers, budgetary retaliation against cities, a possible “federal occupation” of National Guard troops, and an “aggressive” U.S Department of Justice (DOJ).

“I have observed examples of these encroachments up close in immigration court. I’ve heard from scores of constituents. And like many of us, I have watched these actions play out across the country,” said Myrie in his op-ed. His bill would amend the current New York State Civil Rights Law to allow New Yorkers to sue for civil damages against government officials –– at the local, state, or federal level –– who violate their constitutionally-protected civil rights. The bill also helps those wronged get compensatory damages, punitive damages, injunctive and declaratory relief, and attorneys’ fees.

“I’m deeply concerned by the rising violence championed by the Trump administration. New Yorkers need protection against state-sanctioned violence,” said Assemblymember Gabriella Romero, who sponsored the Assembly version of the bill. “I am proud to champion this bill for New Yorkers to create an opportunity for reprieve when Federal Agents are acting as weapons against the people. We need real opportunities for action, and this is one tool in our toolbox to counteract the fascism coming directly from the Trump administration.”

Affordable Housing for Seniors

Application Period Opens: September 26, 2025

Seagirt Senior Housing LP is now accepting applications for placement on the waiting list for studio and one-bedroom apartments in a HUD-subsidized, Section 8 housing community for seniors.

Rent & Affordability

This is a HUD Section 8 property. Tenant rent is based on 30% of the household’s adjusted gross monthly income.

Amenities:

24-hour security guard, elevator access, on-site social service coordinators, community rooms, laundry facilities, parking (subject to availability), and within walking distance to shopping and the Rockaway Beach boardwalk.

Eligibility Requirements

• Household size: 1 or 2 persons.

• The head of household must be at least 62 years old or mobilityimpaired disabled at the time of application.

• Applicants will be subject to income, asset, and other eligibility requirements to determine final qualification.

• Income Limits (subject to HUD updates):

o 1-person household: Maximum annual income of $56,700

o 2-person household: Maximum annual income of $64,800

*There is no minimum income requirement

Application Process & Deadline

• Deadline: Applications must be postmarked by November 21, 2025. Late applications will not be accepted.

• Selection Process: Applications will be selected through a random lottery-based selection process. A maximum of 1,500 applications will be accepted.

How to Apply:

Request an application by mail:

JASA Housing Management, c/o Seagirt Senior Housing LP Waiting List, 247 West 37th Street, 9th Floor, New York, NY 10018

Pick up in person:

155 Beach 19th Street, Far Rockaway, NY 11691

(Weekdays, 9 AM – 3 PM)

NYS Senator Zellnor Myrie speaks during session in the Senate Chamber in Albany, NY.

(Photo courtesy of NYS Senate Media Services)

Trump, vainglorious as usual, offered nothing useful during UN General Assembly

President Trump’s speech on Tuesday before the UN General Assembly was as predictable as it was replete with false claims, an unfettered braggadocio, and above all, an hour-long bash of the UN. It was akin to being invited to someone’s house and then pointing out all their deficiencies.

When he wasn’t praising his achievements, he was lashing the august body now in its 80th such meeting and its members for their failures, and insisting: “Your countries are going to hell — America acted boldly to swiftly shut down uncontrolled migration. Once we started detaining and deporting everyone who crossed the border illegally, they simply stopped coming. They’re not coming anymore. We’re getting credit for it — but this was a humanitarian act for all involved.”

Continuing his theme of self-congratulation, he claimed to have ended “seven unenviable wars” while the UN did nothing. Of course, he probably missed the irony of the situation and his inability to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and Israel and Hamas.

As expected, former President Biden, a man he called “Sleepy Joe,” was excoriated, wrongly charging that he did little to improve the immigration problem.

“Joe Biden’s policies empowered murderous gangs, human smugglers, child traffickers, drug cartels, and prisoners from all over the world. The previous administration also lost nearly 300,000 children — little children trafficked into the United States, many raped, exploited, abused, and sold. Nobody talks about that.”

Perhaps because it’s untrue, Trump meandered all over the place, even accusing the UN of having an ineffective

teleprompter, which, if he used it at all, was polluted with misinformation and glorification of himself, and we are wary of his taking us to task for disapproval of his policies.

His discourse of denunciation continued, and he dared to ask, “‘What is the purpose of the UN?’ All they seem to do is write a strongly worded letter and then never follow it up. It’s empty words, and empty words don’t solve war. The only thing that solves war is action,” he blasted.

Meanwhile, we are awaiting his action on two major conflicts that seem to be wars without end.

Trump did mention the U.S. military strike on two boats in international territorial water, calling the targets “Venezuelan terrorists and trafficking networks led by Nicolas Maduro.... Please be warned, we will blow you out of existence.”

Even if they were trafficking drugs, they deserved due process and to be taken into custody, not blown to smithereens. And if it wasn’t such a painful moment in the nation’s history, his final words are laughable: “I hope all countries inspired by our example will join in renewing commitments to free speech, religious liberty, sovereignty, and national traditions,” he said.

Tell Jimmy Kimmel about free speech, and the thousands slated for deportation about sovereignty, and Black Americans, Native Americans, and others about national traditions, all of which are being eradicated and swept into Trump’s dustpan.

Oh, he did mention Gaza and his efforts toward a ceasefire, though nothing about the humanitarian aid, which would be a necessary first step in the peace process. We will have to wait on that move after we rid him of his vainglorious speeches.

Elinor R. Tatum: Publisher and Editor in Chief

Executive & Investigative Editor

Building homes that work for every family

By AHMED TIGANI

Our vibrant, diverse, and beautiful city was built and sustained by our parents, grandparents, and generations past. Yet today, too many older New Yorkers struggle to find a stable place to call home. At the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), we are rethinking how to serve this population, while recognizing that there is no one-sizefits-all solution.

One of the most effective approaches to tackling this challenge — and a central commitment of our work to ensure equitable housing and true mobility — is ensuring that the homes we invest in are designed to be universally accessible. That’s why, working with the City Council, we passed Local Law 30 of 2023. Building on our existing efforts to incorporate age-friendly design, this law codifies universal design standards in most new HPD construction. Features like reduced obstructions; added grab bars; adjustable countertops; and accessible placement of switches, outlets, and thermostats make these homes more livable for everyone, regardless of age or ability.

In the interim, as we strive to achieve that universal goal, we are working hard to improve the tools that we currently have. I was proud to join Mayor Eric Adams in announcing major reforms to our Senior Affordable Rental Apartments (SARA) program. These changes create new opportunities for intergenerational living in affordable housing by allowing for the creation of projects with two-bedroom units, allowing seniors to live alongside family members or with live-in aides in inclusive, supportive environments while supporting family-friendly neighborhoods. This builds on earlier SARA updates from this administration, such as a pilot program launched last fall that prioritizes 10% of units for older adults currently living in

inaccessible homes. Together, these reforms reflect a simple but powerful idea: Affordable housing for seniors should not just provide shelter — it should foster dignity, independence, and community.

Why the change? The city’s SARA program — aimed at developing deeply affordable, age-restricted housing for older adults — has historically focused on studio and one-bedroom units. While this strategy serves many seniors well, we are taking this opportunity to make it even better and serve the diverse needs of older New Yorkers. A recent study by the Center for Research on Housing Opportunity, Mobility, and Equity shows that one older New Yorker in three lives with adult children, with most of these families having moved into their current home together. In fact, when older adults relocate later in life, they are more likely to do so alongside family members, highlighting the growing need for more flexible housing models that support families staying together.

The new rules require that in Limited Affordability Areas (LAAs; neighborhoods with few deeply affordable homes), any new SARA project must include at least 20% two-bedroom units to accommodate multigenerational households and promote intergenerational living. Developers will also now have the option to include 20% two-bedroom units as part of a broader shift toward more flexible, inclusive housing design. This is big news for New York, and we’re excited for this change to be incorporated into new construction proposals.

When we think about older adults, we must think about the city we are enjoying today and trying to preserve and improve for future generations. These are the small-business owners, first responders, educators, activists, and neighbors who have shaped the cultural and civic fabric of our city and whose continued pres-

ence strengthens the communities they helped to build. The new updates will make the SARA program even more effective. These changes ensure that in the future, shifts in family responsibilities or life circumstances will not present a barrier to accessing housing opportunities in this program. More people will now have the chance to live out their golden years in safe, affordable homes — and to age with the dignity and grace they deserve.

We understand that our mission goes beyond just building and preserving apartments — it’s about creating opportunities and environments where individuals and families can come together and thrive during every stage of life. That’s why we’ve also proudly participated in the City Cabinet for Older New Yorkers — a multi-agency initiative launched in 2022 to ensure our systems, policies, and operations better reflect the needs of an aging population. We’ve also supported the city’s community resiliency initiatives and, most recently, partnered with the Department of Buildings to launch the Opening Doors Innovation Challenge, an effort to solicit input and feedback to promote innovative industry solutions for improving accessibility in residential, business, and commercial spaces across the city.

As we continue to tackle today’s urgent housing challenges, the goal of this multi-pronged approach is to support multigenerational needs and embrace New Yorkers at every age. As we work to make every unit universally accessible, we will not stand idle and will put our existing tools to use to solve the problems we are seeing today. We stand on the foundation built by the generations before us; now, it’s our turn to build a better future for them and for those who follow.

Ahmed Tigani is the acting commissioner of the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development.

Why more countries need to recognize a Palestinian state

By HERB BOYD

It may be an oxymoron to say there’s good news from devastated Gaza, but it was good to learn that the United Kingdom, Canada, Portugal, and Australia have all pledged to recognize a Palestinian state. They also promised to support a two-state solution to the war-torn territory.

This measure comes as Israel steps up its assault on areas they suspect to be infested with Hamas fighters, with little consideration for the ever-increasing collateral damage. Of course, and I may be wrong, but I don’t recall Trump saying anything about this during his address to the U.N. General Assembly on Sept. 23, where much of the speech was given to savaging the U.N. and promoting his self-interest.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said that “Canada recognizes the State of Palestine and offers our partnership in building the promise of a peaceful future for both the State of Palestine and the State of Israel.” Mahmoud Abbas, president of Palestine, weighed in on the announcement, saying the solution “would allow the State of Palestine to live sideby-side with the State of Israel in security, peace, and good neighborliness.”

But Danny Danon, Israel’s U.N. ambassador, viewed it all as “empty declarations that ignore reality and the sinister forces of our region do not advance anything.”

“No declaration of any country will change the simple fact that, before everything, the hostages must be returned and that Hamas must be defeated. The defeat of Hamas and the end of the war will not be achieved by perfor-

mative speeches at the U.N., but by the sustained pressure and activities on the ground by the State of Israel.”

But as we know so well, that brutal truth is on the march, with even the West Bank and the Gaza Strip under siege. Even when the adversaries talk in terms of peace initiatives, they can’t find agreement.

Trump mentioned the conflict but as Danon noted, all the speechifying is merely performative, and that, unfortunately, seems to be the last word on the ceasefire and the two-state solution.

At this stage of the war, simply bringing all the leaders to the same table feels like an unattainable goal. Meanwhile, the genocide — which even some Israeli organizations and institutions acknowledge is occurring — goes on, and on, and on.

Why mandated reporting should be mandated supporting

By RUPINDER K. LEGHA, MD

Not long ago, during training on a child psychiatry consult-liaison service, I was asked to see a 5-year-old boy awaiting surgery for a congenital heart defect — surgery his parents were said to be “refusing.” The medical team was considering calling child welfare to report medical neglect, but when I sat down with the family, I didn’t see neglect; I saw parents asking questions.

“We’re not saying no,” the mother told me. “We just want to know why this has to happen now.” After receiving answers to their questions, validation of their concerns, and time to reflect, they consented. Their son recovered well. No report was filed.

The issue wasn’t noncompliance. It was communication. They needed clarity, not a report. The neglect was on our end, not theirs.

In my role as a psychiatrist, I’ve seen this happen too often. Families — especially Black, Indigenous, immigrant, and low-income ones — are often broken up not because of abuse, but because of poverty, trauma, or discrimination. A big part of this is mandated reporting: laws that make teachers, doctors, and social workers report suspected child abuse, even when it’s really about hunger, unstable housing, or grief.

Mandated reporting was designed to protect kids, but it’s become a tool of surveillance, pushing families into a system that prioritizes investigation over help. Research consistently shows that Black children are reported much more often than white kids for the same behaviors. Once in the system, families are scrutinized, separated, and scarred. Kids suffer from the trauma of removals, while parents face stigma and loss.

That’s why I believe in something different: mandated supporting, which is

emerging as a cornerstone of a new movement, with Los Angeles County and other regions shifting from punitive systems to protective care. Instead of automatically calling a hotline, professionals would be required to connect families with what they actually need: safe housing, food, therapy, childcare, or someone to listen. Mandated supporting replaces distrust with trust, punishment with protection, and fear with care. It recognizes that most families don’t need to be watched; they need support.

This isn’t just an idea. The Movement for Family Power, an organization where I am proud to serve as an advisory board member, is making it happen through their THRIVE Fund.

The THRIVE Fund invests in families and communities that have been through the family regulation system. It provides resources for healing, leadership, and organizing so the parents and kids affected can help find solutions. Instead of putting more money into watching and separating families, the THRIVE Fund moves resources to where they belong: with families themselves.

The people closest to the problem often have the best solutions. Families who’ve experienced the trauma of unnecessary removals know what true safety looks like. They know it starts with money, mental health care, and community support. By supporting their leadership, we can change a system that treats poverty as neglect and trauma as defiance.

Mandated supporting and the THRIVE Fund share a common idea: Care is more powerful than control. The THRIVE Fund amplifies that approach on a larger scale. It helps families not just survive, but thrive — and this isn’t theoretical: A growing body of research from Casey Family Programs and others makes it clear that providing tangible supports like cash assistance, housing, food, and medical care

does more than buffer hardship. It actively reduces the risk of abuse and neglect, prevents family separation, and improves child and family well-being. Families themselves affirm the difference these supports make. As one recipient said, “THRIVE was able to help me keep my lights on while I was on an unpaid maternity leave from work.” Another said, “I was able to get new graphics for my social media that will help me share political education about the family policing system and reach more people.”

A lot is at stake. Right now, millions of kids in the U.S. are being investigated by child welfare, often because of poverty. Each investigation could lead to family separation. We can do better. We have to.

Supporting the THRIVE Fund is a way to start. You can help build power in communities that have suffered from family policing. They fund storytelling, healing, and organizing — things that help repair harm as well as prevent it — and they move us closer to a system that protects kids by strengthening families.

As professionals, advocates, and community members, we have a choice. We can stick with mandated reporting, which often punishes the vulnerable, or we can choose mandated supporting, which respects families. We can keep investing in control, or we can invest in the leadership of those who know a better way is possible.

I chose the second option. I hope you will, too.

The THRIVE Fund is a commitment to changing how we view family safety in America. Together, we can replace mandated reporting with mandated supporting. Together, we can help families not only survive but thrive.

Please visit movementforfamilypower.org and support the THRIVE Fund today. It’s an opportunity to build a future where support is the norm.

Do not give up

CHRISTINA GREER, PH.D.

It seems like each day, this nation is swiftly careening toward an authoritarian regime with far too many elected officials (on both sides of the aisle) capitulating to the whims and dark desires of the president and his administration. During the campaign season last year, Vice President Kamala Harris warned the nation that her opponent had deep desires to turn this country backward, enrich himself and his family and friends, isolate us from our allies, ingratiate himself with our adversaries, and attempt to decrease and erase the hard-fought struggles to make this nation more equitable and inclusive. I will admit, the future of this nation looks quite bleak at the moment. Scholars who study democracies that have been taken over by autocrats and dictators estimate this country has about a little more than a year to correct course before irrevocable damage is done to the very core fabric of the nation whereby we will not be able to turn back. Sigh. I do not know what the future holds, but I do know this is a time for us to be vigilant. We must hold our elected officials accountable, and if they are not working to make this country more diverse and free, then we must vote them out of office. This moment takes courage. Courage will need to be a sustaining factor for the months ahead as the current regime tries to silence teachers, politicians, celebrities, corporations, lawyers, journalists, and so many other groups doing important work.

This is not a drill. When a president and an administration do their grifting and cruelty out in the light, we have turned a real corner. When merely stating facts (or actual events that are well documented) are offenses met with a swift firing, we know this regime is succeeding in silencing any form of dissent. When far too few people are speaking up for the ways qualified and talented Black women in various sectors are being targeted purely because of their race, gender, occupation, and power, we must realize that we have swiftly reached a point of real democratic danger that must be addressed, rooted out, elected out, and confronted head-on. We no longer have the luxury of ignoring what is happening. If immigrants, documented and undocumented, are being targeted at their jobs, their homes, and in courts of law, they are merely a test case for what this regime wants to do to others. We must remember the clear-eyed wisdom of Angela Davis when she warned us, “If they come for me in the morning, they will come for you in the night.” Now is the time to build coalitions with other groups and remember we can, will, and must triumph in this moment.

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

Venezuela moves troops near Trinidad as tensions escalate in the South Caribbean

BY BERT WILKINSON Special to the AmNews

Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela had enjoyed extremely friendly relations with well-organized air and sea travel systems until quite recently, when talks and plans to jointly explore a giant natural gas field straddling both nations ensued as Trinidad saw it fit to rescue and host more than 50,000 Venezuelan refugees fleeing economic hardships back home.

Since the late April general elections that brought the Indo-dominated United National Congress (UNC) to power, relations between the two have tanked, with senior officials in both nations trading nasty barbs and threats against each other.

For Trinidad, authorities there say they have been angered by allegations from the defense and other ministries in Venezuela and that local officials have allowed armed and foreign-financed mercenaries and other insurgents to infiltrate Venezuela using Trinidad as a staging point, charges that the state officials have vehemently denied.

The bad blood has not been helped

Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino

Lopez salutes before a press conference in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, Sept. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/ Ariana Cubillos)

by the recent landing of American marines, fixed-wing aircraft, and attack helicopters in the waters of the Southern Caribbean, presumably to interrupt the flow of drugs from the continent to the US mainland. So enamored was the administration of Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar about the presence of the US, as she openly welcomed them and offered Trinidad to the Americans as a base if Venezuela ever dares to attack fellow Caribbean Community nation and neighbor, Guyana, to enforce a

decades-old territorial claim.

Now, relations are at an all-time low, with Caracas announcing at the weekend that it is moving heavily armed troops and equipment to the northern Sucre State just across the sevenmile stretch of water between the two, further heightening tensions.

Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez says the military exercise to wipe out traffickers, human traffickers, and weapons smugglers, is being launched at the closest point to Trinidad to “cleanse the area” of criminal el-

ICE is stealing FBI agents to deport your neighbor

IMMIGRATION KORNER

The Trump administration continues to claim its mass immigration raids are about “public safety.” But new data reveals a troubling truth: Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is actually pulling federal law enforcement agents, the very people tasked with investigating terrorism, gangs, and violent crime, away from their real work to help deport immigrants on a massive scale.

According to records obtained from ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), and shared with the Libertarian-leaning Cato Institute, ICE is currently receiving assistance from nearly 17,000 nonERO agents, including 14,500 federal criminal law enforcement officers who should be focusing on criminal investigations. These include:

• 2,966 FBI agents who normally investigate terrorism, espionage, organized crime, and civil rights violations.

• 2,374 Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents who fight drug trafficking and opioid smuggling.

• 1,671 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) agents who work on gun trafficking and violent crime cases.

• 2,023 U.S. Marshals who are responsible for capturing fugitives and protecting witnesses.

• 1,250 IRS-Criminal Investigation agents who prosecute major tax fraud and money laundering cases.

• 4,216 Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents who handle human trafficking, child exploitation, and major smuggling operations. Each one of these agents being reassigned means fewer criminal cases investigated and fewer of the really dangerous offenders brought to justice.

Deputizing Local Police as ICE Agents

The scope doesn’t end there. In a now-deleted post, the Department of Homeland Security revealed that

ements and activities. “Sixty units will occupy the territory of the 15 municipalities of that state to scrutinize and to conduct reconnaissance and clear the area. It should be remembered that in Trinidad and Tobago, a lot of fuel smuggling occurs, as well as smuggling of weapons and ammunition, and a lot of human trafficking. All of that happens along the axis between Mapuro, the tip of the Paria Peninsula, and Trinidad and Tobago. So, we are going there to clear out any terrorist groups or any drug trafficking organizations that are operating illegally in that territory,” said Padrino. The move appears to be not only aimed at sending messages to a feuding Trinidad but also seems to be a signal of compliance to the US to cleanse the area of traffickers of all kinds.

PM Persad-Bissessar had earlier this month announced plans to deport more than 200 Venezuelan criminal suspects and convicts in local jails, as she hinted as well, about ridding the republic of others in the country.

And while she demanded that Caracas take back its criminals, Phillip Alexander, her junior housing minister, went on an embarrassing social

media rant in the past week, telling Venezuela that India would come to the rescue of Trinidad if Venezuela’s military attacked, because of the country’s large Indo population. “[Indian President Narendra Modi] and India have us held gently in the palm of his hands, and he will nuke Venezuela. You think it is Trump alone you are dealing with? Touch Trinidad, [Vice President (Delcy Rodriguez], you have talk? Modi came here (in July) to show Trinidad and Tobago that one of the most powerful nations in the world has Trinidad in its hands, the diaspora. That will hurt you this morning, it will ‘bun’ you in your belly. Trinidad is part of the Indian diaspora. Trinidad has more people of East Indian descent than any other race. Let that ‘bun’ you in your navel,” he said as political watchers and opposition lawmakers reacted with astonishment. His remarks drew fierce criticism from opposition elements and critics, but no one in the cabinet has moved to condemn or restrain Alexander for directly attacking Venezuela and proverbially stoking the fire even as tensions heighten.

ICE has already trained and unleashed 8,501 state and local police officers as part of its controversial 287(g) Task Force program. These officers are now authorized to independently conduct ICE arrests — essentially turning them into immigration agents in their own communities. DHS also admitted that more than 2,000 additional officers are currently in training. This rapid expansion of ICE’s enforcement footprint means that immigrants, including long-time residents with deep community ties, face an unprecedented risk of arrest, detention, and deportation — not because of criminal activity, but because of civil immigration violations. Seventy percent of people held in ICE detention — 58,766 as of September 7, 2025 — have no criminal conviction.

Public Safety Illusion

So, here’s the question: are we really safe? ICE’s diversion of thousands of federal law enforcement agents to conduct civil immigration sweeps means fewer resources are left to investigate human trafficking rings, arrest fentanyl smugglers, track down fugitives, or stop violent criminals. As

the Cato Institute points out, this is a dangerous misuse of government personnel and taxpayer funds. Rather than targeting those who pose real threats, ICE and the DHS are using an ever-growing army of federal agents and deputized local police to round up workers, parents, and community members whose only crime is an immigration violation. This may satisfy a political agenda, but it does nothing to protect us, the tax-paying Americans, and in many cases, it actively makes us all, whether red or blue, less safe.

Chilling Effect on Communities

The expanded 287(g) program should alarm every American. Giving local police the power to conduct ICE arrests destroys trust between immigrant communities and law enforcement. When immigrants fear that calling 911 could result in deportation, crimes go unreported, witnesses stay silent, and dangerous offenders remain free. This doesn’t just endanger immigrants — it endangers entire neighborhoods.

The Bottom Line Public safety is not improved when

we trade criminal justice for deportation theater. Every FBI agent or DEA officer who pulls off a criminal case to knock on someone’s door for ICE makes America less safe. And here’s the irony: Data shows that white men commit the majority of public mass shootings; over half of these tragic events are perpetrated by white Americans, almost always male. Yet, these are not the people federal law enforcement is targeting with sweeping raids or racial profiling. Instead, ICE’s policies disproportionately affect immigrants and communities of color. If “public safety” is truly the goal, then where is the proportional enforcement against those statistically likelier to commit mass public violence? Until we answer that, the public safety argument for ICE’s actions will continue to ring hollow — and the rest of us will keep paying the price.

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.

By TAAYOO MURRAY Special to the AmNews

Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) President Félix

Tshisekedi has stated that he would like to see a partnership between his country and the United States, while also addressing the country’s longstanding issues during a recent visit to New York.

Tshisekedi was in New York City on September 22 to attend the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), where he addressed issues including the conflict in eastern Congo, mineral resource negotiations, and the Congolese genocide. In a press luncheon at Manhattan’s Peninsula Hotel, he emphasized that the DRC stands ready to partner with all nations where it is mutually beneficial.

“I speak of a win-win approach in which the partner who comes to invest should be satisfied with the return on investment, and the host country, the Democratic Republic of Congo, should also be satisfied with the benefits and outcomes generated by these investments,” Tshisekedi said.

In responding to questions about the longstanding fighting between the Democratic of Congo and the M23 gang, he acknowledged the conflict has not been fully resolved, but that he is hopeful it is trending in the right direction.

He also openly praised the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamin bin Hamad Al Thani, for facilitating the signing of a Declaration of Principles between the government of the DRC and representatives of the Congo River Alliance/March 23 Movement.

“With just a single phone call, a message I sent asking for his help in guiding us back to the path of peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo, he immediately made himself available, along with his entire government,” said Tshisekedi.

Questions and conversations

International News

Democratic Republic of Congo president says he is open for partnership with U.S.

about the corruption practices of the Congolese government officials occurred, and Tshisekedi acknowledged that it is a real concern. He emphasized that enforcement clauses are the real issue.

“I believe a false impression has been given about these partnerships simply because, when you look at and read the terms of these agreements, even before I became president, during the

time of my predecessor, you will find in the bills passed with these multinational companies and others investing in the Democratic Republic of Congo, clauses requiring them to allocate a share of their profits to local communities,” Tshisekedi explained. He said that before his election, not all the partnerships were balanced: Under some, the DRC was only receiving 20% to 30% of the profits.

“That is the kind of imbalance I asked to be corrected,” he said.

“Obviously, it is a very difficult exercise, because these are contracts already signed. But we are striving — contract by contract, company by company — to see how they can be rebalanced.”

In addition to enforcement clauses, he believes there should be audits at all levels to make sure that funds received from companies are used appropriately and

not kept by individuals. Tshisekedi said he is still hopeful that a partnership can be brokered with the United States, similar to one signed with China. “I have always said that in Congo, there is room for everyone. As long as, when coming to Congo, one respects the Congolese people, their rights, customs, laws, and traditions, there is absolutely no closed door to anyone.”

Democratic Republic of the Congo President Félix Tshisekedi speaking to attendees at a press meeting during the United Nations General Assembly. (Photo courtesy African Renaissance and Diaspora Network)

into an easier program,” Johnson said.

Later, as an educator, she witnessed teachers who only gave Advanced Placement (AP) course access to certain students, while others were always excluded. In thinking about having been a “sassy little Black girl” in school, Johnson wanted to make sure all students had access, including students who were just like her.

“I’ve never been top of my class, but I’ve always had a level of intelligence that was not tapped into,” Johnson said. “I didn’t realize my power until I got older. I wish I would have known the level of intelligence that I have now. I wish someone had tapped me and said, ‘she got it.’”

When she became a principal in the Bronx, Johnson made her 11th and 12th grades take AP classes, because she believes no one person should determine the extent of the quality of work that students are capable of. She says she even dealt with parents who stated their students were not “college material.”

Johnson’s experience made her want to create schools and opportunities where students now don’t have the option to “opt themselves out.”

From 2016 to 2023, Johnson served as principal at Longwood Preparatory Academy in the South Bronx, improving the graduation rate from 44% to 86%, as well as lowering chronic absenteeism from 77% to 32% during her tenure. Before then, she was director for special education programs in District 79, which served incarcerated students in Rikers Island and Passages Academy.

In 2022, Johnson was acknowledged for her work when former Chancellor David Banks selected her as part of his 2023–2024 Master Principal Initiative. She is also an adjunct professor at NYU.

Students at HBCU Early College Prep, who are referred to as Scholars, are actively engaging in problem-solving activities, being given examples of issues in government and researching ways to solve those problems, which Johnson said may be pitched

to City Council members. This method of teaching students to think critically and become change agents comes from Johnson’s adoption of educator Zaretta Hammond’s “Ready to Rigor” framework in her book “Culturally Responsive Teaching & the Brain,” which she encourages other educators to read.

Professor Christina Stevens-Payne, who teaches an AP Seminar, said that right now, they are all focused on fulfilling the mission for the students.

“It’s something that doesn’t have the foundation completely built yet, because it’s been a month, and everything up to this point has been more abstract, and now it’s reality. It’s kind of like building a plane, but flying it at the same time,” Payne said.

Having taught for 22 years in Cambria Heights, Bushwick, and Briarwood, Payne said HBCU Early College Prep spoke to a higher calling than other schools in her career.

“(Principal Johnson) has created the stepping stones to actualize that mission or vision that she has created for the Black

community,” Payne said. “HBCU universities and colleges are a foundation of our education system, and they need to be utilized in developing our youth.”

The African proverb “Ubuntu,” which means “I am because we are,” has been a message Johnson has routinely shared with the school as a collective vision.

Scholars at the school are divided into four houses that are like fraternities and are named for HBCUs: Howard, Hampton, North Carolina A&T, and Clark Atlanta.

Student Cavani John, who is in the Howard house, is taking Algebra 2, traditionally an 11th-grade class. He has interests in athletics and computer science. While he says he hadn’t known much about HBCUs before learning about this school, he is now enjoying the supportive community.

“We’ve made the right choice. HBCU is a journey to success,” John said in remarks at the First Day of School event. “Opportunities, mentorship, academic excellence, discipline, and—most importantly—a fun-loving environment are what we will continue to build at this school.”

Hallway where inspirational motto of the school, HBCU Be the Dream, adorns walls. September 19, 2025. HBCU Early College Prep. (Photos by Jason Ponterotto)

The 9th-grade students are the inaugural class of HBCU Early College Prep and will have been joined by three new classes by the 20282029 academic year. Sep. 4, 2025. (Courtesy of HBCU Early College Prep)

Mayor Eric Adams, Education Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos, in the halls of the school during the first day of class. Sept. 4, 2025. (Courtesy of HBCU Early College Prep)

Arts & Entertainment

Sheila E. talks latest album, building community ahead of Bronx performance at Lehman Center Sept. 27

By JOHNNY KNOLLWOOD Special to AmNews

Percussionist, vocalist, and bandleader Sheila E. will bring funk, salsa, jazz and R&B to the stage at the Lehman Center for Performing Arts in the Bronx on September 27. The artist, who has collaborated with legends like Prince, Michael Jackson and George Duke, will be joined by R&B vocal group Klymaxx. “It’s an honor and privilege to play the Lehman — it’s a beautiful facility,” said Sheila E. to the AmNews in an exclusive phone interview. “So many great artists have been performing there for a very long time.”

Sheila E., who recently won a Grammy for her performance of Celia Cruz’s “La Bemba Colorá” from the album Bailar, which featured vocalists Gloria Estefan and Mimy Succar, has deep ties to New York City and the Bronx. Her godfather was genre pioneer Tito Puente, who was a friend and colleague of her father, musician Pete Escovedo, who also performed with Santana. “I might’ve been in my late teens, my dad and I would fly to New York from the West Coast and meet with Tito, and wherever he was performing, we’d go there and hang out, whether it be on the streets or in the clubs,” Sheila E recalled. “That whole vibe in the community and the people was just amazing … it definitely is about community, and family, and the food … we’re really excited to perform there.”

While well-known for producing hits across the spectrum of funk, R&B and pop, Sheila E. marries a diverse blend of styles through her use of rhythm, linking her art back to one of the world’s oldest and most central instruments — the drum. “A lot of the percussionists in the Bay Area, they really studied rhythm, and we learned a lot from them,” she said. “We learned tradition, and what it was to learn the history of drumming and the music from different villages and dif -

ferent countries — from Brazil to Africa, and then you got Cuba and everything landing back in New York, and in the Bronx. It’s just incredible, it all flows together.”

Recalling the scene in Oakland where she grew up, Sheila E. reminisced about the sounds of groups that permeated the

rehearse …. To us, it was all one big connection.”

Community is a central part of Sheila E.’s work with nonprofit organization Elevate Oakland, which seeks to provide artistic and educational resources to children in the Northern California community. “We’re bringing the music and the arts back into public schools because all of those programs have been cut for a very long time, and those are the first to be cut.” she said.

“Some of these kids have really come into themselves and become very confident in who they [are] … some of them were abused to the point where they weren’t speaking a lot, or didn’t

know how to communicate, or look someone in the eye … with our classes, we were able to help them to express themselves through the music and the arts. And some of the stories that they would tell, or the art projects they would show us — how they would start and what they would end up with — from dark to light, it was just incredible, and that creativity is so important.”

For more information about Elevate Oakland, please visit elevateoakland.org. Stream

Sheila E.’s latest album Bailar Instrumentals, on Spotify, and get tickets to her upcoming performance at the Lehman Center at lehmancenter.org.

Edwidge Danticat reads at Brooklyn Book Festival

Famed author Edwidge Danticat participated in the 20th anniversary Brooklyn Book Festival on Saturday, Sept. 20. Danticat and her niece, Zora, read

from her recently released children’s picture book, “Watch Out for Falling Iguanas,” as part of the festival’s children’s day activities.

— Karen Juanita Carrillo

city, including Sly and the Family Stone, Tower of Power, Santana, the Grateful Dead, and the music of her father, who would rehearse in the family’s home. “What my brothers and I used to do was catch the bus to a community center and sit outside on the sidewalk and listen to these bands play and

Sheila E. will perform at the Lehman Center for Performing Arts in the Bronx on September 27. (Photo courtesy of Lehman Center)

Edwidge Danticat reads with her niece, Zora, from her new book, “Watch Out for Falling Iguanas.” (Karen Juanita Carrillo photo)

Marlon Wayans in ‘Him’ — A brutal look at football, power, and the cost of sacrifice

By MAGRIRA Special to the Amnews

It did not take long for Marlon Wayans to respond to the backlash directed at him and his latest film, “Him,” which is currently sitting at a meager 28% on Rotten Tomatoes. The film takes a swing at American football, digging into the ritual, the obsession with chasing GOAT status, and the devastating costs hiding under all those bright stadium lights.

Directed by Justin Tipping and produced by Jordan Peele—who has carved out a decorated reputation in the psychological horror space—”Him” opened in second place at the domestic box office with a projected $13.4 million. The film follows the dream of Cameron “Cam” Cade, played by Tyriq Withers, a boy who grew up idolizing the San Antonio Saviors’ Quarterback, Isaiah White, played by Wayans. Cam’s father stokes that ambition with relentless pressure from a one-note philosophy: “That’s what real men do. They make sacrifices.” As Isaiah plays through injuries that should end his career, Cam’s father insists the lesson is clear—“No guts. No glory.” Translation: destroy your body to reach the goal. The story is about a boy doomed before he could read a playbook.

Buckle up, because “Him” has a lot to say, and its message isn’t easy for everyone to handle. Many critics don’t like where the film shines its light. It’s uncomfortable, yes, but there are pearls of truth nestled inside the story. This film isn’t out to comfort or coddle; it’s asking the audience to look twice at what we worship and the costs that are associated. The discomfort is the point. If “Him” rattles the viewer, it is because the realities of American sports—the deep exploitation and the sacrifice required of African American bodies—are not meant to be brushed away, and the film refuses to do so.

By the time we meet Cam, 14 years later, he’s a generational quarterback talent inching towards the draft. Then the story veers into something unnerving—his climb toward the NFL is derailed by a supernatural force that rattles him with a head injury. Isaiah resurfaces, now an eighttime champion, weighing retirement but eager to test if Cam has

what it takes. He lures the young man into a week of training at his desert compound in Texas, and from there the film spirals into a strange, haunted-house horror.

At Isaiah’s compound, Cam is stripped of his phone and confronted with unsettling surroundings—a doctor who injects him with “painkillers” that feel more like a control medication, an influencer wife, played by Julia Fox, strutting through the mansion like a living billboard, and Isaiah himself, twitchy about the sacrifices required to be crowned the GOAT. The bullying Cam endures reeks of danger from start to finish. When Isaiah mounts an animal skull on his wall, the message could not be clearer: ‘I am a predator who kills for sport.’ Watching Cam unravel under these menac-

ing rituals is where the film finds its chilling power.

Still, Tipping can’t resist leaning into the allegory. The six-chapter structure, one chapter for each day of training, forces the point: football is a stand-in for bigger life lessons. The lessons, unfortunately, don’t always land. Too often, the film shouts rather than whispers. What lingers most is the spectacle of hyper-masculinity—the repeated message that real men sacrifice everything—and the way it overlaps with religion. Football here is church, players exalted as gods while fans pour in faith and devotion. But the money, the real cathedral, belongs to the white men who own the teams. As “Him” reminds us again and again, African American athletes are the ones breaking their bodies for profit.

That echo of gladiators is intentional. In ancient Rome, men fought for survival before roaring crowds, some enslaved, some condemned, and some so desperate they volunteered. Today, athletes step onto the field in multibilliondollar arenas that exude uncomfortably similar energies. “Him” pushes you to face that truth, even if the script isn’t always strong enough to hold it. Lines like Isaiah’s odd “locker room smells like brotherhood” pull you out, sounding more like ad-libs than revelation. What keeps it steady are the performances. Wayans delivers Isaiah as unhinged and obsessive. More striking is Cam’s descent, his mental disintegration under pressure, which leaves you unsettled. This isn’t the Wayans most audiences know, and that’s the point.

Withers gives a riveting performance as Cam, capturing the character’s vulnerability and unraveling psyche.

Flawed as it is, “Him” forces its audience to sit with some hard questions about professional sports and who truly profits. Monkeypaw Productions, under Peele, pushes into territory that feels both allegorical and painfully direct: African American athletes put their bodies on the line while white team-owners build empires. The film doesn’t resolve those tensions cleanly, but maybe that’s the truth—it’s not clean, it never has been. See “Him” for yourself. You may cringe, you may get frustrated, but you may also find yourself rocked by its raw edges. I did. Flaws and all.

2025 NY Film Fest: A lineup brimming with awards contenders and cinematic risks

By MAGRIRA Special to AmNews

From the hushed halls of academia to the back alleys of New Jersey, this year’s New York Film Festival presents a cinematic lineup packed with high drama, deeply personal reckoning, and some of the year’s most unlikely comebacks. The 63rd annual event, running September 26 to October 13 at Film at Lincoln Center, returns as both a showcase for world-class cinema and a launching pad for titles already pulsing with awards-season buzz.

The festival’s headline grabber is the reappearance of Daniel Day-Lewis. The famously elusive actor steps back before the camera in “Anemone,” the directorial debut of his son, Ronan Day-Lewis. Selected as a Spotlight feature, this family drama — co-written by the pair — probes the fault-lines of blood ties with a raw emotional core, marking the elder Day-Lewis’s much-anticipated return and instantly sparking Oscar speculation.

The Gala Selections strike a notably urgent tone. Luca Guadagnino’s Opening Night pick, “After the Hunt,” has set the conversation alight. The psychological thriller features Julia Roberts as a revered Yale professor caught in the crossfire of a campus assault accusation, with Ayo Edebiri and Andrew Garfield rounding out a powerhouse ensemble. Its thorny moral terrain and commanding performances place it firmly in awards contention.

As Centerpiece, Jim Jarmusch’s “Father Mother Sister Brother” — the recipient of Venice’s Golden Lion — trades fireworks for quietly riveting introspection. This wry, triptych-structured meditation on sibling

rivalry and estrangement, led by Adam Driver, Cate Blanchett, and Tom Waits, arrives in New York with serious international buzz after its Venice triumph.

For Closing Night, Bradley Cooper pivots from last year’s “Maestro” to crowd-pleasing comedy with “Is This Thing On?” Inspired by comedian John Bishop, the film follows Will Arnett as a freshly divorced man who turns to stand-up. Its lighter tone just might hit the right note with Academy voters.

Oscar Contenders to Watch

“After the Hunt” — With Julia Roberts, Ayo Edebiri, and Andrew Garfield, Guadagnino’s drama is poised for major acting and screenplay recognition.

“Father Mother Sister Brother” — Jar-

musch’s all-star chamber piece, starring Adam Driver and Cate Blanchett, could be a serious player — especially for Blanchett, whose run of prestige roles continues.

“Is This Thing On?” — Cooper and Arnett could find awards gold in comedy’s heart. The film’s blend of humor and melancholy gives it dark horse appeal.

“Cover-Up” — Oscar-winner Laura Poitras returns with this gripping portrait of journalist Seymour Hersh. Recent Academy trends make this a documentary frontrunner.

“A House of Dynamite” — Kathryn Bigelow’s briskly tense thriller, led by Idris Elba as a fictional U.S. President, could break into acting and editing categories.

“If I Had Legs I’d Kick You” — Rose Byrne stuns in Mary Bronstein’s surreal drama,

her performance already generating early critical whispers.

“It Was Just an Accident” — Jafar Panahi’s Cannes-winning study of class and justice brings both creative prowess and political courage to the International Feature race.

“Jay Kelly” — Noah Baumbach directs George Clooney in a sharp, dark ensemble drama, with Laura Dern and Adam Sandler bringing extra pedigree.

“The Mastermind” — Kelly Reichardt’s sharp-edged anti-thriller, starring Josh O’Connor, has critics buzzing about possible tech and screenplay honors.

“No Other Choice” — Park Chan-wook’s twisty, blackly comic adaptation follows his acclaimed “Decision to Leave,” prepped for strong international awards attention.

“Sentimental Value” — Svensk power: Joachim Trier’s Cannes Grand Prix-winner spotlights Renate Reinsve, who is pegged for another Best Actress push.

“Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere” — Jeremy Allen White turns heads as Bruce Springsteen in Scott Cooper’s critically hailed biopic, well-positioned for acting and technical categories.

With more than 75 features on the schedule, the 2025 festival offers something for every cinephile. Standout new works from Claire Denis (“The Fence”), Christian Petzold (“Miroirs No. 3”), Lucrecia Martel (“Landmarks”), Ira Sachs (“Peter Hujar’s Day”), Paolo Sorrentino (“La Grazia”), Radu Jude (“Kontinental ’25”, “Dracula”), Rebecca Miller (“Mr. Scorsese”) and Ben Stiller (“Stiller & Meara: Nothing Is Lost”) guarantee that adventurous viewers will have more than enough to explore.

Ayo Edebiri in “After the Hunt.” (Image courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios)

Trends

Daniel’s Leather and fur looks wrap-up Fall ’25

By RENEE MINUS WHITE Fashion & Beauty Editor

To the sounds of hip-hop performed live on the runway, Daniel’s Leather’s models strutted and danced at 601 West 48th St. last Tuesday. It was an amazing parade of beautiful people in wheelchairs, on crutches, holding canes and wearing prosthetics, and rolling & rocking on skates and strutting their stuff. The 150-piece collection consisted of luxurious fur, leather, suede, shearling coats, jackets, stoles, and vests. Furry pieces were superbly modeled by men, women, and children. You couldn’t tell what was real or faux fur, but you could acknowledge the designs, impeccable tailoring, and fabulous styles of the garments.

Daniel Waheed, designer and owner of Daniel’s Leather, located at 159 Orchard Street, New York, NY 10002, created a fashion furor with two shows of absolute drama. The models were incredibly talented, inspirational, and quite entertaining.

Daniel’s Leather opened in 1995. As the story goes, a friend of his at a bar suggested he start creating furs on a small scale. With talent, hard work, and dedica-

tion, the business grew. His shop is well-stocked with every fur type you could imagine — mink, fox, chinchilla, plus fine leather coats and jackets. (We talked about a fur coat that I once owned in the 1970s, which featured 69 pieces of fur, and we both laughed.) His store offers fantastic fur selection in all colors and styles. In the show, sleeves were oversized, and most furs were long-haired. Hoods, especially for children and even infants, were in play. Surprising-

models were the folks in wheelchairs and on crutches. As the audience cheered, they modeled fur jackets and danced to the music, expressing positive attitudes and body language. Folks were in awe to see wheelchairs spinning, and the models exhibited a happy, “nothing can stop me now” vibe while on the runway. “We are all beautiful people,” smiled Waheed.

ly, entire families with mothers, fathers, and two to three children hit the runway at once. Some mothers carried toddlers on their hips, and yes, they both had matching furs.

Other babies were in strollers.

For Fall ’25, the most heartfelt

During the Sunday afternoon interview, the show’s models were coming in and out of the shop for fitting and alterations. While Waheed originally wanted to be an engineer and holds a degree in engineering, he loves designing for all people, especially children. Along with dressing many celebrities, like Cardi B, he also does custom design work and rents his furs for shows and celebrity public appearances, but folks usually purchase his furs. “Fashion is no-longer dictated. People should wear what they want and what makes them feel comfortable,” said Waheed. Daniel’s Leather is open every day of the week, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Prices range from $300 and up. For more info and to place orders, visit dl-nyc.com, email danielsleather06@yahoo.com, or call 212-674-8868.

Daniel Waheed, owner/designer of Daniel’s Leather, in front of his store. (Renee Minus White/A Time to Style photos)

A selection of fur hats

Looks from Daniel’s Leather Fall ’25 collection.

Wyclef Jean connects audiences, styles at Blue Note Jazz Club

By JOHNNY KNOLLWOOD Special to the AmNews

“Blue Note will never be the same,” said rapper, producer, and songwriter Wyclef Jean, repeatedly, to a sold-out crowd at the Blue Note Jazz Club in Manhattan, kicking off a weekend residency at the famed venue on September 11 — and he was right. The Grammy Award-winning artist, who is responsible for producing chart-topping hits that include Santana’s “Maria Maria,” and Shakira’s “Hips Don’t Lie,” along with being a member of influential hip-hop group, The Fugees, delivered an energetic, connective performance to a crowd that couldn’t help but get up from their seats to dance.

“Fusion” may not be the first word audiences associate with Wyclef Jean, but the artist challenged contemporary definitions of the genre on Thursday, showcasing a unique blend of styles that illustrated the deep cultural connection between American, African and Hispanic music. Jean, who began the set walking through the audience and freestyling, has always been successful in bridging the gap between genres, injecting elements of reggae, jazz, rock and Afro-Cuban rhythms into hip-hop, while drawing influence from his upbringing in a Haitian household amidst the urban streets of Newark and West Orange, New Jersey.

Jean was joined on Thursday by drummer Emmanuel Laine, bassist Emanuel Washington, Patrick Pelissier and Branden J Washington on keys, horn players Jon Altino and Jephte Guillaume, percussionists Rodney Fleurimont and Jean Mary Brignol, and vocalists Lynette Rhett, Keirsten Hodgens and Kayla Carpenter. The ensemble reinterpreted a slew of tunes across Jean’s career, including “If I Was President,” which was originally performed on “Chappelle’s Show,” and “Gone Til November,” which appeared on Jean’s landmark 1997 release, The Carnival. Jean cultivated an environment of family-friendly fun, taking time in between songs to crack jokes and tell stories about being Haitian (the reason he agreed to let DJ Khaled sample “Maria Maria”

for “90%”), Bob Dylan appearing in the video for “Gone Til November” (“Bob Dylan don’t even show up for his own son’s music video,” said record execs when he came up with the idea, according to Jean), and the presence of food at the show, even eating a slice of bread from an audience member’s plate in the front row (“Haitians love bread, we don’t fuck with the dogs and cats,” said Wyclef). He frequently called out to friends and family members in the audience, reporting legendary music mogul Clive Davis’ attendance at an earlier 8 p.m. set, and beckoning to his cousin and Haitian producer Jerry Wonda, who produced the Fugees’ seminal work The Score. Wonda was among the special guests who joined Jean onstage, laying down fat bass riffs on reimagined versions of “Maria Maria,” and “Hips Don’t Lie.”

The inclusivity and fun were a welcome respite from the chaos and divide that permeated through the city on the 24th anniversary of the 2001 September 11 attacks, and in the wake of the Charlie Kirk shooting that has polarized Americans across the political spectrum. Jean pleaded for an end to the violence with songs like “Gunpowder,” and paid tribute to the first responders who aided during the 2001 tragedy. Whatever was happening in the world outside, unity, togetherness and connection were present in the Blue Note as Wyclef Jean joined the audience on the floor in song.

You can stay up to date with Blue Note programs at their bluenotejazz.com, and stream Wyclef Jean’s latest single on Spotify.

Wyclef Jean and frequent collaborator/cousin Jerry Wonda performing at the Blue Note Jazz Club on September 11, 2025.

Wyclef Jean performing in the crowd at the Blue Note Jazz Club on September 11, 2025. (Johnny Knollwood photos)

Janet Jackson performs two hours of hits at Resorts World residency

By DERREL JOHNSON Special to the AmNews

Five-time Grammy Award-winning Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Janet Jackson performed more than 40 songs over two hours earlier this month during one of the final shows of her residency at Resorts World Theatre in Resorts World Las Vegas. The singer, songwriter, dancer, and actress took the crowd on a musical journey, performing hits from the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s all from her extensive catalog.

The global icon, who notched 10 number-one hits on the Billboard charts, opened the show with the mid-tempo “Night” from her 2015 album Unbreakable. Some of the other songs Jackson performed amongst several costume changes included “Son of a Gun (I Betcha Think This Song Is About You),” complete with baseball bats held by her and four male dancers, “All Nite (Don’t Stop),” “It’s All For You,” “Let’s Wait A While,” “Pleasure Principle,” “Control,” “What Have You Done For Me Lately,” “That’s The Way Love Goes,” “If,” “Any Time, Any Place,” ”You Want This“ “Got ‘Til It’s Gone,” “Escapade,” “Miss You Much,” “I Get Lonely,”

“Nasty,” and “Rhythm Nation.”

For the biggest fans, or the Janet Jackson stans, the question is: did she perform your favorite songs? As a huge fan myself, I enjoyed hearing her perform some of my personal favorites, like her first number one song about the calming effect thoughts of that special someone has on you when they

cross your mind “When I Think Of You,” “Love Will Never Do (Without You),” and one of my and my deceased mother’s favorites, “Alright.”

Outside of her first appearance on stage, the loudest ovation of the night came when Jackson’s older brother, the appropriately named King of Pop, Michael Jack-

family members: her father Joe Jackson, and older brothers Tito and Michael.

Due to a unique set of circumstances, I was fortunate enough to see nearly 50 minutes of the two-hour show from the front row, but it was not my first time. On October 6, 1998, I had the honor not only of sitting in the first row to see Jackson on her Velvet Rope tour at the nowshuttered Continental Airlines Arena, with Usher as her opening act, but I also participated in a meet-and-greet with her and took photos prior to the concert.

son, who died in 2009, appeared on the screen during the video of the siblings’ duet, “Scream.” Jackson left the stage briefly and returned for an encore to perform “Black Eagle,” “Better Days,” “Someone To Call My Lover,” and closed the show with “Together Again,” with three photos of a young Janet with three deceased

Singer Erykah Badu brings her Mama’s Gun ’25: The Return of Automatic Slim tour to Resorts World Theatre on October 4. The theatre underwent renovations for approximately three months, creating a spectacular VIP area with 67 VIP banquettes that offer beverage service. It reopened for Jackson’s residency earlier this month.

Brooklyn’s own Maxwell will bring his Serenade 2025 to the theatre on Friday, October 24, with Lucky Day as the opening act, with actor and comedian Martin Lawrence taking the stage on November 15 with his “Y’all Still Know What It Is!” tour.

Janet Jackson performs during her residency at Resorts World Theatre inside the hotel and casino Resorts World Las Vegas.

Janet Jackson and her dancers perform during her residency at Resorts World Theatre inside the hotel and casino Resorts World Las Vegas. (Derrel Johnson photos)

Janet Jackson performs “Son of a Gun (I Betcha Think This Song Is About You),” during her residency at Resorts World Theatre inside the hotel and casino Resorts World Las Vegas.

Brooklyn’s Roulette Intermedium boasts celebrations of Anthony Braxton, AACM, and more for fall lineup

By JOHNNY KNOLLWOOD Special to the AmNews

Roulette Intermedium, a venue that has provided space for experimental art to New York City audiences since 1978, will host a slew of Avant-programs this fall, including a series of performances in honor of free jazz pioneer Anthony Braxton’s 80th birthday, a celebration of Dr. Muhal Richard Abrams for the 60th anniversary of influential experimental organization, the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musi-

cians (AACM), and a performance by Cuban-Haitian composer Aruán Ortiz, who will explore “Afro-diasporic identity through the lens of new music & avant-jazz, with scenes from his opera,” according to the venue’s website. Roulette Intermedium, which has called Downtown Brooklyn home since 2010, ushered in the coming of Fall on September 17 with a performance of John Zorn’s Cobra, an experimental game piece that featured over a dozen musicians onstage, performing sporadic, improvised pieces that

were cued from cards and hand motions by Zorn, who conducted the show. The piece is never performed the same way twice, as the players take control over the direction of the music within the confines set by the conductor, providing for a once-in-alifetime sonic journey through landscapes of harsh noise and irreverent beauty.

The venue seeks to “support artists and present performances of innovative music, movement, and media art; build audiences interested in experiencing new work;

and trace the evolution of experimental performance in a freely accessible public archive,” according to the mission statement on their website, which also hosts the extensive collection of concert videos, show flyers, and photos. They also livestream lots of performances, allowing audiences around the world to venture into the realm of underground music in NYC from the comfort of their own homes.

Roulette offers discounted student tickets for most shows, and is hosting several free programs, in-

cluding a performance of Anthony Braxton’s music by George Lewis and Mary Halvorson in November, and the Triple Canopy Symposium in October. Members also have the opportunity to score free and discounted tickets, and memberships start at $100 annually.

For more information about membership opportunities, please visit https://roulette.org/ membership. For a list of all upcoming shows and to view the extensive, free, and public archive, visit roulette.org/calendar and roulette.org/archive.

Legendary singer Lionel Richie to launch book tour in NYC with Q&A at Town Hall Sept. 29

By JOHNNY KNOLLWOOD Special to the AmNews

Grammy Award-winning singer

Lionel Richie will debut his memoir, “Truly,” with a Q&A at the Town Hall in Manhattan, launching a book tour that includes stops in Austin, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles. The event, hosted in partnership with Barnes & Noble, will not feature any musical performances, but will feature the legendary vocalist in conversation with “friends,” according to a press release. Lionel Richie has brought his smooth stylings and catchy, danceable songs to audiences

for over five decades, producing hits like “Easy” and “Three Times a Lady” with Motown group The Commodores. He later launched a successful solo career that brought the world songs like “All Night Long,” and 1985’s “We Are the World,” which featured Richie and co-writer Michael Jackson alongside a slew of the ages top singers joined together in song to raise money for the famine in Ethiopia that took place in the mid-1980s. Richie’s memoir, published by HarperOne, “chronicles lessons learned during his unlikely story of remarkable success — his dramatic transformation from painfully shy, ‘tragically’ late bloomer

to world-class entertainer and composer of love songs that have played as the soundtrack of our lives,” according to a press release. In the upcoming conversations, Richie will “revisit hilarious and harrowing events to inspire all who doubt themselves or feel their dreams don’t matter, reminding us of the power of love to elevate our own lives and our world.”

You can find more information about Lionel Richie and Truly at lionelrichie.com, and get tickets for his appearance at Town Hall at Ticketmaster. You can also pre-order signed editions of his book at Barnes & Noble’s website.

Avant-garde saxophonist John Zorn leading his ensemble for the 41st anniversary of Cobra, an experimental game piece, at Roulette Intermedium on September 17. (Johnny Knollwood photo)

Aruán Ortiz (Michal Novak photo)

Jazz museum in Harlem, Kenny Kirkland tribute

Who said jazz is only performed after the sun goes down? For some time now, the Jazz Foundation of America (JFA) has presented some of the music’s most influential jazz artists during their Thursday afternoon series “Live from Harlem — JFA Presents” at the National Jazz Museum in Harlem (58 West 129th Street).

On September 25, JFA presents the Harmony Bartz Experience. The Harlem native brings a wealth of music to the stage with her vocal stylings that encompass straight-ahead jazz, blues, and a taste of R&B. When not touring the country, she has become somewhat of a welcomed-regular on the Harlem scene and in the tri-state area. One of her main influences is her father, multi-Grammy winner and NEA Jazz Master Gary Bartz, who introduced her to a wide variety of music at an early age. She remains inspired by the magic of Harlem and her tours around the world. Showtime is 2–3 p.m., and the event is free and open to the public.

Later in the evening, at 7 p.m., the National Jazz Museum in Harlem (NJMH) presents its Showcase Series, featuring vocalist and composer Candice Hoyes and her quintet as they explore the urgent need of compassion and communal love through songs of liberation, protest, and rebirth. Having recorded with composer and pianist Philip Glass and Wynton Marsalis, her repertoire is a combustion of songs rarely traveled by her peers, infused with original material. This event is also free but please RSVP.

On October 2, the afternoon series brings Live from Harlem — JFA Presents: Spaceman Patterson and the Celestials. The guitarist and composer Patterson is an unsung hero — an artist who should be seen by the masses. His repertoire is boundless, more colorful than a rainbow after the storm.

His music experience was ignited by assorted fuses, like playing in the highoctane group the Jamaica Boys (from Jamaica, Queens). Some of those local visionaries included Marcus Miller, Lenny White, Mark Stevens, and Bernard Wright. Although Spaceman is a native of New Brunswick, NJ., he was adopted by the Queens cats, making him one of the pioneers of that early Queens sound that gravitated around the world. He has enhanced the recordings of Miles Davis, James Blood Ulmer, Sly & Robbie (Jamaican reggae legends), Hamiet Bluiett, Frank Ocean (R&B singer songwriter), Roberta Flack, Robert Glasper, LL Cool J, Nancy Wilson, Sly Stone, Dave Saborn, Alicia Keys, Sun Ra, the Isley Brothers, La India, Bootsie Collins, James Brown, and Michael Henderson.

He’s produced projects for Melvin Van

Peebles, Monifah, and Bill Cosby, and his television credits cover the Cosby Show and its spinoff, “A Different World.” He was the bandleader and music line director for the TV series “New York Undercover.”

“I originally came to New York for two weeks, to work with Hamiet Bluiett in Charles Mingus’ Band and it lasted for three years,” said Spaceman. “So much happened during that period — it was amazing. My first recording date took place at Sam River’s Studio Rivbea with musicians Hamiet, Olu Dara, and Juney Booth.”

Spaceman left his studies behind at Berklee College of Music to tour with renowned organist Larry Young. This association led to his playing with James Blood Ulmer and meeting Ornette Coleman, who gave the guitarist insight into his concept of harmolodic music. The illustrious composer of film, classical music, dance, and jazz, Coleridge-

Taylor Perkinson, gave him the fundamentals of film scoring. Early on, as Miles moved to fusion and technology, Herbie Hancock informed the young Spaceman that technology was going to be the new thing. He also informed me that Hancock appeared on Stevie Wonder’s album “Songs in the Key of Life,” (Tamia 1977) and he can be heard on the song “AS” in that hard-hittin’ Fender Rhodes piano solo.

For this afternoon gig, Spaceman’s Celestials will include his working band with deep ties: drummer Victor Jones, bassist Barry “Son John” Johnson, saxophonist Jay Rodriguez, and percussionist Chuggy Carter. “We have an understanding of each other’s sensibilities, and we keep moving forward like Miles — he was always about change,” Spaceman said. “I was so honored to have worked with him.”

Spaceman’s soon to be released album

(three-volume set) is entitled “Welcome to My World.” A short list of all-star guest artists includes Wallace Roney, Gary Bartz, Will Calhoun, Alex Blake, and Don Bradon.

“We will be playing music from the new album,” said the guitarist. “I am a student of the music and consistently growing, so it will be a combination of all I’ve experienced over the years, so it might be anything. I’ve always been searching to find the secret to connect to people. That is so important — we play to have a good time, pat your foot, or take you on a journey in that creative spiral.”

This will be Spaceman’s maiden voyage to NJMH and he’s very excited about his upcoming performance. “I’m thankful to JFA for creating this venue for musicians to express themselves, as well as helping those in need,” he said.

All three events at NJMH are free and open to the public.

It’s only fitting that someone of Kenny Kirkland’s piano virtuosity be celebrated in honor of what would been his 70th birthday at Dizzy’s jazz club by trumpeter, composer, and bandleader Etienne Charles and the Creole Orchestra on September 25–28. Kirkland played a role in influencing the sound of jazz through his extended collaborations with Wynton and Branford Marsalis, Sting, and his own inventive recordings. Charles and the Creole Orchestra will combine these classics with fresh arrangements and a big taste of his Caribbean roots, inspired by rhythmic energy, generating an evening of memorable tribute and a spirited party.

In Kirkland’s brief life, dying at the age of 43 (1998), he was an instrumental force in the jazz community, particularly during his work with the Marsalis brothers, appearing on some of their memorable albums that included Branford’s quartet on the “Mo’ Better Blues” soundtrack for Spike Lee’s film (Sony Music, 1990) and “Requiem,” Kirkland’s last recording before his transition in November 1998; it was dedicated to his memory. The album included band members Eric Revis and Jeff “Tain ” Watts.” Kirkland also appeared on Wynton’s Grammy-winning album “Hot House Flowers” (Columbia, 1984).

Kirkland recorded and toured with Sting, playing alongside Branford, which took them outside the jazz realm. He later became the pianist under Branford’s role as bandleader for NBC TV’s “The Tonight Show with David Letterman.” For many years, Kirkland worked alongside drummer Watts in the Marsalis brothers’ bands and recording together on various projects. Watts performed on Kirkland’s self-titled debut album (GRP, 1991). The album featured critically acclaimed the Gonzalez brothers, Branford, Christian McBride, Steve Berrios, Charnett Moffett, Don Alias, and Rodrick Ward.

For ticket info, visit the jazz.org. Two shows are scheduled for each night.

Spaceman Patterson. (Photo courtesy of the artist)

during the Attica Riots in 1971.

At least seven incarcerated people died during the strikes, according to the New York Times. The walkout also cost the state tens of millions of dollars as the National Guard stepped in during their absence. Some staff were fired for refusing to return to work. Still, the state listened to their demands and established a HALT committee to look at revisions.

Through litigation and tips from people inside prison, the Legal Aid Society learned that DOCCS actually suspended the solitary ban entirely for at least 90 days following the strikes. In July, the courts granted a pre-

liminary injunction stopping the attempt to halt HALT. A month later, Legal Aid filed a contempt motion against DOCCS, accusing the agency of failing to disclose whether the law’s “core protections” were reinstated.

The opponents of HALT now hope the state legislature, which no longer boasts a democratic supermajority, will take on recommendations from the committee formed by the strikes. Their 10 recommendations include expanding which offenses qualify for solitary confinement and allowing for protective custody, which often leads to isolating LGBTQ+ people in prison for their own safety.

However, the recommendations also include lifting barriers set by HALT for more participation in programming. The law’s proponents see pro-social activities as the

key solution to reducing prison violence and preparing incarcerated individuals for reentry. Wright credits his marriage for helping turn his life around while serving time.

“The goal of the HALT Committee is to provide the legislature with recommendations to enhance safety for both our staff and the incarcerated, while maintaining the core principles and intent of the HALT Act,”

said DOCCS Commissioner Daniel F. Martuscello III. “We believe we have achieved this goal in a way that will ultimately lead to better outcomes and safer facilities. It is my hope that the legislature considers these changes as an important evolution of the HALT Act that reflects all we have learned since its inception in March 2022.”

The New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) condemned the proposals, accus-

ing the HALT committee of being stacked “entirely” with the law’s opponents. The state’s ACLU affiliate is also embroiled in litigation with DOCCS over HALT and recently filed its own contempt motion after courts ruled the department violated the solitary ban.

“DOCCS is not a lawmaker, and the agency cannot just defy a law it doesn’t like and has steadfastly refused to implement,” said NYCLU policy counsel Bernadette Rabuy in a statement. “These rollbacks are especially egregious considering the humanitarian crisis that is New York’s state prison system. They are a brazen effort to subvert the will of New Yorkers, who voted for legislators that rightly removed the torture of long-term solitary confinement from our laws.”

alternatives, in 2022. It hasn’t passed into law just yet.

In the meantime, Adams signed an executive order to “prepare” for the ban to become law and create a process for the voluntary return of licenses from owners.

“To be clear, we will not abandon the drivers themselves, who are honest, hardworking New Yorkers,” said Adams in a statement. “I have directed our agencies to identify new employment opportunities for those in this industry and create a process for voluntary return of licenses. We are also open to exploring a new program for electric carriages so New Yorkers and visitors can continue to enjoy the majesty of Central Park.”

The TWU Local 100 had endorsed Adams in his 2021 run for Mayor. Despite promises of new employment opportunities, the union felt that Adams “sold his soul to real estate developers.” They claim that the

animal rights group New Yorkers for Clean, Livable, and Safe Streets (NYCLASS), which championed Ryder’s Law, is “actually a front for real estate interests that want to develop the four horse stables on Manhattan’s West Side.”

“With his call to end the horse carriage industry, Mayor Adams has betrayed working-class New Yorkers, which is an absolute disgrace,” posted Local 100 President John V. Chiarello. “It’s disappointing to see Adams, who is polling dead last in the mayor’s race, now abandon hardworking people who make their living taking part in an ageold New York tradition.”

Meanwhile, NYCLASS lauded Adams for taking “lifesaving” measures to protect people and horses from the industry’s illegal and dangerous practices. The group called for New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and the council to pass the bill.

“For too long, New Yorkers have witnessed terrifying runaway horses, crashes in Central Park and into vehicles on traffic-clogged streets, human injuries and

near fatalities, and horses collapsing and dying on our roads. This cruelty and danger must end,” said NYCLASS Executive Director Edita Birnkrant. “Now the City Council must do its part.”

Republican mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa has been a diehard advocate for the horse-drawn carriage ban and stood in solidarity with Adams in calling for an end to the industry. Interestingly enough, former Governor Andrew Cuomo also threw his support behind the ban.

“Horse-drawn carriage rides are part of the romantic image of this city, but in 2025 we must face the facts about how outdat-

ed, unsafe, and potentially inhumane the practice has become,” said Cuomo in a statement. “New York is the greatest city on Earth, but its streets are no place for horses. Allowing horse-drawn carriages to continue to operate is not fair to these animals, and –– as we’ve witnessed several times in recent months –– poses a danger to the public in the event they break free and bolt. As mayor, I would seek a full ban on horse-drawn carriages in this city. My opponents and I all have different visions for the future of New York City, but this is one issue where we are all in agreement: Let’s free the horses.”

Harlem represents! Images from the 56th Annual African American Day Parade

AmNews Staff

Thousands of revelers gathered in Harlem on Sept. 21 for the Annual African American Day Parade (AADP), now in its 56th year.

The two-mile parade route stretched along Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard,

featuring the best New York’s Black community had to offer: marching bands, community organizations, performance groups, floats, fraternities and sororities, and civil servants. Numerous celebrities and public figures appeared too.

Among the grand marshals were Dr. Tony Allen, president of Delaware State

University; Dr. Martin Lamelle Jr., president of Grambling State University; and Dr. Patrice Ramsey, president of Medgar Evers College.

This year’s theme —“Education is Our #1 Priority”— highlighted the importance of civic engagement. Parade officials honored college presidents from historically

Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), local principals, and education leaders who have made significant contributions to the African American community.

If you were there, you probably took lots of photos, but check some from our own Bill Moore.

(Bill Moore photos)

food. It was pretty expensive, but I could see the difference,” said Desire.

Desire saw the problems that were rising. From difficulty accessing food for her mother to cyclists asking for more coupons to get fresh food to eat at home and on the ride, Desire knew there was a problem. She also pointed out that there is plenty of food in Harlem, but it isn’t healthy. That’s when she realized that food insecurity was not only access to food, but also the timing of the food.

“So, what time can someone access these foods? Because, yeah, grocery stores are open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., but if nothing is in there that’s nutritious for you, it really doesn’t matter that it’s convenient,” Desire said. “And then talking about health, especially with seniors, I started seeing a reduction of just, like, seniors eating healthier produce, or you had a lot of seniors who could taste that the food did not taste good.”

Due to the increase in food insecurity around Desire, she knew that the one thing she could do to contribute to the community was to bring in fresh food. She brought in the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Program, which started in 2021 in the Bronx.

The CSA Program is for those who want to receive fresh produce. What makes Desire’s CSA Program different from the rest is that she brings in what she feels the members need. For example, Desire explained how she likes Okra, and most of the members had never seen, looked at, or known about Okra.

“And so now, they just ask for Okra every week, and they’ll tell me stories about what they do with their Okra, and they’re just like, fascinated about it,” said Desire. “We just try to mix it up with different food, and everyone says that they finish their food by the end of the week because they enjoy it. And this year, we included cooking demos and recipes.”

Desire noticed how people started to get involved, and have conversations about what they’re making and how the food tastes, and even seeing palates changing.

Making food more sufficient – and available In a time when inflation is skyrocketing, so is the food insufficiency rate in New York State. As of April 2025, the New York Health Foundation reported that the food insufficiency rate in New York State is 10.4% higher than during the early days of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 (10.2%), and food insufficiency disproportionately affects Black and Brown New Yorkers, as they are more than twice as likely to experience food insufficiency compared to white New Yorkers. That is why Desire chose to start Uptown & Boogie, and she has her work cut out for her.

For Desire, a typical day of running a farmer’s market is what she describes as a “onewoman show.” She buys the food, ensures that the farmer she’s working with is set up, frequently seeks out vendors who want to participate in the market, and uses social media marketing.

“I bring in the fruit, set up the market, and greet people,” said Desire. “If we have interns,

I manage the interns for the season.”

The internship program at Uptown & Boogie Healthy Project is mainly for the spring and summer. The non-profit had 23 students as interns this past summer. What Desire did differently for this internship was that she gave everyone tasks that she usually does and broke them down into different groups.

“We have the STEM group that works with the garden. The garden interns worked on maintaining the garden, the business aspect of the garden, like adding events, doing volunteer days,” Desire stated. “We had two interns, one intern focused on events, volunteers, and projects in the garden to help make the garden more efficient, and the second intern, who had a tech background, worked on the greenhouse and The Greenhouse Initiative.”

Desire explained that they had three projects in the greenhouse that used agricultural technology. Desire did the electrical work inside the greenhouse, and the intern implemented how an automated irrigation system would look.

She also had a marketing group in different segments, with a team that did the farmers’ market marketing. They called the vendors, created newsletters, and managed the social media. A marketing person for the garden was also brought in, promoting events that happened in the garden and the CSA Program.

There was also a tech team. They created a dashboard where the CSA Program members log in to make payments and get communication updates. A kids’ team was also included, and the interns managed the Farmers’ Market Kids’ Club.

Lastly, a graphics team worked with the tech team to ensure that the interface was correct and what the CSA Program members wanted.

“We just want to make sure that the agriculture world knows these people exist, and they should be invited in,” said Desire. “And then the kids, you know, the youth or people outside looking for a career change, can also look into agriculture, but we need to be able to bring them together.”

Desire’s proudest but saddest moments about Uptown & Boogie are when she sees her vendors, interns, and children participating in the kid activities grow and flourish. However, it makes Desire sad, especially with her vendors, when they leave. Despite this, it gives Desire confidence because her “tiny but mighty” market is helping the vendors gain the confidence to expand their product into other avenues.

Desire stated that people can help their community’s health and food access by volunteering, attending community board meetings, contacting their council members, and voting for people who care about their health and farmers’ markets.

“A lot of politicians use pantries as a photo op. Like, no, these are people who need food,” Desire stated. “We need to make leaders take it seriously that we’re not a photo op. Food struggles and food concerns are not a photo op. It is something that you should address in your campaign and budgets.”

If you accepted or processed Discover credit cards between 2007–2023, you could be eligible to get a payment from a class action settlement.

**YOU MAY BE ENTITLED TO A SETTLEMENT PAYMENT**

To receive a payment, file a claim by May 18, 2026

WHAT IS THIS ABOUT?

A proposed class action settlement has been reached in three related lawsuits. The lawsuits allege that, beginning in 2007, Discover misclassified certain Discover-issued consumer credit cards as commercial credit cards, which in turn caused merchants and others to incur excessive interchange fees. The misclassification did not impact cardholders. Discover denies the claims in the lawsuits, and the Court has not decided who is right or wrong. Instead, the proposed settlement, if approved, will resolve the lawsuits and provide benefits to Settlement Class Members.

WHO IS INCLUDED?

The Settlement Class includes all End Merchants, Merchant Acquirers, and Payment Intermediaries involved in processing or accepting a Misclassified Card Transaction during the period from January 1, 2007 through December 31, 2023. To view the full Settlement Class definition, including defined terms and excluded entities, go to www.DiscoverMerchantSettlement.com.

WHAT CAN I GET?

To receive a settlement payment, with very limited exceptions, you will need to file a claim by May 18, 2026 and/or provide additional information to the Settlement Administrator. Under the proposed settlement, Discover will make payments to eligible Settlement Class Members who submit valid claims. Discover has agreed to pay between $540 million and $1.225 billion plus interest in connection with this settlement. Your settlement payment amount will be calculated based on a variety of factors.

YOUR OTHER OPTIONS.

You can file a claim for a payment by May 18, 2026 and/or provide additional information. Alternatively, you can exclude yourself from the settlement by opting out, in which case you will receive no payment under this settlement and retain any right you may have to sue Discover about the claims in these lawsuits or related to the Misclassified Card Transactions. If you do not exclude yourself, and the Court approves the settlement, you will be bound by the Court’s orders and judgments and will release any claims against Discover in these lawsuits or related to the Misclassified Card Transactions. If you do not exclude yourself, you can object to or comment on any part of the settlement. The deadline to either exclude yourself or object to the settlement is March 25, 2026. Visit the website for information on how to exercise these options.

Health

Screening saves lives: the reality about prostate cancer and Black men

By HEATHER M. BUTTS, JD, MPH, MA Special to the AmNews

According to the American Cancer Society Black men have an estimated 70% to 110% higher incidence and mortality rate for prostate cancer than white men overall in the U.S.

To Dr. Jonathan Fainberg, assistant professor at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Weill Cornell Medical College it is good that September is designated to spread awareness of the disease, but the real key all year round is early detection.

“Early detection of cancer is critical across nearly every cancer because we know that treatment of early cancer can be minimal treatment with few side effects. Whereas if we wait, treating things that are more advanced tend to require more aggressive treatments with more side effects.”

In the Black community, though, there is a reason it affects men more often than white men.

“Historically, it was always thought that African American men or men of African and Caribbean ancestry had more aggressive prostate cancer than white or European men because they tended to die more often from prostate cancer than their nonBlack counterparts,” Fainberg explained.

However, as the science in genetics has studied the disease, it’s become clear that a tremendous portion of the reason that Black men dying more often from prostate cancer than their non-Black men is linked to screening.

“Biologically there are many similarities between Black and white men with prostate cancer,” he said. “[This] goes back to the importance of screening and access to

health care and access to high quality doctors that an individual man can have an individualized approach to managing his cancer. We know that screening saves lives and in communities that have historically had little access to screening, the importance of screening must be overstated.”

Prostate cancer occurs when abnormal cells located within the prostate gland divide and grow in an uncontrolled manner.

PUBLIC NOTICE

Early signs of prostate cancer can include: blood in the urine and semen, needing to urinate more frequently or difficulty urinating, and waking up at night to urinate. Detecting prostate cancer early can be done in a variety of ways. A digital rectal exam involves a healthcare provider checking for possible areas of the prostate that may indicate cancer. The prostate makes a protein called protein-specific antigen (PSA) which if elevated could indicate cancer or some other disease of the prostate.

Fainberg says patients are usually referred to a urologist after their primary care doctor administers a blood test called a PSA (prostate specific antigen) for the cancer. Most commonly, the primary care doctor will order the test to check the blood. If the PSA level comes back elevated, they’ll refer you to a urologist.

“If [the PSA] is elevated, the next step is to wait and repeat the PSA because about half of patients will have a normal PSA. If the PSA remains elevated on the repeat test, typically then we need to start doing more to both image the prostate gland and to decide if there’s cancer inside of it, and fur-

ther to decide if that cancer warrants treatment.”

He added that a healthcare provider may also suggest a biopsy, which involves inserting a needle to get a sample of prostate tissue to examine in a lab.

“The most common way that we diagnose prostate cancer is with a prostate biopsy, which is a procedure where we put needles inside of the prostate to take out small fragments of tissue and then look at that tissue under the microscope.”

Estimates are that in 2025, approximately 313,780 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed in the United States and there will be 35,770 deaths from prostate cancer. Also, there is a 12.9% lifetime probability of being diagnosed with prostate cancer.

“We know that not all prostate cancers need treatment. What’s really important is an individualized approach to PSA screening and prostate cancer management because we know that prostate cancer is very common … the decision of whether or not to treat a man with prostate cancer is very nuanced and detailed and involves a lot of thinking and discussion with the urologist and the patient to try and decide what’s best for the individual patient.”

Over time, this can impact other parts of the body.

(Pexels/Ninthgrid)

Solutions That Empower

tenants in the building agreed to buy as opposed. The act was intended to crackdown on eviction rates and protect lowincome tenants.

“It’s such an easier way to actually create home ownership opportunities,” said Erica Buckley, who leads the Cooperatives & Condominiums and State Attorneys General practices for Nixon Peabody. “And again, we’ve had the Martin Act for years in New York, and we’ve had a lot of homeownership historically through rental to co-op and condo conversions. So we know this is like a tried and true way to actually create homeownership.”

Yildirim said that the 2019 law change “dramatically reduced” conversion activity. The data shows that five conversion plans, with 103 total units, were submitted from July 2019 to June 2020, compared to 22 plans with 2,324 units submitted from July 2018 to June 2019.

Knowing the difference between Condos and Co-ops

The simplest explanation is that condos are for the individual tenant to own within the building, while cooperative housing (co-ops) are for the collective of tenants to own and operate

the whole building, said Arielle Hersh, director of policy and new projects at Urban Homesteading Assistance Board (UHAB). Her organization deals mostly with permanently affordable Housing Development Fund Corporation (HDFC) co-ops.

Both condo and co-op conversions have benefits and drawbacks. For one thing, the process to convert a building to a co-op can take years, and it is costly. Or, facing the weight of responsibility and ownership while navigating partnership in the building can be difficult, said Hersh.

Claudia Waterton, 44, a South Bronx resident, is one of several former tenants who purchased their 21-unit building from a corrupt landlord in 2022 with the assistance of UHAB. The building is located at 700 E 134th St. Although lauded as a historic step, Waterton confirmed that the building is technically still in the process of converting to a co-op. She said she is proud to be an owner, even though the conversion could take several more years to complete, and plans to leave her property to family members when she passes.

“It’s a longer process than I think most people realize. Longer than I re -

alized,” said Waterton. “We started with 17 people and now we’re down to 11. It’s been such a long process that some of the people who left [life happened]. One guy was single, now he’s married, and they moved. One guy got married and had a baby, and they moved. The last person got lottery housing and left.”

Hersh posits that the sharp decline in conversions is a culmination of a postCOVID city, skyrocketing building material and rehabilitation costs, and higher interest rates.

Landlords making it happen

A condo conversion is a shorter, and slightly less bureaucratic process, said Buckley.

“Now we’re basically telling them, instead of paying rent, pay the mortgage,” said Brecher. “Now your name is on deed, you are the actual owner. You are the master of your domain going forward.”

Brecher is pushing for more condo conversions that are geared toward tenants since his New York-based mortgage lending company is promising competitive mortgage rates. He said landlords “aren’t making a ton of money” off this deal but should keep the affordability

aspect intact for tenants. He is in the process of converting eight of his own buildings and consulting on 20 additional properties. He sees condo conversions as a way of effectuating TOPA without the need for costly government subsidies.

Leveraging resources from the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HPD), Brecher plans on ensuring tenants have the tools they need to buy. This might include access to downpayment assistance and conventional financing, offering legal counsel to residents who form a tenant association, and working with local and state elected officials in an effort to be transparent.

“I think one of the interesting things about New York specifically is that the condo value is so high,” said Brecher. “So delivering these units to the tenant, while there’s so much additional equity that they’re gaining day one, on top of that, really creates a scenario where it is affordable… When you’re the homeowner as opposed to the tenants, you’re going to make sure you’re going to protect that equity because that’s your generational wealth.”

Religion & Spirituality

Clergy declare Operation Liberty is a moral response to ICE raids Bishop Barber joined

California faith leaders and the Save America Movement to launch rapidresponse vans to resist authoritarianism.

By REV. DOROTHY S. BOULWARE Word in Black

After a summer full of terror, faith leaders in California are choosing hope — and putting it on wheels. The sound of blessing fell over Los Angeles as faith leaders laid hands on three vans with a singular mission: to protect families living in fear of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

On September 20, the Save America Movement (SAM) launched Operation Liberty, a rapid-response effort designed to watch the watchers — and offer sanctuary where the law has turned its back.

In this season of ICE raids, Operation Liberty puts trained volunteers — lawyers, clergy, videographers, and even veterans — directly on the ground, riding in Liberty One, Two, and Three. Their charge? To document ICE activity as it happens, hold government accountable, and stand shoulder to shoulder with neighbors. It is a movement rooted in vigilance, solidarity, and moral courage

“Los Angeles will always stand with families under threat,” said Mayor Karen Bass at the launch. “Angelenos are showing the country that when our immunities are targeted, we respond with solidarity, with resources, and with an unbreakable commitment to justice.”

It’s about democracy

For Bishop William J. Barber II, president and senior lecturer of Repairers of the Breach, Operation Liberty isn’t just about ICE. “It’s about democracy itself,” Barber

reminded the crowd. “When government agencies target our neighbors in the shadows, we shine a light. Operation Liberty is a moral response to immoral actions, and it is what this moment demands of us.”

Barber, who is also a professor at Yale Divinity School and longtime leader in the fight for justice, made it plain:

“The local organizations that have come together to welcome these Liberty Vans to Los Angeles will work with the community to send video crews to sites of ICE raids to shine a light on the immoral actions of masked agents and to spotlight the moral response of neighbors who are standing together to say ‘Not in

our name.’”

SAM itself came into being as a counterweight to what it calls the rapidly escalating authoritarian threat posed by the MAGA movement. Operation Liberty, organizers said, is the people’s way of saying there will be no unchecked power, not in their neighborhoods, not in this democracy.

The human toll

Speakers like Pedro Perdomo, a plaintiff in a case against ICE, spoke about the threat of being detained and ultimately deported out of the U.S. to countries they have no experience with.

“What happened to me is happening to many of us. We deserve respect, not persecution,” Perdomo said. “Nobody should be kidnapped from the street like what happened to me. Nobody should live in fear because they want to work with honesty. I know that, in times like this, when the judges and our courts fail, when cruelty becomes law, it’s only the people who can save the people.”

For Nephtalia, a 15-year-old who only gave her first name, the devastation hit home the day her father was swept up with five other workers in a raid at a Pasadena car wash.

“My dad was our provider, our joy, and our strength. He made sure there was food on our table and always showed his love in small ways,” she said through tears. “And after work, he would bring us little surprises, like candy, chips, and most of the time, without us even asking. And his absence has changed our lives in ways we never imagined.”

Her plea was simple: Communities must “adopt” and create safe spaces where immigrants work and gather, such as car washes, corners, and restaurants.

Authoritarianism will not go unchecked

Fabian Núñez, speaking for SAM’s Steering Committee, issued a challenge with fire: “With Liberty One, Two, and Three now on the road, the message is clear: Authoritarianism will not go unchecked.”

Barber thanked the citizens and groups who turned out for the launch. “Operation Liberty is not just a program, it’s a promise,” he said. “Together, we will continue to shine light where there is darkness, to protect families where there is fear, and to fight for liberty where it is threatened. Thank you all for standing with SAM, for standing with each other, and for standing for America’s promise.”

Save America Movement (SAM) announced national kickoff of Operation Liberty, a rapid-response and civic empowerment initiative to ensure American people have clear understanding of actions and impact of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in our communities. (Save America Movement via Word in Black photo)

Daniel’s Law

Additionally, the bill incentivizes local governments with state funding to move towards developing non-police mental health response programs. Brouk, who chairs the State Senate’s Committee on Mental Health, adds that these teams would likely help cost-cutting as they are cheaper than “deploying law enforcement indiscriminately.”

While the bill awaits passage, this year’s state budget invested millions in Daniel’s Law provisions, like a technical help center and several pilot programs. Such measures are guided by the Daniel’s Law Task Force created by state law two years ago.

“Oftentimes when looking [at legislation], this transformative, that’s reforming a deeply entrenched system like our emergency and crisis service system, you often do see that pieces of a bill will get passed,” said Brouk. “And it won’t be until later that the entire bill is passed. Some of it is because the state government works slowly. These are hundreds of millions of dollars in investment, and you can learn a lot by doing a phased-in approach.

“We deliberately put the Daniel’s Law Task Force into a previous budget so that we could really study what implementation would look like in New York State…what they came up with was the Technical Assistance Center and also a phased-in approach.”

The task force examined existing programs, particularly Crisis Assistance Helping Out On The Streets (CAHOOTS), a mobile response unit that ceased longtime operations in Eugene, Ore., earlier this year due to funding (it still operates in the nearby Springfield, Ore.). For three decades, duos consisting of a crisis worker and a medical professional were deployed to mental health calls without a single documented death or serious injury.

Another program, Toronto’s Gerstein Centre, was also highlighted by the task force. In 2023, Human Rights Watch researchers told the AmNews the Canadian service provider served as a strong “rightrespecting” alternative model to Mayor Eric Adams’ then-directive to push involuntary commitments.

Rochester, which is in Brouk’s district, launched HOPE First Roc, the first “Daniel’s Law-styled” mental health response team, this past July. The pilot is based on tried-and-true models like CAHOOTS and Denver’s Support Team Assisted Responder (STAR). Starting this fall, the Daniel’s Law Coalition-backed program will deploy in Rochester’s 19th Ward and Genesee-Jefferson neighborhoods — which boast majority Black populations — to offer voluntary, civilian crisis support.

However, Daniel’s Law proponents do not know what New York City’s nonpolice response program is based on. The city launched the B-HEARD pilot in spring 2021, originally servicing the

Harlem area. But the program faces regular criticism from mental health advocates. More than half of the calls requesting a B-HEARD were deemed ineligible according to the NYC Comptroller’s Office report this past March, sometimes due to unavailable dispatchers. Even a third of eligible calls did not receive the program’s services.

New York City also faces a discrimination lawsuit accusing the NYPD-led mental health responses of violating the Americans with Disabilities Act, filed by several organizations included in the Daniel’s Law Coalition, like New York Lawyers for the Public Interest and VOCAL-NY. Last year, the U.S. Department of Justice weighed in on the class action, asking the courts to look at how people with mental illness were singled out by the city for police responses while other health conditions received a medical response.

Advocates demand justice for Win Rozario

Almost exactly four years after Prude’s death, Queens teenager Win Rozario called 911 on himself during a mental health crisis. Hailing from Ozone Park and the son of an airport worker, he originally emigrated from Bangladesh and quickly taught himself how to play basketball after arriving in the United States. He cooked for his mom and was an animal-lover with aspirations of owning his own farm.

NYPD officers Salvatore Alongi and Matthew Cianfrocco drew their tasers, and

then guns, within two minutes of entering Rozario’s home on March 27, 2024, based on bodycam footage released by Attorney General Letitia James. They fatally shot him when he got hold of kitchen scissors after his mother, Notan Eva Costa, tried to deescalate and restrain him, before ultimately attempting to shield him.

For more than a year, Rozario’s family called for accountability. On Sept. 10, the Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB), the city’s independent police oversight agency, substantiated misconduct charges against Alongi and Cianfrocco.

Organizations like the South Asian advocacy group Desis Rising Up & Moving (D.R.U.M.) and the Justice Committee for families of police violence joined in organizing efforts by rallying at CCRB meetings and calling the offices of the Mayor and Police Commissioner. They also raised money for Rozario’s family to move apartments so they would not be reminded of where he was killed.

“Win’s mom still had to cook in the same kitchen that her son was killed in,” said D.R.U.M. racial justice organizer Simran Thind. “It was only through D.R.U.M. and [Justice Committee] organizing [that] we raised money to make sure that the families were able to move [and] find a new place.”

However, the clock was running out to serve the officers within 18 months of the misconduct complaint last week. After the deadline, CCRB prosecutors would need

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Notice of Formation of Reese Peters Design LLC.

Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 09/05/2025.

Office Location: New York, NY.

SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to: 184 Franklin St Apt 5 New York NY 10013.

Purpose: To engage in any lawful act or activity permitted under the laws of the State of New York.

Management: The LLC is managed by Members.

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.

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.

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.

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

M/WBE bids sought for 1827 Waterloo Place, Bronx NY construction project. A scope meeting will be held on September, 29 2025. Contact bidding@taxaceny.com for details.

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.

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.

Manor Of Collective LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 08/05/2025. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 13 Saint Marks Place Apt 9F, New York, NY 10003. Purpose: Any lawful act.

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*}

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.

THE DOCUMENTARY HELP-

LINE 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.

Crystal Venning Law PLLC (TX PLLC; formed 4/26/22). App. for Auth. filed 7/15/25 w/ SSNY to transact NY Cty. SSNY desig. svc. of proc. agent; mail: 125 Park Ave, 25th Fl, NY, NY 10017. TX off.: 440 Louisiana St, Ste 900, Houston, TX 77002. PLLC Cert. w/ TX SOS, P.O. Box 13697, Austin, TX 78711. Any lawful purpose.

NOTICE OF FORMATION

UNDERCOVER MOH LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/16/25. Office: New York County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: Nicole Lefkowitz, 25 Water St., Apt. 744, New York, NY 10004.

NOTICE OF 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*}

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.

Barbary Collective LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 8/12/25. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 447 Broadway #3000, NY, NY 10013. Purpose: Any lawful act.

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

SOUL ARTISTIC TRENDS ART COMPANY LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 05/21/2025. Office location: NEW YORK County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 950 EVERGREEN AVE, 2L , BRONX, NY, 10473. Purpose: Any lawful act.

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.

aceny.com for details.

M/WBE bids sought for 1978 Needham Ave Bronx, NY construction project. A scope meeting will be held on September, 29 2025 Contact bidding@tax-

NOTICE OF LEGAL POSTPONEMENT OF SALE

SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF New York , Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, as Trustee for the Registered Holders of Wells Fargo Commercial Mortgage Securities, Inc., Multifamily Mortgage Pass-Through Certificates, Series 2017-SB34 , Plaintiff, vs . RH 532 West 159 Street LP , ET AL., Defendant(s).Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale and Decision + Order on Motion duly entered on June 3, 2025 , I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY 10007 on October 8, 2025 at 2:15 p.m., premises known as 532 West 159th Street, New York, NY 10032. 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 2117 and Lot 20. Approximate amount of judgment is $3,174,348.32 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #850547/2023. The original sale was scheduled for September 10, 2025 at the same time and location.

Christy M. Demelfi, Esq., Referee McCarter & English, LLP, 250 W 55th Street, 13th Floor, New York, New York 10019, Attorneys for Plaintiff

SUPREME COURT-NEW YORK COUNTY- HILTON RESORTS CORP., Pltf. v. DAVID F. HURWITT as Administrator of the Estates of DAVID F. HURWITT and SUSAN HURWITT, Defts. - Index # 850288/2024. Pursuant to Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated September 8, 2025, I will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse located at 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on Wednesday, October 15, 2025, at 2:15 pm, an interest of an undivided 0.01972800000% and an interest of an undivided 0.00986400000% tenants in common interests in the timeshare known as 57TH STREET VACATION SUITES located at 102 West 57th Street, New York, NY. Approximate amount of judgment is $16,637.91 plus costs and interest as of June 27, 2025. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale which includes annual maintenance fees and charges. Paul Sklar, Esq., Referee. Cruser, Mitchell, Novitz, Sanchez, Gaston, & Zimet LLP, Attys. for Pltf., 341 Conklin Street, Farmingdale, NY.

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.

NEW YORK'S STUDIO SALON LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on April,21st 2025 Office location: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 10835 53Ave 2F, NY, New York 11368. Purpose: Any lawful act.

SUPREME COURT-NEW YORK COUNTY- HILTON RESORTS CORP., Pltf. v. VERONICA NKOSI, ANDREA B. THWALA and BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF HC SUITES OWNERS ASSOCIATION, INC., Defts. - Index # 850096/2021. Pursuant to Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated September 3, 2025, I will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the NY County Courthouse located 60 Centre Street, NY, NY on Wednesday, October 22, 2025, at 2:15 pm, an interest of an undivided 0.0450946335738578% tenant in common interest in the timeshare known as Phase I of HNY CLUB SUITES located at 1335 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York. Approximate amount of judgment is $73,631.96 plus costs and interest as of June 6, 2025. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale which includes annual maintenance fees and charges. Allison M. Furman, Esq., Referee. Cruser, Mitchell, Novitz, Sanchez, Gaston, & Zimet LLP, Attys. for Pltf., 341 Conklin Street, Farmingdale, NY.

NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF New York , CAPITAL ONE, N.A., Plaintiff, vs. KENNETH LAUB, ET AL., Defendant (s).

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered on October 11, 2022, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at ROOM 130 OF THE NEW YORK COUNTY COURTHOUSE, 60 CENTRE STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10007 on October 22, 2025 at 2:15 PM, premises known as 163 EAST 64TH STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10065 F/K/A 10021. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County, City and State of New York, Block: 1399 , Lot: 25. Approximate amount of judgment is $10,653,559.26 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 159315/2017. If the sale is set aside for any reason, the Purchaser at the sale shall be entitled only to a return of the deposit paid. The Purchaser shall have no further recourse against the Mortgagor, the Mortgagee, the Mortgagee's attorney, or the Referee.

DORON A. LEIBY, Esq., Referee

Roach & Lin, P.C., 6851 Jericho Turnpike, Suite 185, Syosset, New York 11791, Attorneys for Plaintiff

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.

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.

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK. 57TH ST. VACATION OWNERS ASSOCIATION, INC., BY AND THROUGH ITS BOARD OF DIRECTORS, Plaintiff -againstJOAN BAFALOUKAS, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated August 27, 2024, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street New York, NY on October 22, 2025 at 2:15 p.m. premises situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County of New York, City and State of New York, being an undivided ownership interest as tenant-incommon with other owners in the Timeshare Unit in the building located at 102 West 57th Street, New York, NY. Together with an appurtenant undivided .009864% common interest percentage. This is a foreclosure on ownership interest in a timeshare unit, a studio penthouse on a floating use basis every year, in accordance with and subject to declarations. Declaration of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions dated October 10, 2008 and October 31, 2008 as CFRN # 2008000426142 as recorded in the Office of the City Register, County, City and State of New York. The Timeshare Unit is also designated as Block 1009 and Lot 37. Said premises known as 102 WEST 57TH STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10019

Approximate amount of lien $16,962.73 plus interest & costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale. Index Number 850161/2023.

DORON LEIBY, ESQ., Referee DRUCKMAN LAW GROUP PLLC

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

DLG# 39125

{* AMSTERDAM*}

NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NEW YORK , Mary Djurasevic , Plaintiff, vs . Marcy Ellin Boucher, a/k/a Marcy Ellen Boucher, a/k/a Marcy E. Boucher a/k/a Marcy Boucher ET AL. , Defendant(s).

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale and Decision + Order on Motion dated January 30 , 2025, and duly entered May 21, 2025 I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the New York County Supreme Court, Room 130, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on October 29, 2025 at 2:15 p.m., premises known as 406 West 25 th Street, New York, N.Y. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of New York, County of New York, City and State of New York, Block 722 and Lot 45. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 850003/2024. Approximate amount of judgment is $5,298,632.71, together with interest and costs.

Jeffrey R. Miller, Esq., Referee

Law Offices of Morrison Cohen LLP, Joaquin Ezcurra, Esq., 909 Third Avenue, 27 th Floor, New York, NY 10022-4784, (212) 735-8600

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*}

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.

Notice of Formation of ANNIE'S NEW YORK LLC

Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/12/25. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 122072543. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

NOTICE OF 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*}

SUPREME COURT ‑ COUNTY OF NEW YORK.

OLYMPIC TOWER CONDO MINIUM BY ITS BOARD OF MANAGERS, Plaintiff ‑against‑ TAITAC CORP., et al Defen dant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated September 3, 2025 and entered on September 4, 2025, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Court house, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on Wednesday, Octo ber 29, 2025 at 2:15 p.m. premises situate, ly ing and being in the Borough of Manhattan, City, County and State of New York, the Unit known as Apartment No. 35G known as and by the street address number 641 Fifth Ave nue. Together with an undivided .2213396% interest in the Com mon Elements. Block: 1287 Lot: 1111 Said premises known as 641 FIFTH AVENUE, INIT 35G, NEW YORK, NY

SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK. ONESTONE LENDING LLC, Plaintiff -against- ALTA OPERATIONS, LLC, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated November 17, 2023 and entered on November 27, 2023 , I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street New York, NY on October 22, 2025 at 2:15 p.m. premises situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County and State of New York, known as The Tower Unit 10A in the building known as "One Riverside Park Condominium" together with an undivided 0.3653% interest in the common elements. Block: 1171 Lot: 2508. Said premises known as 50 RIVERSIDE BOULEVARD, UNIT 10A, NEW YORK, NY 10069. Approximate amount of lien $1,027,596.74 plus interest & costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale. Index Number 850198/2020. JERRY MEROLA, ESQ., Referee. The Camporeale Law Group PLLC, Attorney(s) for Plaintiff, 585 Stewart Avenue, 770, Garden City, NY 11530 {* AMSTERDAM*}

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

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.

HEXAGON INVESTORS LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 09/11/25. Office: New York County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, c/o Shivam Agarwal, 959 1st Avenue, Apartment 8P, New York, NY 10022, which also serves as the Registered Agent address. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Approximate amount of lien $43,233.60 plus interest & costs.

Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale. Index Number 159804/2024.

JEFFREY R. MILLER, ESQ., Referee

Schwartz Sladkus Reich Green berg Atlas LLP Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 444 Madison Ave., 6th Floor, New York, NY 10022

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.

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NEW YORK WILMINGTON SAVINGS FUND SOCIETY, FSB, NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY BUT SOLELY IN ITS CAPACITY AS OWNER TRUSTEE FOR CASCADE FUNDING MORTGAGE TRUST 2018-RM2, Plaintiff AGAINST DONALD ELFE, ET AL., Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered February 6, 2025, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the New York County Courthouse in Room 130, located at 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on October 22, 2025 at 2:15 PM, premises known as 245 West 123rd Street, New York, NY 10027. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, City, County and State of New York, Block 1929, Lot 12. Approximate amount of judgment $1,344,814.70 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #850007/2020. Doron Leiby, Esq., Referee Gross Polowy, LLC 1775 Wehrle Drive Williamsville, NY 14221 19-004389 86196

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NEW YORK WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A. SUCCESSOR BY MERGER TO WELLS FARGO HOME MORTGAGE, INC., Plaintiff AGAINST DOUGLAS E. SEWER, INDIVIDUALLY AND SURVIVING JOINT TENANT OF JOSEPH K. SEWER, ET AL., Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered May 1, 2025, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the New York County Courthouse in Room 130, located at 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on October 22, 2025 at 2:15 PM, premises known as 81 West 119 Street, New York, NY 10026. All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being in the City, County and State of New York, Block 1718 Lot 108. Approximate amount of judgment $1,333,945.21 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #850001/2010.

Christy M. Demelfi, Esq., Referee Gross Polowy, LLC 1775 Wehrle Drive Williamsville, NY 14221 00-161915 87004

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF ALEXANDER ALLANA GROUP LLC.

Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/09/2025.

Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against it may be served.

The Post Office address to which the SSNY shall mail a copy of any process against the LLC served upon him/her is: 1540 York Avenue, Apt 4L, New York, NY 10028. The principal business address of the LLC is: 1540 York Avenue, Apt 4L, New York, NY 10028. Dissolution date: None.

Purpose: Any lawful act or activity.

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT. NEW YORK COUNTY. USALLIANCE FEDERAL CREDIT UNION BY MERGER WITH NEW YORK METRO FEDERAL CREDIT UNION, Pltf. vs., UNKNOWN HEIRS AT LAW OF JAMES MCCASKILL A/K/A JAMES MC CASKILL, HIS NEXT OF KIN, DISTRIBUTEES, EXECUTORS, ADMINISTRATORS, TRUSTEES, DEVISEES, LEGATEES, ASSIGNEES, LIENORS, CEDITORS, AND SUCCESSORS IN INTEREST, AND GENERALLY ALL PERSONS HAVING OR CLAIMING, UNDER, BY OR THROUGH SAID DEFENDANT WHO MAY BE DECEASED, BY PURCHASE, INHERITANCE, LIEN OR OTHERWISE, ANY RIGHT TITLE OR INTEREST IN AND TO THE PREMISES DESCRIBED IN THE COMPLAINT HEREIN, ALL OF WHOM AND WHOSE NAMES AND PLACES OF RESIDENCE ARE UNKNOWN TO THE PLAINTIFF AND CANNOT AFTER DILIGENT INQUIRY BE ASCERTAINED, et al Deft. Index #850257/2022. Pursuant to judgment of foreclosure and sale entered August 12, 2024, I will sell at public auction at the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on October 29, 2025 at 2:15 p.m. prem. k/a 61 West 126 th Street, New York, NY 10027 a/k/a Block 1724, Lot 11. Approximate amount of judgment is $180,402.84 plus cost and interest. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed judgment and terms of sale and the right of the United States of America to redeem within 120 days from the date of sale as provided by law. CHRISTY M. DEMELFI, Referee., MARGOLIN, WEINREB & NIERER, LLP., Attys. for Pltf., 575 Underhill Blvd., Suite 224, Syosset, NY. #102541

Notice of Qualification of CASIMIR TECHNOLOGY, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/04/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 09/04/25. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Attn: Moritz Hilf, Vibrant Capital Partners, 350 Madison Ave., NY, NY 10017. DE addr. of LLC: c/o Corporation Service Co., 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State of the State of DE, Corp. Dept., Townsend Bldg., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of 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.

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 Qualification of BLACKSTONE ABF ASSOCIATES L.P.

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.

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.

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.

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 Formation of JC8687 LLC

Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/14/25. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Martin D. Hauptman, Esq., c/o Mandelbaum Barrett PC, 3 Becker Farm Rd., Ste. 105, Roseland, NJ 07068. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of CVTB LLC

Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/12/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 02/06/25. Princ. office of LLC: 100 Causeway St., Ste. 1120, Boston, MA 02114. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 122072543. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, Div. of Corps., 401 Federal St. - Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of GO LIC ADVISORY LLC

Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/09/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 05/07/25. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, Div. of Corps., John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of STEAMBOAT PROP ACQUISITION PARTNERS LLC

Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/09/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 08/06/25. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Michael Spizzuco, Esq., Brach Eichler L.L.C., 101 Eisenhower Pkwy., Roseland, NJ 07068. DE addr. of LLC: c/o Corporation Service Co., 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of 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 MILES ON HUDSON, LLC

Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/16/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 04/25/24. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of LIMA TOWERS DEVELOPER, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/13/25. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 6 Greene St., Ste. 500, NY, NY 10013. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 122072543. Purpose: To control the funds used to fund costs for acquisition and renovation of Lima Towers.

Notice of Formation of LESLIE-LOHMAN HOLDINGS LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/16/25. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, c/o Carter Ledyard & Milburn LLP, Attn: Christopher Rizzo, Esq., 28 Liberty St. - 41st Fl., NY, NY 10005. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

M/WBE bids sought for 1086 Dumont Ave Brooklyn, NY construction project. A scope meeting will be held on September, 29 2025. Contact bidding@taxaceny.com for details.

Notice of Qualification of NothingBetter Health Group, PLLC. Application for authority filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 9/5/2025. Office Location: NY County. PLLC formed in Virginia (VA) on 5/4/2025. SSNY designated as agent of PLLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 10304 Eaton Pl., Ste 100, Fairfax, VA 22030. Purpose: any lawful purpose.

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.

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 RBEC1 DEVELOPER, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/28/25. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 30 Hudson Yards, Fl. 72, NY, NY 10001. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of ROSEMOND PROPERTIES LLC

Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/08/25. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 195 Fenimore St., Brooklyn, NY 11225. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

M/WBE bids sought for 3741 White Plains, Bronx NY construction project. A scope meeting will be held on September, 29. Contact bidding@taxaceny. com for details.

Notice of Qualification of FIFTH AVENUE REAL ASSETS 7 LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/08/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 07/23/25. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, Div. of Corps., 401 Federal St., John G. Townsend Bldg., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

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

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.

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

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 Qualification of AP CREDIT SOLUTIONS HOLDINGS (AIV) II, L.P. Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 01/08/25. Office location: NY County. LP formed in Delaware (DE) on 12/26/24. Princ. office of LP: Attn: General Counsel, 9 W. 57th St., 43rd Fl., NY, NY 10019. Duration of LP is Perpetual.

4002 , NEW YORK, NY, 10018. Purpose: Any lawful act.

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.

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.

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.

Something Colorful Productions LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 06/24/25. Office location: New York County.

SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 100 Morningside Dr. Apt 1J, New York, NY 10027 Purpose: Any lawful act.

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

Adams indictment

AADP Breakfast

He was presented a proclamation from New York Secretary of State Walter Mosley for years of outstanding community service at the event. The breakfast ceremony was held at the awe-inspiring Harlem Parish on West

A host of elected leaders attended, ranging from New York State Attorney General Letitia James to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Numerous State Assembly members and City Council members, along with Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, were also present. Civil rights activist Reverend Al Sharpton was also in attendance and gave closing remarks. Mayor Eric Adams did not attend the AADP breakfast

James has successfully brought a civil fraud case and multiple lawsuits against President Donald Trump over the years. Recently, Trump targeted James in a social media post, directing

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and his newly nominated U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Lindsey Halligan, a former White House aide with no prior prosecutor experience, to find charges for a criminal case against her.

“This too shall pass,” said James, about the current political climate, as she addressed the packed church.

Several prominent women leaders in various fields received the Lifting As She Climbs legacy award. They include: Dr. Thelma Boozer Baxter, Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies (FPWA) CEO Jennifer Jones Austin, NYS Governor’s Chief of Staff Stacy Renae Lynch, National Urban League’s Jerika L. Richardson, communications leader Rachel Noerdlinger, mental health leader Mary D. Redd; Dr. Ilyasah Shabazz, board member of The Shabazz Center; former NYC First Deputy Mayor Sheena

Wright, NAACP Mid-Manhattan Branch President Kyndell Ann Reid, Choose Healthy Life Founder and Board Chair Debra FraserHowze, 99 Solutions Founder & CEO Jacquelyn A. Williams, and New York State NAACP Conference President L. Joy Williams.

Many of the recipients shared their fond memories of Dukes, and their intent to support the Black and Brown community in times of crisis.

“We have to remind people, ‘who we are.’ We have built this country from Wall Street to the White House. We are resilient people, and there is nothing we can’t overcome,” said Richardson.

“If you are a child of Ma Dukes, it should show by your deeds,” said Williams.

Democratic nominee and mayoral candidate Zohran

Mamdani, who walked in the AAD parade on Sunday afternoon, lamented that he had not gotten a chance to meet Dukes in person but was proud to march in the parade and honor her legacy.

“I know that when I speak about a vision of New York City that is just, that is affordable, that reflects the values of the city, it builds on the work of so many that came before me,” said Mamdani, speaking about the adverse effects of gentrification and the affordability crisis on Harlem’s historically Black community. “This parade is a celebration of Black excellence. It’s a celebration of the village of Harlem. And, it comes upon us as a responsibility to ensure that those are not just the achievements of the past, but that we continue them.”

1. Outside of the Harlem Parish church on West 118th Street in Harlem on Sunday, Sep 21, 2025.

2. The 56th Annual African American Day Parade (AADP) Breakfast was held at the Harlem Parish in Harlem

3. Twelve women were given the Lifting As She Climbs legacy award, named after the late Dr. Hazel N. “Ma” Dukes, at the breakfast event on Sept. 21.

(Ariama C. Long photos)

Daniel’s Law

to prove the officers committed a crime under a much higher burden of proof — such an issue delayed a disciplinary hearing for the killing of Allan Feliz in 2019 for roughly half a decade.

Last Thursday, Sept. 18, Rozario’s family and supporters took to One Police Plaza to call for Mayor Eric Adams and Commissioner Jessica Tisch to serve the officers before time ran out this month. Proponents included New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) executive director Donna Lieberman, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, and State Senator John Liu.

“The killing of Win Rozario is yet another devastating reminder that we must end our over-reliance on police as first responders,” said Lieberman. “That we must instead treat mental health crises as what they are: a public health issue, with police involved only if and when necessary.”

Just hours after the rally, Tisch served Alongi and Cianfrocco their charges. A long process awaits. The officers will undergo an NYPD disciplinary trial. They face termination if found guilty, based on departmental guidelines. However, any ruling by the NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Trials could be overruled by the police commissioner — earlier this year, Tisch decided not to fire Lt. Jonathan Rivera for killing Feliz despite a guilty verdict.

“The truth is, Alongi and Cianfrocco should already have been fired, and it’s painful that we still have the whole discipline process ahead of us,” said Costa in a statement. “I hope this means the NYPD won’t try to play tricks in the months ahead and that Alongi and Cianfrocco are fired as soon as possible. Without Win this past year and a half, I have felt like I lost a part of myself. I am fighting for Win and all New Yorkers so that all our children get a chance to grow up. Young people struggling with mental health issues should not live in fear of being killed by the NYPD.”

Thind points to organizing as key to securing the charges. She says D.R.U.M. is working more on advocating for removing police involvement from mental health responses on behalf of Rozario’s family.

Daniel’s Day continues in Brooklyn Win Rozario was one of many names remembered this past Saturday during Daniel’s Day programming in Crown Heights.

Assemblywoman Monique Chandler-Waterman hosts the event each year in the district since she won a special election for her seat in 2022. She learned of Daniel’s Day — which happens each Saturday of Prude’s birthday week — from other cities like Rochester and Albany.

Chandler-Waterman holds the event each year in her district on Utica Avenue between Montgomery Street and East

New York Avenue, where police killed Jamaican American Saheed Vassell during a mental health crisis in 2018. A few blocks away, NYPD officers killed Haitian American Eudes Pierre during a mental health response in 2021. Another Black New Yorker from Chandler-Waterman’s district, Dwayne Jeune, was also killed by the NYPD while experiencing a mental health condition in East Flatbush.

“We’re here to pay homage to these families,” Chandler-Waterman told the AmNews . “And making sure that we create a space for wellness and feeling, but also for people to understand what we’re doing in the state with Daniel’s Law… you got to make sure that there are services right now that we can get as a community for our loved ones [voluntarily] when they have a mental [health] crisis. So that’s what we’re advocating for.”

Pierre’s cousin Sheina Banatte spent the past half-decade championing mental health reform, including Daniel’s Law. She initially picked up the advocacy to comfort her grieving aunt and other cousin.

“At first, I was doing it for them to give them some hope,” said Banatte. “And to let them know that as much as Eudes matters to us, we’re going to make sure that he matters to other people, and they know that he’s not going to be defined by [how] he was killed. [but by] the way he lived, the way he loved.”

Today, Pierre and Vassell are remembered in Crown Heights beyond Daniel’s Day. In 2022, the city renamed a busy block on Eastern Parkway to Eudes Pierre Way. This year, the intersection of Crown Street and Utica Avenue was renamed Saheed Vassell Way.

Mamdani’s Department of Community Safety offers hope

During the Daniel’s Day programming in Crown Heights, healthcare union members from 1199SEIU reiterated their endorsement of Democratic mayoral hopeful Zohran Mamdani as a key solution to implementing non-police mental health responses through his proposed Department of Community Safety. Chandler-Waterman told the crowd she wouldn’t tell them who to vote for but asked them to register and extolled her assembly colleague’s track record.

This past spring, Mamdani unveiled his Department of Community Safety proposal, which included overhauling B-HEARD to expand into every neighborhood. His plan specifically pointed to CAHOOTS as a model because of its results.

“The CAHOOTS program has been immensely successful, resolving almost 20% of all calls that come through the Eugene Police Department,” said Mamdani over the phone in April. “And of those estimated 24,000 calls that this program responded to in 2019, only 311 required police backup, showing that tasking teams with appropriate mental health and Crisis Response Training is effective and reduces strain on police. It’s this focus, specifically on outcomes and on results, that has driven the creation of this department.”

With his community mourning Rozario, Bangladeshi American Police Association co-founder Shamsul Haque believes Mamdani’s plan can prevent future tragedies. The retired Lieutenant Commander who spent 21 years in the NYPD believes medical professionals can handle most non-violent mental health calls and call in police if a re -

sponse becomes dangerous.

“Lots of times, people believe more police is a panacea for all the problems,” said Haque. “But…America locks up more people than any other nation, and yet our states aren’t safer, our communities aren’t healthier. The answer isn’t always more police or more prisons; we need more smart safety, not just enforcement, and that’s why I’m supporting Zohran Mamdani’s vision.

“His Department of Community Safety will take on issues like homelessness. Lots of officers don’t want to respond to homelessness issues, so our police can actually focus on serious crime and not just social crisis. I believe that it is time to stop asking officers to do every job and start building a system that actually solves the root.”

Haque says the NYPD’s procedure for mental health responses involves assessing the situation and deciding whether the individual needs medical assistance. If so, the officer requests EMS for hospital transport. If the person is violent, then the officer’s role is to bring in his or her supervisor. He adds that deploying lethal weapons hinges on split-second decisions. “This is a very huge responsibility [that] falls on the shoulder of the officers,” said Haque.

Brouk told the Amsterdam News that Mamdani’s plan very much reflects the tenets of Daniel’s Law given his peerled approach and inspiration from programs like CAHOOTS. “We didn’t reinvent the wheel,” she said. “We looked around the country to see where this has been working for decades, and what we can use from those learnings to adapt that to New York State.”

Win Rozario’s mom Notan Eva Costa calls for the NYPD to serve misconduct charges against the officers who killed her son during a rally at One Police Plaza last Thursday, Sept. 18. (Tandy Lau photo)

Cameron Crowe makes his mark on the Professional Bowlers Association

By TYRESE ALLEYNE-DAVIS Special to the AmNews

For 24 -year-old Orland Park, Illinois native Cameron Crowe, a left-hand dominant, two-handed professional bowler, the journey began at a Brunswick Zone in Homewood. Building a bond with his father, an avid bowler, he planted the seeds of a future that would blossom with patience and work. Like many young athletes, he endured the growing pains of falling in love with a sport without immediate success.

He wasn’t especially talented at first. He wasn’t the biggest, and he was a late bloomer who took his lumps on the amateur circuit while eyeing the Junior Gold Championships, the premier national tournament for top United States Bowling Congress youth bowlers. At 14, Crowe finished last in the Junior Gold field — but the result didn’t stop him. Instead, setbacks sharpened his focus.

Determined to improve, Crowe continued to grind and soon began accumulating accomplishments that reflected his resil-

ience and talent. At St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa, he earned the 2021 Intercollegiate Team Championships MVP award and helped his team to two runner-up finishes.

He then broke through on the youth and amateur stages, winning the 2020 U.S. Amateur Championship and the 2021 U20 Junior Gold title. His powerful two-handed, left-sided delivery turned heads, and by 2022 he secured one of the twelve exempt spots on the PBA Tour, a significant milestone in his career.

Beyond his resume, Crowe understands that his platform carries responsibility. He wants to open the door for more young people of color to see themselves in the sport. As he put it, “To any parent of a young person who wants to pursue bowling, even though bowling is costly, if there is dedication and will to get better every day, everything will be worth it. You do not have to be confined to just basketball or football. Bowling is a sport where you could earn a college scholarship.”

Crowe is thankful for being a

sponsored bowler on the PBA and PBA Tour, knowing how rare that opportunity can be. “So many bowlers are hoping to be sponsored by the biggest brands in the space. I am fortunate that the brands that sponsor me trust me with carrying their name and using their products and gear,” he said.

For Crowe, being able to quickly adjust himself mentally is one of the biggest keys to success. He shared that during the tour season, if he struggles on a particular day at the lanes, he has to reset and make adjustments between competition days. That discipline prevents him from dwelling on losses or what he might perceive as poor performances — allowing him to return sharper and more focused the next time out.

His outlook returns to the essence of the game. “There is no defense in bowling. There is no person you are playing against. It is just you, your last frame, and the ten pins in front of you. If you make a mistake, you have to know it, quickly adjust, and be

New York Figure Skater Trinity Bishop shares her journey in children’s book

By LOIS ELFMAN Special to the AmNews

It began with watching the sport of figure skating on television. Long Island native Trinity Bishop asked her mother, Delia, to take her skating. The ice enticed her and a big dream soon took shape, which Trinity, her older brother Tristin, and Delia are now sharing in their book, “Trinity’s Big Olympic Skating Dream.”

“I like the jumps and spins; they’re my favorite part about skating,” said Trinity, 10. “I practice every day. You don’t have to be just on the ice. You can also train off [the] ice because they both help you get stronger. I do ballet too.”

The family traveled to Wichita, Kansas, in January of this year to watch the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, made all the more meaningful be -

cause one of Trinity’s coaches, Bradie Tennell, was competing. In addition to savoring Tennell’s performances, Trinity loved watching Alysa Liu, who was making her return to skating after a two-year hiatus.

“She really puts a lot of emotion into it and a lot of energy,” said Trinity. Liu finished second at the 2025 U.S. Championships and then went on to win gold at the World Championships in March.

The Bishop family lives on Long Island, where Trinity trains, as well as in New Jersey. Trinity then comes to New York City to skate with Figure Skating in Harlem. Her dream is to compete at the Olympics, like Tennell, and the adventure of pursuing that goal is detailed in the book, which her family co-authored.

“At school, there was a project for the end of the year,

and I wrote a dream flag. We had to write something we would really want, and my dream was to be an Olympic skater,” Trinity said. “Some of her words from the dream flag are in the book,” said Delia. “I always encourage my children to believe in their dreams.”

Skating is now a family project. In the book, they reflect on some of the incredible people they’ve met, including Debi Thomas, the first Black athlete to win a medal at the Winter Olympics. The book came out during the summer, but the official launch was this month. Trinity is making some appearances at bookstores, with the next one on Saturday at Barnes & Noble in Bay Shore. The response from skating fans and skating luminaries has been exciting. “It’s like a whole village of wonderful people,” said Delia.

locked in at all times.” It is clear that the fire under Cam Crowe has never needed to be lit.

Consistency, focus, and a wellbalanced family support system have allowed him to flourish.

His skill set and charisma, which have propelled him to the professional level, are guiding him toward cementing his legacy in the bowling world, one frame, one lane, and one strike at a time.

New York native Trinity Bishop (right) with figure skating legend Debbie Thomas, has written a children’s book detailing her skating experiences. (Photo courtesy of Delia Bishop)

Cameron Crowe is a rising talent in the Professional Bowlers Association. (Professional Bowlers Association photo)

Ex-Knick Charlie Ward continues new(ish) coaching trend at HBCUs

By TONY PAIGE Special to the AmNews

(Part 1 of a two-part story)

When Deion “Prime Time” Sanders started his coaching career by becoming the head football coach at Jackson State University in Mississippi, many thought it was a revolutionary concept.

How many Black professional athletes have become head coaches at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)? You might be surprised.

“Coach Prime” parlayed his stint at Jackson State to success at Division-1 University of Colorado, coaching his quarterback son Shedeur and last year’s Heisman Trophy winner, Travis Hunter.

Sanders is far from alone in making the transition from player to head coach. Right now, the list of former players coaching at HBCU schools is quite impressive:

• Michael Vick, a former All-Pro NFL quarterback, is now the head coach at Norfolk State (VA).

• DeSean Jackson, a 17-year NFL wide receiver, is running the program at Delaware State.

• Cynthia Cooper-Dyke, a former four-time WNBA champ, four-time Finals MVP, two-time league MVP, two-time NCAA champ, and a member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, is the head women’s basketball coach at Texas Southern.

• 13-year NBA vet Reggie Theus is athletic director and head basketball coach at Bethune-Cookman University (FL)

• Eddie George, Ohio State Heisman Trophy winner and a nine-year NFL running back who started at Tennessee State, is head man at Division-1 Bowling Green University (OH).

Add ex-Knick, Heisman Trophy winner, and NCAA national champion (1993), Charlie Ward, to the mix. Last spring, Ward was named head basketball coach at Florida A&M University (FAMU) in Tallahassee. Ward captured the Heisman and the national championship playing just 1.3 miles away from FAMU at Florida State University, so it’s a homecoming.

“My parents and my older sister

went to FAMU,” said the 54-yearold Thomasville, GA native. “I was raised on the campus in a sense, because I was born there [at FAMU’s on-campus hospital]. We went to a lot of the sporting events — mainly football and a few basketball games. I was on campus a lot. All those things were a part of my upbringing on

the campus.”

After Ward had been coaching high school in Houston and Florida for 17 years, FAMU called and asked him if he wanted the job. “I coached high school basketball for seven years at one place and I didn’t have aspirations or coaching in college when the job actually opened up,” he said.

Knicks and Nets begin 2025 NBA journey on disparate paths

By JAIME C. HARRIS AmNews Sports Editor

The New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets held their respective annual media days on Tuesday at their training facilities before the official start of training camps yesterday.

The teams begin their 2025 seasons on decisively different paths. The Knicks, as currently constituted, are a championship-caliber squad. Only the Oklahoma City Thunder, last season’s champion; the Cleveland Cavaliers; and Denver Nuggets, in that order, have better odds of capturing the title as determined by major sports betting entities. While the Knicks have the fourth-best odds, conversely, the Nets have the fourthlowest odds with just the Utah Jazz, Washington Wizards, and Charlotte Hornets in succession below them.

Knicks owner James Dolan and president Leon Rose fired former head coach Tom Thibodeau in June after he directed them to a 51-31 regular season record and Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals, losing the series 4-2 to the Indiana Pacers. It ended Thibodeau’s five-year run as the team’s head coach. A confound -

ing search for his replacement, which began with the Dallas Mavericks denying the Knicks’ request to interview their head coach, Jason Kidd, concluded with New York hiring Mike

“I will enjoy my time at FAMU because there are a lot of things that need to be done to continue to build a brand, and the only way that you can do that is if you’re there consistently. I got a five-year deal. Hopefully, they want me around for five years,” he said with a chuckle.

With all the “name” athletes becoming head coaches, the patron saint of NFL players going to HBCUs is former coach Billy Joe who turns 85 in October. A member of the 1969 New York Jets’ Super Bowl team, Joe is a lifer, having coached at four HBCUs: Cheney, Central State, FAMU, and Miles — compiling a 245157-4 mark; second in wins only to Grambling’s Eddie Robinson.

“I don’t know if it’s a trend or not, because there hasn’t been a plethora of football players going that route,” Joe noted from his home in Hoover, Ala., 10 miles outside of Birmingham. “The few that have gone that route have been very successful and some have been able to catapult themselves to major college football. It’s a good route to take because you are more likely to become employed at an HBCU at this particular time.”

Brown, 2023 NBA Coach of the Year with the Sacramento Kings before they terminated him last December after a 13-18 start.

Brown acknowledged the challenges that lie ahead for the Knicks, “knowing that we have a target on our backs,” he said from Greenburgh, N.Y., on Tuesday, and was noncommittal about a starting lineup, although it assuredly will include guard Jalen Brunson, forward/ center Karl Anthony Towns, forward OG Anunoby, and guard/ forward Mikal Bridges.

“We feel like the group Leon [Rose] and his staff have put together is talented and deep, so you have to be methodical when it comes to declaring, ‘Hey, these guys are going to start.’ That will materialize throughout camp,” Brown said.

The Knicks open their preseason on October 2 in Abu Dhabi, playing the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Nets were 26-56 last season under first-year Head Coach Jordi Fernandez, who was the Kings’ associate head

coach, working with Brown from 2022–2024 before joining Brooklyn’s organization. The Nets are looking to build a playoff foundation through various means, but still lack a transformational player like the Knicks’ Brunson. Acquiring such a player will be essential to the success they are seeking. They have a roster filled with young players, including guard Cam Thomas, center Nic Claxton, and forward Noah Clowney, who could form the nucleus of a competitive group. Fernandez hopes to someday make the Knicks versus the Nets a relevant duel. Right now, the gap between them is wide.

“I mean, they are the enemy, and I love Mike Brown,” he said from the Brooklyn Nets HSS Training Center in Industry City in Sunset Park. “They have their own reality the same way we have ours, and we have to focus on ourselves. At the same time, just saying that these rivalries are in the same city, they’re awesome because it just means that a lot of people care about basketball.”

Former NBA player Charlie Ward is now leading Florida A&M University’s basketball program. (Florida A&M Athletics photo)

New Knicks head coach Mike Brown will lead a team expected to compete for the NBA title. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Monroe University-Bronx showcases the best of local volleyball talent

By LOIS ELFMAN

Special to the AmNews

In addition to coaching the women’s volleyball team at Monroe University-Bronx, Odaly Aponte-Orta coaches high school (IN-Tech Academy) and club volleyball (Legacy Volleyball) in the Bronx, which gives her a bird’s-eye view of the best talent in New York City. This is especially valuable in assembling a highly competitive team, which is evident in the success the Express have had, including three straight district championships, including a Region 15 title in 2023.

“The key to everything is recruiting, finding the right kids,” Aponte-Orta said. “Since I coach in high school, I’m able to recruit kids that play for me in high school and also other kids in the city that I’m exposed to. I currently have on my team, three kids who played with me in the club.”

volleyball team is striving to maintain the program’s championship legacy. (Monroe University-Bronx Athletics photo)

that we can find, polish, and take them to the level that they can go to a Division I program.”

Monroe University-Bronx is a four-year institution, but sports compete for two years in National Junior College Athletic Association competition. Attention for Monroe volleyball has increased since AponteOrta became head coach. Nine players have gone on to fouryear programs. The increased national attention to volleyball, such as pro leagues and college teams that draw huge crowds, is motivating.

As of now, Aponte-Orta said they are finding their rhythm.

“They need to find common ground, and the most impor-

Volleyball is a fall sport, so the team needs to be focused on teamwork right from the start because the season is over before the fall semester ends.

tant thing is that everybody has to be on the same page,” she said. “With my program, I tend to have the girls very busy. That way, they don’t lose focus on what they need to be doing.”

Aponte-Orta hopes to impact the culture of volleyball, bring -

ing more girls and women of color into the sport. “It’s so important to recruit inner city kids,” she said. “Schools that are Division I and Division II…are looking for kids already developed in their game. There is so much talent hidden in the city

“This season, our goal, like always, is to make it to the national tournament,” Aponte-Orta said. “It is something that is very big for our school because…it was something a school from the Bronx with Black and brown kids had never accomplished before. … We want to bring these kids’ skills to a level that they can go to a four-year school with a scholarship.”

HBCU grad Angela Perry becomes popular women’s hoops content creator

By LOIS ELFMAN Special to the AmNews

While Angela Perry’s playing days ended after college, she’s now courtside and online, sharing insights into women’s basketball. This WNBA season, she’s expanded her audience with thoughtful analysis, sharp critiques, and witty commentary on issues surrounding the women’s game. Perry played college ball at Fayetteville State University, an HBCU that competed in the highly competitive CIAA. She passed on a couple of top-tier schools that wanted her to play point guard. “I had never played the point; I would have been terrible at that position,” said Perry. “I was a shooter. I had a great four years there. We had winning seasons all four years. We didn’t win the [CIAA] championship, but we did go to the Division II NCAA

Sandy Brondello

Continued from page 40

Las Vegas Aces in Game 1 (Game 2 was Tuesday night) of their bestof-five series. The Fever have overcome multiple players sustaining season-ending injuries, notably

Tournament my junior year.”

About a year ago, Perry was thinking about how much she loves TikTok and women’s basketball. Friends encouraged her to post some of her commentary. “In February 2024, I decided to start actually making [videos] about what I’m talking to my friends about and see where that goes,” she said.

At the time, she only had a few hundred followers, but her audience quickly grew. “I talk about the WNBA (season ticket holder to the Atlanta Dream), Unrivaled, Athletes Unlimited and I go to a lot of NCAA women’s basketball games, so I go live pregame or postgame,” Perry said. “I have a lot of followers who are in Australia and Brazil. They’ll be up at 3 a.m., and comment, ‘Thank you so much for showing us a player going to the locker room.’ With the abil -

superstar guard Caitlin Clark who appeared in only 13 games, as well as key rotation players, guards Aari McDonald and Sophie Cunningham.

Stewart, Jones and Ionescu will all be unrestricted free agents this offseason, meaning each could sign with another team,

ity to go live now, it makes it so much more seamless.”

Perry finds that most women’s basketball players — both professional and college — are accessible. “They’re still grateful and excited that fans want to meet them,” she said.

People would start asking for her takes on various things, like coaching changes and player trades. “Now, I get a lot of ideas from the comments,” she said. “It’s gotten to the point where people are really following me and excited for when I post, which is still surreal to me. People will ask for pictures with me at games.”

Her biggest thrill this season came from Angel Reese, who sent her two pairs of her signature sneakers and some other swag, which Perry wore to work. “When I opened it, I was blown away,” she said. “I think she knew I would never shut up about it.”

but both Stewart and Ionescu expressed a desire to return.

“Well, I’m coming back,” Stewart firmly said last week.

“I mean, the team never looks the same every single year, and I think that’s what’s really special about what you have in your locker room,” Ionescu said. “You

can never really replicate that year in and year out …You know you can’t just want to be a part of it when you’re on top and enjoying a parade and popping champagne bottles, like you have to be able to continue to commit and want to be the best for this organization, and I’m excited for next year.

“… I think you have to cherish those years where everything seems to be going well, like you’re healthy, you have the players out there, and this year just wasn’t our year.” Only time will tell who will return for the Liberty in the 2026 season, but Brondello will not be one of them.

The 2025 Monroe UniversityBronx women’s

Former Fayetteville State University basketball standout Angela Perry is emerging as a highly followed content creator. (Photo courtesy of Angela Perry)

Sports

The staggering Giants turn to QB Jaxson Dart as their present and future

By JAIME C. HARRIS

AmNews Sports Editor

Rookie Jaxson Dart’s inevitable rise to Giants starting quarterback has now materialized.

It should have happened prior to the start of the regular season. But with the team now 0-3 heading into a Week 4 matchup against the 3-0 Los Angeles Chargers this Sunday (1 p.m.) at home at MetLife Stadium with an offense that has not revealed itself to be capable of consistently scoring enough points to provide a semblance of winning games, change was necessary.

Dart is replacing 14-year veteran Russell Wilson, who was signed by the Giants in March to a oneyear, $21 million contract with $10.5 guaranteed as essentially an expensive temp worker. When the franchise’s co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch, general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll collectively decided to trade up in this past April’s NFL Draft to select Dart from Ole

Miss (University of Mississippi) in the first round with the 25th overall pick, it was with the clear vision that he could be the quarterback to return the franchise to perennial playoff contention — and, ultimately, a Super Bowl.

The Giants sent the 34th and 99th picks in this year’s draft, along with a third-rounder in next year’s, to the Houston Texans in order to move up to No. 25 and grab Dart. Giving up that kind of draft capital made clear the front office’s belief that Dart could be the force multiplier the team has lacked since Eli Manning led them to Super Bowl titles in 2008 and 2012 — an eternity in football years. Since then, the Giants have reached the playoffs just once in the past eight seasons: a 2022 wild-card berth with Daniel Jones, who now has the Indianapolis Colts off to a 3-0 start in his first year as their starting quarterback.

The Giants’ current switch at QB is more about beginning the Dart era than ending the 36-yearold Wilson’s short-lived tenure.

Wilson will receive consideration as a Pro Football Hall of Fame candidate after his retirement. But he is past his prime and was not going to be a difference maker in moving the Giants needle towards a winning season. They still have too many deficiencies across the roster. So starting Dart from Week 1 was logical and had the most efficacy in preparing him to face the ever-evolving, sophisticated, and complex NFL defenses.

Wilson was only partly responsible for the Giants’ scoring just six points in Week 1 versus the Washington Commanders on the road (21-6) and only nine (22-9) last Sunday in their 2025 home opener facing the Kansas City Chiefs. The 37 points and 450 yards passing by Wilson the offense produced against the Dallas Cowboys (40-37 overtime loss) in Week 2 was a mirage because the Cowboys’ defense has proven to be horrendous.

Wins will be few and far between for the Giants over the next 14 games, just as they were last season (3–14) and the year before (6–11) under Schoen and Daboll, following a 9-7-1 wildcard run in their first year as GM and head coach. Both signed five-year deals in January 2022, but if the losses keep piling up, Dart may soon find himself playing for a different front office and coaching staff. The 0-3 Jets will face the 0-3 Dolphins in Miami on Monday night (7:15 p.m.)

The Liberty’s stunning firing of Sandy Brondello adds to painful season

By DERREL JOHNSON Special to the AmNews

Consequential injuries to the New York Liberty’s top three players defined their 2025 season, which ended for them last Friday with a 79-73 loss to the Phoenix Mercury in their best-of-three opening round playoff series. On Tuesday, it cost Sandy Brandello her job.

After leading the Liberty to the franchise’s first-ever WNBA championship last October and being celebrated with a ticker-tape parade down the famed Canyon of Heroes in Manhattan, Brondello was fired following four seasons at the helm.

“We would like to thank Sandy Brondello for her everlasting impact,” GM Jonathan Kolb said in a press release. “Sandy finishes her tenure in New York as the winningest coach in franchise history, and she took us to never-beforeseen heights as the first head coach

to lead the Liberty to a championship. We wish Sandy the very best in her next chapter.”

There is already speculation that the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire, two expansion teams that will begin play next season, are eyeing Brondello as their head coach.

After starting the season 9-0, Liberty center and 2024 WNBA Finals MVP Jonquel Jones missed 13 games with a right ankle sprain.

Forward Breanna Stewart, a threetime WNBA champion and twotime WNBA regular-season and finals MVP, missed 13 straight games after suffering a bone bruise in her right knee. Superstar guard Sabrina Ionescu missed six games late in the season with a left toe injury. The resulting impact was the team played average basketball for the duration of the season, finishing 18-17 the remainder of the regular season and falling from first overall in the

standings to the No. 5 seed when the playoffs began. In the postseason, Stewart suffered an MCL sprain in her left knee during New York’s 76-69 Game 1 road win against the No. 4 seed Mercury. The Liberty then were embarrassed in Game 2 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, 86-60 before being eliminated in Phoenix. The 26-point home loss last Wednesday, with a chance to advance to the WNBA semifinals, did not leave a great impression on the fans or management.

Critics are justified in comparing the Liberty to the No. 6 seed Indiana Fever, who are in the semifinals and defeated the No. 2 seed

Giants rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart (right), speaking with Russell Wilson on the bench in Week 1 versus the Dallas Cowboys, has replaced the veteran as the team’s starter. (Julio Cortez photo)

Sandy Brondello (center) was fired on Tuesday by the Liberty as their head coach after a first-round playoff exit. (Vera Nieuwenhuis photo) See SANDY BRONDELLO on page

New York Amsterdam News September 25-October 1, 2025

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