_________________ FREEPORT _________________
COMMUNITY UPDATE Infections as of July 19
6,166
Infections as of July 8 6,148
$1.00
HERALD
New boat in works for SPLASH
Vax van heads to Freeport High
Cubans rally at Village Hall
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VOL. 86 NO. 30
JULY 22 - 28, 2021
SPLASH crews still cleaning the South Shore By REINE BETHANY rbethany@liherald.com
Reine Bethany/Herald
THE CREW OF a Freeport SPLASH boat — from left, Helene and Mark Mannas, Capt. Mike Bellovin and his first mate and wife, Elizabeth, Helene Scheinberg and Scott McInnes. SPLASH is an acronym for Stop Polluting, Littering, And Save Harbors.
Volunteers on an Operation SPLASH boat enjoy a privilege granted to duespaying organization members: They get to pick up garbage. Equipped with long-handled nets or poles with hooks at one end, the crewmembers glide in a flat-bottomed skiff across waters that alternately sparkle blue-gray-green in sunlight or take on a mystical look under haze. Salt-marsh fragrances freshen the air, moist breezes caress away the heat, and the green expanses of marsh grass on the wetland islets known as hammocks are host to darting black and white swal-
lows, tall gray herons and stately white egrets, among many other bird species. The determined cleanup of the shores is continuous. Six SPLASH boats run at least once daily from Freeport (home of SPLASH headquarters), East Rockaway, Island Park. Lindenhurst, Massapequa and Wantagh, Capt. Mike Bellovin, of Baldwin, is one of the SPLASH members trained to steer a boatload of volunteers along the shoreline. Bellovin’s scheduled patrol starts Monday afternoons at 4 p.m. from Guy Lombardo Marina. On a recent run, he steered the boat from the dock, while his wife, First Mate Elizabeth Bellovin, stood amidships, balancing easily CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
Haitian Americans reach out to troubled homeland By REINE BETHANY rbethany@liherald.com
Since the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse on July 7, Nassau County’s Haitian Americans have reached out to help the Haitian community, both those living in the county and those in the crisis-ridden nation. Maryse Emmanuel-Garcy, of Baldwin, executive director of the Freeport-based organization Haitian Families of Long Island, said, “The general feeling of Haitians on Long Island is that all of us are in shock. There has been political instability and violence for years in Haiti, but we did not
expect this.” According to published reports, Moïse had become increasingly autocratic since his tumultuous election in 2016. He had ruled by decree during the coronavirus pandemic, and his decision to draft a new Haitian constitution without the input of the disbanded Haitian senate was met with rising protests. U.S. Representative Gregory Meeks, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, became so concerned that he and two other House Democrats, Albio Sires and Andy Levin, issued a joint statement last Dec. 22, calling for Congress to enact
T
his is an attack at Haiti’s chances for democracy.
CARRIÉ SOLAGES County legislator
“creditable U.S. policy that prioritizes the rights and aspirations of the Haitian people and supports a credible, Haitian-led transition back to democratic order.” Despite these efforts, 28 armed men stormed Moïse’s residence in the early morning of
July 7, riddled him with bullets and seriously injured his wife, Martine. She was flown to Miami for treatment, and returned on Sunday, July 18, surrounded by security agents. “This is more than just a killing,” said Nassau County Legislator Carrié Solages, whose parents immigrated to the United States from Haiti in the mid-
1970s. “This is an attack at Haiti’s chances for democracy, which are not high in the first place, as it is struggling politically, economically, socially and, of course, during the pandemic.” Solages and his sister, State Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages, have been in touch with Meeks, demanding answers. CONTINUED ON PAGE 12