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UNIONDALE _____________
HERALD BEACON
Never argue with these students
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APRIL 11 - 17, 2024
Communities of color not comfortable with armed ‘militia’ By BRANDON CRUZ bcruz@liherald.com
Courtesy Amanda Ibarra
The moon blocked about 75 percent of the sun before the eclipse peaked at 90 percent of totality.
It was an amazing day topped by partial eclipse By BRANDON CRUZ & JORDAN VALLONE of the Uniondale Herald Beacon
Hundreds of residents of Uniondale and other Long Island communities gathered at the Cradle of Aviation Museum for a large watch party on Monday to gaze at the solar eclipse.
The museum, known for its celebrations of science, space and exploration, offered the perfect setting for this historic astronomical event. While the narrow path of totality extended from southwest to northeast across the continental United States, people on Long Island were treated to a near-total eclipse, with the passing moon obscuring most of the sun, ConTinued on page 2
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman announced a plan late last month to deputize gun-owning residents “for the protection of human life and property during an emergency.” Blakeman, who did not seek legislative approval or consult with police union officials when he devised the plan, said the new special deputies — most of whom, he explained, would be former law enforcement and military personnel — would be called on to secure “critical infrastructure” and “help Nassau police” in times of crisis, but would not be permitted to go on patrol or wear body cameras. In creating the team of special deputy sheriffs, Blakeman cited state county Law 655, which states, “For the protection of human life and property during an emergency, the sheriff may deputize orally or in writing such number of additional special deputies as he deems necessary.” According to a county flyer for the program, applicants must be between ages 21 and 72, be U.S. citizens and residents of Nassau
County, own property or a business in the county, possess a pistol license, consent to full background check and random drug testing, and provide a fit-for-duty letter from a doctor. But it is the unanswered questions about how these new deputies will be trained, and what exactly constitutes an “emergency,” County Legislator Carrie Solages said, that is sparking fear in communities of color across the county. “God forbid a young man wearing a hood is out and about, minding his business, during this so-called ‘state of emergency’ — which is not defined properly under the law,” Solages said, “and God forbid an overzealous George Zimmerman type of person chooses to think that young man is a danger.” Susan Gottehrer, director of the Nassau County office of the New York Civil Liberties Union, agrees that Blakeman’s plan will disproportionately impact communities of color. “I think these are the important questions that we need to really ask,” Gottehrer told reporters at a rally on Monday outside the county legislative ConTinued on page 4