Valley Stream
HERALD
residents tell stories of racism
firefighters rescue a kitten
Valley streamers share their art
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Vol. 31 No. 24
JUNE 11 - 17, 2020
State officials, residents seek police reform tion about police brutality since the May 25 killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police offimkoenig@liherald.com cer Derek Chauvin. As a recent law school graduChauvin had 18 disciplinary ate, who teaches and practices complaints against him, and criminal defense, Valley Stream- Rivera said that Floyd’s death er Christine Rivera, could have been 26, said that any avoided had the vicpolice reform taking tims involved in the place in Albany complaints been would need to able to lodge sucinclude the repeal of cessful suits against a provision that Chauvin, and possishields police officer bly gotten him fired. misconduct records “It shouldn’t take from the public. someone dying for Section 50-a of us to be able to look the New York State into the histories of Civil Rights Law these officers,” she code poses a particusaid. lar challenge in civil It is just one of a cases against offinumber of reforms, cers in which famiRivera said, that lies are seeking christiNE should take place. redress for alleged riVEra Others, she said, abuse, Rivera said. include protections “They can’t move Valley Stream for black and Latino forward with their resident transgender people, cases because they whom she said are can’t get access to disproportionally the documentation that they harassed by police. The decrimineed,” she explained. “How are nalization of sex work, she said, they supposed to get justice?” would go a long way in that Discussion of law enforce- regard. ment refor m and increased Re g arding Section 50-a, transparency has come to the though, local lawmakers have forefront of a national conversaContinued on page 8
By MElissa KoENig and PEtEr BElfiorE
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Peter Belfiore/Herald
oliVia NaNcE, 24, at a protest she helped organize in Valley Stream on June 5 against racism and police brutality. It took place less than a week after the first protest she ever attended.
Protesting against racism
A week of sustained demonstrations in V.S. By PEtEr BElfiorE pbelfiore@liherald.com
When Elmont resident Goldie Harrison and Valley Streamer Christine Rivera set out to organize a protest against systemic racism and police brutality against black people, it resulted in the first, and so far, largest demonstration of its kind in the area. On June 1, exactly one week after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody, it took place against a national backdrop of anguish in which hundreds
of similar such protests were taking place in cities and neighborhoods across the country. The two women said they believed it was only right to use their connections to bring their hometowns into the conversation. But beyond honoring Floyd’s and others’ memories, they had another reason to do what they did. “A lot of these people — it’s their first time protesting, and we need to bring awareness to the black lives who have been lost to police violence,” Harrison said, “but also give people
an opportunity to protest and see what that’s like.” Since then, what they started appears to have morphed into a campaign with the potential to highlight demands for reform both through sustained demonstrations and at the ballot box. Valley Stream saw three additional protests over the subsequent week, all organized by different activists, some working in parallel with others, stopping only on June 3 due to bad weather. By last weekend, the protests had Continued on page 5
t shouldn’t take someone dying for us to be able to look into the histories of these officers.
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June 11, 2020 — HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS
HERALD
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HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS — June 11, 2020 Peter Belfiore/Herald
JuNe 1 sAw roughly 300 people hit the streets of Elmont and Valley Stream protesting racism and police violence against black people. There, some recounted their own experiences of racism.
Residents recount experiences with racism By Nicole AlciNdor
often experienced racism in the classroom from his white teachers while growing up in Queens in the 1970s, and For the past two weeks America has although it left him angry, he said he faced a reckoning over racism and doesn’t believe that violence is the police violence against black people answer to eradicating racism. after the police killing of George Floyd “The solution starts with younger in Minneapolis on generations of all May 25 sparked races talking and c o n t i n u i n g educating themnationwide proselves about ractests. ism and the Black Among the Lives Matter largest in Elmont m o v e m e n t and Valley Stream because they are was on June 1, t h e f u t u re, ” h e when roughly 300 said. “Black Lives demonstrators Matter is a beautitook to the streets ful movement, to demand equaliand more people ty. There, many of all races need black protestors t o g e t i nvo l ve d spoke of not just because black peothe anguish Floyd ple are still fight— and other vicing for our civil tims of racial viorights.” lence — had Alexa Pier re, brought, but also 21, also from Peter Belfiore/Herald Elmont said she their own experiences with rac- while sPArked By the police killing of experienced racism. George Floyd. many protestors expressed ism recently when “ I t l e f t m e long-simmering racial grievances that they after she accidenscar red forever, hoped the demonstrations could resolve. tally cut another but it also motidriver off while vated me and it driving to Kingspushed me to be the proud Black man borough Community College, the drivthat I am today,” longtime Elmont resi- er proceeded to follow her to the school dent, Jon Johnson Sr., 52, said as he parking lot and park his car next to recalled a moment in which his third hers. grade teacher referred to him using a “He then rolled down his window, racial slur, and told him he would and he screamed, ‘you stupid n*gger, amount to nothing. “America doesn’t this is why I don’t like you guys,’” she want to talk about racism, but we need recounted emotionally. “I just stared at to face it head on, and talk, because him in shock and I wanted to be the that’s the only solution.” bigger person because I was afraid of As a black man Johnson said he what could be.”
nalcindor@liherald.com
Nicole Alcindor/Herald
AlexA Pierre, 21, of Elmont said she had recently experience racism first-hand. Pier re, who identifies as black, believes that the solution to racism is to continue the peaceful protests, adding that she felt loved while attending the June 1 demonstration. “It’s emotional seeing so many people gathered here for this protest, and if we don’t do this who else will,” she said. “This is the change that people need to see and they can’t stop us.” Others said they believed the size and energy of the June 1protest was a good sign of things to come. “It means so much that Valley Stream and Elmont can come together for this event,” Valley Streamer Cody Suffrant, 27, said. “Long Island doesn’t
do protests very often and I just feel so loved and respected because so many people came to this protest to unapologetically be one.” “I’m an Elmont resident and I’m proud to be part of this event,” said Sybilla Douglas, 57. “We are the voices of those who have lost their voices to racial injustice.” Douglas, said she too has experienced racism first-hand and thinks the key to combating racism is speaking up about the injustice. “I have been called N*gger and it makes me feel angry and frustrated,” she said. “It’s not an education issue. Hatred is a choice and love is a choice.”
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June 11, 2020 — HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS
Neighbors iN the News Forest Road student earns award
Courtesy Central High School District
Central high sChool student Najalia Sign was named a NYSSEF finalist for her project “Applying Blankenship’s Method in the RSA Cryptosystem to Test Information Security.”
Central student named science finalist Central High School student Najalia Singh was named a finalist in the New York State Science and Engineering Fair. Her project is titled, “Applying Blankenship’s Method in the RSA Cryptosystem to Test Information Security.” Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the New York State Science and Engineering Fair was changed from a live fair at the New York Hall of Science to a digi-
tal platform. Students had less than week to submit a six-minute video presentation of their work. Professors and scientists from around New York state scored their projects at home and submitted their scores digitally. Najalia will receive an undisclosed monetary prize with the prospect of more awards pending her final rank.
Forest Road Elementary School fourth-grader Divya Dindial was recently awarded the National PTA Award of Excellence in the National PTA Reflections Contest for her film, “Stories From Within.” She is one of 13 students to be honored nationwide in the film production category and one of only three New York State students to receive the Award of Excellence in the PTA Reflections contest this year. The National PTA’s Reflections program challenges students in pre-k through 12th grade to create original works of art connected to a specific theme. This year, students were encouraged to harness their creativity with the theme “Look Within.” Participants submitted their work in one or more of the following categories: dance choreography, film production, literature, music composition, photography Courtesy School District 30 and visual arts. Forest road third-grader Divya Dindial As a National PTA Award of recently earned the National PTA Award of Excellence recipient, Dindial will Excellence for a short film she created. receive a $200 Young Artist Scholarship, a silver medal and a certifiThe district congratulates Dindial on cate. Her film will also be recognized in this outstanding achievement. the traveling art exhibits and online galCompiled by Peter Belfiore lery on the National PTA website.
News brief School budget, board race deadlines extended By Peter BelFiore
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pbelfiore@liherald.com
Valley Stream
HERALD HOW TO REACH US Our offices are located at 2 Endo Blvd. Garden City, NY 11530 and are open from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
MAIN PHONE: (516) 569-4000 ■ WEB SITE: www.liherald.com/valleystream ■ E-MAIl: Letters and other submissions: vseditor@liherald.com ■ EDITORIAl DEPARTMENT: Ext. 265 E-mail: vseditor@liherald.com Fax: (516) 569-4942 ■ SUBSCRIPTIONS: Press ”7” E-mail: circ@liherald.com Fax: (516) 569-4942 ■ ClASSIFIED ADVERTISING: Ext. 286 E-mail: ereynolds@liherald.com Fax: (516) 622-7460 ■ DISPlAY ADVERTISING: Ext. 249 E-mail: sales@liherald.com Fax: (516) 569-4643 The Valley Stream Herald USPS 005868, is published every Thursday by Richner Communications, Inc., 2 Endo Blvd. Garden City, NY 11530. Periodicals postage paid at Garden City, NY 11530 and additional mailing offices. Postmaster send address changes to Valley Stream Herald, 2 Endo Blvd. Garden City, NY 11530. Newsstand Price: $1 Subscription rates: $36 for 1 year within Nassau County. Out of Nassau County: $58 for 1 year. Copyright © 2020 Richner Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.
New York has extended the deadline for when mail-in school budget and school board election ballots can be received. Originally, school district clerks were required to be in possession of both dropoff and mail-in ballots by June 9 at 5 p.m. Now, however, district clerks have until June 16 to receive the mail-in ballots. Hand-delivered ballots are still required by June 9. “No New Yorker should have to choose between their health and their right to
vote,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said as he announced the change. In Valley Stream, the mail and drop-off locations are as follows: ■ District 30: 175 N. Central Ave. No. 100 ■ District 13: 585 Corona Ave. ■ District 24: 75 Horton Ave. In the same executive order, the governor allowed absentee ballots in the state’s presidential primary to be counted if postmarked no later than June 23. This means voters may mail their ballots as late as the day of the election
Every life matters to us … Dear neighbor:
We live and work in this community. The lives of each and every one of you is important to us and we are here to tell your stories — from beginning to end. That includes the final chapter. At this difficult time, I want to remind you that obituaries in all Herald Community Newspapers are, and have always been, completely free. COVID-19 has taken far too many, far to soon. Let us help you commemorate the life of your loved one with a story and photo celebrating their life. Contact our Executive Editor Scott Brinton, sbrinton@liherald.com or call 516-569-4000, ext 203, if you would like to memorialize a loved one in the Herald, regardless of their cause of death. Stuart Richner Publisher srichner@liherald.com 1091720
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HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS — June 11, 2020 Photos by Peter Belfiore/Herald
June 4 saw another protest in Valley Stream, attended by nearly 200 people. At one point the knelt on the Village Green for nearly nine minutes in memory of George Floyd.
V.S. sees a week of peaceful protests continued from front page moved to other neighborhoods. More, however, were being planned by the day. June 2 saw a gathering of a few dozen protesters on the Village Green. Word of the event appeared to spread primarily through Facebook. Alex Guerin, 25, from Baldwin, a congregant at Valley Stream’s Bethlehem Assembly of God, said the demonstration remained confined to the green, but there were reports from residents of small, peaceful marches on Merrick Road. Guerin recounted a handful of speeches from the rally, but said they all followed a similar theme. “I think the entire message was to try and rally everyone to be peaceful,” she said “. . . and to use your voices to advocate for those who don’t or have less of a voice, and use your ability to vote.” South High School student Edan Jeanlouis, 16, organized the protest on Thursday, June 4. It began at the Hendrickson Park pool parking lot, and followed a circuit to the Village Green. Nearly 200 people took part. “I put this out kind of on a whim. I was sick and tired of seeing everyone else hold a protest and not Valley Stream,” Jeanlouis said, noting that he believed Monday and Tuesday’s demonstrations had caught only passing recognition. He recounted feelings of anxiety every time he spotted a police car, and cited the 2012 shooting of Trayvon Martin, who was killed while walking home from a convenience store. “Me and my friends go out to the deli all the time,” Jeanlouis said. “Imagine getting shot just for doing that? That’s crazy.” Within the crowd, Valley Stream North High School student Tayler Rochester, 17, said it was her first protest, and that she was attending to show support for the Black Lives Matter movement. She had heard about it through social media. “I hope that everyone starts to realize that black lives truly do matter because this has been an issue for so long and we’re in the year 2020,” she said. “The fact that people still have to fight for basic human rights, that shouldn’t be.” Joelle Henry, 23, from Queens, said, “I wanted to be able to tell my children when they grow up that I was out here protesting for what I believe in.” She said she wanted to see change, “not for two or three
a protester at Valley Stream State Park on June 1. The demonstration was the first, and the largest in the area. weeks, not for a month, but for the rest of my life and the rest of my little brother’s life.” Upon reaching the Village Green, the group held a nine-minute moment of silence for Floyd. Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin had held his knee to Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes as Floyd pleaded for his life before going limp. Chauvin has since been charged with second-degree murder in the killing. Friday, June 5, saw another crowd of nearly 200 demonstrators in the neighborhood. They gathered on Sunrise Highway near Brooklyn Avenue Elementary School, with a planned march east to Merrick, a nearly 8-mile trip. Many of the organizers had been involved in Monday’s protest, and the messaging appeared to become more refined, with voter registration literature being passed around. Tafari Jones, 25, from Elmont, and one of 10 people who had organized the day’s demonstration, had attended Monday’s, and said he was inspired to help organize
another. He said he hoped to do the same for others. “I want to show solidarity and unity, and I also want people to feel empowered to put on their own peaceful protest and move differently moving forward,” he said. “I want people in the crowd to become more educated, and politically engaged.” Voting, he said, was vital. Erik Blam II, 24, from Elmont, worked alongside Harrison and Rivera to organize the June 1 march. He said he and the other organizers had chosen Merrick as their destination after a tense confrontation there earlier in the week during which a group of white residents demanded protesters demonstrate in other, more diverse nearby neighborhoods. Blam drew parallels between this moment in history and that of America in the 1960s, and hoped the day’s protest would echo the landmark 1963 March on Washington. “They were marching for jobs and freedom, and now we’re in this situation where we’re fighting for jobs and freedom,” he said. “How many Americans are unemployed? How many black people have died from police brutality?” Olivia Nance, 23, of Freeport, and another organizer, said it was paramount to maintain momentum in the current movement, and to keep demonstrating. The longterm goal, she said, is reform, but in the short term, she said it was important to register people to vote. “In the past, unfortunately in the Black Lives Matter movement, we’ll have a strong voice, and we’ll march and we’ll protest, but unfortunately the fact of the matter is they kind of stop showing up,” she said of the protesters. Monday’s protest in Elmont had been Nance’s first. The next day, she attended another in Freeport, and between the connections she made at both, became part of a group organizing more demonstrations. For people who might be wary of becoming activists themselves, she encouraged them to “just start,” she said. “People might not have guidance or background. They might not know how to get started or get active. If you’re looking for resources or information, you can make it happen … Be the change you want to be in your own neighborhood.” And using herself as an example, she said, “My first protest was on Monday, and by Friday I was an organizer of my own.”
June 11, 2020 — HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS
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Photos by Christina Daly/Herald
More than a thousand people gathered across from Hempstead Town Hall to protest the death of George Floyd and others who died at the hands of police. They came to show solidarity and protest in the hope that the laws will change and people of color will be treated equally. Many signs listed the names of those who have been victims of violence.
Protest held at Hempstead Town Hall By chriStina daly Dozens of protests have taken palce across Long Island since the death of George Floyd, 46, on May 25. Shawn Fullerton and his mother, Belinda Watkins, a member of the Hempstead Chamber Board, held a rally outside of Hempstead Town Hall last Friday in the hope of bringing everyone together and changing the laws. Belinda told the crowd, “I’m tired. I’m tired of telling my son it’s not safe to go outside. I’m tired of shedding tears. I’m tired.” More than a thousand people gathered across from Hempstead Town Hall to protest the death of Floyd and others who died at the hands of police. They gathered to show solidarity. Many signs listed the names of those who have been victims of violence. Other signs stated, “It’s freedom for everybody or freedom for nobody,” “No Justice, No Peace,” “Black Lives Matter,” “Silence=Violence,” “All lives can’t
matter until black lives matter,” “My skin color is not a crime,” “I can’t breathe,” “This is not a riot, this is a revolution” and “It’s not white vs black, it’s everyone vs racists.” Hempstead Deputy Mayor Charles Renfroe, the Rev. Sedgwick Easley of the Union Baptist Church and Barbara Powell of the NAACP Hempstead Branch attended the protest outside of town hall. As drivers went by, they honked and yelled in support, which was met with cheers by those gathered along the street. One of the few young protesters at the event, 8-year-old Maleah Malone, said, “I care about black people, and I’m marching for them. They shouldn’t be treated this way.” Her mother, Shaunte Malone, she said her children would be the ones living in the world protesters were working to create. Dorothy Goosby said it’s so important to get people involved. “I’ve been going through this, what they’re going through, my whole life,” she said.
Shawn Fullerton and his mother, Belinda Watkins, a member of the Hempstead Chamber Board, held the rally in the hope of bringing everyone together and changing the laws. “no juStice, no peace,” chanted Maleah Malone, 8, and her brother Kendrelle, 9, as they held their signs high. Their mother said they would be the ones to live in the world the protesters were fighting for.
During the rally outside of Hempstead Town Hall, Julia and Daniel Tellerman registered participants to vote.
ProteSter SteFanny cardona held her sign toward the police officers across the street who lined the sidewalks outside of Hempstead Town Hall.
What a little girl is teaching the world about racism sbrinton@liherald.com
Around 7:30 p.m. Thursday, I stood atop the Long Island Rail Road trestle in Merrick, looking out on the sea of people who filled Sunrise Highway as far as I could see, east and west. Officials later estimated the number of demonstrators who attended the Black Lives Matter protest at 3,000 to 4,000. The next morning, I tried to imagine Sunrise Highway with 20 million people. Would they even fit along its 120.6 miles? Twenty million was the number of Twitter users who had, as of Friday morning, watched a 15-second video I shot of 7-year-old Wynta-Amor Rogers, of Uniondale, marching beside her mother, Lakyia Jackson, at a different Black Lives Matter protest through Merrick and Bellmore, on Wednesday. (The views climbed to nearly 23 million by Monday.) In the video, taken around 6:30 p.m., Wynta-Amor chants with the protesters, “No justice, no peace!” Many among the thousands who commented on the post described WyntaAmor as “fierce.” Yes, she was. Her hands moved to the beat of the chant. Her fingers pointed furiously. At the end, she raised her fist, seemingly in anger. Her fiery spirit was evident in her eyes. Wynta-Amor, it appeared, had fully inter nalized the emotion of the moment. She was breathing it in, living it. I was live-tweeting the protest to chronicle it for the Heralds. When I posted the video, I never imagined it would go viral. By the time the protest ended two hours later, 25,000 people had viewed it. By midnight, a million had. Thirty-six hours later, 20.2 million, and counting. People from all parts of the globe viewed it. In effect, this little girl broadcast a central message of Black Lives Matter for all in the Twittersphere to see: We must have justice to find the lasting peace our society seeks. Later on Wednesday, Wynta-Amor’s mom tweeted to thank me for the support that day. “We have to show our kids the right way,” Jackson said. “Yes, Wynta-Amor,” she added, “mommy will help make your future better and all the rest of the kids in the world.” Thursday morning, my wife said she went to bed the night before with Wynta-Amor’s words ringing in her ears. She couldn’t escape them. There was a certain melody to them, a righteous power. Wynta-Amor wasn’t the only one whose passion you could feel that afternoon. There were also 21-year-old Adriana Brutus, of Elmont, and her 24-yearold brother, Matt, who are black. They gave impassioned speeches at the Merrick Long Island Rail Road station, about a half-hour before I took the video of Wynta-Amor. “I’m scared every time I come outside,” Adriana said through tears. Her words left me thunderstruck.
Photos by Scott Brinton/Herald
AdriAnA BrutuS, 21, of Elmont, a nursing student at NYU, said through tears that she does not feel safe leaving her own home.
ProteSterS At the June 3 demonstration marching on Sunrise Highway toward Babylon Turnpike.
As it happened, I later learned, Adriana had been communicating via Instagram with my own 20-year-old daughter, Alexandra. They’re both NYU students. Adriana is studying nursing, and Alexandra, business and technology management. Why must Adriana be afraid all the time? I thought. What sort of society do we live in that she must worry for her life because of her color? My daughter has never felt that level of fear, nor has my 17-year-old son, Andrew. As black people, Matt Brutus said, “We can’t buy property. They redline us. They say you have to go to school here.” BLM protesters aren’t saying they want to take anything from white people. They’re just saying they want an equal shot at life, liberty and the pursuit
of happiness — but that’s hard, if not impossible, for them when racism seems woven into the institutional fabric of our nation. A number of Merrick and Bellmore residents stood on their stoops and on street corners applauding the protesters on Wednesday and Thursday. They cheered and banged on pots. Now and again, though, someone called out, “All lives matter!” Sometimes the protesters ignored those shouts. Sometimes they chanted, “Black lives matter! Black lives matter!” louder and louder. The all-lives-matter folks just don’t get it. The BLM protesters aren’t saying black people’s lives matter more than anyone else’s. What they’re saying is, in
the eyes of a society with a centuriesold history of systemic racism, black lives have never mattered as much as white lives — but they should. They must, if we are to live in harmony with one another. To chant “Black lives matter!” is to affirm that the lives of black people do, in fact, matter. White people don’t have to proclaim their lives matter because they already do, according to society. In the past, a black man could die by noose because he looked the wrong way at a white woman. The George Floyd case, a number of pundits have said, is a modern-day lynching, captured for all to witness on cellphone video. The question is, what will each of us do about it?
HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS — June 11, 2020
WyntA-Amor rogerS, 7, marching during the Black Lives Matter protest in Merrick on Wednesday. The Herald’s video of her chanting, “No justice, no peace!” had more than 20 million views on Twitter as of Friday.
By Scott Brinton
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June 11, 2020 — HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS
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Melissa Koenig/Herald
MeMbers of the Valley Stream Presbyterian Church’s WANTED Project and elected officials gathered outside the Nassau County Supreme Court on June 4 to express their support for police reform legislation.
State officials move ahead with reforms continued from front page signaled their support for repealing the statute. State Sen. Todd Kaminsky, a Democrat from Long Beach, said he would vote for its repeal on Tuesday or Wednesday, after the Herald went to press. Support for the measure is even stronger in the Assembly. Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages has spoken forcefully for its repeal. “It pains me to think that one day he walks out the door and he might not return, and not by the hands of an accident, but by the hands of a police officer,” Solages, a Democrat from Emont, said of her susan young son at a Gottehrer rally for reform l e g i s l at i o n o n Nassau director, June 4. “It hurts NYCLU me to know that we all, in this great country, do not have access to peace, justice and liberty.” Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on June 5 that he would work with members of the State Legislature this week to pass a “Say Their Name” reform agenda, including revising Section 50-a to allow for greater transparency of police officers’ prior disciplinary records; banning chokeholds; prohibiting false race-based 911 reports; and designating the attorney general as an independent prosecutor for matters relating to the deaths of unarmed civilians at the hands of law enforcement. Additionally, members of the state’s Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Legislative Caucus have proposed a legislative package comprising a dozen bills that would increase transparency, create more oversight of police departments, ensure that suspects receive medical
the legislative package Members of the state’s Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Legislative Caucus are pushing for legislation that would: ■ Repeal 50-a, which makes police records confidential.
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t’s time for a real cultural change by and for the police.
■ Make falsely reporting an incident as a hate crime an offense. ■ Establish the Office of Special Investigation for deaths following a police encounter.
Peter Belfiore/Herald
Valley streaMer Christine Rivera, left, with Goldie Harrison at protest they organized in Elmont on June 1. She said that any policing reforms would need to include the repeal of Section 50-a of the state Civil Rights Law, which shields police officer misconduct records. attention, establish strangulation as a crime in the state and ban police from using racial and ethnic profiling. So far, measures to establish a right to record police activity, outlaw chokeholds and mandate that courts collect demographic information have passed the Legislature. “This is not sexy legislation,” Assemblyman Phil Ramos, a Democrat from Suffolk County who chairs the caucus, said at the June 4 rally, “but these are things that are necessary to dismantle and take down that blue wall of silence.” Section 50-a makes all police officers’, firefighters’ and corrections officers’ personnel records “confidential and not subject to inspection or review,” except by court order. “We don’t want to reform 50-a,” Solages said. “We want to repeal it.” The law prevented the New York Civil
Liberties Union from obtaining records from the Nassau County Police Department that it requested under the Freedom of Information Law. “It’s time for a real cultural change by and for the police, and for those who need their protection,” said Susan Gottehrer, director of the Nassau County chapter of NYCLU, “and it’s time for oversight and accountability.” For these bills to pass, Gottehrer said, the legislators need to gain support in the State Senate. “If you are marching with protesters,” she said, “you better be in [the Capitol] legislating tomorrow.” Nia Adams, a community organizer for the Long Island Progressive Coalition, added that repeal of Section 50-a is “the least” state legislators could do, and said, “Today and tomorrow and every day, black lives matter.”
■ Allow the chief administrator of the courts to release data to evaluate criminal justice policies. ■ Affirm the right to record police officers. ■ Repeal limitations on the removal of police officers. ■ Require law enforcement to provide needed medical attention to those in custody. ■ Establish the crime of strangulation, and enact penalties for the disregard of banned procedures. ■ Impose criminal liability for the failure to obtain medical care for a distressed person in custody. ■ Ban racial and ethnic profiling. ■ Reduce arrests for low-level offenses. ■ Expand the use of body cameras.
Nominate a senior for a Herald superlative How to enter Nominate your favorite graduating high school senior today at www. liherald.com/seniorsuperlatives or on Instagram (see @longislandherald for instructions). The categories, among others, include: ■ Most likely to be at the beach ■ Most likely to become a billionaire ■ Most likely to change the world
painting again, which was an activity that I enjoyed in my childhood. Not only does this give me an opportunity to express myself in a new way, it also allows me to prepare artwork for my future college dorm. I will look at these paintings on my wall with pride, knowing I turned an upsetting situation into a positive one. And to be recognized as a Senior Superlative means a lot.” Her father, Michael Stein, said “Adina has loved to paint and draw from an early age and has shown improvement the past few years. She has spent her free time during the quarantine period painting various art projects on canvas with plans to decorate her college dorm in the fall. Her cre-
ativity and artistic skills will complement her academic endeavors in the future.” “We thought this was a fun way to honor these high school students who are graduating in extremely atypical times,” said Stuart Richner, president of Richner Communications and publisher of Herald Community Newspapers. “We would also like to thank the many businesses and organizations from the community that stepped up to sponsor the Herald 2020 Senior Superlatives to allow these graduating students to be recognized.” Sponsors to date include Sacred Heart Academy, Oceanside Family Dental, Ritz Jewelry and Tim White Home Improvement.
■ Most likely to find a cure for cancer ■ Most likely to invent the next iPhone ■ Most likely to be an Instagram star ■ Most likely to be a future firefighter ■ Most likely to raise a family on Long Island ■ Most likely to become a movie star ■ Most likely to win a Nobel Peace Prize
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Post a FREE photo and listing of your grad’s sports, honors and activities — or make a splash with family photos, highlights and more! Opportunity to publish in June 25 HERALD Class of 2020 Issue.
HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS — June 11, 2020
Opportunity to be recognized as “Nassau’s best” and to win $500 Richner Communications, publishers of Herald Community Newspapers, is now accepting nominations for the Herald 2020 Senior Superlatives. Nominations are currently open through Instagram (see @ longislandherald for instructions) and online at www.liherald.com/seniorsuperlatives until June 15. Winners will be published in the Herald’s commemorative Graduation 2020 section, presented by Molloy College, on June 25. Parents, family, classmates and friends are encouraged to nominate graduating high school seniors for the chance to be crowned Nassau County’s Most Likely to Succeed, Most Likely To Cure Cancer, Best Artist, Best Athlete, and more. Students can even nominate themselves. Additionally, each Herald 2020 Senior Superlative winner will be entered into a drawing for a $500 VISA gift card, presented by Herald Community Newspapers. Adina Stein, a senior at George W. Hewlett High School, said, “This is a great way to be honored this year. Finding out that my senior year would be cut short was very upsetting to me. I realized I wouldn’t be able to have my last school spirit week, prom, a traditional graduation, and other fun events we have spent many years looking forward to. After realizing that I can use this time to work on my productivity and look forward to my college freshman year, I decided to try
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June 11, 2020 — HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS
PAge creAtor geNA Rositano posted her own artwork, which she calls, ‘reflections on a lake with a big blue splotch.’
Courtesy Gena Rositano
Facebook group draws V.S. artists together By Nicole AlciNdor nalcindor@liherald.com
“I do think in this period of lockdown, we can discover new things about ourselves,” said Gena Rositano, the creator and one of the administrators of the local Facebook page Valley Stream Arts and Cool Stuff. “My hope is that we have a bigger arts scene in valley stream and that more people become aware of the talent that is here.” On April 16, Rositano, a Valley Stream native, said she decided to create the page during a time when many had a great deal more time on their hands with the hope that Valley Stream’s artists would be able to better discover one another’s work and that more people in the community would be inclined to take up their own
Courtesy Michael Candella
resideNt MichAel cANdellA posted a portrait he created using what he described as a style of pointillism.
artistic endeavors. “I love the arts and so I wanted to be part of a group like this,” she said. “My favorite part is that it’s all positive, and people are encouraging each other to share what they love.” The private Facebook group, which currently has 461 members, features the artistic creations of Valley Stream painters, musicians, poets, actors, writers and a variety of other artists. The page welcomes both amateur and professional creators to join and share their pieces or comment on the work of others. Only Valley Stream residents and those who previously lived in the village are invited into the group. “The page was created to give our creative friends a place to share, test and discuss their work with others on the page,” said Valley Streamer and professional painter Mike Stanko, who is also another administrator for the page. “It’s a nice way to receive assessment and appreciation for one’s talent. Plus it’s a cool way to shine a light on it.” Stanko and Rositano said they have both watched the number of members grow as people look for something new to do and with many residents taking up new hobbies while social distancing that they wouldn’t have otherwise. “People are home and it’s a great page to forget for a minute what we’re all going through,” Stanko said. “The page reminds us all that there are people out there still creating and having fun, and it’s great to just look at and enjoy because there are a lot of very good, kind and talented people on the page.” ”I see people who have never tried an instrument, picking one up and sharing their progress,” Rositano said. “It has been cool meeting some new people and spending [virtual] time with neighbors in a transformative way.”
Courtesy Johnson Velsorius
VAlley streAM resideNt, Johnson Velsorius, above, shared his decorated artistic creation he made using a melted crayon and duct tape on a bottle. VAlley streAM resideNt, Teresa Fusco, shared artwork of her dog on the Facebook page. She had worked on it for three years.
Courtesy Teresa Fusco
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HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS — June 11, 2020
GETTING BACK TO OUR LIVES BEGINS WITH OUR HEALTH. To our fellow Long Islanders: For months, we’ve all endured a crisis that has reshaped our world. And, although our daily lives will be affected for some time to come, we’re beginning to move towards some sense of normalcy and optimism. Along with the desire to protect lives, we all want to get back to living. And living well starts with your health. Your total health. That’s why we’ve instituted extensive safety measures throughout our hospitals and physician offices. There’s no need to ignore health issues or postpone procedures, because we’ve made it safe to get the care you need. The new summer is here. Now is the right time to refocus on your greatest asset of all—your health. Just know that, at Catholic Health Services, we’re here for Long Island and, most of all, we’re here for you. Sincerely, The Catholic Health Services Medical Staff
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Gabriel boxer oxer
A
Don PuPke ke
Hewlett CHief marketinG offiCer, tHe kosHer Guru online
malverne
T
t the beginning of this pandemic in March, a friend of mine messaged me saying that he knows the head of a Covid emergency department unit at [Mount Sinai] South Nassau [hospital] who told him about how hard the staff had been working. After reading that message, I immediately ran to the store to buy food and drove it over to Mount Sinai South Nassau. This led to the creation of the Kosher Response Project, an effort in which our goal was to feed as many first-responders as we can in the tri-state area. Since then we have come up with a couple more initiatives to help those in need; this includes the “Feed A Family Fuel A Restaurant” program that we started with Community Chest South Shore. The goal is to help feed families in need of food while also supporting local restaurants. We truly thank Community Chest South Shore for helping make this possible. Most recently with the help of World of Giving organization, we were able to arrange for an entire tractor-trailer load of freshly harvested tomatoes to be dropped off in our community. We were able to distribute thousands of cases of tomatoes to community members. I would like to thank the entire team and family of the Marion and Aaron Gural JCC who opened their home to us and teamed up with us to help distribute this farm fresh produce to our community.
volunteer, our laDy of lourDes CHurCH, malverne
he idea behind the food bank at Our Lady of Lourdes Church is to have a store of food available in the event that this Covid-19 virus hits the community hard, and people aren’t able to get out from their homes due to sickness. It’s also for those who can’t afford food to due to the fact that they’ve been laid off. I had talked about this idea with Father Michael Duffy, and we pitched it to Mayor Keith Corbett. Once he spoke with the other church leaders in the community, they were all in agreement to run the food drive through our parish. The support we’ve gotten has been overwhelming. The reason we did the collection is because we anticipated that there would be severe restrictions placed on everybody. We also put together a community outreach for senior citizens in the community. We assigned 25 of our volunteers with call lists of local seniors, and we’ve been calling them about every other day to see if they have any needs. It works out better for the community this way. The idea is, as a community, we can act much faster than the government, and we can assess people’s needs on an immediate basis rather than having to go through the bureaucracy of government.
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HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS — June 11, 2020
their Front-Line stories as toLd to our reporters Michaelle Solage SolageS gertrude nation elMont Valley StreaM PaStor, grace united MethodiSt church Valley StreaM
aSSeMblywoMan, new york State 22nd diStrict
G
s a lifelong resident of Elmont, it has been my honor to be able to give back to the community that has embraced my family and heritage. The Covid-19 pandemic has deeply impacted every aspect of our lives. I have seen and felt the struggles of our communities, as they lost all sense of normalcy. The fear and anger felt when everything they have worked hard to achieve just vanishes. It is extremely difficult and completely frightening. Yet, even during these unprecedented times, we have shown that we are more than capable of uplifting one another. My staff and I have worked to coordinate resources to ensure that services are being provided to all constituents in our district. It was humbling to work with members of the community, faith leaders and local organizations to help empower our vulnerable neighbors in their time of need. Although we have seen the exhaustion of front-line workers, tackled food insecurity in our community and felt the pain of loss, we have also seen the generosity, compassion and humanity of our communities. That spirit of resiliency will live within me. This type of unity is key to the path forward through the end of the Covid-19 pandemic.
ertrude Nation started working as a pastor in 2008 and began as the pastor of Grace United Methodist Church in Valley Stream in 2015. “The pandemic has really affected me in ways I haven’t imagined,” Nation said. “There is a lot of sickness, fear and stress that I hear from church members, family, friends and colleagues.” For Nation, she said that exercising faith in God during this time has helped her to do her job. Even though most of her pastoral work has been done from home during the pandemic, she said that she finds that she is handling more telephone calls, emails, WhatsApp communication and Zoom meetings than ever before. She also said that she finds herself relying on other church members to help facilitate the needs of the church during the pandemic. “I ask congregants to reach out to other members, especially the elderly, who might need someone to get them food from the store or they might need a call if they are alone,” she said. “During this pandemic, I am growing and focusing on my congregation, my ministry and on keeping people connected because that is important.” Despite the ability to interact virtually, Nation said she still misses her job before the pandemic. “I miss seeing the people and talking to them in person,” she said. “I miss greeting my church on Sunday services and fellowship time after church.”
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June 11, 2020 — HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS
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What’s neWs in and out of the classroom
HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS — June 11, 2020
Herald ScHoolS
Photos courtesy Central High School District
Valley Stream Central High School staff members gathered outside the building early last month to greet the outgoing seniors as they drove past in car parade.
Central High School celebrates its seniors Valley Stream Central High School’s seniors held a car parade outside the school early last month as teachers and staff greeted them in front of the building. Members of the Central class of 2020 and their parents showed up on Fletcher Avenue in vehicles decorated with college logos, banners, balloons, streamers and graduation slogans. Their names were displayed on the electronic sign o u t s i d e t h e s ch o o l m a i n entrance. Many also displayed thank you messages for their teachers and administrators to see. Superintendent of Schools Dr. Bill Heidenreich, Principal Joseph Pompilio, Assistant Principal Rober t Milani, Mathew Pearson, Senior Class Co-Advisors Catherine Barbino and Carina Sanchez and many faculty members applauded and held up celebratory posters for the passersby. In light of the coronavirus pandemic, the event was intended as a safe way to celebrate the outgoing senior’s accomplishments and give students an opportunity to see their teachers in person, albeit from a distance. Compiled by Peter Belfiore
the SeniorS Showed their school spirit with signs and decorations. many SeniorS brought signs touting the colleges they plan to attend in the fall. while not a final sendoff, it was likely one of the last times the students would be able to see their teachers.
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June 11, 2020 — HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS
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What you need to know today.
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What’s up next door and around the corner
Photos courtesy Brian Grogan/Valley Stream Fire Department
Valley Stream firefighterS rescued a kitten trapped in a storm drain on June 3. Fire officials said the owner of a nearby house later adopted it.
Valley Stream firefighters make a furry rescue Valley Stream firefighters were able to safely rescue a kitten trapped in a storm drain on the afternoon of June 3. According to the department’s Facebook page, Nassau County police notified the department at around 3 p.m. that officers had discovered a kitten trapped in the sewer system at the intersection of Roosevelt Avenue and Elmwood Street, and that it had been stuck there crying for hours Firefighters removed multiple manhole covers to get to the kitten and within a half hour they were able to get the kitten to safety. Fire officials said the owner of a nearby house adopted it.
Public Notices
LVAL1 0611
LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF FORMATION OF LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY. NAME: IBERE, LLC. ARTICLES OF ORGANIZATION WERE FILED WITH THE SECRETARY OF STATE OF NEW YORK, (SSNY) ON
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NaSSau CouNty poliCe notified the department of the trapped kitten at around 3 p.m. that day. firefighterS remoVed multiple manhole covers and storm grates to get to the kitten. WithiN a half hour, firefighters were able to safely remove the kitten.
HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS — June 11, 2020
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19
HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS — June 11, 2020
HERALD
Free estimates...Best Price For High Quality service
Installing a bidet: no simple project Q. Because of this crazy time, we couldn’t get toi-
let paper, so I saw an advertisement for a bidet that attaches to the bottom of the toilet seat and ordered one. After weeks of waiting, there seemed like toilet paper was back in the stores, but then the bidet arrived. With no job to run off to, I decided to put the bidet on, and the instructions looked simple enough. That’s when I discovered that, like you often say, nothing is simple, and you’re right. My toilet is the kind that is sleek and modern, called “low profile.” Since we have never replaced the toilet seat, I didn’t know that the seat was Ask The attached with hidden bolts Architect that can’t be loosened or taken off. After going on YouTube, I saw in an instructional video by Kohler, the maker, that with a special-order kit that includes a flat tool, new bolts and special expanding sleeves, which I would need to use with a bunch of drill bits, a screwonte eeper driver and a mallet, I could do this “simple” job. I called a plumber, who looked at it and made one of those sounds like air rushing out of a balloon, and he said, after he couldn’t get the screw to loosen, either, that the toilet might get damaged if they drilled it out but they could try. If it got damaged, he said, as a backup, be prepared to replace the toilet and select what you would want to replace it. Even though I’m now searching for a new model toilet, I thought other readers would want to know about this problem before they go through this, as well. It all started with a simple roll of toilet paper that could have been available if people hadn’t swept them off the shelves in a panic. What would you do in this case?
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A. I not only got calls from people I knew that they ordered the bidet attachment around early April, but I ordered one myself, and learned from your question that there were many who are experiencing the same issues. I’m often told by prospective clients that they want a simpler look, something more modern and “updated.” People seldom want to hear the truth when they have an idea about how to make things simpler, and I didn’t imagine that the engineers of that type of sleeklooking low toilet, with no indents or hidden places to clean, would actually be more complicated to work with. Who would have imagined that changing a toilet seat would mean changing a toilet? When people see something in a magazine, like an incredible staircase with no walls underneath or a fancy sports car, I wonder if they really understand the amount of complicated engineering that goes into the “simple” design. I would drill out the bolts with the kit standing by from the manufacturer and have the toilet selected, readily available to purchase for installation. Good luck!
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opinionS
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table neighborhoods are the backbone of every community. But in places like New York state, where housing costs continue to rise dramatically, housing stability is threatened for far too many, particularly families and individuals who rely on public assistance. On any given day, more than 92,000 New Yorkers are homeless. The gross inadequacy of housing subsidies is a critical factor in the rise of homelessness and housing instability. Long don Island is home to FRiedMan about 1,800 homeless households staying in shelters, while another 3,200 or so families and individuals struggle to get by on public assistance allowances that cover only 40 percent to twothirds of their monthly rents. These households are on the brink of becoming homeless, and most will find themselves facing eviction, having to double up with family or friends, or living in shelters or places not fit for human habitation. This crisis is manifest throughout our
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state, where, for example, more than 150,000 children experience homelessness over the course of the school year. Many of the more than 80,000 public-assistance households that struggle to pay their rents every month will constitute the next wave of families and individuals to lose their housing. These families will need to find shelters, hotels, tents, abandoned buildings, cars or sofas where they can spend a night, a week, a month, a lifetime after literally losing the roofs over their heads. We have learned a great deal about the impact of housing instability and homelessness on individuals and families. Children who experience the intense stress of these hardships don’t do as well in school, and are more likely to have behavioral issues; adults are less likely to secure jobs and keep them, and more prone to mental and physical health problems; and families are often less able to succeed as cohesive units. But it doesn’t need to be this way. There is a solution in the form of legislation that has been pending in Albany for the past few years called Home Stability Support. HSS is a common-sense remedy
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to the homelessness crisis that is supported by 129 members of the State Assembly, 37 state senators, more than 100 faith leaders, including the New York State Council of Churches and the New York State Catholic Conference, as well as dozens of local officials and scores of human services agencies and other advocates. The design is simple: HSS would bridge the divide between public-assistance housing allowances and reasonable rents in order to enable homeless and at-risk New Yorkers to leave or avoid the impermanent shelter system and secure stable housing of their own. Critics of the bill point out that the state had no resources for a program like HSS even before the coronavirus pandemic. But with homelessness in the state at record levels, shelters are overcrowded, and it costs taxpayers billions of dollars each year to leave this problem unsolved. HSS would not only help our homeless neighbors and those at risk of becoming homeless to become stably housed, it would also contribute to neighborhood stability and benefit taxpayers by preventing evictions, helping those
ousing instability turns the lives of children and adults upside down.
fleeing unsafe homes and reducing the use of costly shelters. Moreover, the pandemic has exposed longstanding systemic inequities: wealthy families have been weathering the crisis away from dense metropolitan areas, while low-income workers have lost their livelihoods or continue to be exposed to the virus. While some have been able to work from home, others have neither a computer nor access to the internet. For the rich, the pandemic presents investment opportunities never seen before, but for the poor, it means the total depletion of their savings. Now that New York state is slowly coming back to life after the lockdown, it is critical that Gov. Andrew Cuomo and legislative leaders recognize the need to end the vicious cycle of homelessness for families. Almost everyone in the Legislature agrees that Home Stability Support would be the immediate solution to our statewide, cyclical homelessness crisis. Now it’s now time for Cuomo to ensure that the post-pandemic comeback isn’t built on the backs of low-income communities. Don Friedman is a former managing attorney of the Long Island office of the Empire Justice Center, a statewide legal services and advocacy organization for low-income New Yorkers.
My own silver lining is in the mirror
on’t go changing to try and please me . . . Don’t change the color of your hair.” —Billy Joel
Why would women stretch out on their backs with their hair floating behind them in vats of lye? Apparently, in the 1600s that was the price of beauty for fashionable women in Venice. It was what one did on the Rialto to bleach one’s hair into “golden” locks. I mention this because my husband and I recently had “the talk.” There are lots of pandemic-fueled talks going on now Randi in America, and while this one kReiSS started in a jokey kind of way, with a slow burn, it quickly ignited. The accelerant was oldschool ageism. I realized we were talking about identity. I asked him if he liked my hair, which has been growing in gray since I decided not to risk Covid-19 by going to a hair salon. (As businesses open, I realize this
is now my personal choice.) Yes, it is a loaded question from spouse A to spouse B. Of course, just by asking, I’m making his opinion of my appearance important. And it is. As an older, pretty traditional couple, that has been the way we roll. We tell each other if a sweater looks too worn or pants are too tight. We accept opinions on new shoes or eyeglasses. We have an actual agreement that we don’t say anything negative about each other’s appearance before we go out for the evening, but upon returning, we are allowed to say, “Burn that shirt.” When I asked about my going gray, he said, “I like your hair dark.” Well, I liked it better when my hair was dark, too, but it can’t get dark unless I go to a salon, or color it at home, which is a project I am not taking on. Besides, why should I? Why was I hitched to a wagon that dragged me to a salon every eight weeks for a “touch-up”? When I said I didn’t plan to change my hair, he said, “Well, OK, but I like it better the other way.” “Well, OK,” I said, “I liked it better when you had wavy black curls and rip-
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pling muscles in your arms.” The double standard suddenly popped out in high relief. Why is it OK for him to have gray hair and not think that it diminishes him in any way, and I have to dye my hair in order to “improve” my appearance when I start to show signs of aging? If the pandemic had not struck, confining us to home base and prohibiting socializing, I probably would have continued to color my hair indefinitely. But now? I’m done. Every eight weeks I’ll go to the theater instead, for the same money, should the theaters ever open again. Meanwhile, stuck in the house, I’m getting comfortable with the me in me. I’ve outgrown that woman with highlighted hair and ritualized applications of makeup. While we’re at it, let’s burn the bra. I see my husband’s eyes scan my upper torso and I know what he’s thinking. I go for it: “I’ve decided not to wear a bra anymore.” “I noticed,” he says. “Don’t you think your clothes look better when you wear a bra?” “My clothes would look better on a mannequin with Barbie Doll measure-
probably would have continued to color my hair indefinitely. But now? I’m done.
ments,” I say, “but I am an imperfect human woman, and bras are uncomfortable, and I don’t want to be pinched and wired into place anymore.” I mean, why don’t fat guys wear Spanx? I know some men color their hair, but most don’t, whereas some 70 percent of American women color theirs. The selfimprovement industry comprising hair coloring, makeup and dieting has been largely aimed at women. We have been all too willing to believe that we aren’t thin enough or pretty enough or sexy enough in our own skins. Especially as we get older, it’s big business to convince women to cover the evidence of aging by dyeing hair, applying more makeup and submitting to surgeries. This is a very old story, but it has been made new again by the coronavirus, which reminds us what is important in our lives. In the age of masks, it is unmasking us. When your partner asks what you think of her going without makeup, a bra or hair color, or he asks if he can forgo the haircut, there are only eight acceptable words to utter: “I love you just the way you are.” Copyright 2020 Randi Kreiss. Randi can be reached at randik3@aol.com.
HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS — June 11, 2020
Include Home Stability Support in the recovery phase
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Herald editorial
Valley Stream
June 11, 2020 — HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS
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Protests should lead to reforms in New York
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assau County wound ing on the sidewalk. That led down a whirlwind police to escort the BLM proweek of Black Lives testers around the counterproMatter protests testers. through local neighborhoods The next day, roughly 2,000 last week that were, with one BLM protesters turned out in exception, peaceful and upliftMerrick and marched through ing. local streets, from Sunrise Tens of thousands marched, Highway to Merrick Road, on to from Valley Stream to Bellmore Bellmore and back to Merrick. and from Hempstead to Long They chanted and cheered, Beach. They came seeking jusrapped and sang. This time, tice for George Floyd, killed by many local residents came out a Minneapolis police officer to welcome them. who pressed his knee into The day after that, 4,000 proFloyd’s neck for 8 minutes, 46 testers turned out, and they seconds. kept coming every day through At the same time, the protestlast Sunday. Outstanding! ers said they wanted social jusOn Saturday, a group of tice for all people, regardless of about two dozen protesters skin color. rushed at Nassau County police It’s about time that protests officers while to protest on the of this magnitude happened Meadowbrook Parkway in Merhere in Nassau. Often in the rick in the rain, according to past, when protests of this kind authorities. One officer’s ankle took place in response to an was broken. Another suffered a injustice, they happened in big bruised nose and a scratched cities like New York, Washingcornea. ton and Los Angeles. That left This should never have hapGov. Andrew Nassau residents with the dispened. No one should have Cuomo tinct impression that the social attempted to protest on the injustices that black people parkway, particularly when it have faced were not their concern. This was wet and slick. As one Facebook user time, protesters brought the demonstracommented, to do so would have been a tions to our otherwise quiet suburban “death wish.” neighborhoods, making them impossible More important, police never should to ignore. have been injured. The NCPD did an excelBravo! lent job of maintaining the peace and And these protesters weren’t taking no keeping everyone safe throughout the for an answer. In Merrick, a group of week. They didn’t deserve this. about 30 people, a number of whom were There were only 11 arrests of protesters from local neighborhoods, tried to stop 150 last week, all in Merrick, and all were Black Lives Matter protesters from march- among those who tried to jump onto the
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don’t understand how you can see that murder on videotape and not be outraged. I said from Day One, I share that outrage.
letters D.A.: Reforms are greatly needed To the Editor: The horrific murder of George Floyd has moved millions of Americans to action, seeking to end systemic racism and mistreatment by law enforcement and a fairer criminal justice system. These issues are not new to our country, our community or to me as district attorney. We have seen large, peaceful protests across Nassau County that showcase the diversity of our communities dedicated to justice, alongside the professionalism of our law enforcement agencies, working under challenging circumstances. As the county’s chief law enforcement official, I believe this is an important moment to listen to those voices in our community calling for change, to reflect on how we can improve and to affirm our commitment to do better. I wanted to share with you what action we’re taking in my office, how we’re working with our law enforcement partners to better serve the public, to announce my sup-
Meadowbrook. We seem in this nation to be in a perpetual cycle of violence against people of color, followed by protests that at times turn violent, as they did in major cities around the country last week. It’s time that we end that cycle. Over the weekend, Gov. Andrew Cuomo renewed his call for enactment of the “Say Their Name” reform agenda, saying that police have to do their jobs, but do not have the right to abuse those they police, and that society will no longer tolerate delayed justice. The Say Their Name agenda would: ■ Make public prior disciplinary records of law enforcement officers by reforming Section 50-a of the state’s Civil Rights Law. ■ Ban chokeholds by law enforcement officers. ■ Prohibit false, race-based 911 reports and make them a crime. ■ Designate the attorney general as an independent prosecutor for matters relating to the deaths of unarmed civilians caused by law enforcement. We fully support passage of this legislation, and we call on the State Legislature to act on it immediately. “Police have to do their jobs, protect public safety,” Cuomo said. “There’s also police abuse. There’s abuse of power. Protesters — most of the protesters are peaceful — they are indignant. It is righteous indignation. I don’t see anybody who can see the Mr. Floyd video and not be indignant. I don’t understand how you can see that murder on videotape and not be outraged. I said from Day One, I share that outrage.”
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he largest pandemic in 100 years gave us a crash course in public health. We quickly learned the epidemiological concepts of “flattening the curve, the risk of exposure, asymptomatic carriers, incubation periods, and why we must quarantine. Even though everyone may not have understood these concepts, we all learned what to do: isolate and minimize contact with others to stop the spread of the coronavirus. This was enforced here through Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s “New York State on Pause” — even marTine if you wanted to HackeTT go to school or a bar or a movie, you couldn’t because of the policies that closed them all for the sake of the public. Individuals had to sacrifice for the greater good. Eventually these policies, and changes in behavior, worked. On Long Island, the percentage of people testing positive for Covid-19 has dropped from 20 percent to 2 percent over the past six weeks. The number of daily deaths in New York City
dropped to zero last week for the first time since March. Nassau and Suffolk were among the hardest-hit counties in the United States, and we have been meeting the metrics of declining hospitalizations and deaths, and are moving toward reopening. We also learned that even though a virus cannot be seen by the naked eye, we can see its effects on the body. We understand that this invisible agent can be spread without the knowledge of those who have it, and that it can be deadly. The same is true for police brutality and its root cause, structural racism. Invisible to some and supported by many who are unaware of its impact, the overwhelming police presence in communities of color takes a continuing toll on people of color. Just as electron microscopes made it possible for viruses to be visible 90 years ago, police brutality is now visible is cellphone documentation that is viewed and shared on our myriad screens. The shocking and deeply disturbing video of George Floyd’s death as a direct result of a Minneapolis police officer’s knee on his neck made it painfully clear how racism
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icroscopes have made viruses visible, and cellphones allow us to see brutality.
LeTTers port for pending legislation to promote trust and accountability, and to remind every Nassau resident that our doors and our hearts are open to all those we serve. Please continue to share your ideas with me. I am listening. ■ My office will partner with the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University to analyze comprehensive charging and case disposition data to identify racial disparity and bias, and publicly report the findings of that review as well as any corrective action warranted. ■ We will also address the appearance of a conflict by seeking the appointment of a special prosecutor for all new cases in which police officers are credibly accused of criminal conduct in the course of their duties. ■ We will expand and enhance annual mandatory implicit bias training for all staff, and review our training curriculum to ensure that anti-bias education is an ongoing component. ■ We will continue our work to recruit and promote prosecutors, investigators and staff that reflect the diversity of the communities we serve. ■ We will expand our Community Councils, which already include our African American, Asian American, Hispanic American, South Asian American, Faith Leaders, Student and Community Partnership Program advisory councils to
and law enforcement violence intersect. The fact that Floyd’s autopsy revealed that he also had Covid-19 the month before he was murdered further connects the vulnerability of black people to public-health threats. The protests that followed across the United States and the world demanded an end to systemic racism. The American Public Health Association states that racism structures opportunity and assigns value based on how a person looks. The result is conditions that give an unfair advantage to some and unfairly disadvantage others. Racism hurts the health of our nation by denying some people the opportunity to attain their highest level of health. We know that in Nassau and Suffolk counties, Covid-19 deaths have disproportionately affected black residents. In 2018, the APHA also recognized that law enforcement violence was a publichealth issue. Racism and injustice have resulted in the deaths of more people than the 110,000 that Covid-19 has caused thus far in the U.S. We have seen that public-health solu-
HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS — June 11, 2020
A virus and police brutality: two public-health problems I
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tions can work to reduce the virus’s toll. However, just talking about what to do — wearing masks, social distancing, disinfecting — does not work unless those recommendations are followed rigorously. tinue t Without conscious and vigilant action, ty is th Covid-19 would continue to spread and larly fa cause sickness and death. But as we wait on pub for a vaccine and the building of herd immunity, we may one day gain control of the virus, and live our lives without thinking too much about it. There is no similar one- or two-shot solution to an unjust societal system. Eliminating the public-health problems of police brutality and systemic racism will require public-health-sized solutions: consistent monitoring; education about how structural racism, especially on Long Island, came to be a force in our schools, communities and health care system; policy changes; and changes in citizens’ behavior and attitudes. Police brutality, and the underlying causes of systemic racism, require the 3,200 o same unprecedented level of action and gle to g ances t resources we used to address the pandemic. We are all connected, whether we thirds househ see it or not. homele Martine Hackett is an associate professor facing family of public health at Hofstra University. places Thi
Framework by Christina Daly
ensure broader geographic representation of Nassau’s communities. Many jurisdictions, including New York City, have established civilian oversight boards to provide independent review of complaints against police officers. These boards investigate and recommend discipline for officers accused of misconduct, refer potential criminal conduct for possible prosecution, and use tools like mediation to help improve relationships and trust between law enforcement and the public. To promote transparency and independence, we encourage Nassau County to establish a civilian police review agency. We encourage the Legislature to increase juror pay from the antiquated rate of $40 per day to $150 per day to promote more diverse and representative juries. For those who are self- employed, rely on tips or hold multiple part-time jobs, the cost to serve is simply too high. Legislation is pending to repeal Section 50-a of the New York State Civil Rights Law, which shields the personnel records of police from disclosure. Greater transparency regarding police misconduct and discipline is important to improve policies and oversight and promote public confidence. I support significant reform to Section 50-a. However, police officers do dangerous work. The overwhelming majority do their jobs with courage and integrity. And repeal that does not afford protection of officers’ personal information could endanger officers
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Why backs w them i 1600s t fashion
An installation in Pratt Park — Glen Cove
and their families. As we work to address police misconduct, it is important to be mindful of the essential role law enforcement plays in protecting our communities, and the difficult and often dangerous situations officers face. Post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, substance abuse and other conditions, exacerbated by work stresses, necessitate the ready availability of mental health services to ensure that officers can continue to safely perform their jobs. Officer suicides have occurred at an alarming rate in recent years, and wide-
spread protests and broad-based criticism will undoubtedly compromise morale. It is important that policymakers engage with law enforcement leaders and rank-and-file officers to ensure that as we move forward to address wrongdoing, we create an environment that sup-quickly ports the good work of the thousands of school police officers who serve the people of I rea Nassau County with professionalism andty. integrity every day. I ask has bee MADELINE SINGASnot to r Nassau County district attorneysalon.
GOVERNOR CuOMO hAS ExTENDED ThE BuDGET VOTE TO juNE 16Th The Valley Stream Teachers Association is proud to endorse the following candidates for School Board Trustee in their respective local Districts
District 13
District 24
District 30
Frank Chiachiere Melissa Herrera C. Sandra Okafor* *Write in candidate Patricia Farrell Gerardo Cavaliere
During this very difficult time it is imperative to support your schools Budget VALLEY STREAM STRONG
VOTE YES BY juNE 16
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Please make sure to mail in your ballots before June 16th
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June 11, 2020 — HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS
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