Volume LXXII, Number 20
Camp Kesem Offers Children Relief From Grief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 The French Connection . . 17 Turning Off the Morning News at McCarter . . . 19 PU Women’s Open Crew Wins Ivy Regatta . . . . 27 PHS Boys’ Track Dominates County Meet . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
William E . Hutnik Named English Educator of the Year . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Berkshire Hathaway Fox & Roach Realtors . .22, 23 Books . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 25 Cinema . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Classified Ads . . . . . . 36 Mailbox . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Music/Theater . . . . . . 18 New To Us . . . . . . . . . 26 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . 35 Police Blotter . . . . . . . 21 School Matters . . . . . . 12 Service Directory . . . . 38 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Topics of the Town . . . . 5 Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . 6
www.towntopics.com
Iran Entanglements Ignite Two Rallies, In Town and at P.U.
American politics continues to interweave and often clash with Iranian politics, and last week those entanglements precipitated two rallies in Princeton. The first took place in Hinds Plaza on Wednesday to protest against President Trump’s announcement that the United States would be withdrawing from the nuclear agreement with Iran; and the second was held on Friday evening at Princeton University outside Frist Campus Center to show support and solidarity for Xiyue Wang, a Princeton graduate student who has been imprisoned in Iran for almost two years. Only one day after Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear agreement, about 70 people gathered for an emergency protest rally organized by the Princeton-based Coalition for Peace Action (CFPA), calling on the president and/ or Congress to reverse that decision. CFPA Executive Director Bob Moore described Trump’s decision as “outrageous, deeply disappointing, totally wrong-headed.” He continued, “Yes, we have concerns about Iran’s behavior, but we have to engage and resolve our problems through diplomacy — diplomacy not war. We can still salvage this agreement, but we may be on a track now that leads to military confrontation.” Other speakers included Princeton University physicist Rob Goldston, an expert on the Iran nuclear agreement; Iranian-American physician Ahmad Farzad; Frank von Hippel, professor emeritus of public and international affairs at Princeton University and former assistant director of the White House Science Advisor’s office; Mark Pepper, CFPA treasurer; and Niki VanAller, CFPA assistant director. “Trump said some things to us, most of which were lies,” Goldston said. Pointing out “falsehoods” “alternate facts,” and “misleading statements” in Trump’s rationale for reneging on the agreement, Goldston argued that Iran had not been the perpetrator of terrorist attacks on the U.S. in the past 20 years; that Iran had essentially stopped its nuclear program in 2003, and all Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s evidence to the contrary came from before 2003; and that the U.S. needs to continue working with its international partners — the European Union, Russia, and China, who have remained in the agreement. Continued on Page 10
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Wednesday, May 16, 2018
James Floyd, Former Mayor, Dies at 96 James Floyd, Princeton’s first African American mayor and longtime civil servant, died Monday morning. A community activist who worked tirelessly to promote civil rights, he was a mentor to many and a familiar figure to anyone involved in local politics. He was instrumental in getting the Witherspoon-Jackson neighborhood designated a historic district. “Jim Floyd was a change agent,” said Princeton Councilman Lance Liverman, who grew up in Princeton and knew Floyd nearly his whole life. “This is my definition of someone who truly has changed the direction or path others may have gone. Jim was a mover and shaker in the area of affordable housing in Princeton. This was his passion.” Mayor Liz Lempert said of Floyd, “Princeton lost a giant. Jim was a barrierbreaker who helped build a better, more inclusive Princeton. He was a ferocious advocate, especially for affordable housing and for youth, and he leaves behind a lasting legacy.” Born in Trenton in 1922, Floyd was a graduate of Trenton Central High School and West Virginia State College, where
he majored in art and political science. He worked for Stokes Molded Products in Trenton, which was later purchased by Electric Storage Battery Company, from which Floyd retired as vice president of personnel. Floyd moved to Princeton in 1946 after marrying Fannie Reeves, and the couple lived on Quarry Street in the Witherspoon-Jackson neighborhood. They had two sons, James Jr. and Michael. Fannie Reeves Floyd died in 2008. Floyd was an active member of Witherspoon Street Presbyterian Church, where he served on several committees with local historian Shirley Satterfield. “He married into a family very close to mine, so I knew him forever,” she said. “Next to Paul Robeson and Albert Hinds, he did more for this community than anyone. Whether he was mayor, head of a committee, or speaking on behalf of Witherspoon-Jackson becoming a historic district, he gave so much. I always say Paul Robeson was our native son, Mr. Hinds was an ordinary man who did extraordinary things, and Jim was a man for all seasons.” In addition to serving as mayor of the
PILLAR OF THE COMMUNITY: James Floyd’s influence on Princeton, especially the Witherspoon-Jackson district, touched many over several decades.
former Princeton Township in 1971, Floyd also served on the Planning Board, the former Borough Zoning Board of Adjustment, and in other capacities. “He was instrumental in the 1950s for fair housing,” Satterfield said. “He worked very closely with our minister and the minister at Nassau Presbyterian Church to get the housing on Glenview Drive.” Princeton native and housing advocate Leighton Newlin considered Floyd a mentor. “I have known him my whole life and he was a great influence on me,” Newlin said. “My father was my first influence, and later in my life an even greater mentor was Jim Floyd. I just enjoyed sitting Continued on Page 8
DACA Clash May Go to Supreme Court; Locals Welcome Aid for Dreamers
Last week Governor Phil Murphy signed legislation into law that will grant access to state aid at public and private colleges and universities for New Jersey DREAMers. Qualified students will be permitted to apply for aid starting in the fall 2018 semester, making New Jersey the 10th state in the country to offer state financial aid to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and undocumented students. “When policies at the federal level have purposely and systematically excluded immigrants in our communities, New Jersey stands up,” said Latin American Legal Defense and Education Fund Executive Director Adriana Abizadeh. “Our state legislature is showing the country that immigrants are valued in our state. Access to statewide tuition assistance is a huge win that will lead to the development of new leaders, diverse representation, and increased GDP. This win is not only for immigrants. This win is for all New Jerseyans.” This welcomed news from Trenton for immigrant youth comes amidst ongoing debate and continued lack of resolution nationally on immigration law and the fate of the DACA program. The Trump administration decision last September to phase out DACA caused widespread protests, much conflict, and unproductive efforts by Congress to salvage it. Federal judges in California, New York, and the District of Columbia have ruled that the Trump administration must continue DACA, which was created in 2012 and has provided work permits and Continued on Page 12