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Back when the 1990s arrived, so did a TV show that refused to die. A procedural, this show was as new as the new decade and as old as TV itself. Built to last, this series' format was roughly based on a 1963-64 drama ("Arrest &amp; Trial"), which ran for only 30 episodes while this would go on for a monumental 456. 
And now, after a 12-year break, the 457th arrives Feb. 24 at 8 p.m. on NBC/4. 
Whether "Law &amp; Order" was canceled back in 2010 or is just now waking from the longest nap in TV history depends on what you read or whom you ask. News reports back then used the word "canceled," but creator Dick Wolf has long insisted the so-called Mother Ship was in a state of suspended animation all this time. 
"Law &amp; Order," in other words, never went anywhere but just got a well-deserved rest. 
Speaking to the media recently about Sunday's return, Sam Waterston — back as Manhattan D.A. Jack McCoy — said Wolf "was talking about [this revival] five years ago and I don't think he's ever stopped talking about it. One of the reasons that we're back is because of his persistence and determination and his complete conviction that it was a terrible mistake to stop in the first place." 
Laid up with laryngitis and unable to speak about the moment he's waited for all these years, Wolf did say in a recent statement that "there are very few things in life that are literally dreams come true. This is mine." 
Unlike the typical reboot or "re-imagining" of the original series, "L&amp;O" picks up as if no time has passed at all. The wheels of justice have continued to grind, and McCoy has continued to grind them. Det. Kevin Bernard (Anthony Anderson, who appeared in seasons 18-21) has a new partner (Jeffrey Donovan) and boss (Camryn Manheim), but the 27th Precinct is as cluttered and cramped as ever, the décor still hard-boiled cop, circa 1990. 
In fact, the show that refused to die almost didn't 12 years ago. According to industry reports at the time, "L&amp;O" had been renewed for a 21st season, which would have pushed it into record territory as TV's longest-running prime-time drama. Instead, a drawn-out negotiation between Wolf and NBCUniversal over license fees soured and then-NBC chief Jeff Zucker abruptly dropped the ax. (Zucker was recently forced out as CNN President for failing to disclose a romantic relationship with a subordinate.) 
In a clench-jawed response to the cancellation, Wolf channeled 19th Century British prime minister Benjamin Disraeli — "never complain and never explain," he said at the time — then started looking for a new network home. AMC and TNT both passed and a plan to revive "L &amp; O" as a short-run NBC series in 2015 was tabled too. In the interim, Wolf expanded his prime-time real estate with other "L &amp; O" spinoffs, and the "Chicago"/ "FBI" franchises. 
 Persistence — yes — but especially clout finally made this dream come true. 
From a fan's perspective, "L &amp; O" never truly went away. Reruns continue to air on WEtv, SundanceTV and BBC America, and to stream on various subscription services, including Hulu and Peacock. And in 2019, "Law &amp; Order: SVU" achieved what the Mother Ship could not or has yet to: Twenty-one seasons on the air, surpassing "Gunsmoke" as primetime's longest-running drama (it's now up to 23). 
But from the biggest fan's perspective — Wolf's — there was clearly some unfinished business here, and it's easy to see why. Over the 20-year run, "L&amp;O" was among the most important series in New York production history. This was also one of TV's finest series, and winner of the 1997 Emmy for outstanding drama. The show explored every conceivable judicial dilemma, unraveled countless ethical ones as well. Infamous cases were ripped from headlines, those cases then re-litigated — always with names and specifics changed, or as this fig leaf that opened each episode reminded, "The following story is fictional and does not depict any actual person or event." 
One of the masterminds of this legendary run, "L&amp;O's" longtime showrunner/head writer René Balcer, said in a recent phone interview that the secret to this historic run was that "you had the cops build the story — or case — in the first half and then in the second half, the lawyers unraveled the case and basically turned it on its head. That's where you'd get the questioning of ethics, and the process of the law and of the justice system." 
Episode to episode, he said, "that was pretty consistent but we found surprising ways of doing it so we always kept the audience off balance. So certainly the format was hard to beat but we also had very engaging actors and characters that people wanted to spend time with every week. They trusted those characters and trusted the show." 
Such trust, he said, was vitally important because "as an example, 25 years ago I wrote an episode about a Black motorist who was killed by four NYPD cops. That was 25 years before George Floyd, but viewers trusted us to go on this journey that they otherwise might not have wanted to go on." 
Balcer said Wolf asked him to return to run the new "L &amp; O" but declined because of other projects, including a series set in the Mideast. He also had a few concerns. This Rip Van Winkle arrives, he says, in a whole New World — post-pandemic New York, the increasingly divisive culture wars and an immersive social media landscape in which everyone knows everything or at least has an opinion on it. "People are not necessarily going to be tuning in to 'Law &amp; Order' just to relive or reexamine some formative issue," he says. 
He adds that "in various ways we reflected reality in the age of [longtime Manhattan district attorneys] Robert Morgenthau and Cyrus Vance Jr. The reality now is that there's a young Black D.A., a young Black female chief of the NYPD, and a Black mayor of New York City. The show has to reflect that reality." 
In that recent call with reporters, Rick Eid, the new boss and longtime showrunner of "Chicago P.D.," said "we're going to try our best to reflect the world we live in now. I mean, 'Law &amp; Order'' has been around for a long time, but 2022 is a unique moment in time and our stories and our characters need to reflect that. I think it will."

Entertainment

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'Law & Order' returns for its 21st season, after a 12-year break

Dun! Dun! Here's what to expect when 'Law & Order' returns after 12 years

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Gina Tabarus

Black History Month has its roots in 1926, when the organization now known as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (<a href="https://asalh.org/">asalh.org</a>) initiated the first "Negro History Week," according to the Library of Congress. In 1975, President Gerald Ford issued a message on the observance of Black History Week, and in 1976, ASALH expanded the observance to the month of February. Since then, U.S. presidents and Congress have signed proclamations and passed laws, respectively, to continue the annual monthlong observance. This year's theme is "Black Health and Wellness." 
<h3>ONGOING</h3> 
HUNTINGTON 
EXHIBIT: HIGHLIGHTS FROM HUNTINGTON'S AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY 
Based on the African American Historic Designation Council's work to educate and increase public awareness about the values and contributions of African Americans in the town, the exhibit shares the story of such prominent figures and organizations as Booker T. Washington, Samuel Ballton, John Coltrane, the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church and Evergreen Missionary Baptist Church, 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays, Feb. 9 to March 31, Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Building, 228 Main St., <a href="http://huntingtonhistoricalsociety.org/">huntingtonhistoricalsociety.org</a>, 631-427-7045. 
OYSTER BAY 
DISPLAY 
A picture display of prominent leaders who have helped advance the movement for rights for African Americans, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily through Feb. 28, Visitor Center at Planting Fields Arboretum State Historic Park, 1395 Planting Fields Rd., free, <a href="https://parks.ny.gov/">parks.ny.gov</a> or <a href="https://plantingfields.org/">plantingfields.org</a>, 516-922-8600. 
<h2>FEB. 15</h2> 
BRIGHTWATERS 
AUTHOR LECTURE 
Kathleen Velsor, author of "The Underground Railroad on Long Island: Friends in Freedom," takes you a journey from the arrival of the Quakers in the 17th century to the enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation, 7 p.m., hosted by Bay Shore-Brightwaters Library, free, email rs@bsbwlibrary.org for a link, <a href="http://bsbwlibrary.org">bsbwlibrary.org</a>, 631-665-4350. 
DIX HILLS 
JUPITER HAMMON PROJECT 
Discover Jupiter Hammon, the earliest published African American author, who was born on Long Island in 1711 and survived four generations of enslavement, presented by Preservation Long Island, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., hosted by Half Hollow Hills Community Library Dix Hills Branch, free, cardholders only can register for a Zoom link at <a href="http://hhhlibrary.org">hhhlibrary.org</a>, 631-421-4530. 
EAST MEADOW 
CLASSIC FILM DISCUSSION 
Phil Harwood leads an online discussion of the drama "Lilies of the Field" (1963, not rated, 1:34), starring Sidney Poitier, available to watch on Kanopy, 7 p.m., hosted by East Meadow Library, free, register for a link at <a href="http://eastmeadow.info">eastmeadow.info</a>, 516-794-2570. 
GLEN COVE 
SATCHMO: LOUIS ARMSTRONG 
Marc Courtade discusses the life and career of trumpeter, composer and singer Louis Armstrong, one of the most influential figures in jazz, 7 to 8 p.m., hosted by Glen Cove Library, free, register for a Zoom link at <a href="http://glencovelibrary.org">glencovelibrary.org</a>, 516-676-2130. 
LEVITTOWN 
TRAILBLAZERS — AFRICAN AMERICANS IN SPACE 
Bill Thierfelder examines the lives of scientist Katherine Johnson, mathematician Dorothy Vaughan and astronauts Mae Jemison and Ronald McNair, 2 p.m., hosted by Levittown Library, free, register for link at <a href="http://levittownpl.org">levittownpl.org</a>, 516-731-5728. 
NORTHPORT 
THE JUPITER HAMMON PROJECT 
Discover Jupiter Hammon, the earliest published African American author, who was born on Long Island in 1711 and survived four generations of enslavement, presented by Preservation Long Island, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., hosted by Northport-East Northport Library, free, register for a link at <a href="http://nenpl.org">nenpl.org</a>, 631-261-6930. 
PLAINVIEW 
BOOK CHATS 
Anna Katsavos leads a discussion of the novel "Harlem Shuffle," by Colson Whitehead, 1 to 3 p.m., hosted by Plainview-Old Bethpage Library, free, register for a link at <a href="http://poblib.org">poblib.org</a>, 516-938-0077. 
PORT WASHINGTON 
ART LECTURE 
Museum educator Alice W. Schwarz examines and discusses the paintings of Robert S. Duncanson, an internationally acclaimed African American artist of the 19th century and the only Black member of the Hudson River School of landscape painters, noon to 1:30 p.m., Port Washington Library, 1 Library Dr., free, register to attend in-person (masks required) or online at <a href="http://pwpl.org/events/adult-events">pwpl.org/events/adult-events</a>, 516-883-4400. 
<h2>FEB. 16</h2> 
BETHPAGE 
MOVIE 
Screening of "Hidden Figures" (2016, rated PG, 2:07), a biographical drama starring Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monáe, 2 p.m., Bethpage Public Library, free, <a href="http://bethpagelibrary.info">bethpagelibrary.info</a>, 516-931-3907. 
BRENTWOOD 
 STIRRING UP HISTORY — FOODS OF BLACK HISTORY 
Historian Diane Schwindt discusses the importance of historical African American foods and their influence on the way we eat today, 6 7 p.m., hosted by Brentwood Library, free, register for a link at <a href="http://brentwoodnylibrary.org">brentwoodnylibrary.org</a>, 631-273-7883. 
COPIAGUE 
GROUNDBREAKING AFRICAN AMERICAN COMEDIANS 
Sal St. George celebrates the contributions that eight Black comedians have brought to the world of comedy, how each introduced an incomparable style of comedy to the world in their own distinctive voice while breaking racial prejudice barriers along the way, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., hosted by Copiague Library, free, cardholders only can register at <a href="http://copiaguelibrary.org">copiaguelibrary.org</a>, 631-691-1111. 
EAST HAMPTON 
POETRY READING 
Poet David Mills reads from and reflects upon the research behind his recent collection "Boneyarn," about slavery in New York City, 7 to 8 p.m., hosted by East Hampton Library, free, register for a link at <a href="http://easthamptonlibrary.org">easthamptonlibrary.org</a>, 631-324-0222. 
HEWLETT 
THE URGENCY OF TONI MORRISON 
Bill Thierfelder explores the life and legacy of Nobel Prize-winning writer Toni Morrison and how she examined racial and gender identity in America, noon to 1 p.m., hosted by Hewlett-Woodmere Library, free, visit <a href="http://hwpl.org">hwpl.org</a> for a link, 516-374-1967. 
HOLBROOK 
BLACK HOLLYWOOD — THE EARLY YEARS 
Learn about Black film legends and lesser-known artists of the period whose talent is an important part of Hollywood's legacy. These artists paved the way for future generations of African American actors who would claim their rightful position as leading stars of the silver screen, 7 to 8 p.m., hosted by Sachem Library, free, register for a link at <a href="http://sachemlibrary.org">sachemlibrary.org</a>, 631-588-5024. 
WEST BABYLON 
UNSUNG HEROES OF BLACK HISTORY 
An in-depth look at some of the lesser-known, but important heroes of Black history, 7 to 8 p.m., hosted by West Babylon Public Library, free, register for a link at <a href="http://wbab.suffolk.lib.ny.us">wbab.suffolk.lib.ny.us</a>, 631-669-5445. 
<h2>FEB. 17</h2> 
BRIGHTWATERS 
GENEAOLOGY 101 — RESEARCHING ANCESTORS OF COLOR 
Gain knowledge and techniques for researching ancestors of color, 7 p.m., hosted by Bay Shore-Brightwaters Library, free, email rs@bsbwlibrary.org for a link, <a href="http://bsbwlibrary.org">bsbwlibrary.org</a>, 631-665-4350. 
BAY SHORE HISTORICAL SOCIETY MEETING 
In recognition of Black History Month, the society presents "Are We There Yet? A Short Trip But a Long Journey Through Bay Shore’s Black Community," masks are mandatory, 7 p.m., Bay Shore-Brightwaters Library, 1 South Country Rd., free, <a href="http://bsbwlibrary.org">bsbwlibrary.org</a>, 631-665-4350. 
COPIAGUE 
AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY ON LONG ISLAND 
Historian and author Lynda Day discusses the history of African Americans on Long Island, 7 to 8 p.m., Copiague Library, 50 Deauville Blvd., free, cardholders can register at <a href="http://copiaguelibrary.org">copiaguelibrary.org</a>, 631-691-1111. 
FREEPORT 
THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD ON LONG ISLAND 
Author and professor Kathleen Velsor discusses the development of slavery in New York City and how Long Island became an important stopping point on the Underground Railroad, 1 p.m., hosted by Freeport Library, free, register for a link at <a href="http://freeportlibrary.info">freeportlibrary.info</a>, 516-379-3274. 
AUTHOR TALK 
Author and historian Claire Bellerjeau discusses her nonfiction book "Espionage and Enslavement in the Revolution: The True Story of Robert Townsend and Elizabeth," 7 p.m., hosted by Freeport Library, free, register for a link at <a href="http://freeportlibrary.info">freeportlibrary.info</a>, 516-379-3274. 
GARDEN CITY 
AFRICAN AMERICAN READ-IN 
Cultural appreciation of Black writers, past and present. Members of the Adelphi University community who would like to read aloud from their favorite Black writers can email cabcs@adelphi.edu, 4 to 7 p.m., presented by Center for African, Black and Caribbean Studies at Adelphi University, free, register for a link at <a href="http://bit.ly/3uiZcfx">bit.ly/3uiZcfx</a>, 516-877-4978. 
HUNTINGTON STATION 
ART TALK AND CRAFT 
Learn about Romare Bearden, an artist of the 20th century who celebrated different aspects of African American life through his inventive use of collage technique, then create your own collage; for children in kindergarten to fifth grade; 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., Huntington Library, 1335 New York Ave., free, register at <a href="http://myhpl.org">myhpl.org</a>, 631-427-5165. 
SHIRLEY 
AFTERNOON AT THE MOVIES 
Screening of the biographical drama "Respect" (2021, rated PG-13, 2:25), starring Jennifer Hudson, 2 p.m., Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library, 407 William Floyd Pkwy., free, register at <a href="http://communitylibrary.org">communitylibrary.org</a>, 631-399-1511. 
SHOREHAM 
HISTORY OF A SEED AND THE BLACK GARDEN 
Learn the history of the fish pepper and other heritage vegetables, 7 p.m., hosted by North Shore Library, free, register for a link at <a href="http://northshorepubliclibrary.org">northshorepubliclibrary.org</a>, 631-929-4488. 
SMITHTOWN 
BOOK DISCUSSION 
Discussion of the novel "The Nickel Boys," by Colson Whitehead, 10:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m., Smithtown Library Smithtown Branch, 1 N. Country Rd., free, <a href="http://smithlib.org">smithlib.org</a>, 631-360-2480. 
<h2>FEB. 18</h2> 
ALBERTSON 
ART LECTURE 
Museum educator Alice W. Schwarz examines and discusses the paintings of Robert S. Duncanson, an internationally acclaimed African American artist of the 19th century and the only Black member of the Hudson River School of landscape painters, 11 a.m., hosted by Shelter Rock Library, free, register for a link at <a href="http://srpl.org">srpl.org</a>, 516-248-7363. 
BELLPORT 
SONGS OF LIBERATION AND LOVE 
Rhonda Denet celebrates the African American experience by highlighting luminaries who used their talents to elevate, educate and encourage through music, this musical journey includes gospel, jazz, soul and pop with songs recorded by Mahalia Jackson, Dinah Washington, Sam Cooke, Nina Simone, Curtis Mayfield, Aretha Franklin, Donny Hathaway, Stevie Wonder and more, 7 to 8:30 p.m., South Country Library, 22 Station Rd., free, cardholders can register at <a href="http://sctylib.org">sctylib.org</a>, 631-286-0818. 
ELMONT 
THE HISTORY OF AFRICAN AMERICAN RELIGIONS 
Ronald Brown discusses how African religious traditions have blended with European Christian religions to produce a unique variety of African American religions, masks required regardless of vaccination status, 12:30 p.m., Elmont Memorial Library, 700 Hempstead Tpke., free, register at <a href="http://elmontlibrary.org">elmontlibrary.org</a>, limited seating, 516-354-5280. 
JERICHO 
 GREAT PERFORMERS 
Marc Courtade discusses the life and work of actress and model Cicely Tyson, 2 to 3:30 p.m., hosted by Jericho Library, free, register for a link at <a href="http://jericholibrary.org">jericholibrary.org</a>, 516-935-6790. 
<h2>FEB. 19</h2> 
ELMONT 
LIVE PERFORMANCE 
Paige Patterson performs the songs of Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Donna Summer, Ella Fitzgerald and more, masks required regardless of vaccination status, 2 p.m., Elmont Memorial Library, 700 Hempstead Tpke., free, first-come, first-seated, limited seating, <a href="http://elmontlibrary.org">elmontlibrary.org</a>, 516-354-5280. 
SHIRLEY 
POETRY READING AND BOOK SIGNING 
Poet David Mills discusses his poetry collection "Boneyarn," which explores slavery in New York City; books are available for purchase and signing; 1 to 2:30 p.m., Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library, 407 William Floyd Pkwy., free, <a href="http://communitylibrary.org">communitylibrary.org</a>, 631-399-1511. 
UNIONDALE 
CONCERT 
LA Blacksmith performs songs covering the period from slavery to the present, 2:30 to 3:30 p.m., hosted by Uniondale Library, free, register for a link at <a href="http://uniondalelibrary.org">uniondalelibrary.org</a>, 516-489-2220. 
<h2>FEB. 20</h2> 
EAST MEADOW 
CONCERT 
Performance by Adam Sadberry, the principal flutist of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, known for his radiant, lyrical playing, as well as his commitment to expanding the Black diaspora in the Classical music world through promoting equity, representation, music education and commissioning music that tells stories of the Black diaspora, masks required, 2 p.m., East Meadow Library, 1886 Front St., free, register at <a href="http://eastmeadow.info">eastmeadow.info</a>, limited seating, 516-794-2570. 
ELMONT 
PERFORMANCE: NOT JUST ANOTHER MOTOWN SHOW! THE STORY OF MUSCLE SHOALS 
Jerome "City" Smith &amp; the City Sounds Music Ensemble, along with the City Sounds Horn Section, perform R&amp;B, funk and soul stylings of Motown music, masks required regardless of vaccination status, 2 p.m., Elmont Memorial Library, 700 Hempstead Tpke., free, first-come, first-seated, limited seating, <a href="http://elmontlibrary.org">elmontlibrary.org</a>, 516-354-5280. 
PATCHOGUE 
WEST AFRICAN DRUMS 
Learn to drum on the djembe or dance while playing the dun duns, discover traditional West African rhythms from Guinea, Mali, Senegal and Ivory Coast, 2 to 3 p.m., Patchogue-Medford Library, 54-60 E. Main St., free, register at <a href="http://pmlib.org">pmlib.org</a>, 631-654-4700. 
WESTHAMPTON BEACH 
MOVIE 
Screening of the biographical drama "Respect" (2021, rated PG-13, 2:25), starring Jennifer Hudson, face masks are required, noon, Westhampton Free Library, 7 Library Ave, free, register at <a href="http://westhamptonlibrary.net">westhamptonlibrary.net</a>, 631-288-3335.

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Black History Month events on Long Island

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On Feb. 16, a hidden figure from the 19th century will be putting her stamp on the Black History Month celebration at the Joysetta &amp; Julius Pearse African American Museum of Nassau County. 
That's the day about 100 Hempstead schoolchildren will gather at the Hempstead museum for the unveiling of a poster replica of a <a href="https://store.usps.com/store/results/stamps/_/N-9y93lv?_requestid=1285794&amp;utm_source=shopstamps&amp;utm_medium=print&amp;utm_campaign=stamp-promotion">postage stamp</a> issued last month to honor Edmonia Lewis (1844-1907). Lewis’ marble sculptures, including her most famous work, "The Death of Cleopatra," are held by Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C. At the Jan. 26 Postal Service ceremony there, Lewis was praised as "a woman of great courage, talent and perseverance who broke through gender, race and class barriers" and "the first African American and Native American sculptor to earn international recognition." (The stamp can be purchased at <a href="https://store.usps.com/store/results/stamps/_/N-9y93lv?_requestid=1285794&amp;utm_source=shopstamps&amp;utm_medium=print&amp;utm_campaign=stamp-promotion">usps.com/shopstamps</a> and at post offices.) 
"I had no idea who Edmonia Lewis was, but obviously she’s an unsung hero," said Barbara V. Powell II, project coordinator of Hempstead School District's Empire State After-School Program and organizer of the local museum’s celebration, during which students will perform skits and dance routines and sing "Lift Every Voice and Sing," also known as the Black national anthem. A replica of the Lewis stamp will be added to an exhibit of Black Heritage stamps featuring such notable African Americans as Madam C.J. Walker, America’s first female self-made millionaire, and Rosa Parks, "the mother of the civil rights movement."<a data-onecms-id="contentid/storywidget.1.50507107" data-onecms-type="storywidget" href="#/content/contentid/storywidget.1.50507107">Story Widget Link</a>
 
"There’s so much that we’ve learned and so much that we're just learning," Powell, president of the Hempstead NAACP, said of the annual celebration of Black history, which began in 1926 as "Negro History Week" and was officially recognized and expanded as Black History Month in 1976. "We want to acknowledge all the African Americans who have affected change, and with all that’s going on nowadays with the Black Lives Matter movement, we want to pay homage to our Black culture." 
Powell said she agrees with the Academy Award-winning Brooklyn-based filmmaker Spike Lee, who reportedly questioned, as a Stony Brook University speaker in 2020, why Black History Month occurs during "the shortest month of the year." 
The sentiment that February is too brief a window to accommodate such an expansive subject is shared by others who organize and contribute to Black History Month events year-round. 
"Black history should be celebrated every month, to shine a light and to give hope to those to know information they didn’t know before," said Jerome "City" Smith, 57, a Hempstead native who lives in Wading River. Smith, who portrays the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and the 1960s African American singer-songwriter Sam Cooke at Black history events, will be performing with his ensemble Feb. 20 at Elmont Memorial Library. 
Here are the stories of other Long Islanders who work behind the scenes to create Black history programs this month — and throughout the year.
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<h3>Student of Black history meets her heroes</h3> 
Athelene A. Collins of Hempstead was appointed seven years ago as the first person of color to serve as executive director of the Hofstra Cultural Center, which organizes about 100 university events a year including Black history programs. 
Programming African American history events is a "continuous learning experience," said Collins, who grew up in Barataria, in the Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago. She immigrated to the United States at age 21 in 1983, the same year she was hired as staff at Hofstra. Two years later, while handling clerical duties, Collins helped plan the center’s 1985 Harlem Renaissance Conference as well as other Black history programs. While working full time, Collins got a bachelor’s degree in business administration at Hofstra in 1992 and took conference management courses at New York University. For the 2021-22 academic year, Collins and two colleagues have planned more than 75 in-person and virtual programs, ranging from student breakfast meetings to scholarly conferences with prominent celebrities on the dais. 
Her office is lined with mementos from a number of celebrities from past years, like the legendary acting couple Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis, who attended a Black History Month fundraiser in the 1990s. She prizes a pair of Muhammed Ali's autographed boxing gloves, a thank-you gift after Collins hosted his oldest daughter, Maryum Ali, at a 2008 conference honoring the champ. "I helped her realize her idea to make the walls of a conference exhibition look like you are walking into a boxing ring," Collins recalled.<a data-onecms-id="contentid/storywidget.1.50506897" data-onecms-type="storywidget" href="#/content/contentid/storywidget.1.50506897">Story Widget Link</a>
 
She also met the Rev. Bernice King, the youngest child of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, who spoke at a 2015 program marking the 50th anniversary of the civil rights leader’s visit to Hofstra. Another favorite memory: hosting a 2012 visit by the author, scholar and activist Cornel West to discuss that year’s general election. 
Recently, Collins says she’s noticed "a big surge in Black people wanting to know their history," especially after the protests that followed the 2020 death of George Floyd in police custody. She’s convinced that "that time has passed" for Black history to be limited to a winter month with unpredictable weather, COVID-19 surges and high demand for celebrity speakers. 
"I’m Black 365 days a year. If I want to know my history, it can’t just be in February," said Collins, who is planning a Civil Rights Day observance on Feb. 16 and Barack Obama Presidential conference scheduled for April 2023.
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<h3>Roosevelt schoolchildren wax historic</h3> 
Black history is honored early and often at Washington Rose Elementary School in Roosevelt. The celebration kicks off in late January with faculty dressing up for African Garb Day. 
Students take center stage in February, portraying historical figures they’ve studied to create a "wax museum." This month a dozen students are representing such history makers as President Barack Obama; Mae Jemison, the first Black woman to travel into space; Lonnie Johnson, inventor of the Super Soaker; Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall; and American abolitionist Frederick Douglass. 
"I like Black History Month because it celebrates all the African and American people out there," said fourth-grader Jaycee Striggles, who depicts Jemison. 
First-grade teacher Karen Massenburg coordinates the school’s Black History Month events with three faculty members. Massenburg said she wants to ensure students know about their Black history forebears, those she learned little about growing up in Jamaica, Queens. "When I became a teacher," Massenburg said, "I wanted to make sure the generation I was teaching is not at a similar disadvantage." 
With the wax museum project, "we’re not only introducing faces they [the students] see all the time. We want them to really dig deep and know their history," she said. 
Speaking for Lonnie Johnson, who was also a NASA engineer, fourth-grader Luis Aroche said of the Super Soaker he holds, "Black History Month means to me a month where you celebrate … the past times." 
Also enjoying immersion in his subject: Fifth-grader Mikal Wright. With public libraries closed to stem the spread of COVID-19, Mikal asked for a Black history book for Christmas. On wax museum day, Mikal went all out in his portrayal, wearing a gray-flecked wig, shirt and tie to represent Frederick Douglass. Said Mikal, "I want to learn about all the famous African Americans." 
Brianna Torres, a fourth-grader, was just as committed to her embodiment of Thurgood Marshall, the Supreme Court’s first African American associate justice. "I want to be a judge when I grow up, and he’s a very big inspiration to me," she said.
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<h3>East End is her historic sweet spot</h3> 
Georgette L. Grier-Key, executive director and curator of Eastville Community Historical Society in Sag Harbor, is among Long Island’s Black history standard-bearers. The Bellport resident is especially active in preserving Black history landmarks on the East End. 
She’s a special projects coordinator for Southampton African American Museum, which opened last year after a rehabilitation project. Grier-Key wrote a grant application for a $125,000 donation from the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation to fund a digital project based on a mural created by Shinnecock artist David Bunn Martine. 
"It’s a digital tapestry in AR [augmented reality]," Grier-Key said about the exhibit, which opens Feb. 19. Visitors can use the museum's handheld devices or their cellphones to hear talking portraits of such historical figures as whaler Pyrrhus Concer. "We show all phases of African American life from East Hampton to Southampton, from the beginnings of Colonial contact until the current times," she said. 
Delving into Black history can be personal for Grier-Key, whose own family is woven into Long Island’s diverse tapestry. She grew up in Uniondale, the granddaughter of the Rev. Dodenhuff Green, an influential pastor who founded and laid bricks for Christ Temple in Uniondale in the early 1970s. Green, who died at age 99 in 2014, was an underbishop with 145 churches under his jurisdiction from Bridgehampton to Brooklyn, Grier-Key said. The church still stands, and a Uniondale street was renamed for him in 2007. 
"My grandfather instilled in me the tradition of the griots," or traveling storytellers of West Africa, Grier-Key said. She heard his sermons as a child in Uniondale and at summer tent revivals in Bridgehampton and Cutchogue, experiences she said "cemented my relationship with the East End." 
Grier-Key also draws inspiration from her family’s roots in the African American Gullah culture of coastal South Carolina. "We have Nigerian ancestry," said Grier-Key, who bases her genealogy not on DNA tests but on the memories of a great aunt who came north during the Great Migration of the mid-19th century. Another aunt, who is in her 80s, tells stories of South Carolina’s legacy of segregation, "how she and her sisters would have to put the money in at the front of the bus and go around to the back of the bus to get on." Her family moved to Harlem in 1947, settling a decade later on Long Island. 
Racism occasionally surfaces as Grier-Key pursues Black history projects. "People have called me the ‘N-word’ " and other racial epithets online, Grier-Key said of a 2015 posting about her efforts to preserve Concer's Southampton homestead. The home was demolished in 2014 over preservationists’ objections but is being rebuilt, said Grier-Key, an organizer of Pyrrhus Concer Action Committee. 
"We were able to salvage the original hand-hewn timbers that will be used in the reconstruction of the homestead on its original footprint. Our goal is to break ground this year," she said. Grier-Key is also working with the Montauk Point Lighthouse Museum to create an exhibit opening this summer about the 1839 mutiny of enslaved people on the Amistad that occurred off Montauk. "We’re working to re-erect a historic sign about the Amistad at Culloden Point," she said.
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<h3>Curating Black history — and honoring a rap star</h3> 
Tracy Todd Hunter, a member of Brookhaven Town’s Black History Commission, is a man of many talents — a photographer, interior designer, writer and community organizer. 
But leading up to Black History Month, Hunter, 59, of Patchogue, works mostly behind the scenes as curator for Of Colors — A Creative Collective, a volunteer group he founded a decade ago at <a href="https://www.artspace.org/patchogue">Artspace Patchogue</a>. The collective, he said, has "a mission to give all people, including people of color and people with special needs, a platform to showcase their art." For the past six years he has curated an annual art contest for high school students in the First Congressional District. "The winner’s artwork is hung in the Capitol Rotunda for a year," Hunter said. 
Hunter’s latest curatorial effort, "People Make the World Go Round," Artspace Patchogue’s annual Black history and diversity celebration, opens with a reception Feb. 19. "It’s a vast array of art, very multidimensional," Hunter said, featuring 70 works: paintings, drawings, photography, sculpture, a quilt, even pastry art. 
A display of peanut butter cookies baked by Gerald Alexander of Patchogue, known as The Occasional Baker, are an homage to African American agricultural scientist and peanut-product inventor George Washington Carver, the artist said. Among the 25 exhibitors are six members of the Long Island Black Artist Association. 
Hunter is lauded by such artists as Brandy Antonio, 39, of Medford, who has exhibited her works in oil, acrylic and collage throughout the United States and in Berlin and Tokyo, from which she recently returned after a four-year teaching and artmaking stint. 
"Tracy is the kind of curator that makes you feel like family and invests in your personal story and how that relates to your work," said Antonio, who has about a half dozen works in the Artspace Patchogue show. "He’s so animated and fun to be around." 
Hunter also curated 12 works for <a href="https://www.facebook.com/brookhaventown/videos/619692199098497">Brookhaven Town’s Black History Month Celebration</a>, held online this year. 
Hunter was born and raised in Patchogue, graduating in 1980 from Patchogue-Medford High School, and has deep roots in the community on his grandmother’s side. Fay Dooley, "matriarch of the family," was born in 1910, orphaned in childhood and rose to prominence in Patchogue. 
"My grandmother was one of the first African American downtown business owners in Patchogue. She owned her own antique shop, The Trash and Treasure House, down the street from where she lived," Hunter said. She eventually moved the business to a garage behind her home, retired in the early 1980s and died in 2000 at age 90. "We have a long history here that I plan on documenting at some point," Hunter said. 
A member of the town’s Black History Commission, Hunter said he strives to "keep Black history current," including efforts to get recognition for such artists as Marcel Theo Hall, better known as the rapper Biz Markie and self-proclaimed "Clown Prince of Hip-Hop." He and Markie were friends who grew up on the same street. 
"He [Markie] performed in Artspace, worked with Of Colors, and we had him honored by the Town of Brookhaven Black History Commission for his achievements in entertainment and music," Hunter said of Markie, who attended the commission’s 2015 ceremony. 
After Markie died last year, Hunter said he brought the idea of renaming a street in honor of the rapper to the Village of Patchogue. South Street, two blocks off Main Street, was renamed Biz Markie Way in September. Hunter believes Markie is "the first African American to have a street named after him in Patchogue."
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Athelene Collins, beside a statue of abolitionist Frederick Douglass, is the first person of color to serve as executive director of the Hofstra Cultural Center. Collins has many met celebrities, including Cornel West, who visited to talk about the general election in 2012; Collins&nbsp;prizes a pair of Muhammed Ali's autographed boxing gloves, a thank-you gift after Collins hosted a 2008 conference honoring the champ.&nbsp;| Photos by Newsday / J. Conrad Williams Jr.; Athelene Collins

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Washington Rose Elementary School hosts its annual Black history "wax museum, with Jaycee Striggles, left, as&nbsp;astronaut Mae Jemison, Brianna Torres as Supreme Court Justice&nbsp;Thurgood Marshall, Luis Aroche as Super Soaker inventor&nbsp;Lonnie Johnson, and Mikal Wright as abolitionist Frederick Douglass. Teacher Karen Massenburg, far right with students, helped organize the event, in which a dozen students participated as actors. | Newsday Photos / J. Conrad Williams Jr.

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Georgette L. Grier-Key, special projects coordinator of Southampton African American Museum, stands in front of a mural there. Grier-Key's grandfather, the Rev. Rev. Dodenhuff Green, was an influential pastor who founded and laid bricks for Christ Temple in Uniondale in the early 1970s.| Photos by Gordon M. Grant

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Tracy Todd Hunter, in his apartment at ArtSpace&nbsp;Patchogue, is curating a Black History Month art show called&nbsp;“People Make the World Go Round," in the downstairs gallery space, where Brandy Antonio is among the artists represented. | Photos by Linda Rosier

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A past to celebrate: Long Islanders behind Black History Month events

A past to celebrate: LIers behind Black History Month events

In celebration of Black History Month in 2022, students at Washington Rose Elementary School in Roosevelt portray such historical figures as Barack Obama and Mae Jemison in the annual "wax museum."


Thurgood Marshall, Frederick Douglass among historical figures portrayed by Roosevelt students

Newsday

These little Long Islanders are inspired by historical Black figures

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Cathy Young

The recent controversy over Whoopi Goldberg’s remarks on ABC’s "The View" that the Holocaust wasn’t driven by racism since it involved "two white groups," her subsequent apology, and her two-week suspension raised many thorny issues: our understanding of racism and antisemitism, historical ignorance, "cancel culture" and forgiveness for missteps. But one lesser-known aspect of this story is that it prompted the Anti-Defamation League to revise its definition of racism, in a fraught move that reflects our current culture wars around race and identity. 
By odd coincidence, the day before Goldberg’s ill-advised comments, the ADL came under fire on Twitter over a definition of racism on its website that seemed to exclude antisemitism — even though the 108-year-old organization’s foundational mission is to "stop the defamation of the Jewish people." 
Until 2020, the ADL defined racism as "the belief that a particular race is superior or inferior to another" and that people’s "social and moral traits" are predetermined by "inborn biological characteristics." In July 2020, after the racial justice protests that followed George Floyd’s murder, that was changed to, "The marginalization and/or oppression of people of color based on a socially constructed racial hierarchy that privileges white people." 
But are Jews — a unique demographic in which religion, culture and ethnicity overlap — white? According to a 2020 Pew Research Center poll, 92% of American Jews identify as racially white. Yet Jewish progressives have heatedly debated the issue. Some think assigning "whiteness" to Jews negates their historical oppression (and the hatred they face from white supremacists). Others argue that Jews of European origin have virtually always been treated as "white" in America and must acknowledge the privileges they have enjoyed as a result. 
Yet if Jews are white, then, under the ADL’s 2020 definition, victims of antisemitic attacks are not victims of racism — and the Rev. Louis Farrakhan, the Nation of Islam leader who has railed against "Satanic" Jews and compared them to termites, is not a racist. That’s absurd: Antisemites almost invariably regard Jews as a race. 
Critics of the "social justice" progressivism that gained prominence in the mid-2010s have repeatedly warned that its focus on "whiteness" and "privilege" tended to erase antisemitism. In 2018, the Women’s March was shaken by reports that one of its co-founders, Tamika Mallory, made remarks singling out Jews for helping "uphold white supremacy" and for their alleged role in the slave trade. Now, the fallout from the ADL’s redefinition of racism and the Goldberg flap reinforces concerns about the erasure of antisemitism. 
The ADL’s 2020 formulation poses other problems. While it accurately defines one aspect of racism — America’s historical system of racial privilege and its modern legacy — it leaves out many others, from personal prejudice and hate to extremist ideologies. (Is a hate crime non-racist if victim and perpetrator are both racial minorities?) ADL chief Jonathan Greenblatt noted that it didn’t even speak to his own family’s experience of racism "as Jews from the Middle East." 
Now the ADL has a new interim definition, subject to feedback and further change: "Racism occurs when individuals or institutions show more favorable evaluation or treatment of an individual or group based on race or ethnicity." It’s not perfect — some of the most virulent forms of racism involve hostility and negative bias rather than favoritism — but it’s a good start, as is Greenblatt’s mea culpa. This shift shows that a pushback against trendy progressivism can work and reclaim a more sensible center. 
Opinions expressed by Cathy Young, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, are her own.

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Whoopi Goldberg's remarks force ADL to redefine racism

Young: Opening windows on definition of racism

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New York City, like many other cities around the nation, has seen protesters take to the streets to protest the death of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer&nbsp;in May as scene in images from Newsday photographers May 30 to June 2, 2020

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See photos of NYC protests over George Floyd's death May 30 -June 2, 2020

James T. Madore

The Black Lives Matter movement has led to the creation of a program at Farmingdale State College aimed at helping minority students and alumni with their businesses and business dreams. 
The Student &amp; Alumni Business Boot Camp &amp; Grant Program, which began taking applications in December, includes free training and grants of up to $1,000 per participant. <a data-onecms-id="contentid/storywidget.1.50498264" data-onecms-type="storywidget" href="#/content/contentid/storywidget.1.50498264">Story Widget Link</a>
 
One of the first to sign up was Don Mahalli, 22, of Commack, who graduated in May as valedictorian with a degree in business management. Even with that background, Mahalli said he appreciates the advice he's gotten so far for his nascent coaching business, which he calls Tiki Soccer. 
The boot camp is helping Mahalli, who is Persian American, to set some marketing priorities: He said he needs a compelling video at the top of the business' future website, plus business cards and clothes emblazoned with the Tiki Soccer logo. 
"Right now, I'm weighing what type of business [structure] that I should use, and what I need to spend money for," said Mahalli, who landed a job last month at Farmingdale State as an admissions adviser. He said he plans to coach soccer and offer private lessons in the evenings and on weekends. 
The program can accommodate 25 people per year; 10 have enrolled so far, according to Erica Chase-Gregory, who got behind the initiative in her role as director of the Small Business Development Center at the college. 
NAACP resolution 
The boot camp was created in response to a 2020 resolution by the college's NAACP chapter. 
The student-led group had proposed the creation of a Black Business Development Fund, where recipients would receive expert advice and training from the SBDC. 
"Entrepreneurship provides an effective vehicle for Black people in this country to circumvent discriminatory hiring practices in the labor market, develop economic power and hire other Black professionals," the NAACP resolution states.
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Darrien Hunt, who started the NAACP chapter and was its president in 2020, said the resolution was one of 12 presented to the college's administration in the wake of the George Floyd Jr. murder in Minnesota and Black Lives Matter protests nationwide. 
"A lot of times we feel like it’s us against the world," said Hunt, 22, of Cambria Heights, Queens. He graduated in May with a degree in computer science and information systems and is now pursuing a graduate degree at Hampton University in Virginia. 
"To have an institution not only say they believe in you but prove that by providing financial resources and guidance to help you get to where you want to be — that makes all the difference for us in trying to close some of these equity gaps," Hunt said. 
He spoke with Chase-Gregory, the SBDC director, in 2020 about the NAACP resolution. She recalled, "I told him, 'I love your proposal.' " 
Chase-Gregory expanded the resolution's reach to include students and alumni from all racial minority groups who have or want to open a business in New York State. 
"We want to learn about what they need," she said of the entrepreneurs. "We will help them determine the best use [of the grant funds]." 
Ongoing guidance planned
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Program participants are each assigned a business adviser from the SBDC who will work with them during the boot camp, and for years ahead. 
Those with a startup business are required to attend workshops on how to launch a business, write a business plan and market their offerings. The time commitment is a minimum of three to five hours, according to Chase-Gregory. 
Participants with an existing company in New York State will meet with their SBDC adviser to identify challenges and growth opportunities, and to select three appropriate workshops to attend. 
The adviser will help the participant to prepare for pitch events in April and May that will determine grant awards of up to $1,000. The funding comes from $30,000 given to the SBDC from Capital One’s Impact Initiative, a five-year, $200 million program established in response to Black Lives Matter activism. 
Capital One hopes "to help create a pathway to self-employment and to ensure the participants of [Farmingdale State's boot camp] develop a successful business foundation for growth," bank spokeswoman Angela Solomon told Newsday. 
Pursuit Lending, a Albany-based nonprofit that provides loans and other financing to small businesses, is also supporting the Farmingdale State program.

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BLM inspires free business training and grant program at Farmingdale State

BLM inspires new business aid program at college

Olivia Winslow

Adeola Tella-Williams has seen her students make new friends with people they typically don't see in their classrooms, and engage in dialogue about discrimination and segregation. 
Students became engaged through anti-racism forums put on by Syosset-based ERASE Racism, said Tella-Williams, a teacher in the Uniondale school district for 20 years. For several years, she has taken a handful of freshmen and seniors to the annual forum, where they meet students from across Long Island. Last year's forum was held virtually over two days because of the coronavirus.<a data-onecms-id="contentid/storywidget.1.50499702" data-onecms-type="storywidget" href="#/content/contentid/storywidget.1.50499702">LIERASE211219_WIDGET</a>
 
"They learn about the inequities that exist, mainly in housing, and the history of Long Island," said Tella-Williams, who teaches global history and African American and Latinx history at Uniondale High School. 
"Just as important," she added, "they made new friends of different races, and they’re able to dialogue with students from other parts of Long Island that they don’t get to see in their schools every day." 
Participation in ERASE Racism's workshops has "ballooned" over the past year, said the nonprofit group's founder and president, Elaine Gross, who traced the increase in interest to protests over George Floyd's killing in May 2020. 
Gross said 69 workshops and presentations were conducted for 29 clients in 2021, up from 47 workshops and 22 clients in 2020. The workshops cover a wide terrain, from dissecting the concept of race to discussions of government policy that once mandated housing developments segregated by race, until the federal Fair Housing Act was passed in 1968 outlawing the practice. 
Nicole Grennan, ERASE Racism's community educator/coordinator, said the total number of people enrolled in the workshops in 2021 was about 1,628, up from about 957 in 2020. Many of the workshops were for libraries, school districts and other nonprofit organizations and businesses. 
"We have been overwhelmed with requests," Gross said. "I think the George Floyd protests were definitely an impetus. A lot of people were thinking about issues that they have not thought about before." 
Floyd, a Black man, was killed by a white Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, who was convicted and sentenced last year to 22 years in prison. Additionally, he pleaded guilty Dec. 15 to violating Floyd's constitutional rights. 
Floyd's death prompted demonstrations across the country, including on Long Island, demanding social justice and police reforms. 
Gross said ERASE workshops begin by delving into "people's understanding of what race is, beyond what they might have learned in their growing-up years," and then move on to segregation and "structural racism," for example.
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As for the student participants, Tella-Williams said she has seen her "scholars" become "enlightened on why things are the way they are." 
For example, her students, the majority of whom are Black and Latino, with many from immigrant families in Central and South America, the Caribbean and Africa, come out of the forums better able to understand the history and impact of discrimination. It's almost, she said, "therapeutic" for them to have this knowledge. 
"It was really enlightening because there were like a lot of people there, there were other outside perspectives I might not have been able to see before," Amina Walker, 15, a 10th-grader at Uniondale High School, recalled about the anti-racism forum she attended last year. "I’m Black. I got to hear perspectives from Asian students, white students, Hispanic students that I might not have been able to get without asking and being there." 
"I learned the history of housing on Long Island and how segregation was in the past, and how it is still reflected to this day," Walker added, noting how certain communities have mainly Black and other nonwhite residents, like her community in Uniondale and neighboring Hempstead, while other communities have majority white populations. 
Walker said despite students' different perspectives, a "consensus" developed among them that "we definitely need to do better with how we deal with people of different races, sensitivity-wise." 
Her father, Derek Walker, said he was proud of his daughter for participating in the forum. "It’s not easy growing up in these days and time," he said. "The fact that she’s thoughtful about some of the crises in the world is very important." 
Sabely Chavez, 16, also a 10th-grader at Uniondale High, said she particularly liked the brainstorming session she and other students engaged in during the forum, listening to some highlight the discrimination they faced, and trying to come up with personal, and societal, solutions. 
"I learned that you may not be the only person in this situation and you have others who have experienced it and you try to find a solution," Chavez said. "I also learned that Long Island has changed overall throughout the years. I remember them showing us a video about Levittown, and it was the most Caucasian town at that time, but now it has a lot of cultures." 
Tella-Williams also has taken an ERASE Racism workshop her school district offered to staff for professional development. 
"It really laid out how you can use the information that ERASE Racism gave to partner with your curriculum," she said. 
Tella-Williams said she learned about "how a certain neighborhood's property value goes down based on the demographics of the people that live there. You can use this in economics class, in history class, even in a math class."

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Students learn about Long Island's 'inequities' through ERASE workshop

Through ERASE, students learn about Long Island's inequities

Elaine Gross, founder and president of ERASE Racism in Syosset, talks about the group's anti-racism workshops she has conducted for libraries, nonprofits, school districts and businesses.


ERASE Racism’s anti-racism seminars

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ERASE Racism's anti-racism seminars

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Craig Schneider

Education

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How race is taught in LI schools - and why some educators feel they're under siege

How race is taught in LI schools — and why some educators feel under siege

Teaching about race and racism on Long Island has become a high-stakes proposition, charged with strong opinions from those who want more instruction on diversity, equity and inclusion and others who criticize teaching as biased and bad for kids.


Race in schools: A topic of local and national debate

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Race in schools: a topic of local and national debate

Nicole Fuller

The suspected gunman who shot two NYPD officers, leaving one dead and another critically injured last week in Harlem, died on Monday, Mayor Eric Adams said. 
Lashawn McNeil, 47, the suspect in the fatal shooting of Officer Jason Rivera and critical injuring of Officer Wilbert Mora, had been shot by a third officer responding to a domestic incident last Friday, according to police. 
Adams, speaking to reporters after unveiling a multipronged plan to quell gun violence in the city, confirmed McNeil's death. 
"Lashawn McNeil has passed away, my staff just informed me," Adams said. 
The NYPD on Monday also revealed plans for funeral services later this week at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan for Rivera, 22, who once wrote about joining the police department to improve community relations. 
A viewing is scheduled for 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday at St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Fifth Avenue, according to funeral information posted at police headquarters.
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A funeral service for Rivera, a Manhattan native, is set for Friday at 9 a.m. at St. Patrick’s. Rivera died from gunshot wounds to the head and torso, according to the New York City medical examiner's office. He will be cremated, the funeral information posted at police headquarters said. 
Mora, 27, remained hospitalized in critical condition at NYU Langone Medical Center on Monday, the NYPD said. 
The officers were responding to a 911 call for a domestic dispute between McNeil and his mother at an apartment on West 135th Street near Malcolm X Boulevard. 
Adams, in his announcement at City Hall, said the NYPD would deploy a new team of plainclothes officers to the streets, begin gun checks at the city's major entry points and expand the city's youth summer job program to stem gun violence. 
Adams vowed the city would not return to the so-called "bad old days" of the 1980s and early 1990s, when the city averaged 2,000 homicides annually. 
"We will not surrender our city to the violent few," said Adams. "We won’t go back to the bad old days." 
Adams said the NYPD would put "more officers on patrol" and would deploy new "Neighborhood Safety Teams" — a new version of the controversial Anti-Crime Unit of plainclothes officers that was previously disbanded — in the 30 precincts where 80% of violence in the city occurs. 
Adams also said the NYPD would add more detectives to its Gun Violence Suppression Division. 
The mayor said the Neighborhood Safety Teams would launch in the next three weeks. The NYPD's plainclothes Anti-Crime Unit was responsible for many of the stop-and frisk interactions with mostly Black and Latino men that were later ruled unconstitutional. The unit was disbanded in 2020 after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. 
"We will avoid mistakes of the past," said Adams, referring to allegations of excessive force by members of the unit. "These officers will be identifiable as NYPD, have body cameras, and have advanced training and oversight." 
Adams, citing the shooting of the NYPD officers on Friday, said McNeil had a ".45-caliber modified gun" with "40 rounds in the clip" and "a loaded assault rifle under his mattress." 
Asked about a motive for the shooting, Adams said it was still under investigation. 
Since Jan. 1, NYPD officers have confiscated 350 illegal guns off the street, Adams said. Last year, the department took in 6,000 illegal firearms. 
Adams also called on Congress to pass federal legislation to help combat gun violence, including making gun trafficking a federal crime and increasing penalties on straw purchases. The State Legislature, said Adams, should tweak the bail reform law to allow judges to consider defendants' potential danger to the community when setting bail. 
Adams said he planned to attend Rivera’s funeral on Friday. 
"As a city we will mourn together," Adams said. "We will celebrate his life and pay tribute to his heroism." 
Rivera joined the department on Nov. 2, 2020, and was assigned to the 32nd Precinct in May 2021. Mora joined on Oct. 24, 2018, and also was assigned to the 32nd Precinct in November 2019. 
Rivera, in a letter to his commanding officer on Nov. 30, 2020, while he was a probationary officer, outlined an incident when his older brother was stopped and frisked by police. 
"My perspective on police and the way they police really bothered me," he wrote. "As time went on, I saw the NYPD pushing hard on changing the relationship between the police and the community. This was when I realized that I wanted to be a part of the men in blue; better the relationship between the community and the police." 
Rivera added: "Coming from an immigrant family, I will be the first to say that I am a member of the NYPD, the greatest police force in the world." 
With Anthony M. DeStefano and John Asbury

nyCOPSHOT220125

NYCOPSHOT220123_photos

Suspected gunman in slaying of NYPD officer dies, police say

Mayor: Suspected gunman in slaying of NYPD officer dies

nyCOPSHOT220125_photos

Dan Janison

New York politics by now ought to be well past the 2020 election. Or so you’d think. But clearly our regional conversations about governance remain tied to unending national ferment and a political campaign season that never seems to end. 
One year into President Joe Biden’s administration, speculation centers on how his poor poll ratings helped drag down his party’s last batch of candidates for local Long Island offices — and how a backlash against Biden could hamper Democratic congressional hopefuls later this year. 
Former President Donald Trump, who’s in Florida feuding with the Republican governor there, still makes news in his native state, trying to stave off law enforcement investigations in part by personally attacking inquisitors he can’t control. 
Political parties and famous players are looking backward, or over their shoulders, to shape how they go forward. Ex-Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo — whose incumbency began falling apart at the end of 2020 — still pushes to redeem his post-#MeToo reputation before a state audience. 
One relevant question, with no easy answer: How much is a blue state’s politics shaped by a reaction to the national events of the prior 18 months? 
Headlines blare this week about Attorney General Letitia James spelling out in a court filing what’s been evident for many years — that Trump’s real estate organization makes the manipulation of numbers and tax avoidance a standard practice. 
This week James cited "significant evidence" discovered in a civil investigation that the Trump operation used "fraudulent or misleading asset valuations" to pump up the price of real estate holdings. This was stated in a memo aimed at compelling Trump, his son Donald Jr., and daughter Ivanka to testify. The AG cites the 45th president’s Trump Tower penthouse as one key instance. 
Just as predictably, the congressional committee probing the postelection Capitol riot has subpoenaed Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani based on his promotion of fake claims of voter fraud. In New York, son Andrew Giuliani, best known in his adult life as a former Trump patronage hire, is running for governor. He disclosed this week that he raised a relatively meager $85,000 toward that effort in the second half of 2021 and has about $188,000 on hand. 
The year-old Biden incumbency even reared its head in Gov. Kathy Hochul’s budget presentation. She hat-tipped the president for directing massive federal aid to New York, which gave her a pain-free first budget proposal, which may not have materialized if the White House and Senate remained in GOP control. 
Policing in New York and nationwide remains influenced by fallout from the George Floyd killing in May 2020. 
The choices of the last administration in Washington even came up when Robert Mujica, the state budget director, spoke Wednesday with reporters. Mujica was asked whether previous state tax hikes on top earners had driven wealthy individuals or big companies to leave New York. He said: "We haven’t seen any evidence of that." At the same time, he said, the impact of the state hike would have been small compared to the Republicans’ elimination of state and local tax deductions. 
Blue-state Democrats have been trying since then to revive SALT — another New York-based relitigation of the previous White House’s actions. 
Maybe this period of post-2020 political ferment ends when the COVID-19 pandemic subsides. For the moment, the calendar feels stuck. 
Columnist Dan Janison’s opinions are his own.

OPJAN220121

New York's 2020 hindsight never ends

Janison: NY's 2020 hindsight never ends

Biden_66013

Rachelle Blidner

Legis. Kevin McCaffrey, the Suffolk County Legislature’s first GOP presiding officer in 17 years, said he and the Republican majority will push to reduce county user fees, re-examine the red-light camera program and block public campaign financing scheduled to start next year. 
McCaffrey, 67, told Newsday he's focusing on the county's finances and environment, as well as initiatives he and Republicans felt couldn't get through the legislature while Democrats were in control. 
He said he would: 
<ul> 
 <li>Examine the county's red-light camera program, focusing on issues including camera locations and accident rates in order to make it, "a public safety tool, not a cash cow."</li> 
 <li>Hold public hearings on the Suffolk County Traffic and Parking Violations Agency. McCaffrey said he has received repeated complaints from constituents about treatment they received in traffic court.</li> 
 <li>Seek to kill a new program slated to provide public financing of campaigns for county offices beginning with the 2023 election cycle. McCaffrey wants to divert the program's funding, which will start at $1 million this year, to offset reductions in mortgage recording fees and elimination of alarm registration fees he plans to propose.</li> 
 <li>"Stand up for the men and women in law enforcement," including by reintroducing legislation that failed last year to make first responders, including law enforcement officers, a protected class under county human rights law. McCaffrey said he will consider ways to address concerns that the measure would stifle residents' ability to speak out about police misconduct. </li> 
</ul> 
"I've worked hard to get here, and I really welcome the opportunity to make the best of it," McCaffrey said of the presiding officer's job. 
McCaffrey replaces former Presiding Officer Robert Calarco, a Patchogue Democrat who lost reelection in November. 
With an 11-7 majority, McCaffrey will lead the legislature as the county again experiences a surge in COVID-19 cases. 
The legislature will have oversight of the county's police reform plan, passed last March after the murder of George Floyd by former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin. 
"They have a responsibility as the legislature to check and make sure that police reform is implemented as designed," said Tracey Edwards, Long Island Regional Director of the NAACP. 
This year, the county legislature is expected to allocate millions of dollars in federal aid for infrastructure projects that are expected to include expansion of access to sewers. 
Lawmakers also are expected to allocate millions of dollars from legal settlements with pharmaceutical companies for opioid-addiction programs. 
Finally, the Republican takeover — and McCaffrey's focus on bipartisanship — comes after a pitched partisan battle in December in which Democrats forced through a plan to redraw legislative district lines for the next decade before they lost the majority. 
McCaffrey is fighting to overturn that redistricting plan in court and through legislation. 
Republicans argue the redistricting violates the county charter because Calarco's office drew the district maps instead of a bipartisan commission. 
Calarco said he had to do so because legislators from both parties missed the deadline to appoint commission members. 
In an interview with Newsday, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone, a Democrat, said he believes he and McCaffrey can work together on county issues. 
"I’m interested to hear whatever his ideas are and will definitely keep an open mind and look to see if we can reach common ground on any issue," Bellone said. 
Legis. Jason Richberg (D-West Babylon), the new minority leader, said while McCaffrey has kept lines of communication open, Democrats must "hold the majority accountable to the taxpayers and make sure we're running a fair and equitable government for all." 
McCaffrey grew up in Massapequa, with three brothers and a sister. Their father was an NYPD detective; their mother worked as a secretary at Our Lady of Lourdes Roman Catholic Church in Massapequa Park. 
McCaffrey said he had wanted to get into the "family business" of law enforcement, but was colorblind. 
He enrolled in the Agricultural and Technical College at Farmingdale, now called Farmingdale State College, but left without graduating to take a trucking job. 
McCaffrey recalled that after his father's death in 1988, he "turned my life around" and reevaluated his priorities. 
He became president of the local civic association, and later returned to college for a certificate. 
McCaffrey was elected to the Lindenhurst Village Board in 1990. 
In 1995, McCaffrey became secretary-treasurer of Teamsters Local 707 in Hempstead, which represents truck drivers, warehouse workers and Nassau Off-Track Betting Corp. employees. He was elected president of the local in 2000. 
McCaffrey was president in 2017 when Local 707's pension fund became insolvent. 
McCaffrey said the pension fund's collapse stemmed from the 2008 stock market crash. Employers went out of business, contributed less money to the fund and hired more nonunion workers, he said. 
"Neither Warren Buffett or Harry Houdini could have saved this pension plan," McCaffrey told Newsday. 
McCaffrey said the union has applied for relief under a provision of the American Rescue Plan aimed at bailing out troubled union pension plans. 
He was serving as Lindenhurst Village deputy mayor when he was elected to the Suffolk County Legislature in 2013. 
GOP and Democratic colleagues in the legislature describe McCaffrey as a thoughtful listener and a hard worker who can set politics aside to accomplish his goals. 
Suffolk Republican Chairman Jesse Garcia said the GOP caucus picked McCaffrey for presiding officer because he was a "tough, principled individual" with years of experience in government and with Local 707 union. 
"He has the experience to lead a very aggressive agenda that backs law enforcement, small businesses and protects taxpayers," Garcia told Newsday. 
"I think you're going to see a fighter in that role," Daniel Levler, president of the Association of Municipal Employees, the county’s largest public employee union, said of McCaffrey. 
Richard Schaffer, the Suffolk Democratic chairman and Babylon Town supervisor, said McCaffrey was "very partisan" when he first got into politics. 
But Schaffer, who once lived down the block from McCaffrey in Lindenhurst, said they have worked well together since McCaffrey has, "come to recognize that you get more done" working across the aisle. 
McCaffrey spoke about the importance of bipartisanship on his first day as presiding officer, Jan. 3. 
"I look forward to work with not just my caucus, but the Democratic Caucus as well, to do great things here in the county," he told county legislators. 
That day, however, he also tapped Republicans and Conservatives to three top legislative positions, and excluded Democrats from any legislative committee chairmanships. 
McCaffrey moved to shore up an alliance with Conservatives by nominating Brett Robinson, secretary of the county party, as deputy legislative clerk and Legis. Nicholas Caracappa (C-Selden) as legislative majority leader. 
The moves will help guarantee Conservative support for Republican candidates in the future, McCaffrey said. 
Robinson pleaded guilty in 2016 to a noncriminal charge in connection with his role in the Islip Town dumping scandal. 
Caracappa has pleaded not guilty to domestic-violence related charges. 
McCaffrey said Robinson's "culpability" in the dumping was, "a lot less than what had originally been suggested." 
McCaffrey said he believes Caracappa will be vindicated in court. 
Also on Jan. 3, McCaffrey proposed changing legislative rules to require everyone to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance and the national anthem at the start of legislative meetings, instead of merely saluting the flag. 
While Democrats voted unanimously for that rule change and others, along with McCaffrey's staff appointments, Richberg cautioned that the requirement to stand for the pledge could infringe on freedom of speech rights. 
But McCaffrey said, "I don't think you have a right to say that you shouldn't stand up for the Pledge of Allegiance." 
He also told Newsday he wants to roll back one of the main achievements of Calarco's: public campaign financing. 
McCaffrey said he does not believe residents should have to help fund candidates they do not support, or that public financing will reduce the influence of special interest groups that still would donate or spend large sums with super PACs. 
Richberg said public campaign financing is essential to "level the playing field" for candidates from all backgrounds. 
Despite friction on such issues, McCaffrey said he plans to work with Democrats, even after redistricting tested their relationship. 
"We are going to do the people's business and we're not going to let partisan politics get in the way of it. I think we have more in common than we don't," McCaffrey said.

poMCCAFFREY220116

Legis. Kevin McCaffrey to press for Suffolk fee cuts, review of red-light camera program

McCaffrey to press for fee cuts, review of red-light cameras

Suffolk County Legislature Presiding Officer Kevin McCaffrey says the new Republican majority will take a hard look at red-light cameras and whether they cause more accidents than prevent.


Suffolk County Legislature plans to reexamine red-light cameras

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Three newly elected officials from the region used their first days in office to generate controversy — by doing what they gave voters every reason to believe they would do. 
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, and New York City Mayor Eric Adams all took actions that drew questions of propriety from critics along with kudos from their fans. 
All swore two weeks ago to faithfully execute the laws. These are the moments when their political capital is highest. Nobody has had a chance to tire of them. Promises have yet to be broken. 
Local incumbency has a different rhythm than it once did. 
Not too long ago, the freshly elected were presumed to move at first toward the institutional middle. Having just secured their base at the ballot box, they'd presumably look to forge new understandings with others in the name of collaboratively performing their duties. 
No more. 
Blakeman issued unenforceable orders to resist the state's enforcement of mask mandates. School boards run schools, and governors guide public health emergencies; Blakeman doesn't seem to care about such trifles. 
Of course, that doesn't keep an excited circle of highly-motivated mask-o-phobes from encouraging and applauding the new Republican executive’s exhibition of defiance against Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul. 
Blakeman's opening act is beyond what you could have expected from Nassau's last GOP executive, Ed Mangano, who'd allied himself from the start with Hochul’s Democratic predecessor Andrew M. Cuomo. Circumstances were different; for one thing, adherence to a faction had not yet taken such a strong hold in the state and nation. 
Like all of the state's district attorneys, Bragg has significant discretion in how to proceed on criminal cases. His widely-publicized refusal to help enforce what he doesn't wish to enforce will have more relevant clout than Blakeman’s. 
He instantly clashed with the NYPD — the traditional close partner of any borough D.A. — and also frightened potential victims of the crimes he intends to go easier on. 
Some even argue that Bragg is stepping on the role of Albany legislators who clearly wrote laws meant to be prosecuted, such as farebeating, prostitution, aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, marijuana misdemeanors, certain trespasses. 
NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell wrote in a department email that she is "very concerned about the implications to your safety as police officers, the safety of the public and justice for the victims." Logically, police unions are on the same page. 
Don’t expect backlash, however, from progressives committed to minimizing incarceration, or from City Council members who jerked the knee to "defund the police" chants at the height of the uproar over George Floyd's slaying in Minnesota. 
Adams, the new mayor, had no regard for the bad optics that result from his brother Bernard’s appointment to a key post at the NYPD and from supporter Phil Banks’ selection as top law-enforcement adviser despite his having been designated an unindicted co-conspirator in a graft case. 
No shock or broken promises there, either. To have sweeping say over patronage, appointments, and promotions in the department is something ex-cop Adams could only have dreamed of decades ago when he led a Black officers' organization focused on those matters. 
Transparently favoring one interest group over another is at least a form of transparency. This is how our partisan politicians seem to roll these days: Perform for the base, and hope the rest falls into place. 
Columnist Dan Janison's opinions are his own.

OPJAN220114

The newly elected play to the base

Janison: The newly elected play to the base

John Asbury

Former NYPD Chief Rodney Harrison was sworn in Tuesday as Suffolk's first Black police commissioner, taking the reins of a department in the midst of potentially sweeping reform, the challenges of a pandemic, and a major effort to diversify the ranks. 
Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone tapped Harrison, who rose from an NYPD cadet to chief of department, saying he wants Harrison to bring a new perspective to Suffolk County police. 
"Commissioner Harrison understands exactly what it means to be a great police officer," Bellone said. "I cannot think of a more qualified person to lead this department."
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Harrison was sworn in during a small ceremony Tuesday at the Suffolk County Police Academy, where the crowd was limited to less than 50 people due to rising COVID-19 cases. Harrison was joined by his family, including his wife, Laprena, and his daughters Amber and Tyra, who are all officers with the NYPD. He said he met his wife 30 years ago at the police academy. 
Bellone also swore in new Suffolk police Chief of Department Robert Waring, who was promoted from chief of patrol. Harrison also brings with him Deputy Police Commissioner Anthony Carter from the NYPD. 
"This will not be easy. There will be long days, sharing ideas and strategies, but together we will make this a phenomenal public safety organization," Harrison said. "To the residents of this great county, it’s my honor to serve. I will do my best to make this the safest county in the state of New York … In order for me to be successful, I need to hear your concerns." 
He said the new role is humbling as he looks to enact reforms such as body cameras, better police response to people in mental health crises, improving relations with minority communities, increasing diversity and boosting accountability in the wake of a corruption scandals. 
Those challenges and others were spelled out in a 1,000-page reform plan recently created by a task force of police, county officials and community activists and approved by county lawmakers, following former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's order in June 2020 to modernize state departments in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. 
Harrison said being selected as the county’s first Black commissioner was "a step in the right direction" toward the goal of diversity and a testament to Bellone’s character. 
"The history of this police department has had some great commissioners before me, but for the county executive to choose me, an outsider, to lead this police department is impressive," Harrison said. "I’m not going to let him down and the residents of the community down. I’m going to make it a safe county." 
Harrison’s daughters said it was inspiring to see their father appointed, adding that he was always there for his family and never missed his daughters’ basketball games. They said the new role will bring him closer to family on Long Island. 
"Every time he gets a promotion, I wonder when he’s going to stop," Amber Harrison said. 
Harrison told his officers that he expected them to work hard, but to put family first. 
"The most important thing to me is that you sign out at the end of your tour and that you go home to your family," Harrison said.

liHARR220112

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Former NYPD Chief Rodney Harrison sworn in as Suffolk's first Black police commissioner

Rodney Harrison sworn in as Suffolk's first Black police commissioner

New Suffolk County Police Department Commissioner Rodney Harrison was sworn into the job on Tuesday. County Executive Steve Bellone spoke at the ceremony. 


New Suffolk County Police Commissioner Harrison sworn in

Millions of Americans are angered by the sight of intentionally unvaccinated COVID-19 patients who now crowd hospital ERs and intensive care units. Many people — even before the omicron surge — have expressed arguments that unvaccinated patients should be placed at the end of the line for scarce resources such as ventilators. "As controversial as it may be, we should deprioritize the eligible unvaccinated patients during medical triage," wrote Trish Zornio, a lecturer at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and a columnist for Colorado Newsline: "Choices have consequences . . ." 
To be clear, proposals to triage intentionally unvaccinated ER patients are non-starters, violating basic canons of medical ethics. We can't discriminate against patients because we are angry with them or because we believe their irresponsibility deepened their medical plight. There's even less reason to wonder whether "choices have consequences" when an intentionally unvaccinated patient lies on a gurney in the ER. He's sick and scared. He's likely to get a whopping hospital bill. Life has punished him plenty for his choices. 
But this punitive impulse among many liberals — Blue America has embraced vaccines more emphatically and effectively than Red America has — and the resentment conservatives feel in response, could prove unexpectedly instructive. We all might take a moment to appreciate the perspective of our counterparts across the ideological line — and examine whether our attitudes in addressing this brutal public health challenge match our instincts and our approach when America faces other social challenges. Through such self-examination we might at least salvage some cross-partisan empathy out of this ugly conflict. 
Many liberals — me, for example — believe it's mean-spirited and wrong to distribute public benefits on the basis of distinctions between the worthy and unworthy poor. Our beliefs and our training — I teach social work and public health at the University of Chicago — instruct that people are poor for myriad reasons beyond their control or proper moral accountability. Some are indigent because of disabilities or educational barriers, or because of a long-ago criminal record that blocks employment in a tough economy. Still others are poor because they got fired from their last job for stealing. 
Whatever the reason, we believe, everyone has the right to a roof over their head and to decent health care. People don't have to do everything right in their lives to deserve these basic things. They just need to be human. 
We liberals can't spurn this empathetic perspective when we ponder our unvaccinated neighbors seriously ill in the ER. We might remind ourselves why we bristle when conservatives embrace personal-responsibility rhetoric in other contexts, such as debates over public aid. We bristle because such rhetoric easily provides cover for social contempt, a contempt often tinged with cultural and class stereotypes. Those further left than the typical liberal may view personal-responsibility rhetoric as a mechanism to impose discipline on the working class within a capitalist economy — concerns close to the surface in the vaccine-mandate debate. 
Of course, we are sometimes right to be angry with people who behave irresponsibly and harm others. Conservatives insist that when someone steals and gets herself arrested, she should pay the price — as should someone who screws up on the job or misuses public benefits. At least sometimes, perhaps, liberals should listen to those complaints with a more open mind. 
Considering their anger toward the intentional-unvaccinated, honest liberals might view more generously conservatives' anger toward people who undermine the social fabric in other ways. Consider our reactions to widespread disorder after the murder of George Floyd. Some liberals were a bit too quick to dismiss anger about looting as efforts to deflect attention from police violence and structural racism. Here in Chicago, stores were destroyed and may never return. A Ronald McDonald House was vandalized. One can be angry about that, without in any way minimizing or condoning Floyd's murder. Honest conservatives, meanwhile, might take greater responsibility for unworthy behaviors within their own flock — certainly including widespread belligerent irresponsibility regarding vaccination. 
Rather than denying care when the unvaccinated fall sick, it might make more sense to hold accountable the vast majority of intentionally unvaccinated people, who took the identical risk and did not land in the ER. Maybe we should charge them more for health insurance, given the costs they impose on society. Maybe we should require vaccination in key job roles (as many companies have done already, as has the Biden administration). It's right, in the proper domain, to enforce important social norms — including through financial pressures. We liberals aren't always comfortable saying so. Yet as the late public policy scholar Mark Kleiman famously emphasized, swift, certain and fair sanctions are key arrows in the quiver to deter anti-social behaviors ranging from gun violence to white-collar crime. 
Liberals' anger toward the intentionally-unvaccinated — and conservatives' corresponding discomfort — should also remind us of the dangers of stereotypical and coarse imagery that denies our common humanity. My Facebook and Twitter feeds now fill with images and videos of MAGA-hatted unvaccinated patients who deny the reality of COVID, who scream at nurses, or otherwise misbehave. Viewing such viral content, we liberals might ponder the role of earlier coarse imagery to divide our society. 
Consider the racially tinged rhetoric of 1976 candidate and eventual president Ronald Reagan, who lambasted an imagined "strapping young buck" who bought steaks with food stamps. Consider media imagery of drug-using Black single mothers that circulated prominently during the debate over welfare reform. The unflattering stories conservatives peddled about welfare recipients weren't always or entirely false. Rather, they were cardboard and incomplete, disparaging depictions designed to harden social contempt while denying their subject's individual humanity. 
As we remember that history, we should remember that our unvaccinated neighbors have many human reasons — many rooted in family, community, and social context — to be hesitant. Not all of these reasons are on display in the viral videos we're tempted to retweet. We in public health and in medical care must reach out to every community with honesty, humility and cultural competence to address these reasons and concerns. 
Videos of those horrible patients should also chasten conservatives, because they don't come from nowhere; they aren't made-up. For decades, conservatives argued that cultural factors perpetuate social dysfunction within what is euphemistically termed "the inner city." The moral crisis and cultural dysfunction present in Red America, on display in these videos, is real and destructive. 
One symptom of this dysfunction is widespread acceptance of false narratives, propagated by conservative media, about vaccines and the 2020 election. Others include disdain for expertise, celebration of bullying incivility exemplified by President Donald Trump and his administration. 
Bristling at liberals' disdain for the unvaccinated — and at the supposed intrusion of vaccine mandates — conservatives might begin to understand why liberals resist Medicaid work requirements and other measures designed to punish or stigmatize the supposedly unworthy poor. After all, conservatives would not want anyone to say: "A safety net, not a hammock: Back of the line for unvaccinated patients in the ER." 
And we liberals might ponder why many Americans chafe at the genuine unfairness that generous social policies sometimes occasion. It's hard to watch an intentionally unvaccinated hospital patient get first-dibs, ahead of the vaccinated cancer patient. It's hard for many Americans to watch a drunk driver on Medicaid receive free care at the ER, when the typical victim of a DUI faces a steep insurance co-pay. There's nothing stupid or bigoted about that very human reaction, even if that reaction shouldn't determine public policy. 
Liberals and conservatives are both angry. If we each take seriously why our counterparts are so incensed, we might at least use this pandemic to embrace our common humanity. We have the chance to recognize defects in our own world views. We can embrace the need for personal responsibility, even as we honor the need for restraint and forbearance when our fragile fellow citizens fall short of our own exacting standards. 
Harold Pollack is the Helen Ross professor at the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice, University of Chicago.

Commentary

WEBOP2220106

Deny care to the unvaccinated? What the left and right can learn from the fight.

Deny care to the unvaccinated?

USRECORD200703_photos

A group of Malverne High School students are seeking to rename a street honoring a village settler — who also was a leader of the local Ku Klux Klan chapter. 
Lindner Place, which divides the Malverne Public Library and Maurice W. Downing elementary school, has been named for early Malverne farmer and settler Paul Lindner. In addition to helping settle the community, historians say Lindner also led cross burnings and marches for the KKK. 
The street runs next to one of the first elementary schools forced to be desegregated to allow Black students to attend in 1963, Superintendent Lorna Lewis said.
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Following a unity march after the killing of George Floyd, about 20 students researched Lindner in social studies classes to present documentaries, art projects and poetry for why Lindner Place should or shouldn’t be renamed, Lewis said. 
The students presented their request to rename the street last spring to the village board, but board members have not taken action. The students also presented their project at the school in October. 
Village officials said they have not received a written proposal to change the name. 
School district officials, who said they cannot take a position on renaming the street, said the decision is now left to the village board. 
"The students are empowered and now they’re angry. As young people, they were hopeful if they showed what’s right, but they’re disappointed there’s been no response from the village," Lewis said. "Our students are very diligent and I was very impressed with what they did. We hope our students can be great advocates for themselves and our community." 
Students and school officials said they were waiting for the village to respond. 
"Their reaction was disappointing," said Olivia Brown, 14, speaking of the village board. "It felt like they were entertaining us and did not empathize with our cause. There’s such responsibility you have as a leader of a community. People should be offended and the people should take action." 
Residents have launched a petition online with more than 5,400 signatures to rename the street for Elizabeth Cherry, one of the first Black students and teachers in Malverne. 
"I understand the argument he did contribute a lot to Malverne, but the fact is, his actions as the exalted leader of the KKK are too unconscionable with his legacy to be associated with Malverne," Geoffrey Enwere, 17, said. "I don’t believe it reflects the increasingly diverse place Malverne is becoming." 
Malverne Mayor Keith Corbett said Wednesday he was impressed with the students' initial presentation made before the board last spring, but the board needs a written proposal to add it to the village agenda before a street can be renamed. He also said the village would have to conduct a study working with the U.S. Postal Service. 
Corbett said he is willing to meet with school officials and students, but has not heard any discussion of the street since last spring. He said he and other village board members were not invited to the school presentation last fall. 
"The kids who presented that evening made me proud as the mayor of the village," Corbett said. "I am quite perplexed by the school district not reaching out directly to address any of these issues," he added.

TOLIND220106

TOLIND220106_photos

Malverne students lead effort to rename street historians say had ties to the KKK

Malverne students lead effort to rename street with ties to KKK

After discovering a street had been named for a Ku Klux Klan leader, Malverne students set out to make a change. Newsday's Cecilia Dowd reports.


Malverne students lead effort to rename street named after KKK leader

TOLIND220106_video

Michael O'Keeffe

New York City Mayor Eric Adams vowed on Sunday to battle a surge in shootings by bringing back the NYPD’s controversial plainclothes anti-crime unit, but he declined to say how it will differ from the team that was disbanded in 2020. 
Adams, who was sworn in as mayor Saturday, said he gave new NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell, the former chief of detectives for the Nassau County Police Department, his concept for the anti-crime unit and left it to her to develop the details. 
"We are not going to do anything in secret," Adams said during a news conference after holding a roundtable discussion on gun violence with community members in Manhattan. "When the commissioner finalizes the final operation, we are going to do a nice presentation, we will let you see exactly how it is." 
The unit, disbanded by former Commissioner Dermot Shea in June 2020 in the wake of calls for reform sparked by the death of George Floyd while in the custody of Minneapolis police, had been involved in a disproportionate number of civilian complaints and fatal shootings by police. Adams, a former NYPD police captain who ran on a platform of improving public safety, said the police department will do a better job of balancing justice and policing than under his predecessors. 
"I know how to do it right because I fought against what was being done wrong," Adams said. 
There were more than 1,800 people shot in New York City in 2021, Adams said, a 104% increase over 2021. 
Adams said body cameras and other technology will help ensure that officers with the anti-crime unit are not overly aggressive when policing in minority communities. 
"We’re going to have the right officers assigned, they’re going to wear their body cameras, every interaction that they have … it’s going to be videoed and reviewed," Adams said earlier on Sunday on MSNBC’s "The Sunday Show with Jonathan Capehart." 
Adams called Sewell a "good police commissioner" who is conducting an analysis of the NYPD police force to determine "the right balance, because the balance is not just heavy-handed policing. It's public safety and justice." 
Adams also vowed to keep the city open even as the omicron variant has led to a record-breaking number of COVID-19 cases throughout New York State. 
"If we close down our city, it is as dangerous as COVID," Adams said during an appearance on ABC’s "This Week." "So, the proper balance of safety, keeping our economy operating, is going to allow us to get through this." 
Asked about staffing shortages among municipal workers due to the virus, Adams insisted the city is "pivoting based on where the urgency is located," including reducing service on some subway lines to account for the reduction in workers. 
"We spent $11 trillion on COVID and we don't have another $11 trillion," Adams said of the costs associated with the two-year pandemic. "So our lives can't be based on what's the new variant. No. We have to figure out, ‘How do we adjust?’" 
With Laura Figueroa Hernandez

nyADAMS220103

Adams: Revived NYPD plainclothes anti-crime unit to work to reduce shootings

Adams: Revived NYPD anti-crime unit to target shootings

nyADAMS220103_photos

A look at the top 25 boys track and field athletes this winter, in alphabetical order. 
Ryan Antwi, Central Islip, Jr. 
He won the triple jump, going 45 feet, 6¾ inches at the Suffolk outdoor sectional championships last spring. 
Amokrane Aouchiche, Mepham, Sr. 
He was one of the top cross country runners on Long Island this fall, winning the Nassau Class I championship in 16:16.42. 
Charles Bosworth, Port Washington, Sr. 
He cleared 5-8 and placed second in the high jump at the Nassau Class AAA outdoor championships last spring. 
Josiah Brown, Holy Trinity, So. 
He is the fastest returner in the CHSAA in the 55 meters, where he ran 6.64 last winter. 
Quincy Chery, Huntington Sr. 
He won the 400 hurdles in 56.22 at the Suffolk outdoor sectional championships last spring. 
Gavin Ehlers, Westhampton, Sr. 
The best distance runner on Long Island. He placed second in Class B at the public school cross country championships and was named Newsday’s Runner of the Year this fall. 
George Franks, Mount Sinai, Sr. 
He ran 35.04 in the 300 last winter, the fastest time in Suffolk. Franks also jumped 43 feet, one inch in the triple jump, the top mark in Suffolk, according to milesplit.com. 
Colin Funk, Port Washington, Sr. 
He was named Newsday’s Nassau Runner of the Year after an impressive postseason this fall. Funk was the Nassau Class A cross country champion. 
Liam Going, Chaminade, Sr. 
He placed third in the 1,000 in 2:38.63 at the CHSAA intersectionals last winter. 
Max Haynia, Westhampton, Jr. 
He’s coming off a fantastic cross country season this fall and won the 3,200 in 9:29.87 at the Suffolk outdoor sectional championships last spring. 
Ryan John, Valley Stream North, Sr. 
He’s the best jumper on Long Island, and won the high jump, long jump, and triple jump at the Nassau Class AA outdoor championships last spring. 
Alex Kasper, Jericho, Sr. 
He won the 1,600 in 4:33.56 at the Nassau Class AA outdoor championships last spring and won the Nassau Class II cross country championships in 16:38.04. 
Parker Kim, Syosset, Jr. 
Tossed the weight 53 feet, five inches last winter, the farthest throw in Nassau, according to milesplit.com. 
Nicholas Lourenco, St. Anthony’s, Sr. 
The best pole vaulter on Long Island. He cleared 15 feet to win at the CHSAA intersectionals last winter. 
Anthony Munro, Seaford, Sr. 
He ran an 8.06 in the 55 hurdles last winter, the fastest time in Nassau, according to milesplit.com.
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Aidan Neilson, Deer Park, Sr. 
He placed 20th at the state Federation cross country championships this fall and placed third in the 1,600 at the Suffolk outdoor sectional championships last spring. 
Jordon Quinn, Freeport, So. 
He’s already run 8.16 in the 55 hurdles this season. 
Hunter Rindos, Islip, Sr. 
He ran 1:28.30 in the 600 last winter, the second-fastest time in Suffolk, according to milesplit.com. 
John Schwab, Calhoun, Sr. 
He finished second in the 3,200 in 10:12.09 at the Nassau Class AA outdoor championships last spring. 
Kazeem Scott, Freeport, Jr. 
He placed second in the 100 in 11.17 seconds at the Nassau Class AAA outdoor championships last spring. 
Myles Small, Holy Trinity, Sr. 
He placed third in the 300 (36.04) at the CHSAA intersectionals last winter. 
Daniel Thomas, Deer Park, Sr. 
He ran a 2:51.40 in the 1,000 last winter, the second-fastest time in the county, according to milesplit.com. 
Jermaine Thompson, Connetquot, Jr. 
He won the 200 in 21.91 seconds and was second in the 100 in 11.05 seconds at the Suffolk outdoor sectional championships last spring. 
Eddy Vu, Floyd, Sr. 
One of the best sprinters in Suffolk. He won the 100 in 10.94 seconds and was second in the 200 in 22.04 seconds at the Suffolk outdoor sectional championships last spring. 
Jack Ward, St. Anthony’s, Jr. 
The returning 1,000 champion from the CHSAA indoor intersectionals, where he ran 2:34.86 last winter.

skBTRACKTOP211229

Pictured, top row from left: Aidan Neilson of Deer Park, John Schwab of Calhoun, Kazeem Scott of Freeport. Bottom row: Jermaine Thompson of Connetquot, Eddy Vu of Floyd, Jack Ward of St. Anthony's.

boys track top 25 collage 2

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Top 25 boys indoor track athletes for 2021-22 winter season

Top 25 boys indoor track athletes for 2021-22

Pictured, top row from left:&nbsp;Amokrane Aouchiche of&nbsp;Mepham,&nbsp;Quincy Chery of&nbsp;Huntington,&nbsp;Gavin Ehlers of&nbsp;Westhampton. Middle row:&nbsp;Colin Funk of&nbsp;Port Washington,&nbsp;Liam Going of&nbsp;Chaminade,&nbsp;Max Haynia of&nbsp;Westhampton. Bottom row:&nbsp;Ryan John of&nbsp;Valley Stream North, Alex Kasper of&nbsp;Jericho,&nbsp;Nicholas Lourenco of St. Anthony’s.

skBTRACKTOP211229_collage1

boys track top 25 collage 1

<h3>Floyd Little</h3> 
<a href="https://www.newsday.com/sports/football/floyd-little-dead-syracuse-broncos-1.50107785">Floyd Little</a>, the Hall of Fame running back who starred at Syracuse and for the Denver Broncos, died on Jan. 1. He was 78. No cause was given. 
<h3>Paul Westphal</h3> 
<a href="https://www.newsday.com/sports/basketball/paul-westphal-dead-nba-hall-of-fame-1.50107848">Paul Westphal</a>, a Hall of Fame player who won a championship with the Boston Celtics in 1974 and later coached in the league and in college, died on Jan. 2 at age 70 in Scottsdale, Arizona, after being diagnosed with brain cancer in August 2020. 
<h3>John Muckler</h3> 
<a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/region-state/john-muckler-coach-who-won-5-cups-with-oilers-dies-at-86-1.50109724">John Muckler</a>, who coached four NHL teams, including the Rangers for four seasons, and won five Stanley Cup championships with the Oilers, was confirmed dead by the Oilers on Jan. 4. He was 86 
<h3>Tommy Lasorda</h3> 
<a href="https://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/tommy-lasorda-dead-los-angeles-dodgers-1.50113533">Tommy Lasorda</a>, one of baseball’s most colorful characters of the late 20th century, died on Jan. 7 at age 93, silencing a voice that could be both comical and profane but never boring. 
<h3>Don Sutton</h3> 
<a href="http://had a career record of 324-256 and an ERA of 3.26">Don Sutton</a>, the Hall of Fame pitcher who was a stalwart of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ rotation spanning an era from Sandy Koufax to Fernando Valenzuela, died on Jan. 18 at the age of 75. 
<h3>Ted Thompson</h3> 
<a href="https://www.newsday.com/sports/football/ted-thompson-packers-gm-dead-1.50127459">Ted Thompson</a>, whose 13-year run as Green Bay Packers general manager included their 2010 Super Bowl championship season, died on Jan. 20. He was 68. 
<h3>Hank Aaron</h3> 
<a href="https://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/hank-aaron-obituary-1.50128041">Hank Aaron</a> withstood the deliberate obscurity in baseball’s Negro Leagues and became an American icon by breaking a record that was arguably the most hallowed mark in sports at the time he broke it. He died on Jan. 22 at age 86. 
<h3>Harthorne Wingo</h3> 
<a href="https://www.newsday.com/sports/basketball/knicks/harthorne-wingo-knicks-obituary-1.50130969">Harthorne Wingo</a>, the popular 6-9 forward for the Knicks' championship team in 1973, died on Jan 23, the team announced. He was 73. 
<h3>George Armstrong</h3> 
George Armstrong, who captained the Toronto Maple Leafs to four Stanley Cups in the 1960s, died from heart complications on Jan. 24. He was 90. 
<h3>John Chaney</h3> 
<a href="https://www.newsday.com/sports/college/college-basketball/john-chaney-89-temple-s-commanding-basketball-coach-dies-1.50135643">John Chaney</a>, one of the nation's leading basketball coaches and a commanding figure during a Hall of Fame career at Temple, died on Jan. 29 at age 89. 
<h3>Leon Spinks Jr.</h3> 
<a href="https://www.newsday.com/sports/boxing/leon-spinks-dead-heavyweight-boxing-champion-1.50145025">Leon Spinks Jr.</a>, a former world heavyweight boxing champion who won gold at the 1976 Montreal Olympics and beat Muhammad Ali for the heavyweight title in 1978, died Feb. 5 at age 67 after battling prostate and other cancers. 
<h3>Pedro Gomez</h3> 
<a href="https://www.newsday.com/sports/media/longtime-espn-baseball-correspondent-pedro-gomez-dies-at-58-1.50146327">Pedro Gomez</a>, a longtime baseball correspondent for ESPN died unexpectedly at his home on Feb. 7. He was 58. 
<h3>Tom Konchalski</h3> 
<a href="https://www.newsday.com/sports/basketball/tom-konchalski-obituary-jay-wright-tim-cluess-1.50147146">Tom Konchalski</a>, an extraordinary evaluator of basketball talent and the editor and publisher of High School Basketball Illustrated, a must-read for coaches at every level of college basketball, died on Feb. 8 at age 74 after battling cancer. 
<h3>Marty Schottenheimer</h3> 
<a href="https://www.newsday.com/sports/football/marty-schottenheimer-nfl-coach-with-200-wins-dies-at-77-1.50147671">Marty Schottenheimer</a>, who won 200 regular-season games with four NFL teams thanks to his "Martyball" brand of smash-mouth football but regularly fell short in the playoffs, died on Feb. 8. He was 77. 
<h3>Vincent Jackson</h3> 
<a href="https://www.newsday.com/sports/football/vincent-jackson-dead-hotel-room-1.50154565">Vincent Jackson</a>, the former Pro Bowl wide receiver for the San Diego Chargers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, was found dead on Feb. 15 at a Florida hotel room, days after authorities spoke with him as part of a welfare check, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. He was 38. 
<h3>Irv Cross</h3> 
<a href="https://www.newsday.com/sports/media/irv-cross-nfl-player-pioneer-black-analyst-dies-at-81-1.50168655">Irv Cross</a>, the former NFL defensive back who became the first Black man to work full-time as a sports analyst on national television, died on Feb. 28 at the age of 81. 
<h3>Mark Pavelich</h3> 
<a href="https://www.newsday.com/sports/hockey/rangers/mark-pavelich-dead-1.50174497">Mark Pavelich</a>, a member of the "Miracle on Ice" Olympic hockey team, died at the Eagle's Healing Nest in Sauk Centre, Minnesota, on March 5 at the age of 63. The cause and manner of death were still pending at the time of his death. Pavelich was undergoing treatment at the home as part of a civil commitment for assaulting his neighbor in August 2019. 
<h3>'Marvelous' Marvin Hagler</h3> 
<a href="https://www.newsday.com/sports/boxing/marvelous-marvin-hagler-dead-1.50182236">Marvin Hagler</a>, the middleweight boxing great whose title reign and career ended with a split-decision loss to "Sugar" Ray Leonard in 1987, died unexpectedly on March 13. He was 66. 
<h3>Elgin Baylor</h3> 
<a href="https://www.newsday.com/sports/basketball/elgin-baylor-silky-smooth-lakers-hall-of-famer-dies-at-86-1.50190971">Elgin Baylor</a>, the Lakers' 11-time NBA All-Star who soared through the 1960s with a high-scoring style of basketball that became the model for the modern player, died on March 22 at age 86. 
<h3>Bobby Brown</h3> 
<a href="https://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/yankees/bobby-brown-ex-yankee-and-former-al-president-dies-at-96-1.50194619">Dr. Bobby Brown</a> was a five-time champion with the Yankees, had the highest World Series batting average of anyone with at least 35 plate appearances, fought in two wars and was American League president. He died at age 96 on March 25 in Texas. 
<h3>Bobby Unser</h3> 
<a href="https://www.newsday.com/sports/motor-racing/bobby-unser-3-time-indianapolis-500-winner-dies-at-87-1.50235153">Bobby Unser</a>, a beloved three-time Indianapolis 500 winner and part of the only pair of brothers to win "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" died on May 2. He was 87. 
<h3>Lee Evans</h3> 
<a href="https://www.newsday.com/sports/olympics/record-setting-sprinter-68-olympic-activist-lee-evans-dies-1.50251793">Lee Evans</a>, the record-setting sprinter who wore a black beret in a sign of protest at the 1968 Olympics, died on May 19 at age 74. 
<h3>Mark Eaton</h3> 
<a href="https://www.newsday.com/sports/basketball/mark-eaton-shot-blocking-king-and-jazz-legend-dies-at-64-1.50261874">Mark Eaton</a>, the 7-foot-4 shot-blocking king who twice was the NBA's defensive player of the year during a career spent entirely with the Utah Jazz, died on May 28. He was 64. 
<h3>Mike Marshall</h3> 
<a href="https://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/mike-marshall-1st-reliever-to-win-cy-young-dies-at-78-1.50264906">Mike Marshall</a>, who became the first reliever to win the Cy Young Award when he set a major league record by pitching 106 games in a season for the Los Angeles Dodgers, died on May 31. He was 78. 
<h3>Jim Fassel</h3> 
<a href="https://www.newsday.com/sports/football/giants/jim-fassel-dead-age-71-1.50271211">Jim Fassel</a>, who coached the Giants to their third Super Bowl appearance in the 2000 season and won NFL Coach of the Year honors in his first season in 1997, died on June 7 at age 71. 
<h3>Matiss Kivlenieks</h3> 
<a href="https://www.newsday.com/sports/hockey/matiss-kivlenieks-dead-1.50297780">Matiss Kivlenieks</a>, a goaltender for the Columbus Blue Jackets, died on July 4 at age 24 following a chest trauma from an errant fireworks mortar blast. 
<h3>Dick Tidrow</h3> 
<a href="https://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/dick-tidrow-obit-1.50306739">Dick Tidrow</a>, a former major league pitcher and longtime member of the San Francisco Giants' front office, died on July 14 at age 74. He pitched for the Mets and Yankees, among other teams. 
<h3>Joe Walton</h3> 
<a href="https://www.newsday.com/sports/football/jets/joe-walton-jets-obituary-1.50335424">Joe Walton</a>, who died on Aug. 15 at 85, was the only coach in the Jets’ first five decades in the NFL to manage consecutive seasons with double-digit victory totals, going 11-5 in 1985 and 10-6 in ’86. 
<h3>Bill Freehan</h3> 
<a href="https://www.newsday.com/sports/freehan-catcher-on-1968-champion-detroit-tigers-dies-at-79-1.50338475">Bill Freehan</a>, an 11-time All-Star catcher with the Detroit Tigers and key player on the 1968 World Series championship team, died on Aug. 19 at age 79. The cause of death was not disclosed, but family members have publicly said that Freehan had Alzheimer's disease. 
<h3>Floyd Reese</h3> 
<a href="https://www.newsday.com/sports/floyd-reese-gm-of-titans-super-bowl-team-dies-at-73-1.50340125">Floyd Reese</a>, the general manager who assembled the roster for the Tennessee Titans' lone Super Bowl appearance, died Aug. 21 of cancer at age 73. 
<h3>Rod Gilbert</h3> 
Rangers great <a href="https://www.newsday.com/sports/hockey/rangers/rod-gilbert-rangers-dead-obituary-1.50341096">Rod Gilbert</a>, who retired in 1978 and decades later still was the team’s career leader in goals (406) and points (1,021), forever the right wing on the "G-A-G Line" – for goal-a-game – with Vic Hadfield and Jean Ratelle, died at age 80, the Rangers announced on Aug. 22. 
<h3>Jimmy Hayes</h3> 
<a href="https://www.newsday.com/sports/jimmy-hayes-31-boston-college-star-who-played-in-nhl-dies-1.50341611">Jimmy Hayes</a>, who won a national hockey championship at Boston College and played seven seasons in the NHL died Aug. 23 at age 31. A law enforcement official said medics were called to the Hayes home in the Boston suburbs, where he was pronounced dead. 
<h3>Roger Brown</h3> 
<a href="https://www.newsday.com/sports/football/roger-brown-obit-1.50364830">Roger Brown</a>, a College Football Hall of Famer and six-time Pro Bowl selection with the Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Rams, has died. He was 84. 
<h3>Eddie Partridge</h3> 
<a href="https://www.newsday.com/long-island/obituaries/eddie-partridge-riverhead-raceway-1.50369398">Eddie Partridge</a>, legendary co-owner of Riverhead Raceway, died on Sept. 10 from a heart attack. He was 68. 
<h3>Ray Fosse</h3> 
<a href="https://www.newsday.com/sports/ray-fosse-barreled-by-rose-at-70-all-star-game-dies-at-74-1.50389505">Ray Fosse</a>, the strong-armed catcher whose career was upended when he was bowled over by Pete Rose at the 1970 All-Star Game died on Oct. 13. He was 74. Carol Fosse, his wife of 51 years, said in a statement online that Fosse died after a 16-year bout with cancer. 
<h3>Jerry Remy</h3> 
<a href="https://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/jerry-remy-boston-red-sox-player-and-broadcaster-dies-1.50406778">Jerry Remy</a>, a Boston Red Sox second baseman who went on to become a local icon as a television broadcaster, died on Oct. 30 after a long and public struggle with lung cancer. He was 68. 
<h3>Pedro Feliciano</h3> 
<a href="https://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/mets/pedro-feliciano-dead-1.50415244">Pedro Feliciano</a>, a lefthanded bullpen stalwart for the 2000s Mets, died unexpectedly in his sleep on Nov. 7 or Nov. 8 at age 45. 
<h3>Sam Huff</h3> 
<a href="https://www.newsday.com/sports/football/giants/sam-huff-obituary-giants-1.50421414">Sam Huff</a>, the fierce linebacker who anchored the Giants' defense and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, died on Nov. 13 at age 87. 
<h3>Lee Elder</h3> 
<a href="https://www.newsday.com/sports/golf/lee-elder-dies-golfer-first-black-to-play-in-masters-1.50436912">Lee Elder</a>, who broke down racial barriers as the first Black golfer to play in the Masters and paved the way for Tiger Woods and others to follow, died on Nov. 28. He was 87. 
<h3>Demaryius Thomas</h3> 
<a href="https://www.newsday.com/sports/pro-bowler-super-bowl-champ-demaryius-thomas-dies-at-33-1.50447582">Demaryius Thomas</a>, who earned five straight Pro Bowl honors and a Super Bowl ring during a prolific receiving career spent mostly with the Denver Broncos, died on Dec. 9 at age 33. 
<h3>John Madden</h3> 
<a href="https://www.newsday.com/sports/football/john-madden-death-1.50462641">John Madden</a>, the Hall of Fame football coach who became an influential TV analyst and pitchman, died unexpectedly Dec. 28 at age 85, the NFL said.

Sports

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Notable sports deaths in 2021

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sports deaths 2021 collage

Anthony M. DeStefano

A police watchdog agency is recommending discipline for more NYPD cops accused of misconduct during protests that roiled New York City in summer 2020, bringing the total officers under investigation to 80. 
In a statement Thursday, the New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board said it had completed 152 full investigations stemming from the protests after George Floyd was murdered by an on-duty Minneapolis police officer. The CCRB said is has substantiated 53 complaints of wrongdoing against the 80 cops, or almost 35% of those cases fully investigated. 
According to the CCRB, in about 30% of the cases, cops were exonerated or the complaints were either unsubstantiated or unfounded. In 35% of cases cops couldn’t be identified. The CCRB generally investigates cases where officers have been accused of excessive force, discourtesy, obscene language and abuse of authority. The agency can recommend charges against cops, which can lead to a departmental trial, or ask for less serious command discipline. 
In its statement, which accompanied a breakdown of the various charges from the summer 2020 complaints, the CCRB took the NYPD to task for failing to impose discipline in nine out of 12 cases reviewed, a trend which, if continued, would nullify CCRB efforts to hold cops accountable on behalf of the public, said agency head Fred Davie. 
Amy Litwin, an NYPD deputy commissioner and department advocate, said in response that the 12 cases cited by the CCRB were closely reviewed by the NYPD, including a thorough examination of myriad videos used as evidence. The result, Litwin said, was some cases where videos showed cops being injured and under attack from thrown objects as well as verbal abuse. 
"A number of [cops] behaved and acted as best they could under the circumstances and that is why the commissioner determined that discipline was not appropriate," Litwin said in an interview. 
The protest cases have been prioritized by the CCRB, and when they are referred to the NYPD, take a long time to investigate, noted Litwin, adding that other civilian complaints to the CCRB have been caught in a backlog brought on by COVID-19 
While just over half of the substantiated protest cases have been referred for charges and possible departmental trial, the remainder are subject to informal command discipline which can lead to a loss of up to ten vacation days if the officer accepts the penalty.

nyCCRB121224

CCRB: Add to list of NYPD cops accused of wrongdoing in 2020 protests

CCRB: Add to list of cops accused of wrongdoing in 2020 protests

nyCCRB210622_photos

<h3>Fearing a sad future for our nation </h3> 
I feel sadness, rage and frustration upon reading that Gov. Kathy Hochul felt compelled to issue another mask and vaccine mandate ["NY hospitalizations up 70%," News, Dec. 15]. Even with a national death toll of more than 800,000, many government officials announced they are going to ignore the mandate. What more evidence do they need before they agree to do something to protect citizens? 
We abide by many mandates: stopping at red lights, wearing seat belts, and removing our shoes before boarding a plane. We have come to understand that these mandates are for all our safety. Yes, our "rights" are infringed in some ways but not at the violation of another’s "right" to live and move about freely. I’m considered an "old" person, with immunocompromised health. I see myself wearing a mask and never going anywhere for the foreseeable future because of selfish, uninformed decisions. It’s not the way I expected to live out my golden years. 
Is this now the American spirit? Not one nation together battling a killer, but instead about one’s "personal rights"? That’s a sad future for our country, and one I worry will be the downfall of what we cherish and consider unique about the United States. 
Perelle Schwartz , Port Jefferson Station 
<h3>Better choices for person of the year </h3> 
Time magazine’s Person of the Year is Elon Musk ["Musk is Time’s top person for 2021," LI Business, Dec. 14] . Really? How about first responders, collectively, including nurses, doctors, emergency medical services personnel, and others who have worked tirelessly and at risk to themselves to save lives? How about those who formulated the vaccines saving many millions of lives worldwide? And what about George Floyd? His untimely and tragic death in 2020 gained worldwide attention this year with the prosecution of his assailant. And that in turn brought a greater realization and awakening to injustice and the legacy of racism and, in some places, changes and transparency in law enforcement.   
Michael Lesman, Sayville 
<h3>Pet store’s accused misdeeds not new </h3> 
Sick animals being sold at Shake A Paw pet store in Hicksville is not a new issue ["LI pet store in state’s doghouse," News, Dec. 17]. In 2004, I bought a Maltese puppy there, and within 24 hours, the puppy showed all the symptoms of respiratory distress described in the article. After numerous expensive veterinarian visits, we were advised to return the dog to the store and not to take her back home with us after she was treated and she was "well." 
It was a heartbreaking experience to say the least. So this allegedly has been going on for a long time, and it needs to stop. As a rescue volunteer now, I strongly urge people to "adopt, don’t shop." 
Lois Nosowitz, Bethpage 
<h3>Mailing ballots to all must not happen </h3> 
Gov. Kathy Hochul’s calling for ballots to be mailed to every household in the state would be an atrocity and dilute the sacredness of the ballot and each person’s vote ["Hochul calls for expanded voting by mail," News, Dec. 17]. Voting must remain a privilege, and since most people can shop, go out to dinner and perform most all other regular tasks, there is no need for ballots to be mailed to every household. New York must continue to adhere to providing absentee ballots only to those requesting them. No one is prevented from voting in person. This is just a ploy to control the elections’ results through malicious acts, and it must not be allowed. 
Anthony J. Catanese, Sayville 
<h3>Praise for Harrison as Suffolk’s top cop choice </h3> 
I would like to commend Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone on his choice of NYPD Chief Rodney Harrison as county police commissioner ["Harrison for top cop," News, Dec. 14]. As a member of the NYPD for 35 years, I worked closely with Harrison as a deputy NYPD precinct inspector and in the private sector. He is the right person for the job.  Harrison is a "cops’ cop," a person who works with the community and a leader who holds his workers accountable. These qualities are needed by all police departments . 
Kevin G. Collins, New Hyde Park

Letters

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Saving lives, person of the year, a pet store, and more

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Complete coverage: The death of George Floyd

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