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The Corne¬ Daily Sun Vol. 137, No. 39
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2021 n ITHACA, NEW YORK
8 Pages – Free
City Proposes Reimagined Public Saftey By JYOTHSNA BOLLEDDULA
city to consider policing alternatives — Myrick’s Monday relationships between local law enforcement and Black and Brown communities by creating this new department from proposal was the latest of their reforms. The main part of the proposal is to reimagine commu- the ground up, city officials explained at their Monday Mayor Svante Myrick ’09 announced his proposal to nity and public safety — shifting responsibility away from press conference. end the current version of Ithaca Police Department and to armed police officers to public safety workers, to reduce the In addition to months of weekly rallies for Black lives reimagine public safety, responding to need for armed officers in day-to-day civilian calls. and consistent chants to defund IPD, the department has months of activist demands and In the past, Ithaca Police Chief had its own share of controversies in the years more of community ten- Dennis Nayor has explained that one- This proposal is the latest past few years, ranging from derogatory sion. third of the department’s time is spent caught on body camera and in Ithaca’s steps toward statements The summer’s incendiary on “service calls” — which never lead petitions to remove the deputy chief to systemic change — the allegations of workplace bias by a termievents and resulting protests to arrest. For a department that was nationwide have prompted already strained with eight position nated officer. “most ambitious yet.” reconsideration of police vacancies up until November 2020, The announcement contrasts the departments, including a spending time on these calls means long-standing position of some city June 2020 New York State there are fewer resources to dedicate to crime and increased officials, many of whom just a few months ago stressed the executive order requiring risk of armed officers mishandling situations to be deesca- need for keeping the IPD. The city fought for months with local governments to con- lated. activists over the 2021 budget and how much, if at all, to duct comprehensive reviews “Those calls, as well as a majority of patrol activity, can cut IPD’s current budget. Activists proposed an 80 percent of their police departments. In and should be handled by unarmed Community Solution cut, to $2.5 million in September 2020. Ithaca, weekly rallies pushed the Workers well trained in de-escalation and service delivery,” In a town hall on Dec. 11, 2020, Myrick agreed that Myrick wrote in the proposal introduction. “This will allow the city should consider ways to fund social services, but at IPD | Svante Myrick ’09 proposes our new Public Safety Workers to focus on preventing, the time affirmed that they were not going to cut the Ithaca to overhaul Ithaca policing. interrupting and solving serious crime.” Police Department by 80 percent — one of the main calls Instead of a police chief, all community solution and pub- of protesters. But on Monday, Myrick explained why he decided lic safety workers would report to a civilian director of public safety. This director would head the proposed to release the proposal — which will not cut the budget, Department of Community Solutions and but instead reallocate it — emphasizing the partnerships Public Safety, effectively replacing the 63-offi- between the city and Tompkins County, as well as the research that went into crafting the recommendations. cer, $12.5 million a year police department. “It charts a very clear path forward,” Myrick said. “It Under the proposal, all current officers would have to re-apply for a position with the new is clear, from the focus groups, from the surveys, from the SUN FILE department. PHOTO The new department hopes to heal fractured See POLICE page 3 Sun Staff Writer
Pulitzer Winner Returns to the Hill Molly O’Toole ’09 named second A&S Distinguished Visiting Journalist By CONNOR GREENE Sun Staff Writer
Returning to her alma mater just over a decade after graduating, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Molly O’Toole ’09 will be the next Zubrow Distinguished Visiting Journalist Fellow for the College of Arts and Sciences. An immigration and security reporter at The Los Angeles Times, O’Toole received the first Pulitzer Prize in audio journalism for her reporting in refugee campus on the Mexican side of the border. Now, the
alumna will once again immerse herself in the community where she first started reporting: on the Hill. As a fellow, O’Toole will teach an American studies class this fall titled “The American Dream: Journalism, Politics and Identity in U.S. Immigration Policy.” The alumna will also host career talks with students and collaborate with Cornell faculty researching immigation. She follows fellow Cornell and Sun alumnus Marc Lacey ’87, who was the inaugural visiting journalist fellow beginning in spring 2020. Lacey, an assistant managing editor for The New York Times, returned to campus for a week in the spring to talk about the state of the news and media and other national issues — attending panels, discussions across campus and visiting several classes. The Zubrow Fellows program is intended to connect students, faculty and alumni to the media through moderating events, panel discussions, guest presentations and engaging with organizations on campus. “I want to talk to The Sun and students across campus who are interested in journalism,” O’Toole told The Sun. “I want to give as much wisdom as I can and have people learn from all
COURTESY OF MOLLY O’TOOLE
Reporting live | Molly O’Toole ’09 is the next Distinguished Visiting Journalist.
See FELLOW page 3
LEV KATRECZO / SUN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Going green | After an intial spike, cases stabilize on campus.
Cornell Ticks Back to Green; Campus Case Numbers Fall By JYOTHSNA BOLLEDDULA Sun Staff Writer
Following weeks of fluctuating case numbers, Cornell has returned to COVID-19 alert level green. The return to the “new normal” level comes more than two weeks after a cluster tied to Greek life pushed campus into the yellow alert. The University recorded 14 new positive cases on campus last week, continuing the decrease of average new cases rate that started after Feb. 8. This decline in cases mirrors Tompkins County Health Department data, which shows both declining daily active case
and daily new positive case rates after a large spike in January and a smaller spike around Feb. 8. Feb. 22 saw just seven new positive cases in the county, compared to a Jan. 20 spike of 62 positives. Because of the state guidelines, the two-week on-campus positivity rate is just 11 cases — as it includes only students taking in-person classes and faculty and staff approved to be on campus. As of Monday, quarantine and isolation capacity is 67 percent available, according to Cornell’s COVID-19 Dashboard. The green alert will expand See ALERT page 3
News
Arts
Science
Weather
Southern Snow
Festival 24
Long-Haulers
Mixed Precipitation
Uncharacteristic winter weather took Texas by storm, leaving remote students without power or running water. | Page 3
Students write, direct and perform virtual plays in only 24 hours. | Page 4
Students manage coursework and COVID-19 longterm effects, like memory loss and brain fog. | Page 8
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