New York Amsterdam News August 27, 2026 - September 2, 2026 by AmsterdamNews

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Vol. 117 No. 35 | August 27, 2026 - September 2, 2026

THE NEW BLACK VIEW

UNEARTHING INJUSTICE NEW BOOK ‘MURDER ON THE HATCHIE’ PUTS NEW FOCUS ON DEATH OF VOTING RIGHTS HERO (See story on page 6)

(AMNEWS / Amanda Ulloa collage)

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NYPD specialized units keep making unconstitutional stops, mainly on Black, Brown New Yorkers By SHANNON CHAFFERS Special to the AmNews A new report by the NYPD federal monitor has placed NYPD’s specialized units under renewed scrutiny. The report, filed in federal court last week, found that these units continued making unconstitutional stops, frisks, and searches at elevated rates compared to the rest of the department in 2025. In spite of a high level of training, the units failed to meet all but one of the constitutional compliance benchmarks set by the monitor. 91% of those stopped were Black or Hispanic, and 88% were Black or Hispanic men. The report focused on the NYPD’s Neighborhood Safety Teams (NST), Community Response Teams (CST), and Public Safety Teams (PST). These units engage in proactive policing in high-crime areas, making largely self-initiated stops of people suspected to be engaging in criminal activity. The units date back to 2022, when they were introduced by former mayor Eric Adams (though the NYPD’s deployment of controversial specialized units goes back further). NSTs are tasked with seizing illegal guns. CRTs were originally focused on quality-oflife issues, but now engage in proactive policing like NSTs, the monitor reported. PSTs were disbanded in November of 2025, with some officers transferred to NST units.

NYPD cruiser sits at an intersection of a Midtown street. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)

Since the 2013 federal court ruling found that the NYPD’s stop-and-frisk practices were unconstitutional, the federal monitorship has been overseeing the department’s use of stopand-frisk. This report is the fourth in the last three years that has raised concerns about constitutional violations by specialized units. “The Department is well aware of the compliance issues it faces,” wrote Monitor Mylan Denerstein. “These compliance benchmarks have long been known to the Department, as

have the problems contributing to the NYPD’s failures. It is time for the Department to take ownership of its issues and solve them.” Overall, the monitor found that 83% of stops, 69% of frisks, and 62% of searches conducted by specialized units in 2025 were lawful. The monitor had set compliance requirements at 85% for stops, frisks, and searches by the third quarter of 2025, and 90% by the end of 2025. The only time the See NYPD SPECIALIZED UNITS on page 28

How Mamdani aims to speed up NYC Housing Connect and housing courts By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff New York City officials say they are determined to make living in the Five Boroughs more affordable. That puts the spotlight on the NYC Housing Connect housing lottery for what many say is a slow, complicated, and bureaucratic leasing process. Mayor Zohran Mamdani is aiming to speed things up. “We’ve talked about the need to change Housing Connect because we have heard a number of frustrations from New Yorkers, and frustrations are an opportunity to do better,” said Mamdani during an appearance on SiriusXM’s “The Clay Cane Show,” August 8. In 2024, Housing Connect, under the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), distributed an estimated 10,000 units of income-restricted rental units to New Yorkers, with about 6 million applications filed for those buildings, according to a New York University (NYU) Furman Center report. The applicants included city workers, people living in shelters, veterans, and low-income New Yorkers who are supposed to have priority for buildings in their community districts. To apply for the lottery, people go to an online portal and fill out their current address, income, assets, household infor-

Formerly homeless person connected to newly renovated residence in Bronx on Monday, July 29, 2024. (Michael Appleton/ Mayoral Photography Office)

mation, ethnicity, race, disability status, preferred unit size, and whether they receive rental assistance. However, the NYU report stated that about 50% of applicants never engage with the documentation process, even though that’s the first step. Sometimes by the time the agency responds, an applicant may have found another option or moved out of the city altogether. “We found that the vast majority of applicants will not make it to the end of the process, either because of attrition where the

applicant is not being meaningfully engaged or is dropping out or because of explicit rejection where the applicant fails to provide documentation or is found ineligible,” the authors of the NYU report wrote. The median time to approve an applicant through the lottery process was more than four months in 2025, said the report. NYU estimated that about 77% of applicants will end up rejected, while others will withdraw their applications because they don’t receive a See NYC HOUSING LOTTERY on page 29

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Brooklyn Democratic Boss Bichotte Hermelyn gets passage of new change to party By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff State Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, the first Black woman to hold a position as Brooklyn’s Democratic Party chair, proposed and passed a last minute structural change to the Kings County Democratic County Committee, sparking a huge backlash among Brooklyn’s political reformers. “We’re in a new moment, with a new generation of Democratic energy and progressive victories showing what is possible when more people see themselves reflected in the political process,” said Bichotte Hermelyn in a previous statement. On the precipice of what may be her last term, Bichotte Hermelyn said she wants to “open” the political structure for the sake of more inclusivity and transparency. Brooklyn’s Democratic County Committee members come from the borough’s 21 Assembly Districts. Every two years, members elect one male and one female District Leader/state committee member for each district. These district leaders vote for things like the executive members, party boss, budget, and judicial candidates. Many have criticized the typical hourslong voting process for how “confusing” and “chaotic” it is. Bichotte Hermelyn’s proposal gives newly elected officers and representatives from every district full voting rights — altogether, more than 68 members, she said in an in-

Assemblymember Bichotte Hermelyn at Session 01.21.26. (New York State Assembly flickr)

terview with NY1. She wants to implement this change by the end of September 2026. Brooklyn’s reformer group, headed largely by a grassroots civic coalition called the New Kings Democrats, swept a new slate of district leaders into office during this year’s June primary. They recently fully endorsed Julio Peña III, Democratic District Leader for the 51st Assembly District in Sunset Park, as the next candidate to replace Bichotte Hermelyn as chair. They already claimed they have enough votes — 22 out of 42 — to oust her; if so, she would lose the re-election in September. Less than pleased with the rule changes, the New Kings Democrats are slamming Bichotte Hermelyn for “packing” the committee with more seats so she could possibly get re-elected in the future. They

called emergency meetings and protested this week with other political leaders, like Public Advocate Jumaane Williams. The committee voted on Bichotte Hermelyn’s proposal Aug. 25, at a contentious meeting held in the Thomas Jefferson Democratic Club in Mill Basin, Brooklyn. Early posts online from dejected New Kings Dems reported that Bichotte Hermelyn's amendment changes passed by a 21-19 vote (1 abstention, 1 no-show). All eight district leaders who voted ‘yes’ were ones that lost their primaries in June, said NKD. They are likely to resort to legal action to stop the proposed amendments from being implemented. “I’ll say it again for the folks in the back, but you can call yourself a reformer, progressive, moderate whatever. It’s your actions that tell us who you really are & tonight, we

saw the actions of a dying party choosing fascism over democracy,” posted Peña on Tuesday night. “We’re not done yet.” “The outgoing party chair, Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, announced a vague plan to throw out the party rules and pack the executive committee with more than two dozen of her handpicked party officers so that she can overrule Brooklyn voters and hang [onto] her position,” said the New Kings Democrats in a previous statement. The executive committee meeting was private invitation only and journalists were blocked from entering. The window was papered over so no one outside could peer in. At least one person arrived with his face and head completely covered in a black ski mask to hide his identity. Outside of the club where the vote was taking place, police and press camped out late into Tuesday night to get the results. Regardless of controversy, Bichotte Hermelyn had plenty of support from Black leadership. She and the county committee released a joint statement online on Aug. 26, saying, “Last night Brooklyn district leaders voted to expand representation on the Executive Committee — adding leaders from every Assembly District and building a party that truly reflects Brooklyn. This strengthens our fight for working families, affordability, and against the Trump agenda. The vote was open, fair, and democratic. No kings in See BICHOTTE on page 21

Legal deadline to close Rikers Island reaching one-year countdown By TANDY LAU Amsterdam News Staff Summer is winding down and so is the countdown for the city’s legal mandate to close Rikers Island. Monday marks exactly one year from the August 31, 2027, deadline to shutter the controversial jails and repurpose the land toward future environmental use — a deadline the city will almost certainly miss. In 2017, then-Mayor Bill de Blasio publicly committed to closing Rikers Island. Safety concerns and building conditions long plagued and characterized the jail complex in the East River, leading to federal oversight after the class-action Nunez settlement over alleged excessive use of force. Importantly, most people on Rikers are held on pre-trial detention and innocent until proven guilty. They are also overwhelmingly Black and Latino. Throughout the late 2010s, a roadmap developed. Plans for four smaller replacement jails, centered around more humane conditions and faster transport to court appearances, solidified: One for each borough, except Staten Island. They were fittingly dubbed the “borough-based jails.” A City Council vote codified this commitment by October 2019 and greenlit the proj-

Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani attends World Cup watch party on Rikers Island on Wednesday, July 15, 2026. (Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office)

ect, which totaled more than $8 billion. City officials set a legal deadline to shut down Rikers and build the new facilities by 2026 — but then the COVID-19 pandemic hit. The city officially delayed the closure until 2027. Today, however, the borough-based jails remain years away from completion. In 2023, a public contract quietly divulged that the Brooklyn facility would not open until two years after the deadline. The other borough-based jails are even more behind schedule: Substantial completion for the Bronx and Queens facilities is slated for

2031, according to the city. Manhattan’s is scheduled for 2032. Mayor Zohran Mamdani reiterated his support for closing Rikers throughout his successful campaign last year, but so did his predecessor (de Blasio’s successor), Eric Adams, who criminal justice advocates usually blame for the delays after he neglected laws to permanently decommission empty jails and reduce the incarcerated population. They also point to at least 48 people dying in or immediately after city detention under the previous adminis-

tration. So far, Mamdani’s catch-up efforts and all-hands-on-deck approach have won over many of Adams’s biggest critics. “Over the course of the campaign, I spoke about our commitment to closing Rikers Island and I also spoke candidly with New Yorkers about the fact that the prior administration’s lack of interest, to put it charitably, toward fulfilling that meant that the stated deadline was practically impossible to fulfill, because we’ve seen years of a flouting of not just recommendations but requirements, frankly,” Mamdani said in April. “It is going to take us quite a bit of time to ensure that we can put our city back on the path that the City Council voted for in 2019, and it will also take a whole-of-government approach.” His appointments include the inaugural Close Rikers czar Dana Kaplan, who played a key role in crafting the borough-based jail plan, as well as Department of Correction (DOC) commissioner Stanley Martin, a criminal justice reformer who was once incarcerated on Rikers Island himself. Mamdani also mentioned collaborating with local prosecutors and Nicholas Demel, a federally appointed “remediation manager” who was granted sweeping authorities over city jails like those on Rikers to improve See RIKERS on page 21

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Rep. Hakeem Jeffries meets with Jared Kushner while House control at stake By LISA MASCARO AP Congressional Correspondent WASHINGTON (AP) — House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and outside adviser Jared Kushner met privately recently in New York, a signal that the White House is seeking ways to work with Democrats if they wrest majority control from Republicans in the midterm elections. The meeting, first reported Sunday by The New York Times, touched on issues ranging from housing, immigration to the high cost of living. People in the United States are struggling under inflationary prices that Democrats blame on Republicans, alongside Trump, for failing to get under control. Kushner suggested that Jeffries, who is in line to become House speaker if Democrats regain power in November, meet with White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles as a follow-up. Jeffries, in a statement Sunday, did not mention the private conversation but said the Republican administration needed to drop the GOP’s “my-way-or-the-highway” approach that “has failed the American people.” “To stop the madness, we have repeatedly made clear that an extremist approach will not work and will be met with forceful opposition,” the New York congressman said. “The question is whether Republicans will join us.” The meeting shows the depth of Republican Party angst over losing their congressional majority, particularly the House, and the need to make inroads with the opposing party as the White House seeks to stem any potential political fallout on the president. If Democrats retake power, the White House can expect an aggressive oversight agenda into what Jeffries has called the “crooks” in the administration, with the threat of impeachment among the many tools at the party’s disposal. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a close ally of Trump, bristled Sunday when asked about the meeting. He minimized the role that Kushner, whom he said “hedges his bets,” plays in the White House. “I’m telling you what, you better not bet against the House Republicans,” Johnson, R-La., told Fox News Channel’s “The Sunday Briefing.” “I don’t know what that’s about,” Johnson said. “I know Jared has interests in lots of other things going on. He’s not really directly involved in the admin, at least in the day-to-day in the White House.” The White House did not respond to a request for comment. A representative for Kushner also did not respond.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, left, and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries attend a campaign event for Democratic congressional candidate Bob Brooks in Bethlehem, Pa., July 26. (Erin Blewett/AP)

Kushner is a familiar Trump emissary to Democrats Jeffries and Kushner are not strangers. The New Yorkers allied during the first Trump administration on landmark legislation to allow sentencing flexibility for certain drug offenses as a way to curtail lengthy terms in the federal prison system. While not necessarily close, the two have maintained a relationship despite the repeated attacks Trump has leveled against Jeffries and the Democratic leader’s responses. In Trump’s second term, Kushner has an oversized role despite having no formal position in the White House. He serves as an outside adviser and envoy, particularly shuttling to foreign diplomatic missions as the U.S. war against Iran drags into its sixth month. Trump has only met with Jeffries once since the president returned to the White House, taunting the House leader and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York with red “Make America Great Again” 2028 caps on the desk in front of them in the Oval Office — a nod to Trump’s

toying with an unconstitutional third term in office. After that fall meeting, Trump posted a fake image of Schumer with Jeffries wearing a sombrero with a handlebar mustache in what was widely viewed as a racist trope as he mocked the Democrats before what became the longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history. Trump has been able to alternately ignore Congress as he relies on the sheer force of executive power to implement his priorities or to pressure the Republicans in the House and Senate, when needed, to fall in line behind the White House, particularly to confirm controversial Cabinet nominees. All that is likely to change if Democrats control either chamber, with lawmakers eager for Congress to flex their own power as a coequal branch of government more willing to hold the White House in check.

as they struggle to hold onto majority control, with Johnson believing the GOP will defy history that tends to reward the challengers in midterms and punish the party in power. The House GOP has a slim majority. Control will likely be won — or lost — in a handful of battleground districts as Democrats put forward candidates in what they hope will be something of a repeat of 2018, when they took to power riding a wave of voter unrest during Trump’s first term. While the House is most at risk for Republicans this year, the narrowly split Senate is also increasingly in play. GOP strategists worry about an enthusiasm gap on their side as Democrats appear more eager to head to the polls. At the same time, Democrats are nominating outsider candidates, some aligned with socialist agendas over establishmentbacked candidates, in a sign of voter unrest Republicans and Democrats race for with the status quo. power in midterms Associated Press writer Michelle L. Price House Republicans are counting on Trump’s popularity among their core voters contributed to this report.

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Ecologist Cynthia Malone and her crusade to decolonize science By JASON PONTEROTTO Special to the AmNews As a kid growing up in Bushwick, Brooklyn, Cynthia Malone was fascinated with monkeys, apes, and tropical forests. That curiosity led her to attend a program at her dream school, the University of Oxford, while still in high school, earn a master's degree from Columbia University, and now plans to return to Oxford after being accepted into its Ph.D. program. “It was almost like wanting to be an astronaut. There was nobody around me that did anything like that,” said Malone, 36, an ecologist, activist, and artist who is seeking to change the thinking about often overlooked racism in science. Eventually, she was able to study in Africa and draw historical connections to how white supremacy and colonization have disrupted lands and how humanity’s relationship with wildlife has been fractured, as well. “It really showed me how conservation itself has acted as a tool of colonialism.” Having studied wildlife and working with Black and Indigenous communities across the globe, including Guyana, Grenada, Cameroon, and the Solomon Islands for more than 15 years, Malone now hopes to pursue a Ph.D. at Oxford in the School of Geography and the Environment. Her aim is to continue her project, “Decolonizing the Wild in the Land of Many Waters,”

which examines ancestral archives, and Black and Indigenous cosmologies in the Caribbean and Guyana, where she herself has roots. However, she says her work to decolonize science and ecology, the study of how living organisms interact with one another and with their environment, along with her activism for Black lives throughout the 2010s left her “blackballed” and shut out from many jobs and opportunities, compared to her peers, to the point where she even experienced homelessness. “A lot of these things, I was bringing into the space, and people would be like, ‘you’re too radical … This has nothing to do with the sciences,’” Malone said. Around 2015, Malone co-founded the Society for Conservation Biology’s Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity Committee, and helped create initiatives with a similar lens with the American Museum of Natural History. In both spaces, she says she encountered pushback from leadership, including initiatives focused on using inclusive pronouns. She also experienced it in her research, because she says connecting social and physical sciences was not generally accepted or respected in ecology. One of the demonstrations Malone took part in at the American Museum of Natural History was in the Akeley Hall of African Mammals and the Hall of African Peoples. See BNY on page 21

Black

New Yorker

Ecologist Cynthia Malone pictured at Kaieteur Falls, Guyana. (Courtesy of Cynthia Malone.)

Did someone say bill discounts?

1 in 3 households in New York now qualify for monthly energy bill discounts under the new Enhanced Energy Affordability Program. See if you or someone you know now qualifies based on their income. Check eligibility at conEd.com/EAP

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‘Murder on the Hatchie’ restores story of Elbert Williams’ murder AmNews covered killing of first known member of NAACP member slain for his civil rights work By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff On June 12, 1939, Elbert Williams and four other people in Brownsville, Tenn., formed a local NAACP chapter, the fifth to be established in the state. He was a charter member with his wife, Annie. On June 20, 1940, he was abducted from his home by local authorities for his efforts to help Black residents of Brownsville register to vote. The racist local political establishment was adamantly against the majority-Black population of Haywood County voting, so Williams was supposedly questioned about NAACP organizing. After he was taken, he was never seen alive again. His body was found on June 23, 1940, in the Hatchie River, making Williams the first known NAACP member to be slain for civil rights organizing. In a new book set for release in October from Broadleaf Books, titled “Murder on the Hatchie: The NAACP’s First Martyr,” retired Tennessee trial lawyer Jim Emison argues that the murder of Williams was part of a campaign to terrorize and destroy any chances of local Black political power. “This man was killed because he was trying to register Black people to vote,” Emison told the AmNews. Growing up in Alamo, Tenn., about 20 miles from Brownsville, in a family of lawyers with courthouse ties, Emison only learned about Williams’s story as he neared retirement. “I had never heard of this, ever. Not one word.” For the past few years, Emison has been digging through courthouse records, FBI files, and Department of Justice correspondence, filing Freedom of Information Act requests, and using survivor testimony to gather information about Williams’s lynching. Emison’s book details the 1939 creation of the Brownsville branch of the NAACP, its 1940 effort to register Black voters, and the white backlash that followed. Blacks were the majority in Haywood County, and white officials knew that Black votes could put them out of power. “The white people simply weren’t going to give up that polit-

Front cover of Jim Emison’s “Murder on the Hatchie: The NAACP’s First Martyr.” (Courtesy of Broadleaf Books)

ical power without a war,” Emison said, “and they waged a war against Black people to keep it.” The book shows how local whites initiated a steady campaign of threats and violence to keep Blacks from voting. Elisha Davis, another NAACP organizer, was kidnapped, threatened with death, and forced to leave the county. Several Black leaders fled. Williams stayed. When he was taken, his wife, Annie Mitchell Williams, insisted on a search that led to the dredging of his body from the Hatchie River. In June 1940, not long after Williams was killed, Amsterdam News reporter Marvel Cooke interviewed Annie Williams after she fled Brownsville and ended up in Farmingdale, Long Island. Annie explained that officials had tried to keep her from seeing her husband’s body. “It was a terrible sight,” she said in the article. “But I recognized him. His head was swollen twice its normal size. There were two holes in his chest that looked like bullet holes.” She said it was clear why her husband had been targeted: “They had tried to scare us out of carrying out our plan to register and vote this year by threatening a few they considered the leaders in the NAACP branch.” Emison’s book cites a 1947 internal FBI review that determined that key witnesses in the Elbert Williams case had not been interviewed, “and they took that information,” Emison said, “and instead of reopening the case, they just deep-sixed it.” The Department of Justice later opened a file to investigate Williams’s murder under the Emmett Till Act, the federal effort to investigate cold case hate crimes, but Emison said efforts to secure a full, renewed federal investigation failed. The case, he says, is now “dead in the water.” Elbert Williams’s grave has never been found, and no one has been charged with his murder. For Nuri Ansari, the story told in “Murder on the Hatchie” is part of his family’s history. Ansari is the son of Elisha Davis, the Brownsville organizer who survived being abducted. Now a Harlem resident who has spent decades working in See story on next page

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS Continued from previous page

human services, Ansari said he didn’t even know the full story of what his father went through until 1987, after he was already an adult, living in New York, and had his own teenage children. That was when his siblings told him about how white neighbors in Brownsville threatened his family, and how they hid under a tarp in a pickup truck to escape the area. Elisha Davis had moved out of Tennessee years ago, but as his mother aged, he felt he needed to return to care for her. “He felt compelled to go back,” Ansari said. “He uprooted his children and his wife, and went back to Brownsville.” Once there, Davis started a business and inherited properties from his mother. “He had a small service station business, but he also had property, which was a result of our grandmother.” When he was abducted, threatened, and forced to leave Brownsville, Davis’s assets were lost. To this day, there has been no accounting for who took possession of his properties. Ansari said that although he was, in essence, an internal exile in the U.S., his father refused to be silenced. The family ended up living in Niles, Mich., where their home became a place where neighbors came to seek advice from Davis. Ansari noted that Davis also remained connected to the NAACP. “To the day he died,” Ansari said, “he was always politically active. My father was a very politically active person, and people saw him as someone to have a conversation with and to get insight into how they should approach certain problems.” The family’s service tradition, he added, flowed from both parents: “That’s who he was, that’s who my mother was.” Emison noted that with “Murder on the Hatchie,” a direct link can be drawn between Brownsville’s 1940 terror and modern efforts to suppress the vote. “In 1940, the scale was a single Tennessee county, where besieged minority whites held a monopoly on political power, and were not about to relinquish it,” said the author, who was part of the successful effort to place a state historical marker in Brownsville that commemorates the white terror campaign that led to Williams’s murder. “When faced with the possibility of Black voter registration, they responded with threats, kidnappings, murder, and terror to achieve their goal: the preservation of their political power. It worked. They won another generation of white political monopoly. “Today, the scale is national; the threat is not to a single county, but to our republic itself. Today, MAGA is the regime in power, the besieged minority, and MAGA has shown its willingness (in Minneapolis, Maine, and elsewhere) to use the full resources of the federal government for violence, murder, and terror to achieve its goal: suppression of their opponents’ vote, and preservation of their minority rule.” As Emison said, “We don’t yet know whether violence, murder, and terror will be as successful in 2026 America as it was in 1940 Brownsville, but I want this to be as widely known as I can make it.”

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THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

From Brooklyn to Accra: African American couple join wave of Black migration to Africa

Dr. Torian Easterling with his wife, attorney Diane Lucas, and their children.

By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff Leaving the United States to start over in a life abroad in Ghana can be a hard decision to make, but it is a choice more Black Americans have made in the last decade. A New York married couple, Dr. Torian Easterling and civil rights lawyer Diane O. Lucas, say they have decided to embark on a two-year journey with their family as “returnees” to Africa. One might assume that Easterling, Lucas, and their family are uprooting and moving

to Ghana because of the overarching political climate, as many Black expatriates have. “My connection to the continent really comes out of an ideology, political, social ideology, very akin to Pan-Africanism,” said Easterling, 44. “Even from a young age, there was always this curiosity and yearning to understand more about the continent, moving past any narratives or any fear.” For years, Ghana’s former President Nana Akufo-Addo actively encouraged Black expats and descendants of enslaved Africans to move back “home.”

Family and friends at the “Goodbye For Now” party in Saratoga Park on Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026. (Ariama C. Long photos)

He designated 2019 as “The Year of the Return,” marking 400 years since the first enslaved Africans arrived in colonial Virginia in 1619. Ghana’s tourism industry took off, with the government also launching the “Beyond the Return” campaign. However, prominent Black Americans have sought out the idea of Ghana as a homeland well before then, including W.E.B. Du Bois and Maya Angelou, both of whom ultimately moved there in the 1960s. As deeply active members in the health, legal, and political communities, Easterling

and Lucas agreed that the unease many of African descent feel in the U.S. under the Trump administration is palpable, but they say they have been aligned on this dream individually and together as a couple for several years. They started dreaming of moving to Ghana as a family in 2019, but they were delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. “We were very intentional about wanting to live abroad,” said Lucas, 45, who was the Head of Racial Justice Pro Bono at the law firm Davis Polk. “That would be the dream.” See BLACK MIGRATION on page 29

Students get laptops through giveaway at Harlem’s Abyssinian Baptist Church By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff

AT&T shows off a robotic dog at laptop giveaway in Harlem on August 18, 2026. (Photo contributed by AT&T)

Abyssinian Baptist Church gave away refurbished laptops to New York City students last week, thanks to a community partnership aimed at getting the tech in their hands. This initiative to bridge the digital divide was a combined effort of the Harlem Junior Tennis & Education Program (HJTEP), Abyssinian, and Sen. Chuck Schumer. AT&T and Tech:NYC distributed 200 devices at the event, while the church and several other Harlem nonprofit organizations are to distribute 800 devices in the coming months. “Access to technology is essential to expanding educational opportunity and preparing young people for success in today’s digital world,” said Councilmember Yusef Salaam in a statement. “This investment is about more than devices — it’s about creating opportunities, and ensuring every young person has the tools they need to thrive. Partnerships like this demonstrate what’s possible when the public, private, and nonprofit sectors work together to build a more equitable future for our communities.” In all, 1,000 refurbished laptops are funded through a $5 billion AT&T investment to help

25 million people get and stay connected to high-speed internet by 2030. Students at the event also had a chance to interact with AT&T’s robotic public safety dog. “Abyssinian Baptist Church continues to give back to the Harlem community, which is part of our mission to serve,” said Rev. Dr. Kevin R. Johnson, Senior Pastor at Abyssinian. “We are honored to collaborate with AT&T, Tech:NYC, and Sen. Schumer to help address the digital divide by hosting this important event to provide technology for youth in need ahead of the school year.” Katrina M. Adams, HJTEP executive director, thanked Schumer, AT&T, and Tech:NYC for their partnership and investment in Harlem’s students. “At Harlem Junior Tennis & Education Program, we believe every young person deserves the opportunity to succeed, and that starts with having access to the tools that make learning possible,” said Adams. “These laptops will help our student-athletes complete schoolwork, explore new opportunities, and develop the digital skills they need to thrive in school and beyond. And for helping ensure more families have the resources to build brighter futures.”

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

August 27, 2026 - September 2, 2026 • 9

Divine Nine News Achievement: From Elizabeth City State University to Kappa Alpha Psi and Entrepreneurship By KEN CURREY Special to the AmNews When I think about the experiences that shaped the man I am today, I often come back to three things: education, achievement, and responsibility. My journey took root at Elizabeth City State University, where I enrolled in 1987 and graduated in the spring of 1992. What I experienced at ECSU during those years helped establish the foundation for the person I would become — not simply professionally, but personally. Elizabeth City State University was different then. It was smaller, humbler, and simpler than many of the larger universities surrounding it. But what we may not have had in resources, we made up for with ambition, determination, and pride. I met students from different parts of the country who had come to Elizabeth City with a common objective: to accomplish something special and represent their families well. For many of us, we were the first in our families to graduate from a four-year university. When you are the first person in your family to accomplish something, you don’t always realize the amount of pressure you place on yourself until you’re in the middle of it. There is an unspoken responsibility to succeed. You don’t want to be the person who failed. You don’t want to disappoint your parents, grandparents, siblings, or the people who sacrificed to help you get there. I felt that responsibility tremendously. And I believe many of my classmates felt it too. But we also knew how to have fun. We made the most of our college experience, built friendships, and created memories while understanding that ultimately, we had a job to do: graduate and make something of ourselves. There was another lesson we learned at ECSU. We didn’t have to attend Chapel Hill, North Carolina State, or Duke to make an impact. We were attending an HBCU,

and that experience taught us not to be intimidated by anyone. Some people may look at what HBCU graduates have accomplished and call it overachievement or luck. Those of us who lived it don’t necessarily see it that way. We see it as doing what we expected of ourselves. We expected to compete. We expected to succeed. And we expected to represent our families, our schools and our communities with pride. That mindset became even more important to me in the Fall of 1988 when I became a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated with five other young men in the Epsilon Alpha Chapter at ECSU. I was number six (6Klub). I chose Kappa because I believed in its fundamental purpose: “Achievement in All Fields of Human Endeavors.” Those words resonated with me then, and they continue to resonate with me today. Our Founders understood something that I believe remains incredibly important. They worked in different industries and recognized that they had to strive to be the best at what they did. But their motivation wasn’t simply personal success or making life better for themselves and their families. They understood that they were establishing a standard for the men who would come after them. They had to achieve so that another young Black man would hopefully have a fair opportunity to demonstrate his own talent and potential. That concept of achievement as a responsibility stayed with me throughout my life. One Kappa man who influenced me tremendously was Hall of Fame basketball player Bill Russell. He represented something that went far beyond basketball championships. He stood for achievement, intelligence, and pride in oneself. He wasn’t concerned about whether everyone liked him or agreed with his beliefs. He wasn’t going to allow himself to be intimidated. That example had a profound impact on me. Over the years, I’ve learned to stand on what I believe, even when I have to stand alone. That

Ken Currey, Elizabeth City State University graduate and member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.

doesn’t mean believing you’re always right. It means having enough conviction to stand behind your principles when doing so isn’t necessarily popular or convenient. I believe that lesson helped me become a stronger and more respected leader among my colleagues, friends, and social circles. Looking back, I can see how the experiences at ECSU and Kappa Alpha Psi became intertwined. ECSU taught me that I could compete in the marketplace. Kappa taught me that achievement carries a responsibility to the next generation. These lessons are part of my leadership philosophy. My career allowed me to work in business development, marketing, sales, management, strategic planning, and project management. I’ve earned an MBA and a master’s degree in Project Management, but some of the most important lessons I’ve learned weren’t taught in a classroom. They came from people. They came from adversity. They came from watching leaders who refused to be intimidated. And, they came from understanding that success means more when you can use it to create oppor-

To share your Divine Nine News, please contact us at d9@amsterdamnews.com and at amsterdamnews.com/d9news

tunities for someone else. That philosophy eventually led me to entrepreneurship. Today, I am the founder of Mocha Lion Coffee, a specialty coffee company created around the belief that coffee should be more than a morning routine. It should be an experience that creates connection, conversation, and community. Mocha Lion is another expression of the values I’ve carried throughout my life. The lion represents strength, courage, confidence, and leadership. Those qualities are important to me because entrepreneurship requires every one of them. My company’s philosophy is captured in our simple phrase: “Every sip tells a story.” I believe that because my story is made up of many chapters. ECSU is one of those chapters. Kappa Alpha Psi is another. My career is another, and Mocha Lion Coffee represents the chapter I am writing now. I am proud of my time at Elizabeth City State University. I am a proud member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., and I am proud to be an entrepreneur building something that I hope will have an impact beyond simply selling coffee. From the halls of a small HBCU in Elizabeth City, NC, to the brotherhood of Kappa Alpha Psi, from a career in business to building Mocha Lion Coffee, my journey continues. I am still striving to achieve not simply for myself, but in honor of those who came before me, those who walk beside me, and those who will come after me. Achievement in All Fields of Human Endeavors. For me, that isn’t simply a Kappa motto. It is a way of life. Ken Currey is an entrepreneur, business coach, seasoned business development, and marketing executive with more than 20 years of leadership experience. A proud graduate of Elizabeth City State University and member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Incorporated, Ken is the founder of Mocha Lion Coffee and remains passionate about leadership, entrepreneurship, mentorship, and creating opportunities for those coming behind him.

10 • August 27, 2026 - September 2, 2026

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

Labor & Workplace New law makes civil service exams free and offers more access to city jobs By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff

New York City’s civil service exams are now free for city high school students and first-time applicants. Under Local Law 57 of 2025, sponsored by City Council Member Carmen De La Rosa and signed this summer by Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the fees will be waived for qualified applicants the same way they are for veterans, unemployed applicants, and public assistance recipients. First-time applicants can get verified to take the tests on the city’s Online Application System (OASys 2.0) site. High school students can qualify by providing proof of current enrollment. Over the years, New York’s civil service system has helped many people enter into careers as teachers, transit workers, sanitation workers, caseworkers, clerks, engineers, and health workers. Civil service jobs — which can give union protections, health benefits, pensions, and salaries that are similar to and sometimes bring in more than private-sector jobs — can help push people into stable employment. A recently published list of civil service jobs showed the wide range of salaries city workers make. Police officer roles range from $55,942 to $109,352; caseworker positions at NYC Health + Hospitals are listed between $55,437 and $82,561; contract specialist salaries span $68,333 to $91,766; plan examiner jobs range from $94,005 to $118,860; and traffic enforcement agents earn between $38,333 and $51,434. According to the city’s FY2024 workforce profile, the median salary for full-time municipal staff is $87,550, not including overtime, longevity pay, differentials, pensions, or other benefits. The city’s exam system has often been criticized as slow and hard to use, and because of the fees applicants faced. Fees for civil service tests have typically ranged from $30 to more than $100. The Department of Citywide

Administrative Services (DCAS) says it administers an average of 180 exams each year to more than 110,000 candidates, and about 80% of city jobs require candidates to pass a civil service exam. The FY2027 exam schedule currently lists 149 examinations. “To serve New York is the privilege of a lifetime,” Mamdani said when the new law was announced. “The people best equipped to build a city that works for everyone are the students in our classrooms, the people who walk our streets, and the New Yorkers who call our city home. By making civil service exams free for high schoolers and first-time test takers, we’re opening the doors to millions more New Yorkers to serve the city they love.”

DOT roadway repairer working in the Midland Beach neighborhood of Staten Island. (NYC.gov photo)

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August 27, 2026 - September 2, 2026 • 11

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12 • August 27, 2026 - September 2, 2026

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Opinion Angie Nixon, Florida New Yorkers have the tools to make real police reforms mom, becomes latest symbol of progressive pushback

EDITORIAL

Chances are “The Adventures of Moxie McGriff” is not just a book on your bedside stack. It’s a book about a little Black girl who turns her natural hair insecurities into superpowers: veritable Afro puffs that battle monsters eating books and trying to dumb down children in Jacksonville, Fla. In 2015, when she was just 7 years old, author Natalie McGriff co-wrote the book with her mother, Angie Nixon, and they won more than $16,000 at Florida’s One Spark crowdfunding event. Fast-forward to 2026, and Nixon, 42, is now the breakout Florida candidate for the U.S. Senate. Nixon, currently a Florida state representative and a Democratic Socialist, recently won the Democratic primary special Senate election in Florida, upsetting Alex Vindman decisively, and continuing the progressive momentum in the Democratic Party across the nation. When she wasn’t busy working with her daughter on the book, Nixon was busy overseeing the Melanin Market, a Jacksonville outdoor facility she co-founded to sell healthy food options and connect residents to local resources. However, these extracurricular activities might have to be set aside in what should be a heated contest against incumbent Republican Ashley Moody, 51, an avowed Trump supporter. Vindman has promised to stand by Nixon’s side and asked voters to join him in supporting her. Recent polls, as unreliable as they have become, show Moody with an almost 10-percentagepoint margin over Nixon. It will be a tougher comeback for Nixon against a Republican state that is increasingly red. Even so, Vindman outspent her by nearly $17 million, and she trounced him in the end. Nixon will need all the help she can garner to defeat Moody. Maybe young Moxie can come to the rescue and provide the critical

Member

Alliance for Audited Media

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By JAMES CHRISTOPHER

The recent arrest of former Mount Vernon Deputy Police Commissioner Jennifer Lackard on attempted-murder and conspiracy charges was shocking. Prosecutors allege that Lackard helped coordinate and flee a drive-by shooting involving her son outside the Bronx Hall of Justice. She was terminated from her position, and the charges remain allegations that must be proven in court. In this case, the system responded quickly — but what happens when serious findings against an officer emerge only after that person has participated in arrests, supplied evidence, or testified in criminal cases? Too often in New York, the answer is unclear, and promises of reform either make our communities less safe or undermine the civil rights of the very communities they’re meant to protect. New York has an institution designed to identify patterns of police Elinor R. Tatum: Publisher misconduct. Under Executive Law and Editor in Chief Section 75, a police agency must refer Madison Gray: Executive & Investigative Editor an officer to the Attorney General’s Kristin Fayne-Mulroy: Managing Editor Law Enforcement Misconduct InvesCyril Josh Barker: Digital Editor tigative Office (LEMIO) after receivDamaso Reyes: Editor at Large ing at least five complaints from five Siobhan "Sam" Bennett: people involving five separate inciChief Revenue Officer and Head of Advertising dents within two years. Wilbert A. Tatum (1984-2009): LEMIO then determines whether the Chairman of the Board, CEO and Publisher Emeritus officer engaged in a pattern of miscon-

duct, excessive force, or dishonesty. However, the law does not establish a uniform statewide process for reviewing criminal cases in which an officer with a formal pattern finding played a material role. Westchester County provides a direct example. LEMIO concluded that former New Rochelle police officer Lane Schlesinger engaged in a pattern of misconduct involving abuse of authority. The Attorney General’s findings state that Schlesinger had been disciplined for 25 complaints of misconduct and minor infractions since 2008. Yet no statewide law required authorities to identify cases in which Schlesinger’s conduct, evidence, or credibility may have affected the outcome. A report identified the pattern, but left potentially affected people to raise questions themselves. Brooklyn has shown that a more responsible approach is possible. In 2022, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez reviewed cases involving 13 former NYPD officers who were later convicted of crimes committed while on duty. His office moved to dismiss 378 convictions — 47 felonies and 331 misdemeanors — that relied directly on those officers’ work. Prosecutors did not assume that every officer was dishonest or every defendant innocent. They examined the cases and concluded that convictions directly dependent on the discredited officers could

no longer be defended. That is not anti-police. It is responsible prosecution. The proposed Pattern Misconduct Case Review Act would make that approach consistent statewide. After a formal pattern finding, the appropriate authority would identify cases in which the officer played a material role, conduct an individualized review, and issue a written determination. The measure would not reopen every case an officer merely touched, but rather focus on cases in which the officer’s arrest, testimony, evidence, or conduct could have materially affected the outcome. It would not require automatic dismissals or reversals. Critics may reasonably question whether mandatory reviews would overwhelm district attorneys. A materiality standard addresses that concern by focusing resources where an officer’s role actually mattered. Public safety and accountability are not competing principles. Communities are safer when residents can trust legitimate police work and convictions can withstand scrutiny.

James Christopher is the founder and CEO of the political communications firm James Christopher Communications, LLC, and advisor for the Protect New Yorkers advocacy initiative.

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Why culturally responsive mental health care matters By ALISON ARIAS When we talk about making mental health care more accessible, language is one of the first things that comes to my mind — and it should be. Being able to speak about anxiety, trauma, history, depression, family, and other deeply personal experiences in the language that feels most natural can make an enormous difference. In my experience, though, I have noticed that speaking the same language is not always the same as feeling understood. As a therapist, I may be able to speak someone’s native language fluently, but that does not automatically mean I understand every part of their cultural experience. At the same time, I have also noticed that people from different countries can share many cultural similarities. Even if I do not speak a person’s native language, I may still understand some of where they are coming from because of shared experiences as immigrants, minorities, or people navigating more than one culture. That is why cultural awareness matters. For someone who is Latino, an immigrant, a child of immigrants, or part of another minority community, mental health may be shaped by experiences that do not fit neatly into a clinical checklist. One thing I have had to learn while studying in the United States is that experiences that are normal in some cultures can sometimes be misunderstood when they are viewed without cultural context. Family expectations, religion, migration, separation from loved ones, financial pressure, the responsibility to support family back home,

stigma about therapy, and the experience of navigating more than one culture can all influence how someone understands emotional distress and whether they feel comfortable asking for help. That does not mean every Latino, immigrant, or person of color has the same experience. Quite the opposite. Culturally responsive care requires clinicians to stay open and curious, rather than assume they already understand someone because they share a language, ethnicity, or background. The need to improve access is real. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Hispanic and Latino adults were 28% less likely than U.S. adults overall to receive mental health treatment in 2024. There are many reasons someone may not seek treatment, and we should be careful not to reduce that disparity to one explanation. However, if we want more people to feel comfortable about using mental health services, cultural understanding has to be part of the conversation. Sometimes that begins with asking simple questions instead of making assumptions. What role does family play in your life? How do you understand mental health? Is therapy accepted in your family or community, or is seeking help seen as weakness? Does immi-

The celebrations of Black August are nearing an end, but there are still several calendar highlights that should be commemorated, including the birth of Illinois Black Panther Party chair Fred Hampton on August 30. Last weekend, I was in Chicago, where Hampton was brutally killed by the police in 1969, to participate in the Chicago Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) History Project, curated by Benedictine University history professor Fannie Rushing. When I told one of the student interns about the significance of Black August, a month set aside to honor Black revolutionaries and activists, she

When social media gets toxic, it’s time to pivot CHRISTINA

GREER PH.D.

(Pexels/Liza Summer photo)

gration uncertainty affect your stress? Are religious beliefs important to how you cope? Questions like these can help clinicians understand a person’s background better and create a space where clients feel welcomed rather than judged. In a diverse state like New York, expanding mental health access should mean more than increasing the number of services available in different languages. Mental health professionals, universities, clinics, and community organizations should also invest in culturally responsive care, cultural humility, and meaningful partnerships with the communities they serve. Language opens the door, but cultural understanding can help someone feel safe enough to walk through it. Alison Arias is a first-generation Latina mental health counselor in Albany, with an interest in culturally responsive mental health care.

It wasn’t a bleak August — it was a Black August said she wasn’t aware of it. Ironically, the opening day of the event, held at the Catholic Theological Union, was on August 21, and I told her that was the date in 1831 when Nat Turner launched his rebellion and in 1971 when the revolutionary George Jackson was killed in prison as he sacrificed his life for the other inmates. Once more, she shook her head, not knowing anything about these events in the struggle for Black liberation. She jotted down a few notes in her list of questions she had prepared to ask me during my presentation. Rushing has been a tireless teacher and advocate of Black studies, and the interns she has tutored were thoroughly briefed and ready for the occasion. Much to my surprise was an hourlong documentary about the history of the Search for Education, Elevation, and Knowledge (SEEK) program at CUNY, which was founded in 1965,

August 27, 2026 - September 2, 2026 • 13

and currently operates with a prefix in tribute to entrepreneur (and former AmNews co-owner) Percy Sutton. It provided a perfect segue to the connection between Chicago and New York, and the earlier presence at the event by Jacqui Lazú, author of a book about the Young Lords amplified that bridge. Also in attendance was noted filmmaker Catherine Murphy. During my exchange with her, she discussed her two films about Cuba and the extraordinary Paulo Freire and his revolutionary pedagogy. All in all, it was an assembly that produced some relevant substance to Black August. When Rushing beckoned the closing music by Bob Marley, his classic “Get Up, Stand Up,” the audience obeyed with a resounding chorus. In effect, it was a powerful response to Donald Trump and his plan to make everything Black bleak.

Have you ever timed how long you spend scrolling Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and other social media sites? Do you play those fun games that let you space out and enjoy mindless entertainment that feels like a few minutes, but when you come back, you realize you’ve been online for hours? There are many ways we occupy our time these days, and most of it is spent on social media each day. I have been trying to be more present in my life, and I realize it starts with limiting my time online. I recently purchased Brick to help me limit my gaming and social media use. I set the parameters for the time I would like to spend on sites, and the Brick helps me limit my scrolling sensations. Currently, my social media sites shut off at 9:30 p.m. and tell me to “Go back to living,” even when I am in the midst of reading, scrolling, and responding to memes from my besties. I realize that social media is helpful after a long day, when I want to see cats acting like jerks or kids dancing to the oldies. However, social media can also be a place where people pile on to negative news about other folks. The recent death of Cambridge University professor Jason Arday really exposed just how dangerous and toxic the internet can be. Within a week of his demise, there were hundreds of stories and accusations and strangers adding their own brand of insults and speculation, which ultimate-

ly proved to be too much for one person to take. Social media has become a place where we can be swayed into being united or divided, depending on the topic. Almost everyone I know uses social media differently. My niece essentially planned our entire amazing summer vacation based on research and recommendations from various social media accounts. However, just as an algorithm can provide information you’re looking for, it can also serve to reinforce already held opinions and create a calcified bubble of only similarly minded people for you to connect with. It also serves up stories that can further create a “pile on,” and depending on the topic, could lead to truly devastating results. There are real people behind some of these stories, and just because we see them from behind a screen does not mean their lives are any less real or less valuable. Let’s try this for a short spell: How about limiting your time on social media and accounting for what you do to fill the space in time? I, for one, am more aware of my surroundings and appreciate connecting with people … in real life. Christina Greer, Ph.D., is a professor at Fordham University; author of the books “How to Build a Democracy: From Fannie Lou Hamer and Barbara Jordan to Stacey Abrams” and “Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream”; and co-host of the podcast FAQ-NYC.

14 • August 27, 2026 - September 2, 2026

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

Caribbean Update Caricom’s appeals court rushes to fix credibility problems amid panel-fixing scandal By BERT WILKINSON Special to the AmNews

Until several judges complained recently about the conduct of court President Winston Anderson, the Trinidad-based umbrella Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) had been functioning without any major criticisms from governments or civil society. Few, if any, litigants and attorneys had questioned the decisions of the court, which served as the final apex court for several Caribbean Community (Caricom) nations, including Guyana, Barbados, Belize, St. Lucia, and Dominica. The court also has a second tier that deals strictly with the settlement of trade and related disputes in the single trading bloc. Most members subscribe to this level of the court. In early August, the Trinidad Express newspapers published leaked internal emails chronicling

a nasty row between Anderson, whose role is chief justice, and several of his colleagues who had accused him of manipulating judicial panels to sit in certain cases, apparently to reach a desired result; charges that he has denied. They also accused him of ruling like a dictator and seeking to determine the outcome of some cases. The revelation sent shockwaves throughout the 15-nation bloc and appeared to have provided fodder for skeptics in member nations like Jamaica, whose incumbent government has stoutly refused to accede to the court, complaining that judges are too close to regional politicians and that relationship can affect impartiality. The result is that Jamaica is clinging tightly to the British Privy Council as the island’s final court, along with several of its Caribbean neighbors. The main opposition party is in favor of joining the CCJ, so the issue has stalled.

In the past week, however, Anderson lashed back at his critics, denying most of the charges. He also announced major policy changes to address allegations of panel-fixing as he moved to dampen skepticism about the credibility of the court, established just over two decades ago. A formal court statement stated that the practice of some judges sitting on particular cases to the exclusion of others will cease immediately. Going forward, all seven panel judges will preside in criminal, civil, and trade disputes. The announcement stated that the new system goes into “immediate effect” and “under the new arrangements, all judges of the court will sit on all panels, subject to a judge being formally excused from sitting for a legitimate reason,” a formal announcement stated. In rejecting panel-fixing allegations, Anderson said he was also rejecting “entirely the suggestion

that panels of this court have been constituted or altered to secure predetermined outcomes. Such allegations are unsupported by the facts, inconsistent with the court’s long-established practices, and contrary to the principles upon which this court has operated since its establishment. However, to put this matter to rest, going forward, every judge of the court will be required to sit on every panel, unless the judge opts out for a legitimate reason and is excused,” he said in a statement from the court. Jamaica-born Anderson, the head of the court for just over a year, has been facing withering criticism from his colleagues, who accuse him of acting like both an authoritarian leader and dictator. The nasty but unexpected row broke out in early August after the newspaper carried verbatim complaints from several judges, citing their alleged discomfort with operations at the regional apex

court. The judges had also been feuding over the accepted mode of dress when in formal sessions. Authorities have since announced plans for a mini-commission of inquiry to probe the allegations, since these have come in the midst of a major row in Jamaica where the governing labor party has stoutly refused to make any effort for the island to join the court, due to doubts about its impartiality and the closeness of judges to regional politicians. The latest CCJ announcement came hours after Prime Minister Gaston Browne of Antigua said authorities there have no plans to seek a referendum to determine whether the country should also join the court, along with Guyana, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, and St. Lucia as the only ones so far, for criminal and civil cases. None of the other member nations have signaled any immediate or near future plans to accede to the court.

When no immigrant is safe from America’s immigration crackdown

FELICIA PERSAUD

IMMIGRATION KORNER If anyone still believes Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign is simply about removing violent criminals from the United States, the events of the past week should force another look. On August 20, an ICE charter carrying more than 160 Haitian nationals landed in Cap-Haïtien, the first deportation flight to Haiti since Temporary Protected Status (TPS) was stripped from hundreds of thousands of Haitians. They could not even be flown into Haiti’s capital. Port-au-Prince is considered so dangerous that the U.S. government currently prohibits U.S. commercial flights there because of gang violence. The State Department simultaneously warns Americans: “Do not travel to Haiti for any reason,” citing crime, terrorism, kidnapping, unrest, and limited healthcare. Yet America is sending Haitians back. Some deportees reportedly covered their faces after arriving, fear-

ful that gangs might identify them. They were reportedly given the equivalent of $76.40 to make their way home. Some were not even born in Haiti, but were sent there because they had a Haitian parent. Haiti was only one part of an extraordinary week in American immigration. On August 19, immigrant-rights organizations sued the Trump administration over a new rule allowing U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to send asylum seekers directly into immigration court without first giving them the traditional opportunity to explain their claims during an interview with a trained asylum officer. The government estimates that as many as 31% of the more than 1.4 million cases in the affirmative asylum system could be affected. Think about that. People fleeing persecution may have submitted written applications, believing they would eventually sit before an asylum officer and explain what happened to them. Under the new rule, some may never get that conversation. As Adam Ryan Chang of Oasis Legal Services put it, an application can explain what happened, but an

interview provides the context necessary to understand it. “Meaningful protection requires us to listen before we judge,” he said. There is some good news: On August 21, a federal judge struck down the administration’s sweeping policy of blocking immigrant visas for nationals of 75 countries. Judge Jeannette Vargas ruled that the policy was “contrary to law,” finding that visa applicants who could demonstrate they were likely to be self-sufficient were nevertheless being refused visas under a policy supposedly designed to prevent immigrants from becoming a financial burden. The list overwhelmingly targeted countries outside Western Europe, including nations in the Caribbean, Latin America, Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. Among Americans challenging the policy were U.S. citizens whose relatives in Jamaica, Ghana, Guatemala, and Ethiopia had been prevented from receiving visas. Then came perhaps the most painfully ironic story of all. U.S. Navy sailor Joshua Aviles was serving aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln after nine months being deployed in the Middle East when he learned that his father,

Luis Manuel Aviles Roa, had been arrested by federal immigration authorities during a traffic stop in Key West, Florida. DHS did not dispute the family’s assertion that his father has no criminal record, but stated: “Having a family member in the military is not a free pass to violate our nation’s laws.” Of course it is not, but consider the image America has created. A son is thousands of miles away aboard an American aircraft carrier, serving the country, while that same government detains his father for deportation. Aviles wrote that he was working 12-plus-hour days while wondering how he could continue while knowing his father was in detention, “possibly being treated like a criminal.” These stories involve different people and different areas of immigration law, but together, they reveal something larger: This is no longer simply a border crackdown. Haitians who lived legally under TPS are losing protection, and asylum seekers attempting to use the legal process may lose a critical opportunity to tell their stories. People seeking legal immigrant visas have faced sweeping restric-

tions so broad that a federal judge ruled them unlawful and even serving in the United States military does not necessarily protect an immigrant’s parent from the expanding reach of enforcement. Every country has the right to enforce its immigration laws, but enforcement is not the same thing as abandoning proportionality, due process, and basic humanity. America has spent generations telling immigrants to do things “the right way.” Apply legally; seek asylum legally; obtain temporary protection legally; serve this country. Work; pay taxes; follow the rules. Increasingly, even those things appear to offer less protection, and that leaves a troubling question for immigrants watching America in 2026: If following the legal process, contributing to this country, and even having a child serving it are no longer enough, what exactly is the “right way” anymore? Felicia J. Persaud is the founder and publisher of NewsAmericasNow.com, the only daily syndicated newswire and digital platform dedicated exclusively to Caribbean Diaspora and Black immigrant news across the Americas.

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

August 27, 2026 - September 2, 2026 • 15

Arts & Entertainment

Harlem Book Fair founder Max Rodriguez on filling a literary void for the Black community By MATTHEW ALLEN Special to the AmNews The story of the Harlem Book Fair started when one man saw a void. Back in the early 1990s, it occurred to New Yorker Max Rodriguez that many Black authors and Black books weren’t getting the same shine as others. “I’ve always been an avid reader,” Rodriguez told the Amsterdam News. “I would read the New York Times Book Review, the Paris Review, the New York Review of Books. I would always turn to the table of contents to see what books looked like me. More often than not, there were none. Sometimes, one or two. I thought, ‘Why isn’t there a review that focuses on authors of color?’” From that point on, Rodriguez took a stand, first publishing a physical book review of his own that highlighted Black authors, which grew into the Harlem Book Fair. Now running for some three decades, that fair returns this Saturday, Aug. 29, at the Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State Office Building. This year’s edition of the book fair carries a special distinction, though, as it aligns with the centennial of the Harlem Renaissance. “Max has been an extraordinary steward of not just our intellectual traditions, but more so our intellectual traditions outside of institutional control and power,” said Patrick A. Howell, one of the Harlem Book Fair’s producers. Indeed, Rodriguez has created an institution that has grown into one of Harlem’s most enduring and consequential tentpole events. He spoke with the AmNews to discuss why he created the Book Fair, its evolution, and how it’s bouncing back since the COVID-19 pandemic. When Rodriguez founded the QBR Black Book Review, which has transitioned from print to online today, it was during a time when Black authors like Terry McMillan were reaching the Black cultural zeitgeist, but many of them weren’t being analyzed and presented to the general public adequately. These days, QBR platforms prominent literary works

Harlem Book Fair founder Max Rodriguez. (Photos courtesy of Patrick A. Howell)

Book aficionados attend a past Harlem Book Fair.

like Michelle Obama’s memoir, “Becoming,” and “The BreakBeat Poets Vol. 2: Black Girl Magic,” edited by the likes of Mahogany L. Browne and Jamila Woods. The QBR Black Book Review was originally headquartered in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood, but when Rodriguez moved operations to Harlem three years later, he noticed a similar void. “There was no event that celebrated Black writing. So, I began the Harlem Book Fair.” Much like QBR, Rodriguez wanted the Harlem Book Fair to have a combination of A-list Black authors and gifted newcomers. He and Howell leave no stone unturned, casting “a wide net” to achieve this collection of minds for the fair, believing that, like him, guests are well-versed and curious about different writers and subjects. He also wanted the collective of writers to be a north star for other aspiring authors who were attending the fair as well. “We want to make sure that we give access to our readers to those authors that they are familiar with who have broken through and for those authors who are independent, aspiring, and are new authors,” Rodriguez continued. “Those authors who are well known, they show us as a community that it can be done. Independent authors show how to get there; they tell us that story.” The 2026 installment of the Harlem Book Fair comes full circle with its first annual edition in 1998, being held at the

“We’re very happy with the gathering of writers, storytellers, poets, children’s books, and influencers who are supporting the book fair, because there’s an acknowledgment that there’s an authenticity about our voices being found there. More and more, that authenticity becomes harder to reach and the book fair sort of stands, in many ways, as a cultural oasis for us to gather and re-gather and re-join the fray, but fully armed with each other’s stories that strengthen us year to year.” This year, Rodriguez and Howell are using the Harlem Renaissance centennial as a thematic boost for the book fair. Howell says that the period, an artistic and creative golden age of expression and experimentation for writers and musicians, had far-reaching effects on the country. “We think the Harlem Renaissance represents the beginning of culture in the United States,” Howell said. “I don’t think Michael Jackson, hip hop, Denzel [Washington], Spike Lee, or any of that is possible, not only in the Black community, but in the global community. America’s number one chief export has been her culture. Up until this period of time in American history, everyone wanted to come to America. In part, that’s because of the branding and marketing that comes through because of the Harlem Renaissance.” For Rodriguez, this year’s book fair marks a crucial time when finding this generation’s artis-

same location, though with much more humble beginnings. “We began in the Harlem State Office Building Plaza,” Rodriguez said. “We started out with 40 exhibitors and about 300 people. It has since grown, at its height, pre-COVID, to over 300 exhibitors, 30,000 people, televised on C-SPAN.” Growing to such magnitude is impressive for any event. But according to Howell, Rodriguez’s conscious decision to build the book fair without the help of prominent colleges, sponsorships, and other sources makes it all the more fulfilling. Rodriguez wanted the book fair to be more homegrown, to show that Black entrepreneurs and the community can accomplish great feats on their own. “[Max] could’ve had any number of institutions, including Harvard, working with Skip (Dr. Henry Louis) Gates many, many years ago,” Howell said. “What he’s done, year in and year out, is running a marathon. He’s playing the long game, and that long game is basically powered by the fact that he believes in us.” Like so many other events, the Harlem Book Fair faced uncertainty due to the nationwide lockdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, Rodriguez has slowly begun to rebuild the Book Fair post-pandemic, and believes the 2026 edition will see the event return to its glory days, as the community recovers from both the economic and social hardships brought on by COVID-19.

tic revolutionaries will help the community grow. He added that society is wondering where the contemporary heirs to the Harlem Renaissance’s most cherished and progressive writers will appear. “Where are they? Who are they? Who decides who and what intertwines culture, unity, the whole ivory tower idea, and who decides what stories are read and the function and role of the writer as a cultural maven? The whole conversation about writing and culture is becoming quite interesting. There’s some real hard conversations to have and some decisions to make about who makes those decisions, or at the very least on our part ensuring that our writers are given voice.” The Harlem Book Fair, scheduled for 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, August 29, at the Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State Office Building, will feature book vendors, book readings, live music, and panel discussions. Rodriguez isn’t motivated to make a profit, but to make sure the fair is an “information nexus” for the community. “I do this out of love, out of passion, not only for books, but for us as a community. The one thing that isn’t generally acknowledged culturally is our intellectual capital, our sense of vision for ourselves, for our communities, and where we want to be 10 years from now –– with a conversation about how we might get and how we might avoid not getting there.” Visit harlembookfair.com for more info.

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From the stage to the screen, Poster House puts together a nearly lost narrative of Black performance.

The Green-Eyed Monster, directed and produced by Richard E. Norman, is one of the many pieces of Black media in the post-antebellum period that were lost or unrecorded. What remains are screenplays, playbills, and, of course, posters. (Photos courtesy of Poster House)

By MARIELLE ARGUEZA Special to the AmNews It started with two pieces: one picture of 1978’s “The Wiz” and another 1959’s “Imitation of Life.” Though the material was barebones, it sent Es-pranza Humphrey, associate curator for Poster House, down a rabbit hole of the history of Black entertainment in the U.S., as far back as when formerly enslaved people were allowed to have paying jobs on stage. Her research became “Act Black: Posters from Black American Stage and Screen,” curated by Humphrey, which closes on Sept. 6. The exhibition features more than 130 pieces — including posters and ephemera — from the 1870s through the 1970s, telling a story of Black entertainment as labor, art, history, and social justice in the post-antebellum era. The posters depict all-Black casts. The topic was not too foreign to her. During her undergraduate and graduate studies, Humphrey focused her research on Black stage performers, particularly the Black chorus girl. Think Florence Mills, Lena Horne, or Josephine Baker. The narrative started at the stage and eventually beyond — into

cinema. “Then I realized the stage and the screen were in conversation with each other,” said Humphrey. The exhibition opens with the poem “A Note on Commercial Theatre,” by Langston Hughes, along with various iterations of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” posters and wood blocks used to print various play posters. Though “Act Black” flows like a timeline, it’s an incomplete timeline. Much of the history represented in the exhibition was difficult to find. Many of the posters were lost to history, as were many of the films they advertised. “I knew there was going to be very little,” said Humphrey about sourcing posters. One reason for the scarcity is the temporary nature of many stage performances. Performances, particularly on stage, were often held at temporary tent shows. Posters could go up just a couple of hours before a performance, only to be wheat-pasted over as soon as the day ended. Black audiences faced limitations in cinemas, too. They could sometimes only see films featuring all-Black casts during “midnight rambles,” when cinemas opened their doors to primari-

Patrons walk through Act Black: Posters from Black American Stage and Screen. It is currently the largest exhibition at the Poster House. (Marielle Argueza photos)

ly Black audiences for about an hour a day, usually during offpeak business hours such as midnight, to show all-Black films. Humphrey purchased most of the pieces in the exhibition, while others were loaned. Among the

Walker, who was darker-skinned, lightened his complexion. Blackface, Humphrey explained, was used for many reasons, not just by racist white performers during the era of the Black minstrel caricature, but also by Black

perform, but in Blackface. But I get shelter, I get a steady income, I get protection because the production is owned and managed by a white person.’” said Humphrey. In many ways, “Act Black” is one of the few traceable ways that depict the story of Black labor in the entertainment industry through graphic design, art, and illustration. And, eventually, how they slowly gained opportunities to depict themselves and tell their own stories on their own terms, even as Black directors, producers, and writers were largely absent, particularly during the earlier years. “So once Black people are able to be dominant in the industry, like an all-Black cast and all-colored review, they are everything that you see on stage,” said Humphrey. “They — and by ‘they’ I mean rare pieces acquired for the show people. Looking at these perfor- mostly Black audiences — start is a six-foot-tall George Walker mances through a modern lens to realize, ‘wow, I speak like that. I and Bert Williams piece, which can make them appear simply look like that,’” she continued. is made up of three huge sheets racist and outdated, she said, but That shift became especialpasted together. Black performers had many rea- ly important with the advent of Walker and Williams played with sons for using Blackface, includ- cinema, when Black performers roles and expectations of white ing economic ones. could move beyond more comeperformers who had performed in “The job market is not looking dic roles and into representations Blackface before them. Williams very bright for [formerly enslaved of love and romance. In mixed was a lighter-skinned Black per- Black people]. Like, maybe they casts, such portrayals were at best former who used Blackface, while just realized, ‘okay, I do have to taboo and at worst illegal.

A “They really couldn’t have a love story because that would humanize them a little too much,” said Humphrey. For Humphrey, the history documented in “Act Black” provides a foundation for understanding Black representation in entertainment today. There would be no Spike Lee, Jordan Peele, Shonda Rhimes, Lorraine Hansberry, or Ryan Coogler without this history, however piecemeal it may be. Poster House is hosting a panel in connection with the exhibition. Cultural historian Eric Lott, jazz historian Jerome Jennings, curator Dominique Jean-Louis, and Humphrey will join in a conversation

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about the use of Blackface in “The Legacy of Blackface: Understanding Performance, Posters, and Public Memory” on Sept. 27. “I think everyone should see [Act Black] because this is an undertold story about Black resilience, about Black ownership, about Black agency on the stage and on the screen. And a lot of this stuff is lost in the media,” said Humphrey. “The Legacy of Blackface: Understanding Performance, Posters, and Public Memory” speaker panel takes place on Sept. 27 from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Poster House at 119 West 23rd St., New York, NY. RSVP at posterhouse.org. Es-pranza Humphrey is one of two curators for Poster House, which opened in 2019. Act Black is the first exhibition in the museum’s tenure solely dedicated to the history of Black people. (Marielle Argueza photos) The exhibit isn’t just posters and graphics of the time, but also ephemera, from the wood cutouts that were used to print posters, to the wigs and makeup used in stage and film performances.

One of the rarest finds, according to Humphrey, is a Williams and Walkers poster. The piece is six feet tall and consists of 3 sheets of paper pasted together. (Photo courtesy of Poster House)

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THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

AmNews FOOD Chef Mavis-Jay Sanders celebrates summer’s end with family in Brooklyn KYSHA HARRIS

FOOD EDITOR, @SCHOPNYC Man, what a great time I had reliving my Black Chef Series X Harlem Week 2024 experience last week to finally deliver you my watermelon carpaccio recipe. These dog days of summer are the perfect time to scoop up the ingredients and try it out for yourself. You will not regret it. People often comment on the work I do as a chef, culinary producer, food editor, and all of the spaces I move through in food. “You get to eat a lot,” “you must get to go to some cool places,” and more. Yes, I love the myriad jobs I have in food, but it really is the people and the community that are created around food that mean the most. One of those people is Chef Mavis-Jay Sanders. I met Chef Mavis-Jay some years ago while serving on the Restaurant & Chef Committee for the James Beard Awards, and I have admired the way her work moves between exceptional cooking and a deeper commitment to equity, food justice, education, and access. Her career has taken her through Michelin-starred kitchens and into leadership at Community Kitchen, but what stays with me most is how consistently she uses food to create opportunity and connection beyond the plate. So when I saw that Mavis-Jay was doing a collaboration dinner, I hit her up, STAT! Her reply: “Come through!” You don’t have to tell me twice. It was on the calendar, and days later I was on the train to Brooklyn to be in community with Chef Mavis-Jay Sanders again, as she and friend and chefowner Silvia Barban of Briscola Trattoria cooked for Italy’s traditional end-of-sum-

The family-style spread includes Southern potato salad, Barban’s Italian-style potato salad, boiled peanuts, and bright giardiniera.

Briscola Trattoria on Franklin Avenue in Brooklyn during the Ferragosto collaboration dinner with Chefs Mavis-Jay Sanders and Silvia Barban. (Kysha Harris photos)

mer celebration, Ferragosto, Italy meets the American South edition. When I arrived at Briscola, the glorious smells of good food were only outdone by the spirit of the room. Mavis-Jay’s wife, Nikki, saw me, gave me a big hug, and invited me to sit at the family table of colleagues and friends. Instant community. As I sat down, the crew was already elbow deep in the Ferragosto menu from appetizers to mains and the sides. All I needed to do was order a dirty martini, eat, and meet. The duality of the meal was on every platter. First, I dug into a folded-down brown paper bag of well-seasoned boiled peanuts paired with bright chunky giardiniera. Wow! Put me on a couch with this and a Peroni, and I will be good. Then … Battle: Potato Salad! Mavis-Jay’s tradition-

With Chef Mavis-Jay Sanders at Briscola Trattoria during the Ferragosto collaboration dinner.

al Southern style (you know, that one your mom’s foot was all up in) versus Barban’s with tomatoes, olives, and fruity olive oil. Chef Mavis-Jay, 1-0. The smoky lamb ribs with pickled eggplant and mint took me out. It was one of Barban’s favorite dishes of the night. The table was only waiting with bated breath for burgers dressed with smoked provolone, chow chow, and bomba calabrese. There was mac and cheese made with ditalini and some dishes from Briscola’s menu — sweet corn caramelle pasta, panzanella salad, and my fave baccalà all Romana of delicately fried cod with agrodolce peppers. Had I not had an hour-long train ride home, I would have stayed for the grilled peach and vanilla gelato dessert and a glass of Lambrusco. I came to Briscola for Mavis-Jay and the food, but I left reminded of what keeps me moving through all of these spaces after all these years: the people. Old friends, new connections, a seat at the table, and some damn good food along the way. There is much more to Mavis-Jay Sanders than I could fit on this page. Check out this week’s AmNewsFOOD video to hear more from Mavis-Jay and Barban about their collaboration, the work, and what is coming next. Thanks for reading and happy eating! Kysha Harris is a chef, culinary producer, and food editor for the NY Amsterdam News. As a consultant and owner of SCHOP!, a personalized food service in NYC for over 23 years, she remains on the hunt for the city’s next great bite. Follow her on Instagram and on Facebook, @SCHOPnyc. Questions, comments, requests, feedback, invitations! Email us at AmNewsFOOD@ SCHOPnyc.com. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook, @NYAmNewsFOOD.

Briscola’s sweet corn caramelle pasta, one of the restaurant dishes served alongside the Ferragosto collaboration menu.

The collaboration burger dressed with smoked provolone, chow chow, and bomba calabrese.

Briscola’s baccalà alla Romana, delicately fried cod served with agrodolce peppers.

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Spike Lee to resurrect Brooklyn Loves Michael Jackson dance party at Fort Greene Park By MATTHEW ALLEN Special to the AmNews Spike Lee is bringing back his anticipated Michael Jackson celebration to his home borough. The Academy Award-winning filmmaker and screenwriter is reviving his “Brooklyn Loves MJ” dance party on Aug. 29 at Brooklyn’s Fort Greene Park. Brooklyn’s own DJ Spinna will return to preside over the music for the free daylong event, lasting from noon to 7 p.m. Lee announced the block party’s return on Sunday, Aug. 16, via his social media platforms. The “Do the Right Thing” director is reinstating the celebration after a threeyear live hiatus. Lee last hosted a “Brooklyn Loves MJ and Prince” party at Fort Greene Park in August 2023, while the 2024 edition was done virtually. Lee first teased that he was bringing the Jackson dance party back last Monday when he posted a spray-painted emblem of “Bk Loves MJ” on his Instagram page. He posted another clue three days later in the form of beaded images of Jackson’s and Lee’s faces. The first party took place in August 2009, mere months after Jackson’s death on June 25, 2009. Lee, a former collaborator with Jackson, actually intended the inaugural party to be at Fort Greene Park, but had to move it to Prospect Park because the Parks Department anticipated such a large turnout. Indeed, in the first two years of the party, tens of thousands of fans came to Prospect Park. Over the years, Lee has hosted the party in numerous Brooklyn locations, including Restoration Plaza in Bed-Stuy and on Stuyvesant Avenue, the site of his film “Do the Right Thing.” Lee always scheduled the block parties as close to Jackson’s Aug. 29 birthday as possible. Lee, a lifelong Jackson fan, has substantial connections to the King of Pop. He directed two short films/music videos for Jackson’s 1996 single, “They Don’t Care About Us.” The Brazil version is one of several Jackson short films to exceed a billion views on YouTube. Lee also directed the posthumous video for “This Is It,” the song that accompanied Jackson’s concert documentary of the same name. The film drew on footage from rehearsals for his 50-night residency at London’s O2 Arena, which was set to open weeks after he died. Following Jackson’s death, Lee went on to direct two documentaries about Jackson’s solo albums: 2012’s “Bad 25” about Jackson’s 1987 album “Bad,” and 2016’s “Michael Jackson’s Journey From Motown to Off the Wall,” chronicling his transition from lead singer of The Jackson 5 to the making of his 1979 album, “Off the Wall.” The return of “Brooklyn Loves MJ” comes during what’s been a big resurgence for Jackson and his legacy. In April, Lionsgate and Universal released “Michael,” a biopic

Fans dancing during Spike Lee's “Brooklyn Loves MJ & Prince” Block Party on August 26, 2023 at Fort Greene Park in Brooklyn, NY. (Matthew Allen photo)

Spike Lee in 2025. (Neil Grabowsky / Creative Commons photo)

about Jackson’s life and career, starring his nephew, Jaafar Jackson. The film has been a resounding commercial success, becoming the highest-grossing biopic of all time, both domestically and worldwide, and the first to surpass $1 billion in box office earnings. The success of the film fueled a surge in record sales and streaming, sending “Thriller,” the best-selling album of all time, back to No. 1 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart for the first time since the 1980s. The album also sat near the top of the Billboard 200 from April to August.

DJ Spinna presides over the music during Spike Lee's “Brooklyn Loves MJ & Prince” Block Party on August 26, 2023 at Fort Greene Park in Brooklyn, NY. (Matthew Allen photo)

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This week: Charlie Parker Jazz Fest, Village Vanguard, NEA posthumous recognition?

Charlie Parker, known as “Bird” or call him the alto saxophone titan, the alto God, the music genius. Such titles still aren’t representative of his vast contribution to the sonic movement of jazz. While he died at the young age of 34, he left an enduring impression on the world that will last until the end of this earthly galaxy, or maybe beyond. His fast tempos, advanced harmonies, and fierce technique may already be swinging in some atmosphere beyond our comprehension as bebop once shook the planet, with his fast-flyin’ bebop progressive comrades Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Christian, and Kenny Clarke. On arriving in Harlem in 1939 from his native Kansas City, Parker took a dishwashing job at Jimmy’s Chicken Shack on St. Nicholas Avenue. The popular jazz spot was just doors away from the Pooseepathtuck Club, which years later transformed into the famous St. Nick’s Pub. “Bird” returns to his Harlem roost to spiritually reign over the 34th annual Charlie Parker Jazz Festival on August 28–29, at Marcus Garvey Park (18 Mt. Morris Park W.), and East Village’s Tompkins Square Park (Avenue A, East 10th Street) on August 30. The festival opens on August 28 (7– 9:30 p.m.) with a new look at Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra under the music direction of Sherman Irby, with the exciting genre-bending trumpeter Marquis Hill and the soulful jazz vocals of Ekep Nkwelle. Harlem’s own saxophonist/composer and JJA’s Jazz Hero Bill Saxton returns with his Harlem All Stars. August 29 (2–7 p.m.) features another saxophone explorer: Joshua Redman, along with arranger, composer, and pianist Nat Adderley, Jr. who plays the fence of R&B and jazz; and blues jazz vocal stylist Catherine Russell. On August 30 (3–7 p.m.), the festival jumps downtown to the East Village’s Tompkins Square Park, minutes from Parker’s former apartment at 151 Avenue B. Saxophonist and composer Ravi Coltrane, who always, consciously or not, represents his parents’ legacy, as well as his father’s centennial (John Coltrane, like Parker, left a legacy that will be explored for generations to come); the inventive composer and drummer Kassa Overall; and the

Portrait of Charlie Parker in Three Deuces of New York City, August 1947. Parker is playing Conn 6M alto saxophone. Standing next to him is Miles Davis. (Public domain/William P. Gottlieb collection, Library of Congress)

vivid storytelling-vocalist Vanisha Gould will all be on the bill. For more info, visit cityparksfoundation.org. On August 25–30, Joe Lovano’s Paramount Quartet returns to the Village Vanguard with diverse rhythms to enthrall, excite, and awaken your senses to a sonic flow out of the box for those seeking inventive notions. Two shows each night, at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. Lovano has reached that seasoned phase — an established tenor saxophonist, composer, Grammy winner, and educator — who’s recorded with hardcore organ swingers Brother Jack McDuff and Dr. Lonnie Smith. He joined forces with Bill Frisell and drummer Paul Motian to explore uncharted territories, and hit entirely different notes with legendary pianist Hank Jones, whose lyrical elegance gave Lovano improvisational room for the sublime. With his Paramount Quartet, Lovano has found a like-minded group of alchemists: guitarist Julian Lage, bassist Asante Santi Debriano, and drummer Will Calhoun. All are universal travelers with boundless spirit, having played sonic world music and avant-gardism blended with Debriano’s Panamanian heritage and Calhoun’s rock culture (Living Colour) and his extensive drumming capabilities, developed in studying under the elders in the hills of West Africa. Together, they play with freedom, an intuitive flair that opens up creative spaces for captivating conversations that engage listeners,

whether in person or on their latest album, “Paramount Quartet” (ECM, 2026). This is one of the best albums of 2026 — seven tracks, five Lovano originals, along with “Lady Day” (Wayne Shorter) and “First Song” (Charlie Haden, Abbey Lincoln). On “Paramount,” they move in and out of directions like mystic artists, playing songs of tenderness like “First Song” or “Lady Day” that linger in yesterdays and the front row of your tomorrows. “We’ve arrived at this unique place within this quartet — it’s very special. It’s a new thing, and those cats, they play with a new global awareness,” said Lovano. For more information, visit villagevanguard.com. As jazz sounds permeate the waning days of summer, enjoy the annual free outdoor Nyack Jazz Festival on August 30, held at Maureen’s Jazz Cellar (2 North Broadway, Nyack, NY), 1–7 p.m. Experience a day of genre greats and names not often appearing on the East Coast set. Their music will prompt asking, Where have they been? Some such guests will include the David Janeway (pianist) Quintet; saxophonist and composer Ravi Coltrane (representing the Coltrane legacy and the centennial of John Coltrane), fiery drummer Jeff “Tain” Watts, vibraphonist Joe Locke, bassist Neal “Sugar” Caine, and crossgenre pianist and composer David Budway, the Gunhild Carling /Idun Carling Quintet (this spellbinding mother-daughter–driven quintet features mom Gunhild, renowned

Charlie Parker Festival poster. (Image courtesy of the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival)

multi-instrumentalist [trumpet, trombone], who may sing or take to tap dancing. Daughter Idun also plays trombone). For complete listings and times, visit maureensjazzcellar.com. Rain date is September 6. Just weeks away from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) 2026 Jazz Masters Tribute Concert at the Walt Disney Concert Hall (September 15), Lawrence H. Levens, custodian and guardian of the Barnes/ Dixon/Myers Historical Harlem Papers, Archives, and Musical Manuscripts Collection, has submitted a formal appeal to NEA Chair Mary Anne Carter. The letter calls on the NEA to grant special posthumous recognition to the original, unsung architects of syncopated music: Will H. Dixon, James Reese Europe, Will Marion Cook, and the Clef Club Symphony Orchestra of New York City. Primary source artifacts from the Barnes/Dixon/Myers Collection, including musical manuscripts, historical program notes, and period correspondence, document the monumental contributions of these musical trailblazers. The 1912 Carnegie Hall Concert: On May 2, 1912, James Reese Europe assembled 125 Black musicians at Carnegie Hall, introducing mainstream audiences to syncopated original orchestral music and es-

tablishing the precursor to the jazz orchestra. Europe’s band was the first to play what would become jazz roots in that venue, 12 years before Paul Whiteman’s famous 1924 concert and 26 years before Benny Goodman’s 1938 Carnegie Hall debut. Will H. Dixon (“The Original Dancing Conductor”), a composer, pianist, and director published by G. Ricordi and G. Schirmer, was a central figure in the Clef Club, featured in its historic 10-pianist virtuoso section and acclaimed by contemporaries like James Weldon Johnson for his dynamic physical bandleading style. Classical composer, pianist, lyricist, violinist, choral director, and orchestrator Will Marion Cook, along with Dixon and Europe, integrated classical harmonic structures with African American syncopated rhythms, laying the foundation for modern swing and big band arrangements. “As the NEA gathers in Los Angeles to celebrate today’s masters, we must also shine a light on the genesis of this art form,” said Levens. “Will H. Dixon, James Reese Europe, Will Marion Cook, and the Clef Club Symphony Orchestra broke cultural barriers and built the framework for American popular music. Their exclusion from formal national honors leaves a gap in the historic record that the NEA is uniquely positioned to fulfill.”

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Brooklyn — we move forward together.” Anthony Beckford, Rules Committee chair who is the outgoing district leader for the 43rd Assembly District, is in favor of the rule change. He lost his primary to New Kings Democrats member Akel K. Williams and maintains that reformers targeted Black district leaders who supported Bichotte Hermelyn. “No faction gets to declare the outcome before Democrats have actually voted,” said Beckford in a previous statement. “Brooklyn is one of the most diverse places in America, and our party leadership should make room for more of those voices. As a disabled veteran and Black Lives Matter leader activist, I know representation cannot simply be something

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Soon after, she noticed that she was no longer listed as a visiting scientist for the museum and found it difficult to find work opportunities compared to her peers. “It was essentially like an exile,” Malone said. “It was hard for me to get a job. I didn’t have a place to live. … It was really bad. There was no safety net. There wasn’t really a stable place for me to stay. … There was no emergency money. I didn’t have any family support in that way.” But Malone remained undaunted. Instead of giving up, she embarked on her current project in 2017 when she began tracing her Guyanese roots and looking at wildlife in the country. She returned to New York in May 2026, after having lived in Barbados and other Caribbean islands, and is now looking to gather funds to return to Oxford. Since 2020, she has also continued to return intermittently to Guyana to build out her current project, archiving her family history. She says she is in critical need of funding to present at the university by the end of August, between

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS we talk about. It has to be reflected in who has a seat and a vote.” Meanwhile, other Black district leaders and political clubs, such as 42nd AD District Leader Josue Pierre and the Brooklyn Young Democrats (BYD), are not on board. “Tonight, Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn and every Executive Committee member who supported her rule changes chose personal loyalty and political self-preservation over Brooklyn’s voters,” said BYD in a statement after the vote. “In June, Brooklyn Democrats went to the polls and elected a new majority of District Leaders to lead their party in a different direction. Rather than respect that result, Bichotte Hermelyn used a lame-duck majority to illegally change the electorate that will decide whether she remains in power. No legitimate effort to expand participation begins by

tuition and living costs, needing up to $88,000. She created a GoFundMe where people can donate. In addition, Malone has delivered keynote addresses at Yale, New York University, and the University of the West Indies. She was recognized by Grist as one of the 50 Fixers for advancing equity in STEM. In 2018, she published an article with VICE, titled “The Future of Science is Black,” where she wrote, “Black scientists invested in doing science differently must build community with Black activists, who have honed the art of organized disruption, unapologetically declaring that ‘Black Lives Matter’ as we reclaim our rightful place in scientific history.” She is now preparing to present research as part of the TEDxAmazonia series on Aug. 30. Despite her struggles, Malone remains passionate about the work of social and ecological justice in the sciences. “When I reflect on my particular role and journey, it’s like I’m able to see the world that I helped to open up, even if I’m not recognized for it,” she said.

overriding an election. If these proposals were truly about inclusion, they could have been presented through a transparent process to the leaders Brooklyn Democrats just elected. The members who enabled this power grab cannot hide behind procedure, or pretend they were powerless. Each had a choice.” Mayor Zohran Mamdani, recently back from a vacation upstate, added in a press conference on Aug. 24, that he opposes the rule change as well: “I very much oppose these proposed changes by the current Brooklyn Democratic Party chair. I oppose them because they are an attempt to circumvent the will of voters, and what we should see is a Brooklyn Democratic Party that is a reflection of what New Yorkers want to see in their home, as opposed to a representation of so much of what has led New Yorkers — and Americans — to become disen-

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safety after previous administrations failed to properly implement court-ordered reforms stemming from the Nunez settlement. Earlier this summer, the Mamdani administration also transferred land from offline jails from the DOC to the Department of Citywide Administrative Services. A local law mandates these transfers, which the Adams administration never performed. Rikers closure proponents like Freedom Agenda co-director Darren Mack see these efforts as key steps to ensure the city meets its mandate, even with delays in borough-based jail construction. “Closing all of Rikers Island is going to be a challenge by August 31, 2027,” said Mack. “You might not close all of Rikers Island by that time, but what we can do is meet our decarceration goals of about 75% reduction and closing more jails on Rikers Island.” Decarceration remains key because the four borough-based jails will hold just north of 4,000 beds. Rikers Island currently

August 27, 2026 - September 2, 2026 • 21 gaged and disaffected with politics at large.” Other state Dems had a more mixed reaction. “The value of increasing participation by expanding representation on the Kings County executive board may have its merits and deserves consideration, however, the timing of this change stands to do more damage than good. Any proposal to change the makeup of the Executive Committee of the Kings County Democratic Committee should be taken up at its regular Reorganization Meeting by the full County Committee,” said New York State Democratic Chairman Jay S. Jacobs in a previous statement. “The focus of the Committee should be to defeat Brooklyn’s various Republican elected officials presently aligned with the MAGA agenda of Donald Trump. Now is not the time for disunity.” Bichotte Hermelyn has been the

party chairperson since 2020. She is not only the first woman voted into the position, but the first Black woman to lead the party in any of the Five Boroughs. She was also the first Haitian-American woman to hold elected office in the city back in 2014, and has been a district leader since 2010. She said in an interview with NY1 that she’s not “convinced” that the New Kings Democrats have enough votes to oust her before the election, making little indication that she intends to concede to the opposition until the last votes are counted. “In this party, people reserve their votes until the very last day, which is the Election Day, and we’ve seen that time and time again. Negotiations have to go through. People are meeting with people to pretty much earn their votes. And again, elections are not decided by rumors,” said Bichotte Hermelyn.

houses more than 6,500 people, according to the Data Collaborative for Justice at John Jay College. Mack believes the COVID-19 pandemic might provide a primer for those efforts, since community investments and an early release program dropped the city jail population to historic lows during the worldwide public health crisis. The Mamdani administration pointed to recently expanding Next Mile NYC, a commercial driving license program for formerly incarcerated New Yorkers, which draws on a link between employment and lowered recidivism. A new hospital unit also drew praise from criminal justice reformers for moving seriously ill people on Rikers to specialized, offsite care. While Mack commended Mamdani over the phone, he and other advocates remain frustrated with the new administration’s continued low-level enforcement, which largely affects Black and Brown New Yorkers. Two weeks ago, Freedom Agenda helped organize a highly public courtwatch in protest of these aggressive policing practices. Advocates fear low-lev-

el arrests might exacerbate Rikers’ population, even with Mamdani’s progress elsewhere. Deaths in DOC custody also persist, albeit significantly fewer than during Adams’s first year. Most recently, 41-year-old Clarence Woodward died on Rikers Island this past week. With the one-year mark to legally close Rikers this week, Mack and Freedom Agenda will hold a vigil on August 3 for the more than 80 people to die in or immediately after DOC custody since the city originally committed to closing Rikers. “We want to put this on the radar for this administration that we have to take urgency in regard to reducing the population [and] to close the pipelines that feed Rikers Island,” said Mack. “The biggest thing is just reminding New Yorkers, [because] only when it’s a death on Rikers Island is when New Yorkers are paying attention because the media reports on it. [The] Campaign to Close Rikers [has more than] 200 organizational partners driving this campaign. Come out and join this struggle to move our city forward [and] away from this moral stain on our city.”

22 • August 27, 2026 - September 2, 2026

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

AI’s data center boom keeps finding Black communities

(Pexels/Brett Sayles)

By WILLY BLACKMORE Word in Black

Supporters — often including elected officials — tell residents the projects will bring investment, jobs, and badly needed The pattern is becoming a little too famil- tax revenue. Residents in Memphis, Misiar. The artificial intelligence boom is fueling sissippi, and Alabama organize and push an unprecedented demand for data centers, back, warning of increased air pollution, and those proposals and projects keep land- strained infrastructure, and decisions aling in Black communities. ready made before they’ve had a chance

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to say no. This time, it’s happening in Covington, Georgia, a little more than 30 miles southeast of Atlanta. There, residents are fighting a so-called “pop-up” data center, powered by nearly three dozen diesel and natural gas generators, that’s intended to operate temporarily. Jumping the gun Opponents in Covington and surrounding Newton County — both with substantial Black populations — say problems began before the first permit was ever approved. The generators arrived first, and officials authorized them later. VoltaGrid, a Texas-based firm, is building the power plant, which consists of 33 natural gas-powered turbines; they generate electricity for a nearby data center developed by a separate company called Serverfarm. While Georgia has seen extensive data center development during the AI boom, this is the first pop-up plant to be built in the state. Much like Musk’s now-infamous ad-hoc power plants in the greater Memphis area, the VoltaGrid project also had permitting issues and conflicts with state regulators. The power plant is not only near residential areas of Covington, but also close to a nature preserve and a municipal reservoir that supplies the county’s drinking water. VoltaGrid applied for state air permits, as required under the Clean Air Act, to build the 90-megawatt plant last year. However, in June, residents noticed that six of the 33 turbines at the power plant were already up and running before permits had been issued.

A similar problem exists at the data center: Resident groups fighting the overall project allege that 36 backup diesel generators were installed before Serverfarm proposed installing 37 generators. Violating the law Aside from permitting problems, the project may also run afoul of state utility laws. Because the two projects are being developed and would be owned by two separate businesses, they may violate Georgia’s Territorial Electric Service Act and the Cogeneration and Distributed Generation Act. “VoltaGrid and Serverfarm tried to obscure their full impact on air quality in our community by seeking air permits as two distinct business operations, ignoring foundational tenets of Georgia’s energy laws to do so,” Maurice Carter, president of Sustainable Newton, one of the local organizations fighting the projects, said in a joint statement with the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC). “Communities deserve transparency and equal protection when massive industrial projects are proposed in our neighborhoods. We are relying on Georgia regulators to ensure these laws are fully enforced.” In early July, the state Environmental Protection Division hit VoltaGrid with a stop-work order, blocking the project until the state issues the permit. After that action, SELC filed a petition with the Georgia Public Service Commission on behalf of Sustainable Newton, asking the commission to make a ruling on the lawfulness of VoltaGrid’s project. The petition is still pending.

August 27, 2026 - September 2, 2026 • 23

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

CL ASSIFIED ADS 100 PUBLIC NOTICES

RULES AND REGULATIONS CANCELLATIONS must be made in writing by 12 Noon Monday. The forwarding of an order is construed as an acceptance of all advertising rules and conditions under which advertising space is sold by the NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS. Publication is made and charged according to the terms of this card. Rates and regulations subject to change without notice. No agreements as to position or regulations, other than those printed on this. Til forbid orders charged for rate earned. Increases or decreases in space take the rate of a new advertisement. The New York AMSTERDAM NEWS reserves the right to censor, reject, alter or revise all advertisements in accordance with its rules governin g the acceptance of advertising and accepts no liability for its failure to insert an advertisement for any cause. Credit for errors in advertisements allowed only for first insertion. CLASSIFIED • Classified advertisements take the regular earned rate of their classification. Four line minimum on all ads except spirituals and horoscopes (14 lines). CLASSIFIED DISPLAY • Classified Display (boarder or picture) advertisements take the regular earned rate of their classification. Display (boarder or picture) advertisements one column wide must be 14 lines deep; two columns, 28 lines deep; 3 columns, 56 lines deep. Classified Display (boarder or picture) placed as close to classifications as rules and makeup permit. CLASSIFICATIONS All advertisement accepted for publication is classified according to the standard classifications. Misclassification is not permitted. BASIS OF CHARGE Charges are based on point size and characters per line. Upon reaching 15 lines the rate converts to column inch. Any deviation from solid composition such as indentation, use of white space, bold type, etc., will incur a premium. In Case of error, notify the Amsterdam News 212-932-7440

101 LEGAL NOTICES

NOTICE Notice is hereby given that a license, number #CL-26102514-01 for Beer, Wine & Liquor has been applied for by the undersigned to sell Beer, Wine & Liquor at retail in a Restaurant under the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law at 75 Murray Street , New York, NY 1007, New York County for on premises consumption. Italia Like Locals Inc., Italia Like Locals Inc.

Map in the Borough of Manhattan, State of New York. The relief sought is the finding that Plaintiff has a first and best lien on the property; an Order finding that Plaintiff has the legal right and is authorized to foreclose on the Property; an Order finding the such foreclosure will vest in the purchaser thereat free and clear title to the Property, free of any and all interests that are or might be asserted by the Defendants; an Order that Plaintiff has the right to credit bid at such foreclosure sale any and all amounts due to Plaintiff under the Loan Documents; an Order directing that the Sheriff of New York County, New York, or any referee appointed in this action, foreclose the Property and deliver the title to the successful bidder at such foreclosure; an Order directing how to apply the proceeds of the sale; an Order that Borrower has no right of redemption or reinstatement with respect to the Property; and an Order finding that Plaintiff has preserved its right to pursue any deficiency that may exist. Dated: April 27, 2026, POLSINELLI PC, Aaron P. Davis, Esq., Attorneys for Plaintiff STORMFIELD CAPITAL FUNDING I, LLC, 600 Third Avenue, 42nd Floor, New York, New York 10016, adavis@ polsinelli.com, (212) 803-9918.

SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, COUNTY OF NEW YORK, STORMFIELD CAPITAL FUNDING I, LLC , Plaintiff, against 2647 BROADWAY APTS LLC; JONAH BAMBERGER; AMIR HELDI; ZVI CHALAMISH; AMACO MANAGEMENT CONSTRUCTION INC; IMP PLUMBING HEATING CORP; NYC FIRE SERVICES GUARDS LLC; CITY OF NEW YORK ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL BOARD; DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING PRESERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK; and JOHN DOE NO. 1 THROUGH JOHN DOE NO. XXX, inclusive, the last thirty names being fictitious and unknown to plaintiff, the persons or parties intended being the tenants, occupants, persons or corporations, if any, having or claiming an interest in or lien upon the premises described in the complaint, Defendants. INDEX NO. 850438/2025. TO DEFENDANTS JONAH BAMBERGER AND AMIR HELDI: You are hereby summoned to answer the complaint in this action and to serve a copy of your answer, or, if the complaint is not served with this summons, to serve a notice of appearance, on the Plaintiff’s attorney within 20 days after the service of this summons, exclusive of the day of service (or within 30 days after the service is complete if this summons is not personally delivered to you within the State of New York); and in case of your failure to appear or answer, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the complaint. The basis of venue is the location of the subject property, which is New York County, New York. TO THE ABOVENAMED DEFENDANTS: The foregoing summons is served upon you by publication, pursuant to an Order of Francis A. Kahn, III, a Justice of the Supreme court, dated April 16, 2026, and filed with the supporting papers in the New York County Clerk’s Office. This is an action to foreclose on the property known as 2647-2649 Broadway, New York, New York 10025, legal description: Block 1872 and Lot 52 of the New York County Tax Assessment

Notice of formation of Prompt Studios, LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 06/02/2026. Office location: New York County (Manhattan). SSNY designated as an agent of Limited Liability Company (LLC) upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY should mail process to Prompt Studios, LLC: 140 Broadway 28th Floor New York, NY 10005. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. Notice of formation of Revolutionary Therapeutic Services, LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 3/30/2026. Office location: Bronx County. SSNY designated as an agent of Limited Liability Company (LLC) upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY should mail process to Shakeem E. Holmes: Shakeemh@ yahoo.com. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. Notice of formation of Lindi Gordon Photography LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 2/02/2026. Office location: New York County (Manhattan). SSNY designated as an agent of Limited Liability Company (LLC) upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY should mail process to ZenBusiness: RA@

101 LEGAL NOTICES ZenBusiness.com. Any lawful purpose.

Purpose:

Notice of formation of Afterglow NYC LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 3/09/2026. Office location: New York County (Manhattan). SSNY designated as an agent of Limited Liability Company (LLC) upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY should mail process to Katie Rue: 45 Orchard St, Storefront, New York, NY, 10002. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. Notice of formation of Good Timing Platform, LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 12/11/2025. Office location: New York County (Manhattan). SSNY designated as an agent of Limited Liability Company (LLC) upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY should mail process to Good Timing Platform, LLC: 110 West 40th Street, Suite 1500, New York, NY 10018. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. 108 HIGH POND RD LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 06/03/26. Office: New York County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, 251 Central Park West, Apartment 8A, New York, NY 10024. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. SKYLARK TALENT MANAGEMENT, LLC Articles of Org. filed NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 07/16/2024. Office in New York Co. SSNY desig. agent of LLC upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to 192 East 3rd Street, Apt, 4A, New York, NY 10009. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. GALLIUM PRESS LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 06/03/26. Office: New York County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, 15 West 67th Street, Suite 4FW, New York, NY 10023. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. Notice of Formation of VCW JV, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 06/10/26. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, 370 Lexington Ave., 23rd Fl., NY, NY 10017. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

101 LEGAL NOTICES

Notice of Formation of PHIPPS SOLAR I, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 06/04/26. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: c/o Phipps Houses, 257 Park Ave. South, 12th Fl., NY, NY 10010. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the addr. of its princ. office. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Cty. SSNY desig. for service of process. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, c/o Square Seven Management, LLC, 15 E 26th St, Ste 602, NY, NY 10010. Purpose: any lawful purpose

Notice of Formation of 65 CPW 1G LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 06/02/26. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Cindy Kadet, 65 Central Park West, Apt. 1G, NY, NY 10023. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of LUCID MEDIA ENTERTAINMENT PRODUCTIONS LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 06/10/26. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, 1 Saint St., Apt. 2, Brooklyn, NY 11217. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of CANNON MADISON LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 06/26/26. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 122072543. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of WHITTINGHAM LAW PLLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/29/26. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of PLLC: 3 Columbus Circle, Fl. 15, NY, NY 10019. SSNY designated as agent of PLLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the PLLC at the addr. of its princ. office. Purpose: Law.

Notice of Authority of RLB Official LLC. App. for Auth. filed with SSNY on 12/3/25. Offc. Loc: NY

Notice of formation of Anil R Shah Medical NYC PLLC. Arts. of Org. filed w/ Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/26/2025. Off. loc.: NY Cnty. SSNY designated as agent upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 519 E. 87th St., Apt. D, New York, NY 10128. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Notice of Formation of SEAL PARK VENTURES LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 6/16/2026. Office location: New York County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 245 8th Ave, #884, New York, NY 10011. Purpose: any lawful activity. SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF NEW YORK MEB LOAN TRUST VII, U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY, BUT SOLELY AS TRUSTEE, -againstLEWIS WU, ET AL. NOTICE OF SALE NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN pursuant to a Final Judgment of Foreclosure entered in the Office of the Clerk of the County of New York on January 3, 2025, wherein MEB LOAN TRUST VII, U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY, BUT SOLELY AS TRUSTEE is the Plaintiff and LEWIS WU, ET AL. are the Defendant(s). I, the undersigned Referee, will sell at public auction at the NEW YORK COUNTY CIVIL SUPREME COURTHOUSE, 60 CENTRE STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10007, on September 8, 2026 at 2:15PM, premises known as 80 ELIZABETH ST, UNIT 6J, A/K/A 80 ELIZABETH ST, NEW YORK, NY 10013; and the following tax map identification: 1-239-1075. THE CONDOMINIUM UNIT (THE “UNIT”) KNOWN AS UNIT NO. 6J IN THE BUILDING (THE “BUILDING”) KNOWN AS THE ROYAL ELIZABETH CONDOMINIUM (THE “CONDOMINIUM”) AND BY THE STREET NUMBER 80 ELIZABETH STREET, BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN, COUNTY, CITY

24 • August 27, 2026 - September 2, 2026

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

101 LEGAL NOTICES

AND STATE OF NEW YORK, SAID UNIT BEING DESIGNATED AND DESCRIBED BY THE ABOVE UNIT NO. 6J, IN A CERTAIN DECLARATION DATED SEPTEMBER 12, 1990, MADE BY 159 HESTER STREET REALTY ASSOCIATES, L.P., PURSUANT TO ARTICLE 9-B OF THE REAL PROPERTY LAW OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK (THE “CONDOMINIUM ACT”);

Esq., Referee File # 17-0930

VIOLATIONS BUREAU,

(212) 735-8600

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF New York, Freedom Mortgage Corporation, Plaintiff, vs. Farhad M. Boukani, ET AL., Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale and Decision + Order on Motion duly entered on December 19, 2022 and a Decision + Order on Motion duly entered on July 29, 2024, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the New York County Courthouse, to be posted outside of Room 130, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY 10007 on September 29, 2026 at 2:15 p.m., premises known as 467 Central Park West a/k/a 467 West Central Park, Unit No. 1-D, New York, NY 10025. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County of New York, City and State of New York, Block 1842 and Lot 1003 together with an undivided 0.4972 percent interest in the Common Elements. Approximate amount of judgment is $332,718.76 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #850053/2019. Roberta Ashkin, Esq., Referee Friedman Vartolo LLP, 85 Broad Street, Suite 501, New York, New York 10004, Attorneys for Plaintiff. Firm File No.: 244201-1

Defendants.

YORK U.S. BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS SUCCESSOR TRUSTEE TO BANK OF AMERICA, N.A. AS SUCCESSOR TO LASALLE BANK, N.A. AS TRUSTEE FOR THE HOLDERS OF THE MERRILL LYNCH FIRST FRANKLIN MORTGAGE LOAN TRUST, MORTGAGE LOAN ASSETBACKED CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2007-FF2, Plaintiff AGAINST JOSE BUCO A/K/A JOSE H. BUCO A/K/A JOSE SANDY H. BUCO A/K/A JOSE SANDY HAYAG BUCO; ET AL., Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered June 3, 2026, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the New York County Courthouse, see posted location outside room 130, at 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on September 15, 2026 at 2:15 pm, premises known as 350 West 42nd Street Unit 57D, New York, NY 10036. All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County, City and State of New York, Block: 1032 lot: 1517. Approximate amount of judgment $3,064,889.44 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #850001/2023. For sale information, please visit ServiceLink Auction at https:// www.servicelinkauction.com or call (866) 539-4173. Jeffrey R. Miller, Esq., Referee Fein, Such & Crane, LLP 28 East Main Street Rochester, NY 14614 SPSJC189 90984

TOGETHER WITH AN UNDIVIDED 0.8358% INTEREST IN THE COMMON ELEMENTS; ALL THAT CERTAIN PLOT, PIECE OR PARCEL OF LAND, WITH THE BUILDINGS AND IMPROVEMENTS THEREON ERECTED, SITUATE, LYING AND BEING IN THE BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN, COUNTY, CITY AND STATE OF NEW YORK Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index No.: 850209/2016. Scott H. Siller, Esq. - Referee. Robertson, Anschutz, Schneid, Crane & Partners, PLLC, 900 Merchants Concourse, Suite 310, Westbury, New York 11590, Attorneys for Plaintiff. All foreclosure sales will be conducted in accordance with Covid-19 guidelines including, but not limited to, social distancing and mask wearing. *LOCATION OF SALE SUBJECT TO CHANGE DAY OF IN ACCORDANCE WITH COURT/CLERK DIRECTIVES. NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT BRONX COUNTY PNC BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, Plaintiff against ANGELA MCGHEE AS BENEFICIARY UNDER THE LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OF STANFORD SHAW A/K/A STANDFORD SHAW, et al Defendant(s) Attorney for Plaintiff(s) Margolin, Weinreb & Nierer, LLP, 575 Underhill Boulevard, Suite 224, Syosset, NY 11791. Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered October 15, 2018, I will sell at public auction to the highest bidder at the Bronx County Courthouse, Courtroom 711 at 851 Grand Concourse, Bronx, New York on September 28, 2026 at 2:15PM. Premises known as 4084 Wilder Avenue, Bronx, New York 10466. Block 4984 Lot 33. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being at Edenwald, Borough and County of Bronx, City and State of New York. Approximate Amount of Judgment is $137,370.70 plus interest, fees, and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index No 32231/2015E. The foreclosure sale will be conducted in accordance with 12th Judicial District’s Covid-19 Policies and the Bronx County foreclosure auction rules. The Referee shall enforce any rules in place regarding facial coverings and social distancing. Charlane Brown,

NOTICE OF SALE Index No. 850660/2023 MORTGAGED PROPERTY: 635 W. 42nd Street, Unit 2E, Borough of Manhattan, City of New York, State of New York 10036 Assessment Roll: Tax Map No. 01090-1163 Mortgage Servicer: Citizens Bank, N.A. d/b/a Citizens One Home Loans Mortgage Service Telephone No.: 800-234-6002 SUPREME COURT STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF NEW YORK CITIZENS BANK, N.A., Plaintiff, -against- ANTHONY PERKINS a/k/a ANTHONY R. PERKINS a/k/a ANTHONY RAY PERKINS; CITIZENS BANK, N.A. f/k/a RBS CITIZENS, N.A.; THE BOARD OF MANAGERS OF THE ATELIER CONDOMINIUM; COMMISSIONER OF LABOR STATE OF NEW YORK; NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE; ROYAL BANK OF CANADA; PEARL DELTA FUNDING LLC; NEW YORK CITY TRANSIT ADJUDICATION BUREAU; and NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION PARKING

In pursuance of a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly made on June 4, 2026, and entered in the New York County Clerk’s Office on June 6, 2026, I, the undersigned, the referee, will now sell at public auction, at the New York County Courthouse located at 60 Center Street, New York, New York in room 252 on September 22, 2026, at 2:15 o’clock in the afternoon of that date, the premises directed by said judgment to be sold which are commonly known as 635 W. 42nd Street, Unit 2E, Borough of Manhattan, County of New York, City of New York, State of New York, Assessment Roll: Tax Map No. 01090-1163. A complete legal description can be obtained upon request from plaintiff’s attorney. Judgment amount - $842,896.62, plus interest, costs and expenses. Matthew D. Hunter, III, Esq. COOPER ERVING & SAVAGE, LLP Attorneys for Plaintiff 20 Corporate Woods Blvd., Ste. 501 Albany, New York 12211 (518) 449-3900 NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF New York, Stormfield SPV IV, LLC, Plaintiff, vs. Bowery Shed LLC, ET AL., Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale and Decision + Order on Motion duly entered on March 9, 2026, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the New York County Courthouse, room assignment will be posted outside of room 130, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY 10007 on September 22, 2026 at 2:15 p.m., premises known as 354 Bowery, Unit 3, New York, NY 10012. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County of New York, City and State of New York, Block 531 and Lot 1203 together with an undivided 16 percent interest in the Common Elements, as well as all personal property of Defendant as identified in that certain Consolidation, Extension and Modification Agreement, dated as of May 16, 2023, and recorded on May 23, 2023, as CRFN 2023000126995, and excluding any funds held by Plaintiff in any reserve, escrow, or suspense fund, and excluding any funds held by Plaintiff in any cash management account. Approximate amount of judgment is $1,197,719.00 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #850019/2025. Sofia Balile, Esq., Referee Polsinelli PC, Aaron P. Davis, Esq., 600 Third Avenue, 42nd Floor, New York, New York 10016, Attorneys for Plaintiff NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NEW

NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NEW YORK , Mary Djurasevic , Plaintiff, vs . Marcy Ellin Boucher, a/k/a Marcy Ellen Boucher, a/k/a Marcy E. Boucher a/k/a Marcy Boucher ET AL. , Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale and Decision + Order on Motion dated January 30 , 2025, and duly entered May 21, 2025 I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the New York County Supreme Court, Room 130, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on September 15th at 2:15 p.m., premises known as 406 West 25 th Street, New York, N.Y. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of New York, County of New York, City and State of New York, Block 722 and Lot 45. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 850003/2024. Approximate amount of judgment is $5,298,632.71, together with interest and costs. Jeffrey R. Miller, Esq., Referee Law Offices of Morrison Cohen LLP, Joaquin Ezcurra, Esq., 909 Third Avenue, 27 th Floor, New York, NY 10022-4784,

SUPPLEMENTAL SUMMONS–SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, COUNTY OF NEW YORK – CITY NATIONAL BANK, Plaintiff, -against- BRENT BOYCE AKA BRENT T. BOYCE, if he be living and if he be dead, the respective heirs-at-law, next-ofkin, distributes, executors, administrators, trustees, devisees, legatees, assignees, lienors, creditors and successors in interest and generally all persons having or claiming under, by or through said defendant who may be deceased, by purchase, inheritance, lien or inheritance, lien or otherwise any right, title or interest in or to the real property described in the complaint; NEW YORK CITY ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL BOARD, Defendants - Index No. 850569/2025 Plaintiff Designates New York County as the Place of Trial. The Basis of Venue is that the subject premises is situated in New York County. To the above named Defendants– YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the Complaint in this action and to serve a copy of your Answer or, if the Complaint is not served with this Summons, to serve a Notice of Appearance upon the Plaintiff’s attorney within twenty (20) days after the service of this Summons, exclusive of the date of service or within thirty (30) days after the service is complete if this Summons is not personally delivered to you within the State of New York. If you fail to so appear or answer, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the Complaint. That this Supplemental Summons is being filed pursuant to an order of the court dated July 9, 2026. NOTICE-YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME – If you do not respond to this summons and complaint by serving a copy of the answer on the attorney for the mortgage company who filed this foreclosure proceeding against you and filing the answer with the court, a default judgment may be entered and you can lose your home. Speak to an attorney or go to the court where your case is pending for further information on how to answer the summons and protect your property. Sending a payment to the mortgage company will not stop the foreclosure action. YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF (CITY NATIONAL BANK) AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT. The foregoing summons is served upon you by publication pursuant to an order of the Honorable Francis A. Kahn III J.S.C. Dated: July 9, 2026 Filed: July 9, 2026. The object of this action is to foreclose a mortgage and covering the premises known as 493 Manhattan Avenue, New York, NY 10027. Dated: June 16, 2026 Filed: July 27, 2026 Greenspoon Marder LLP, Attorney for Plaintiff, By: Raspreet

101 LEGAL NOTICES Bhatia, Esq.1345 Avenue of the Americas, Suite 2200, New York, NY 10105 P: (212) 5245000 F: (212) 524-5050 (No Service by fax) SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF NEW YORK Index No. 153744/2026 Purchased: 3-252026 SUMMONS Address of Subject Premises: Unit PH3-D 222 Riverside Drive New York, New York 10025Block: 1253 Lot: 1172 BOARD OF MANAGERS OF 222 RIVERSIDE DRIVE CONDOMINIUM, Plaintiff, -againstPATRICK VIDAVER, Defendant. To the Above Named Defendant: You are hereby summoned to answer the complaint of the plaintiff in this action and to serve a copy of your answer on the plaintiff’s attorneys at the address indicated below within twenty (20) days after service of this Summons (not counting the day of service itself) or within thirty (30) days after ser-vice is complete if this Summons is not delivered personally to you within the State of New York. You are hereby notified that, should you fail to answer or appear, a judgment will be entered against you by default for the relief demanded in the complaint. The basis of the venue designated is the county in which the subject of the action is situated, as required by CPLR § 507. Dated: New York New York March 24, 2026 The Grun Law Group, P.C. By: Karen E. McArthur, Esq. Attorneys for Plaintiff 424 Madison Avenue, 2nd Floor New York, New York 10017 (212) 973-3332 kmcarthur@grunlawgroup.com NOTICE: This is an action to foreclose on a statutory lien for unpaid condominium common charges. The relief sought is to have the condominium unit described below sold according to law, and that the proceeds arising from the sale be brought into court, and that there be paid therefrom, insofar as the monies properly applicable thereto will pay the same, the expenses of the sale and the other sums due to plaintiff pursuant to the lien, together with interest, attorneys’ fees and disbursements of this action to the date of payment. The subject of this action is the following property: The condominium unit known as Apartment PH3-D at 222 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10025; Block 1253, Lot 1172 SUPREME COURT-NEW YORK COUNTYHILTON RESORTS CORP., Pltf. v. TALIA N. PLAUT, Deft. - Index # 850015/2025. Pursuant to Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated May 28, 2026, I will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse located at 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, at 2:15 pm, an interest of an undivided 0.047201260419194% tenant in common interest

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in the timeshare known as 48TH STREET VACATION SUITES located at 12 East 48th Street, New York, NY. Approximate amount of judgment is $23,658.41 plus costs and interest as of March 4, 2026. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale which includes annual maintenance fees and charges. Jeffrey R. Miller, Esq., Referee. Cruser, Mitchell, Novitz, Sanchez, Gaston, & Zimet LLP, Attys. for Pltf., 341 Conklin Street, Farmingdale, NY

(SSNY) on 04/07/2026. Office location: Bronx County. SSNY designated as an agent of Limited Liability Company (LLC) upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY should mail process to Ransford Redman: 40B Adler Place, Bronx, NY, 10475. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

retary of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/03/2026. Office location: New York County (Manhattan). SSNY designated as an agent of Limited Liability Company (LLC) upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY should mail process to Catherine A Sullivan: 310 1st Ave Apt 7H, New York, NY 10009. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

whom process against it may be served. SSNY should mail process to REPUBLIC REGISTERED AGENT SERVICES INC.: 54 STATE STREET, STE 804 ALBANY, NY, 12207, USA. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

whom process against it may be served. SSNY should mail process to Mohammad Sadeghi Ghahareh: m.sadeghi@msgwe.com. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

whom process against it may be served. SSNY should mail process to Demi Lingo: 6634 108th Street Apt. 2B, Forest Hills, New York 11375. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Notice of formation of Fushia Financials, LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/16/2021. Office location: New York County (Manhattan). SSNY designated as an agent of Limited Liability Company (LLC) upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY should mail process to The LLC: 99 Wall Street Ste 5301, New York, NY 10005. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Notice of formation of VELOR FILMS, LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 03/27/2026. Office location: New York County (Manhattan). SSNY designated as an agent of Limited Liability Company (LLC) upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY should mail process to Northwest Registered Agent LLC: 418 Broadway, STE N Albany, NY 12207. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK JG FUNDING CORP., Plaintiff -against- 1363 FIRST OWNER LLC; 453 EAST 83RD STREET LLC; PERL WEISZ; CHESKIE WEISZ; NEW YORK CITY ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL BOARD; NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF TAXATION; NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TAXATION AND FINANCE; SHARESTATES INVESTMENTS, LLC; LEVON CAPITAL LLC; “JOHN DOE #1” through “JOHN DOE #99,”, Defendant(s). Pursuant to a judgment of foreclosure and sale dated October 4, 2024 and entered on October 15, 2024, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction in Room 130 at the portico of the New York County Courthouse located at 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on September 8, 2026 at 2:15 p.m., the premises known as 1363 1ST AVENUE, NEW YORK, NY 10021; Block 1448, Lot 24 and 453 E 83RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10028; Block 1563, Lot 121 as more fully described in the complaint and Judgment. Approximate amount of lien $7,490,500.00 plus interest and costs Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale. Index Number 850430/2023 ELAINE SHAY, ESQ., Referee MENASHE AND LAPA LLP, ATTORNEY(S) FOR PLAINTIFF 400 RELLA BLVD., SUITE 190, SUFFERN, NY 10901 DATED: June 22, 2026 Notice of formation of Gluck & Co. LLP. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 7/30/2026. Office location: New York County (Manhattan). SSNY designated as an agent of Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY should mail process to Secretary of State of New York (SSNY): Gluck & Co. LLP, 305 Broadway, Suite 731, New York, NY 10007. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. Notice of formation of Redman Protective Service LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY

Notice of formation of Voyzant LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/13/2026. Office location: New York County (Manhattan). SSNY designated as an agent of Limited Liability Company (LLC) upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY should mail process to VOYZANT LLC: ayesha@voyzantus.com. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. Notice of formation of THE WONDER TREE LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 1/12/2026. Office location: New York County (Manhattan). SSNY designated as an agent of Limited Liability Company (LLC) upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY should mail process to ENTITY PROTECT REGISTERED AGENT SERVICES LLC: 447 Broadway, 2nd Fl. - #3000, New York, NY 10013. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. Notice of formation of In The Ether Productions LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 6/20/2026. Office location: New York County (Manhattan). SSNY designated as an agent of Limited Liability Company (LLC) upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY should mail process to LegalZoom USCA, INC.: 45 Main Street Suite 28 Brooklyn,NY 11201. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. Notice of formation of DROPPINGJEMZ LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/05/2026. Office location: New York County (Manhattan). SSNY designated as an agent of Limited Liability Company (LLC) upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY should mail process to LEGALZOOM USCA, INC. 45 MAIN STREET, SUITE 238 BROOKLYN, NY, 11201, USA: DROPPINGEMZLLC@outloo.com. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. Notice of formation of 10 Topaz EH, LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 6/22/2026. Office location: New York County (Manhattan). SSNY designated as an agent of Limited Liability Company (LLC) upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY should mail process to Andrew Koff: PO Box 111 New York, NY 10028. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. Notice of formation of Older Sister Events, LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Sec-

Notice of formation of Manvi Mittal PR. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 04/19/2026. Office location: New York County (Manhattan). SSNY designated as an agent of Limited Liability Company (LLC) upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY should mail process to Manvi Mittal: manvimittal.pr@gmail. com. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. Notice of formation of Sutra Sangha. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/04/2026. Office location: New York County (Manhattan). SSNY designated as an agent of Limited Liability Company (LLC) upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY should mail process to Florence Homolka: 110 W 86th St # Apt 5D. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. Notice of formation of Platinum Lux LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 06/26/26. Office location: Bronx County. SSNY designated as an agent of Limited Liability Company (LLC) upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY should mail process to Jose David Mora: 2600 Marion Avenue. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. Notice of formation of Gluck & Co. LLP. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/30/2026. Office location: New York County (Manhattan). SSNY designated as an agent of Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY should mail process to Gluck & Co. LLP: info@gluckllp.com. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Notice of formation of BENOOSH LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/17/2026. Office location: New York County (Manhattan). SSNY designated as an agent of Limited Liability Company (LLC) upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY should mail process to The Secretary of State: 106 W, 117th St, New York, NY, 10026. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. Notice of formation of Redman Protective Service LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 04/07/2026. Office location: Bronx County. SSNY designated as an agent of Limited Liability Company (LLC) upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY should mail process to Redman Protective Service LLC: emeldara@yahoo.com. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. Notice of formation of Cavu Books LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/10/2026. Office location: New York County (Manhattan). SSNY designated as an agent of Limited Liability Company (LLC) upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY should mail process to Elizabeth Anne Savery: 105 West 13 Street, Apt. 16D, New York, NY 10011. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. Notice of formation of 360 Event Supplies, LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 7/21/2026. Office location: New York County (Manhattan). SSNY designated as an agent of Limited Liability Company (LLC) upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY should mail process to The LLC: 228 Park Avenue South #201242 New York, NY 10003. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Notice of formation of STOREY GALLERY, LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/25/2026. Office location: New York County (Manhattan). SSNY designated as an agent of Limited Liability Company (LLC) upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY should mail process to STOREY GALLERY, LLC: 60 Russell St, Brooklyn, NY 11222. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Notice of formation of WSA Culinary LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 6/11/2026. Office location: New York County (Manhattan). SSNY designated as an agent of Limited Liability Company (LLC) upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY should mail process to c/o United Agent Group Inc.: 600 Mamaroneck Avenue #400, Harrison, NY 10528. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Notice of formation of NAPOLI BITES LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/01/2026. Office location: Bronx County. SSNY designated as an agent of Limited Liability Company (LLC) upon

Notice of formation of LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 7/18/2026. Office location: New York County (Manhattan). SSNY designated as an agent of Limited Liability Company (LLC) upon

Notice of formation of KW Consulting LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 7/19/2026. Office location: New York County (Manhattan). SSNY designated as an agent of Limited Liability Company (LLC) upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY should mail process to Kaizheng Wang: 500 W 120th St #419, New York, NY 10027. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. Notice of formation of Brookdale Farms LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/02/2026. Office location: New York County (Manhattan). SSNY designated as an agent of Limited Liability Company (LLC) upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY should mail process to Matt DeGraw: 2 Brookdale Place, Rye, NY 10580. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. Notice of formation of Imagine F&B NYC LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/07/2026. Office location: New York County (Manhattan). SSNY designated as an agent of Limited Liability Company (LLC) upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY should mail process to REGISTERED AGENT SOLUTIONS, INC.: 99 WASHINGTON AVENUE, SUITE 1008, ALBANY, NY, 12260. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. Notice of formation of Litmatic, LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 7/02/2026. Office location: New York County (Manhattan). SSNY designated as an agent of Limited Liability Company (LLC) upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY should mail process to Kenneth Musante: 127 W83rd St, #227, New York NY, 10024. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. Notice of formation of DEMI LINGO STUDIO LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 06/18/2026. Office location: New York County (Manhattan). SSNY designated as an agent of Limited Liability Company (LLC) upon

Notice of Qualification of SUREGO TECHOLOGIES LLC. Certificate of Authority filed with Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/01/2026. Office location: New York County (Manhattan). Limited Liability Company (LLC) formed on 04/20/2026. SSNY designated as agent of Limited Liability Company (LLC) upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Registered Agent Solutions, Inc: 195 Canal St Suite 203 New York, NY 10013. Articles of Organization originally filed with Secretary of State (SOS). 1603 Capitol Ave Suite 310 Cheyenne, WY 82001 Purpose: Any lawful purpose. Notice of Qualification of Alexander White Agnecy, LLC. Certificate of Authority filed with Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 7/01/2026. Office location: New York County (Manhattan). Limited Liability Company (LLC) formed on 07/30/2013. SSNY designated as agent of Limited Liability Company (LLC) upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Alexander White: 12 E 49th Street, Floor 11, New York, NY 10017. Articles of Organization originally filed with Secretary of State (SOS). 999 Peachtree Street NE , Suite 400, Atlanta, GA 30309 Purpose: Any lawful purpose. KINAN LLC Articles of Org. filed NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 06/17/2026. Office in New York Co. SSNY desig. agent of LLC upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to 228 Park Ave S #235091, New York, NY 10003. Legalzoom Usca, Inc. desig. as agent for SOP 45 Main Street, Suite 238, Brooklyn, NY 11201. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. HOMES AND MORE LLC. App. for Auth. filed with the SSNY on 06/25/26. Originally filed with the Secretary of State of Delaware on 06/22/26. Office: New York County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, 122 East 42nd Street, Ste 2405, New York, NY 10168. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

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be served and shall mail process to: c/o St. Marks Hotel, 2 St. Marks Place, New York, NY 10003. Purpose: any lawful act.

Bronough St, Tallahassee, FL 32399. Purpose: any lawful activity

Notice of Qualification of INTERNATIONAL AFFILIATES LLC, d/b/a NEXTGUARD INSURANCE AGENCY LLC. Application for Authority filed with Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/20/2026. Office location: New York County. LLC formed in Florida on 06/14/2019. LLC is not required to maintain an office in Florida. Principal office of LLC: 3000 S Ocean Drive, Apt 608, Hollywood, FL 33019. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: International Affiliates LLC, 3000 S Ocean Drive, Apt 608, Hollywood, FL 33019. Address of the officer in Florida where a copy of the Articles of Organization may be obtained: Secretary of State, State of Florida Division of Corporations, 2415 N Monroe Street, Suite 810, Tallahassee, FL 32303. Purpose: any lawful activity.

LEGAL NOTICE OF POSTPONEMENT OF SALE SUPREME COURT ‑ COUNTY OF NEW YORK. SIG CRE 2023 VENTURE LLC, Plaintiff ‑against‑ 161‑21 JAMAICA HOLDING LLC, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated and entered on June 2, 2026, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the New York County Supreme Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY, in the courtroom designated by the posting outside of Room 130, on Tuesday, September 8, 2026 at 2:15 p.m. premises situate, lying and being at Jamaica, Borough of Queens, City of New York, County of Queens and State of New York, the Condominium Unit known as the Retail Unit known as “161‑21 Jamaica Avenue Condominium” together with a 27% undivided interest in the common elements. Block: 9760 Lot: 1001 Said premises known as 161‑19/161‑25 JAMAICA AVENUE, RETAIL UNIT a/k/a 89‑74 162ND STREET, RETAIL UNIT, JAMAICA, NY 11432 Approximate amount of lien $6,830,564.65 plus interest & costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment, as amended by that certain Amended Decision + Order on Motion, dated August 18, 2026 and entered on August 19, 2026, and Terms of Sale. Index Number 850180/2025. DORON LEIBY, ESQ., Referee Holland & Knight LLP Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 787 Seventh Avenue, 31st Floor, New York, NY 10019 The above sale, originally scheduled for August 11, 2026 at 2:15 p.m. has been postponed. The new sale date has been rescheduled for September 8, 2026 at the same time and place. DORON LEIBY, ESQ., Referee. {* AMSTERDAM*}

to terms and conditions of filed amended judgment and terms of sale. JERRY A. MEROLA, Referee. WESTERMAN, BALL EDERER, MILLER, ZUCKER & SHARFSTEIN, LLP, Attys for Pltf., 1201 RXR Plaza, Uniondale, NY 11556 #103144

JWCM COF I MF ADMIN, LLC Auth. filed w/ SSNY 8/3/26. Off. in NY Co. Cert of Form. filed w/ SSDE 7/31/26. Process served to SSNY - desig. as agt. of LLC & mailed to 445 Park Ave., Ste. 1600, NY, NY 10022. Add. maintd. in DE: 1209 Orange St., Wilmington, DE 19801. Name & add. of auth. officer in DE where Cert of Form filed: SSDE, Div. of Corp, John G Townsend Bldg, 401 Federal St, Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Any lawful purpose.

Notice of formation of Restorative Retreats, LLC . Arts. of Org. filed w/ Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/13/2026 . Off. loc.: New York Cnty. SSNY designated as agent upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 220 East 65th St, #11EF, New York, NY 10065. Purpose: Any lawful activity. VTID LLC filed Arts. of Org. with the Sect’y of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/6/2025. Office: New York County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: The LLC, 2 Cornelia St, Apt 801, New York, NY 10014. Purpose: any lawful act. KYRIAKOULI GROUP LLC Articles of Org. filed NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 6/10/26. Office in New York Co. SSNY desig. agent of LLC upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to 808 Columbus Ave (17m), (c/o Pauline Cho), New York, NY 10015. Any lawful purpose

STUDIO ARMANDO AGUIRRE LLC. Arts. of Org. filed SSNY 03/18/2025. Office: New York County. SSNY designated as agent for process & shall mail copy to: THE LLC, 73 W 11th St, Apt 4R, New York, NY 10011. Registered agent: United States Corporation Agents, Inc., 7014 13th Ave, Ste 202, Brooklyn, NY 11228. Purpose: any lawful act or activity.

NY County. SSNY designated as agent upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of any process to: Vness, LLC at 1001 Ave of the Americas, 2nd Fl, NY, NY 10018. Reg. Agent: eResidentAgent, Inc. 1 Rockefeller Plaza Ste 1204, NY, NY 10020. P/B/A: 1001 Ave of the Americas, 2nd Fl, NY, NY 10018. Purpose: any lawful activity.

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF RADIO MAN, LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 7/29/26. Office Loc. NY County. SSNY designated as agent upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of any process to: Radio Man, LLC at PO Box 778, NY, NY 10013. Reg. Agent: eResidentAgent, Inc. 1 Rockefeller Plaza Ste 1204, NY, NY 10020. P/B/A: 205 Hudson St, Ste 1002, NY, NY 10013. Purpose: any lawful activity.

Notice of formation of SEALED WITH SNARK LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 07/15/2026. Office located in NEW YORK. SSNY is designated for service of process. SSNY shall mail a copy of any process served against the LLC to SEALED WITH SNARK LLC 99 WALL STREET #2319, NEW YORK, NY, 10005, USA. Purpose: any lawful purpose.

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF VNESS, LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 2/19/26. Office Loc.

169 OXFORD BLVD LLC filed Arts. of Org. with the Sect’y of State of NY (SSNY) on 3/2/2026. Office: New York County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may

NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF SUKHADAA NY, LLC. Appl. for Auth. filed with the Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 7/21/26. Office Loc. New York County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 7/21/26. SSNY designated as agent upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of any process to: Sukhadaa NY, LLC at 3940 Laurel Canyon Blvd., #946, Studio City, CA 91604. Reg. Agent: eResidentAgent, Inc.1 Rockefeller Plaza Ste 1204, NY, NY 10020. DE address of LLC is 500 Delaware Ave., 903, Wilmington, DE 19801. P/B/A: 3940 Laurel Canyon Blvd., #946, Studio City, CA 91604. Cert. of LLC filed with Secy. of State of DE located at 401 Federal St, 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: any lawful activity NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF MILLS VINTAGE LLC. Appl. for Auth. filed with the Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 8/3/26. Office Loc. NY County. LLC formed in FL on 12/11/14. SSNY designated as agent upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of any process to: MILLS VINTAGE LLC at PO Box 65063, Los Angeles, CA 90065. Reg. Agent: eResidentAgent, Inc. 1 Rockefeller Plaza Ste 1204, NY, NY 10020. P/B/A: 2532 Garfield St, Hollywood, FL 33020. Cert. of LLC filed with Secy. of State of FL located at R.A. Gray Building, 500 S

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT: NEW YORK COUNTY. FLUSHING BANK, Pltf. vs. CORY REALTY, INC., et al, Defts. Index #850032/2022. Pursuant to an amended judgment of foreclosure and sale entered July 15, 2026, I will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on September 22, 2026 at 2:15 p.m. premises k/a 747 St. Nicholas Avenue, New York, NY 10031 a/k/a Block 2062, Lot 132. Said property beginning at a point on the Westerly line of St. Nicholas Avenue, distance 93 ft. 8 inches North of the Northwesterly corner of 147th St. and St. Nicholas Avenue, being a plot 100 ft. x 18 ft. 9 inches. Approximate amount of judgment is $2,965,996.90 plus costs and interest. Sold subject

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT ‑ COUNTY OF NEW YORK. HNY CLUB SUITES OWNERS ASSOCIATION INC., BY AND THROUGH ITS BOARD OF DIRECTORS, Plaintiff ‑against‑ PEARLIE DIANE MANNING A/K/A DIANE MANNING AS HEIR AT LAW AND DISTRIBUTEE OF THE ESTATE OF ROBERT L. MANNING, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated July 8, 2026, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the New York County Supreme Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY, in the courtroom designated by the posting outside of Room 130, on September 15, 2026 at 2:15 p.m. premises being an undivided ownership interest as tenant‑in‑common with other owners in the Timeshare Unit in the building located at 1335 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY; known as The NYH Condominium. Together with an appurtenant undivided 0.0381% in common interest percentage. This is a foreclosure on ownership interest in a timeshare unit, a studio penthouse on a floating use basis every year, in accordance with and subject to declarations. Declaration of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions dated October 27, 2003 and November 3, 2003 as CFRN # 2003000442512 as recorded in the Office of the City Register, County, City and State of New York. The Timeshare Unit is also designated as Block 1006 and Lot 1302. Said premises known as 1335 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS, NEW YORK, NY 10019 Approximate amount of lien $28,982.63 plus interest & costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale. Index Number 850082/2023. HARVEY STEVEN MARS, ESQ., Referee DRUCKMAN LAW GROUP PLLC Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 242 Drexel Avenue, Westbury, NY 11590 DLG# 39064 {* AMSTERDAM*}

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT ‑ COUNTY OF NEW YORK. 57TH ST. VACATION OWNERS ASSOCIATION, INC., BY AND THROUGH ITS BOARD OF DIRECTORS, Plaintiff ‑against‑ MARY C. REGAN, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated July 21, 2026, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the New York County Supreme Courthouse,

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60 Centre Street, New York, NY, in the courtroom designated by the posting outside of Room 130, on September 15, 2026 at 2:15 p.m. premises situate, ly‑ ing and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County of New York, City and State of New York, be‑ ing an undivided ownership interest as tenant‑in‑common with other owners in the Time‑ share Unit in the building lo‑ cated at 102 West 57th Street, New York, NY. Together with an appurtenant undivided .009864% common interest per‑ centage. This is a foreclosure on ownership interest in a time‑ share unit, a studio penthouse on a floating use basis every year, in accordance with and subject to declarations. Decla‑ ration of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions dated October 10, 2008 and October 31, 2008 as CFRN # 2008000426142 as recorded in the Office of the City Register, County, City and State of New York. The Time‑ share Unit is also designated as Block 1009 and Lot 37. Said premises known as 102 WEST 57TH STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10019 Approximate amount of lien $74,553.96 plus interest & costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale. Index Number 850166/2023. ROBERTA ASHKIN, ESQ., Ref‑ eree DRUCKMAN LAW GROUP PLLC Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 242 Drexel Avenue, Westbury, NY 11590 DLG# 39133 {* AMSTERDAM*}

against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corpora‑ tion Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. Pur‑ pose: Any lawful activity.

Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 06/05/26. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Dela‑ ware (DE) on 05/26/26. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Bennet L. Schonfeld, 183 Madison Ave., Ste. 1602, NY, NY 10016. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State of the State of DE, 401 Federal St., Ste. #4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

(DE) on 05/28/26. Princ. office of LP: 375 Park Ave., 34th Fl., NY, NY 10152. Duration of LP is Perpetual. SSNY designated as agent of LP upon whom pro‑ cess against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 122072543. Name and addr. of each general partner are available from SSNY. DE addr. of LP: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of LP filed with DE Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT. NEW YORK COUNTY. WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE, FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE HOLDERS OF CD 2019-CD8 MORTGAGE TRUST COM‑ MERCIAL MORTGAGE PASSTHROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2019-CD8, Pltf. vs. 63 SPRING LAFAYETTE, LLC, et al Deft. Index# 850042/2022. Pursuant to judgment of fore‑ closure and sale entered April 23, 2025, I will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on September 29, 2026 at 2:15 p.m. prem. k/a 63 Spring Street, New York, NY a/k/a Block 496, Lot 34. Approximate amount of judgment is $28,125,967.56 plus cost and interest. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed judgment and terms of sale. ELAINE SHAY, Referee. BALLARD SPAHR LLP, Attys. for Pltf., 1675 Broadway, 19 Floor, New York, NY. #103137 Notice of Formation of MAIL‑ LARD ART SERVICES LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/07/26. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 23 E 73rd St., NY, NY 10021. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process

Notice of Formation of RHODES CREDIT PARTNERS II LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/23/26. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 120 W. 45th St., 2nd Fl., NY, NY 10036. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom pro‑ cess against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the addr. of its princ. of‑ fice. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of SWIRL PROJECTS LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 06/26/26. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 41 Fifth Ave., Apt. 15A, NY, NY 10003. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom pro‑ cess against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Isabelle D. Conner at the princ. office of the LLC. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of 130E6312B, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 06/26/26. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom pro‑ cess against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 122072543. Purpose: Any lawful ac‑ tivity.

Notice of Formation of BOW LIFT LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/07/26. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 200 Park Ave. South, Fl. 8, NY, NY 10003. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom pro‑ cess against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the addr. of its princ. of‑ fice. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of AVID RISK PARTNERS, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/16/26. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: Avid Holdings, LLC, 14 East 33rd St., Ste. 7S, NY, NY 10016. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the addr. of its princ. office. Pur‑ pose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of PO‑ NYGIRL PRODUCTIONS LLC

Notice of Qualification of SARA ADLER ADVISORY, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/23/26. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Dela‑ ware (DE) on 01/27/26. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, 40 E. 83rd St., Apt. 6S, NY, NY 10028. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of KRANE NEW ENERGY IN‑ FRASTRUCTURE FUND 3 L.P. Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/03/26. Office location: NY County. LP formed in Delaware (DE) on 07/29/26. Princ. office of LP: 280 Park Ave., 32nd Fl., NY, NY 10017. Duration of LP is Perpetual. SSNY designated as agent of LP upon whom pro‑ cess against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 122072543. Name and addr. of each general partner are available from SSNY. DE addr. of LP: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilm‑ ington, DE 19808. Cert. of LP filed with Secy. of State of the State of DE, 401 Federal St., Ste.4, Dover, DE 19901. Pur‑ pose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of DAT‑ AMINER, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 06/18/26. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom pro‑ cess against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Dr. Albert Sebag, 145 East 76th St., Apt. 5A, NY, NY 10021. Pur‑ pose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of SOUND POINT U.S. DIRECT LENDING FUND IV (RN FEED‑ ER) L.P. Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/17/26. Office location: NY County. LP formed in Delaware

August 27, 2026 - September 2, 2026 • 27

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Notice of Qualification of SOUND POINT U.S. DIRECT LENDING FUND IV (ON‑ SHORE) L.P. Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/17/26. Office location: NY County. LP formed in Delaware (DE) on 05/29/26. Princ. office of LP: 375 Park Ave., 34th Fl., NY, NY 10152. Duration of LP is Perpetual. SSNY designated as agent of LP upon whom pro‑ cess against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 122072543. Name and addr. of each general partner are available from SSNY. DE addr. of LP: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of LP filed with DE Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of WFFA ADVISORS, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/07/26. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Dela‑ ware (DE) on 02/26/25. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, 237 West 35th St., Ste. 1001, NY, NY 10001. DE addr. of LLC: c/o Corporation Service Co., 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State of DE, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of BOW‑ HEAD MISSION SOLUTIONS, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/21/26. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Alaska (AK) on 01/23/14. Princ. office of LLC: 6564 Loisdale Ct., Ste. 900, Springfield, VA 22150. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corpora‑ tion Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. Cert. of Form. filed with Commission‑ er, 333 Willoughby Ave., 9th Fl., Juneau, AK 99801. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of OFF THE COUCH CLUB HOLD‑ INGS LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/24/26. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Dela‑ ware (DE) on 07/23/26. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, 40 E. 83rd St., Apt. 6S, NY, NY 10028. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of GO‑ LAN CONSULTING LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/11/26. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Dela‑ ware (DE) on 04/22/26. Princ. office of LLC: 217 W 18th St. #81, NY, NY 10113. SSNY des‑ ignated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail pro‑ cess to the LLC at the princ. of‑ fice of the LLC. DE addr. of LLC: c/o Corporation Service Co., 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington,

DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State of DE, Dept. of State, Div. of Corps., John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of CIG DEVELOPMENT MANAGE‑ MENT LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/17/26. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Dela‑ ware (DE) on 07/11/25. Princ. office of LLC: 2101 Wilson Blvd., Ste. 525, Arlington, VA 22201. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom pro‑ cess against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Attn: Marisa McGaughey at the princ. office of the LLC. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808-1674. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, 401 Federal St. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of BLACKSTONE TACTICAL OP‑ PORTUNITIES FUND (VG COINVEST) L.P. Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/15/26. Office location: NY County. LP formed in Delaware

28 • August 27, 2026 - September 2, 2026

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195LEGAL HELP WANTED 101 NOTICES

(DE) on 05/28/26. Princ. office of LP: 345 Park Ave., NY, NY 10154. Duration of LP is Perpetual. SSNY designated as agent of LP upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 122072543. Name and addr. of each general partner are available from SSNY. DE addr. of LP: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of LP filed with DE Secy. of State, Div. of Corps., John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., #4, Dover, DE 19801. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

office of LLC: 211 S Main St., Joplin, MO 64801-2307. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

1 • February 20, 2025 - February 26, 2025

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the distrust between communities of color and law enforcement … people are actually being harassed on a regular basis when they’re going to work, or when they’re going back to their homes, or when they’re leaving their homes,” McLaurin said, also noting that the extensive training specialized units received has failed to stem these issues. “It’s just a testament to the fact that you can have all the training in the world, but that training is not necessarily a panacea and doesn’t fix a broken culture of unconstitutional policing,” McLaurin said. Going forward, the monitor has set a benchmark of 90% lawful compliance for stops, frisks, and searches for the remainder of 2026. But McLaurin says that Mayor Zohran Mamdani can and should take more significant action. “We think it would be appropriate for the [Mamdani] administration to step in and to make reforms as needed, because we don’t want to wait until the end of next year just to get a similar report, and I think that New Yorkers deserve better,” he said. Tefft said that disbanding

the units should be the minimum action taken, and that a further accounting of proactive policing strategy is needed. “I think the structure of selfinitiated stops is what allows a lot of the unconstitutional behaviors to flourish,” she said. “Even if the units ultimately were disbanded, we want to make sure that there’s a deeper analysis of the problems that are driving the constitutional noncompliance here to make sure that we don’t see the same issues just cropping up in another way with a new unit and a different name.” It is unclear what, if any, action the city will take in response to the report. The Mamdani administration said that it would be reviewing the report, emphasizing the importance of constitutional policing. “The Mamdani administration believes that constitutional policing, justice, and public safety must go hand in hand,” spokesperson Sam Raskin said. “We are reviewing the report closely and will continue working to ensure the Police Department keeps New Yorkers safe while upholding their constitutional rights.”

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195LEGAL HELP WANTED WANTED 101 NOTICES 195 HELP

Notice is hereby given that a license, serial #NA-0340-25103028 for beer, wine & liquor has been applied for by the undersigned to sell beer, wine & liquor at retail in a restaurant under the ABC Law at 994 Columbus Ave., New York, NY 10025 for on-premises consumption; Limone LLC

Notice of Qualification of AP CREDIT SOLUTIONS HOLDINGS (AIV) II, L.P. Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 01/08/25. Office location: NY County. LP formed in Delaware (DE) on 12/26/24. Princ. office of LP: Attn: General Counsel, 9 W. 57th St., 43rd Fl., NY, NY 10019. Duration of LP is Perpetual. SSNY designated as agent of LP upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the Partnership at the princ. office of the LP. Name and addr. of each general partner are available from SSNY. DE addr. of LP: c/o Corporation Service Co., 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of LP filed with The Secy. of State of the State of DE, Dept. of State, Div. of Corps., John Townsend Bldg., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Occupational Therapist Priority Care Staffing. Full time. Bronx. 75,712/year (36.4/ hour) Evaluate patients’ conditions; Develop and implement treatment plans; Demonstrate exercises to help relieve patients’ pain; Evaluate results and progress of occupational therapy on patients; Educate caregivers and family members of clients on patient care. usotjobs@prioritycarestaffing. com.

NOTICE is hereby given that a license, number NA-0370-24135212 for liquor, wine, beer & cider has been applied for by the undersigned to sell liquor, wine, beer & cider at retail in a bar/tavern under the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law at 4371 3rd Ave; Bronx, NY 10457 in Bronx County for on premises consumption. Zion Restaurant and Lounge Corp d/b/a Zion Restaurant and Lounge

Brian Lawrence (617) 704 - 3735 brian.lawrence@ amsterdamnews.com

101 LEGAL NOTICES

Ranialee Kanazi, LCSW, PLLC, Arts of Org filed with SSNY on 11/11/25. Off. Loc: New York County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to: The PLLC 225 West 35th St 7th FL, New York NY 10001. Purpose: to engage in the Licensed Clinical Social Work.

Notice of Qualification of 5FLR23, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/10/26. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 07/09/26. Princ.

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TO DISPLAY YOUR LEGAL, LLC, AND CLASSIFIEDS ADS CONTACT: ALI MILLINER  (347) 350-4316  ALI.MILLINER@AMSTERDAMNEWS.COM

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Adams indictment Continued from page 4

NYPD specialized units Continued from page 2

NYPD met that goal was for stops during the third quarter of 2025. In comparison, patrol officers and officers in other nonspecialized units had lawful compliance rates of 94% for stops, 83% for frisks, and 79% for searches in 2025. The monitor also found that the NYPD failed to audit the stops made by its CRT officers between 2023 and March 2026, violating court orders. A department spokesperson did not respond to the specific findings in the report, but said that the department would be reviewing it. “The NYPD has gone from over 680,000 reported stops in 2011 to less than 30,000 in 2025. There is still more work to be done, and the NYPD continues those efforts in collaboration with the Federal Monitor and her team,” the spokesperson said. The Legal Aid Society and the Legal Defense Fund reiterated their call for the units to be disbanded in response to the report. Karina Tefft, an attorney at the Legal Aid Society, said the report was

disappointing but not surprising. “This issue runs very deep. It’s been going on a long time, and we are far past the point of this needing to be corrected,” Tefft said. “One of the most staggering statistics here concerns racial disparities. … While there were periods where the total volume of stops being conducted by NYPD had decreased, the real constant throughout that time has been significant disparities in the volume of stops of Black and Hispanic people,” she added. Charles McLaurin, an attorney at the Legal Defense Fund, said the racial disparities are indicative of a flawed policing model. Specialized units are deployed to high crime areas, neighborhoods that often have predominantly Black and Brown residents, and directed to make self-initiated stops. AmNews recently reported on community concerns around Neighborhood Safety Teams in a series on gun possession enforcement. “It’s really just exacerbating

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

August 27, 2026 - September 2, 2026 • 29

necting people in need to apartments. The administration released the Streamlining Procedures to Expedite Equitable Development (SPEED) report in May 2026, outlining the short-term and longterm goals of speeding up the affordable housing “lease-up” system. The SPEED report noted that the lengthy delays in leasing are especially hard on individuals living in shelters. “The Mayor’s housing plan, Block by Block, lays out a series of vital changes that will reimagine the entire lottery process from the ground up, with the goal of reducing wait times and making it easier for eligible New Yorkers to access our affordable housing stock,” said HPD’s Deputy Press Secretary Kim Moscaritolo in a statement. “While we’re working to overhaul these systems, we shouldn’t ignore the existing

successes; for each of the nearly 15,000 families who received affordable housing through HPD’s Housing Connect and Homeless Placements pathways in FY 2025 alone, it has been life-changing.” The Block by Block plan is intended to modernize and reimagine Housing Connect’s entire lottery process from the ground up, with the goal of reducing the median lease-up time from 210 days to fewer than 100 days, said HPD. HPD said it is currently in the process of making a series of changes that will shorten the lottery application period, streamline income verification processes, and improve cumbersome paper application reviews. This will include reducing the amount of time lotteries remain open to 21 days; simplifying income verification, starting with the easiest documents to

obtain; streamlining paper application requirements; simplifying guidelines for both property managers and applicants; and streamlining the applicant selection process. “We are also launching new and fixing existing programs to more efficiently move homeless New Yorkers from shelters into permanent affordable homes, including supportive housing,” said HPD. While HPD is working on making the lottery system more efficient, Mamdani recently announced a “Fix the City” push to fast-track critical housing court cases as well. Housing court judges will expedite cases involving vacate orders, hazardous conditions or elevator outages, and landlord neglect. The intent is to deliver on promises of justice and repairs for the city’s tenants, said the city.

dustry in particular very hard. The Year of Return and other initiatives aimed at the African diaspora have sought to rebuild these industries and bridge the workforce gap. Easterling, who also served as an executive with One Brooklyn Health, was recently accepted into a fellowship at the Harvard Business School for the next year. After his fellowship wraps, he plans to apply for another year-long Fulbright scholarship to stay in Ghana. On a recent sunny Saturday afternoon, the Easterling family, which includes their three young children, gathered in Saratoga Park in Brooklyn to say goodbye to America for the next two years. Emigration and immigration Lucas’ parents are from Sierra Leone while she and her sisters were raised in the U.S. She said she remembers growing up that many of her family members were displaced because of the Civil War, which lasted from 1991 to about 2002. She had never visited Sierra Leone.

“I had this interesting vantage point because I was born and raised here. I am African, and also African American … culturally. I feel like all of it is in me, but because this is really the only reality I’ve ever had, being Black in America, that’s the only truth I’ve known,” said Lucas, who says her first trip to the continent was to Ghana in 2005. On arriving, she said, “I just started crying. Because it was so loaded for me.” Lucas said, “I felt like this homecoming as a descendant of enslaved Africans. The history of Sierra Leone.” As they prepare to enter Ghana’s immigration system, the two spoke about how heartbreaking anti-immigrant rhetoric and blatant racism have become in the U.S. as the federal government ramps up its often violent deportation agenda. The U.S. Supreme Court lifted lower-court orders that had blocked the administration from ending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians and Syrians, clearing the way for the terminations to proceed in July 2026. Many are reporting that they’re

forced to wear mandatory ankle monitors in between immigration check-ins. “I mean, I am so deeply angry, disappointed, devastated by what this country’s doing. I just have images of our Haitian brothers and sisters, the shackles … the ankle monitors. Like modern-day shackles on them,” said Lucas. The couple said they remain committed to justice and plan upon returning to keep working on creating a better America. “As much as we are excited to leave, America is our home, she said, “and we are going to continue to try to make it a better place. And try to hold it to its ideal. We’re going to continue that fight abroad and also when we get back.” Easterling said they understand the current climate. “We both held positions within the state and the city, and so we’re certainly in a moment that we’re not totally surprised because the U.S. is based on the perils of capitalism,” he said. “A lot of the work that we have done has been to disrupt these types of systems.”

beyond UConn, I think speaks to their love for the game. I’m just really, really proud of all my players with the impact Continued from page 30 they’ve had in so many areas since graduation.” President of the WNBA franchise) — the Stewart had one of the most memoragreat things that they have accomplished ble and lighthearted quotes of the series.

“I miss the four years that I was at UConn but I don’t wish to go back,” she expressed. “I think that building teams, pushing people to reach their limits, seeing how people handle adversity, all these things that you are going to see, those are les-

sons that carry over into any endeavor that you are choosing to be a part of, not just basketball, not just sports,” the ninetime Associated Press (AP) Coach of the Year noted as some of the reasons reasons non-sports fans will find the documentary inspiring and instructional.

to the Boston Celtics in August 2025 and played in three preseason games with the team in October 2025 before being released in advance of the regular season. Despite playing with the Celtics, albeit only in the preseason, and signing two professional contracts, on Monday, Ronald R. Johnson, a judge for the 19th Judicial District Court in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, granted Luis a temporary injunction to play for LSU with the college basketball season tipping off in the fall. More legal faceoffs between Luis and the NCAA are un-

doubtedly upcoming. The NCAA at least can mildly celebrate the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals reversing the decision in the Wisne v. NCAA case last Friday, granting them a stay and disallowing the class of 2022 a fifth year of eligibility. However, those athletes who have previously been awarded a fifth year through restraining orders in state courts still, for the moment, are retaining that fifth year. All of the monotonous legal wrangling and debates in political chambers should have college sports fans rightly screaming: LET THE GAMES BEGIN!

NYC Housing lottery Continued from page 2

formal final status of rejected or approved. Of those approved, approximately half don’t get assigned an apartment right away, sometimes because one isn’t available or they were found “ineligible” later on. Combined with the up to 76 days that a building’s lottery stays open and the “unknown number of days” it takes to complete lease-signings, audits, appeals, and complaints, the process is absolutely too long, said the NYU report. In January, Mamdani created an interagency task force by executive order to figure out how to streamline administrative processes, such as NYC Housing Connect, that are slowing down con-

Black migration Continued from page 8

Easterling is the former first deputy commissioner and chief equity officer at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. During his first year in medical school, he said, he traveled with other students to Ghana and returned several times since. He’s also done medical mission work in post-conflict countries, like Liberia and Sierra Leone, helping to rebuild their healthcare systems. Filling a necessary gap Tens of thousands of young, talented African youths are moving out to find opportunities, a phenomenon known as “brain drain.” According to the African Union Development Agency - New Partnership for Africa’s Development (AUDA-NEPAD), there are about 70,000 skilled African professionals who leave the continent each year for the U.S., Australia, UK, and Canada. The emigration has hit the healthcare in-

Geno Auriemma Litigation

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was Wright’s head coach at Ole Miss last season. As expected, Wright cleared waivers on Tuesday. But wait! On the same day, getting in front of the potential of some of those athletes granted another year of eligibility by signing with schools in their conference, the Big Ten announced it was banning players from returning to its schools after playing in the NFL — even

if they just took part in training camp. Hours later, the SEC, of which LSU is a member, followed suit and went a step further by also including athletes who played in the NBA, WNBA, or declared for their respective drafts without withdrawing before the designated deadlines. The ban impacts former St. John’s basketball star RJ Luis Jr., who committed to LSU in May. Luis, now 23, declared for the 2025 NBA Draft but was not selected. He subsequently signed a two-way contract with the Utah Jazz. He was traded

30 • August 27, 2026 - September 2, 2026

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Geno Auriemma gets personal about UConn tenure in Apple TV doc By DERREL JOHNSON Special to the AmNews University of Connecticut Huskies women’s basketball head coach Geno Auriemma is one of the winningest coaches in the history of sports. All sports! The 72-year-old icon holds the record for the most NCAA Division I basketball championships with 12 national titles, capturing his first in 1995 and his most recent three decades later, in 2025. Auriemma spoke exclusively with the AmNews about the new documentary, “The Dynasty: UConn Huskies,” a three-part series that premiered on Apple TV on August 21, and why it was the right time to uninhibitedly tell the story of his success — not just as a basketball coach, but in helping shape the lives of players who have had Hall of Fame careers and an indelible imprint on business, social justice, culture, education, and many other aspects of American society. “It was a good time to look back on the 40 years,” Auriemma said of his tenure, which began on May 17, 1985.

UConn head coach Geno Auriemma talks to his players during practice at the Final Four of the NCAA college basketball tournament last April in Tampa, Florida. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)

“It was the opportune time because people were interested in doing a project like this. We had been through a lot as a program with some injuries the last three or four years before that, so it just seemed like the right time to do it.” The documentary begins with the recruitment of former UConn and New York Liberty player and

current ESPN WNBA analyst Rebecca Lobo and culminates with the 2025 championship. The Huskies were eliminated in the semifinals by South Carolina in last year’s Final Four. Auriemma, who at 7 years old emigrated with his family from Montella, Italy, to Norristown, Pennsylvania, began his coaching

career in 1977 in humble fashion as the assistant varsity coach and head junior varsity coach at Bishop McDevitt High School in Cheltenham Township, Pennsylvania. Decades later at UConn, he would lead all-time greats such as Maya Moore, who would play her last professional game in the 2018 WNBA playoffs at the age of 29 and

officially retire in January of 2023 as arguably the best women’s player ever to pursue a higher calling. “[Maya Moore’s] social awareness beyond basketball and using basketball as a platform to get her message across by walking away from a game that she loved for something bigger. …When I look at it, I’m glad and proud that their growth through the program of learning how to handle tough situations, how to be resilient, how to be mentally tough, how to be well organized enough to put something together, that’s lasting,” he shared. Now 37, Moore, a former NCAA, WNBA, and Olympic champion, left basketball to combat social justice issues, leading to the overturning of the wrongful conviction of Jonathan Irons, whom she later married. The couple has one son. “Stewie (New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart) and (Minnesota Lynx star) Napheesa (Collier) being involved in Unrivaled (as founders of the threeon-three women’s league) and Renee (Montgomery) being involved in the ownership group of Atlanta (as co-owner and the Vice See GENO AURIEMMA on page 29

Starr Andrews’ figure skating journey chronicled in new documentary short By LOIS ELFMAN Special to the AmNews Although figure skater Starr Andrews recently turned 25, many people know her from a viral video skating to the song “Whip My Hair” when she was 9 years old, which has had over 57 million views on YouTube. Last spring, she recreated the iconic program with updated technical elements but much of the same dance moves, performing it at shows that marked the conclusion of her competitive singles career. After nine consecutive appearances in the senior women’s division at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Andrews has turned to pairs skating, teaming up with Daniil Parkman. Director Jasper Soloff’s short documentary, “They Call Me… Starr Andrews,” recently debuted on the Nowness website. Andrews reflects on some of the obstacles that punctuated her path as one of the few Black skaters. “The film came from wanting to tell a more nuanced story about

into her skating. Over the years, she has used music from Fergie, Beyoncé, and Demi Lovato. “I wanted the camera to feel close to Starr and to make the ice feel almost like a stage,” said Soloff. “At the same time, I wanted moments away from the rink that allowed us to see the person behind the athlete.” The film includes Andrews’ longtime coach, Derrick Delmore, and even her beloved cat Stitch. She shares that she wears her hair in a traditional bun while skating, but lets her natural curls down off the ice, which seems to surprise people. “Starr has become a reference point for younger skaters,” Soloff said. “Her presence makes it possible for another generation to imagine themselves in a space where they may not have previ“They Call Me… Starr Andrews,” a documentary on the noted figure skater, recently debuted on the global ously seen themselves. That is video channel Nowness.com. (Photo courtesy of Nowness) just so powerful. I hope this film can play a small part in spreadStarr beyond the competition up as a Black skater in a sport woman navigating identity.” ing Starr’s story. … I hope people rink,” said Soloff. “I was interest- where you don’t often see people Soloff was aware of the “Whip come away feeling like they’ve ed in who she is when she isn’t who look like you. She has this My Hair” program and appreciat- met Starr rather than simply performing for judges or an audi- incredible presence on the ice, ed that Andrews continued to in- watching a film about a figure ence, and what it means to grow but underneath that is a young corporate pop culture and music skater.”

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Lawrencia Moten adds new elements to her broadcasting resume By LOIS ELFMAN Special to the AmNews “I am at a pickleball tournament that I’m commentating,” said on-air reporter and commentator Lawrencia Moten, 27, about her summer schedule. “I’m embracing pickleball because that’s all year-round. I’m doing it for APP TV (Association of Pickleball Players).” College football season is at hand, and she will again serve as a sideline reporter. On Sept. 19, Moten returns to the air for HBCU Go, a media provider for the nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Her first game of the season is Tennessee State at Florida A&M. The biggest game she’ll cover this season is Oct. 3, Howard versus Hampton for HU bragging rights. Moten returned to her roots this summer as a reporter for ESPN, doing courtside interviews for the sports network’s digital platform during the WNBA All-Star Game. “I was so excited to be a part of that,” said Moten. “I’m [also] an ESPN basketball analyst specifically for

Reporter Lawrencia Moten conducted on-the-court interviews at last month’s WNBA All-Star Weekend in Chicago.

the WNBA. I’ve been back and forth to ESPN headquarters. I do a show called ‘WNBA Hoops Streams.’ Every two weeks we go over the biggest storylines in the W.” While Moten loves working in basketball, a game she played at the college level, it has also taken on a distinctly emotional element. Last September, her father, Lawrence Moten, Syracuse University’s all-time leading scorer and a former NBA player, passed away suddenly at the age

of 53 due to a heart attack. “We’re going to build a park in his name in Syracuse,” she said. “Helping the youth and giving them an outlet was always his mission. Washington, D.C. (where he was raised and had relocated just before his death) is going to name a street after him. There is a park near where he grew up that he had played at when he was younger.” Moten’s parents took her to Washington Mystics games growing up.

She played Division I college hoops before focusing her energies on broadcasting, and she has played with some current WNBA players. “I approach journalism with the perspective that obviously I’m breaking the news, but it’s always with care,” said Moten. College basketball season is on the horizon, and Moten is hoping to cover college action, having previously called women’s and men’s games for HBCU Go. “That’s the goal,” she said.

Lawrencia Moten on the playing field for HBCU Go. (Photos courtesy of Lawrencia Moten)

Bryce Henry earns KO at BKFC Fight Night: Mohegan Sun BY DERREL JOHNSON Special to the AmNews Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship’s (BKFC) Fight Night: Mohegan Sun saw Bryce Henry knock out Carlos Trinidad-Snake, in the second round of the main event this past Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. Henry is now the unequivocal No. 1 contender in the BKFC welterweight division. The 25-year-old Broward County, Florida, native, now 8-0, called out several of BKFC’s best after the win, including two of its titleholders. “There are two guys I really want to fight: BKFC welterweight champion Dustin Pague and Rico Franco,” Henry said after his victory. Both are top threats in the division. “If I can’t get them, I’ve got to fight again before the end of the year. At Hard Rock, I want the one and only [BKFC middleweight champion] David Mundell — easy money … If I can’t get them, I want [BKFC ironweight champion] Lorenzo Hunt, ‘The Juggernaut.’” BKFC’s next event, at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Holly-

Bryce Henry lands a right hand against opponent Carlos Trinidad-Snake in their welterweight clash Friday night at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. (Photo courtesy of Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship)

wood, Florida, is set for Sept. 11. In last Friday’s co-main event, Joseph Creer won his fourth straight with a unanimous decision over Cody Vidal. Last Saturday, Brooklyn native Teofimo Lopez Jr. captured the

WBA welterweight title to become a three-division champion with a 115-113, 114-114, and 116-112 majority decision in dethroning Rolando Romero at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. It was redemption for Lopez Jr., whose WBO junior

welterweight and The Ring super lightweight titles were taken by Shakur Stevenson in a defeat at Madison Square Garden in January 2026. “I expected something similar to this, but more combinations

from Rolly,” Lopez Jr. (23-2, 13 KOs) noted in assessing his opponent. “He was staying composed and listening to his corner. We had to push the fight. He hit me with a shot that woke me up. “I told him he has to do better than that. I was just buzzed. I got right back to it. I stayed cool, calm, and collected. We have the ring experience. That’s what’s helped me throughout my journey.” A dejected Romero disputed the outcome. “I got hit with two punches the whole fight that barely grazed me,” he said.. “I was never in any trouble. When I heard 114-114, I knew it was a robbery.” The former champion landed only 73 punches, as opposed to 123 by Lopez Jr., who used a consistent jab. Former unified heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr. (35-21 22 KOs), who last competed in August 2024 when he battled to a draw against Brooklyn native Jarrell Miller, will face Damian Knyba (17-1 11 KOs) in the main event at Prudential Center in Newark on Friday, Sept. 4. In the co-main event, New Jersey native Vito Mielnicki Jr. (23-1 13 KOs) will take on Austin Williams (20-2 12 KOs).

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As athletes leverage the system, major college sports are a cauldron of litigation By JAIME C. HARRIS AmNews Sports Editor Injunctions. Stays. Appeals. Ex parte temporary restraining orders. Avid followers of college sports have received a crash course in legal jargon over the past two months. As the National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), formerly Division I-A, and the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), previously Division I-AA, open the 2026 season, unprecedented legal battles regarding player eligibility could have pervasive ramifications, including for the NCAA and its member schools, as well as coaches, players, and many other stakeholders. The FCS begins its slate tonight, and the FBS, a multibillion-dollar rainmaker, kicks off on Saturday amid rapid and dizzying court decisions favoring athletes, reversals of some of those judicial rulings, and countermeasures by the NCAA and members of its Power 4 conferences (SEC, Big Ten, ACC, and Big 12). With the U.S. Senate adjourning earlier this month for recess without voting on the Protect College Sports Act, players have sought additional eligibility to maximize their earning power from NIL (name, image, and likeness) deals, as well as im-

birthday, and applies to anyone entering as a full-time student in fall 2027 or later. AM NewsBut many student-athletes who had seemingly exhausted their four years of eligibility 07/02/26 endeavored to be incorporated into the rule. On July 31, a judge in the U.S. District Court — District of Colorado issued a temporary restraining order granting high school athletes of the class of 2022 who had used up their AM News four years of eligibility a fifth year — a decision in the class action suit, Wisne v. NCAA. 07/09/26 Then, on Aug. 19, a Louisiana state court granted another year of eligibility to over 30 athletes from multiple sports through a temporary restraining order. Some of those athletes are currently battling for spots on NFL AM News rosters in training camp. On Monday, tight end Dae’Quan Wright, who played for the 07/16/26 University of Mississippi last college football season, was set to become the first athlete to return to college after playing in the NFL. The 22-year-old from Perry, Georgia, prove their opportunities to make an NFL said he will sign the bill. The signing would who AM News was undrafted in April, was signed by roster (or NBA roster for basketball players reform college athletics by placing more the Philadelphia Eagles, released, claimed 07/23/26 in similar situations). stringent and unambiguous restrictions on by the Cleveland Browns on Aug. 11, and The Senate will ultimately vote on the leg- eligibility rules and the economics of the ef- then cut by the Browns on Monday. Wright’s islation when it reconvenes on Sept. 14. If the fectively free-market system agent, Drew Rosenhaus, confirmed to the bipartisan measure is passed in the Senate The NCAA adopted the change, known as Associated Press on Monday that Wright and then the House of Representatives, Pres- the 5-in-5 rule, on June 23. It gives athletes five would sign with LSU if he cleared waivers. ident Donald Trump, an outspoken propo- years of eligibility within a five-year window, LSU’s first-year head coach, Lane Kiffin, AM News See LITIGATION on page 29 nent of college athletics reform, has explicitly provided they enroll in college by their 19th Former St. John’s Red Storm star RJ Luis Jr., who played three preseason games with the Boston Celtics last October, hopes to return to college to play for LSU. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

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Jets and Giants hopefuls have one more chance to show out By JAIME C. HARRIS AmNews Sports Editor The deadline for NFL teams to solidify their final, yet fluid, 53-man roster is this Sunday at 6 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. Practice squads, which can carry up to 17 players, must be set by 1 p.m. on Monday. Intensive deliberations will occur among front office personnel and coaching staffs for the league’s 32 teams between now and Monday. Those discussions will continue during the run-up to the start of Week 1 of the regular season as teams peruse the waiver wire to fill needs or add depth to position groups with players other teams have released. The Jets and Giants both open the regular season on Sunday, September 13 — the Jets on the road against the Tennessee Titans and the Giants at home at MetLife Stadium versus the Dallas Cowboys in the evening’s nationally televised standalone game. Young players on the fringes of making the 53-man roster, such as undrafted freeagents and late round picks, and more experienced players in jeopardy of being cut

Jets rookie wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. is expected to be a key player in the team’s rebuilding process. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

AM News played at a high level,” Glenn informed.

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“I think we were the second-youngest team in the league last year, and then bringing in a number of veterans who have been there, done that. But, not just that, but also have AM News been really good players in this league and understand what it takes to win and how to win.” 08/13/26 “…We’re certainly not certain about what we want to do yet,” said Giants head coach John Harbaugh on Monday regarding his team’s roster. “...Yet I wouldn’t say it’s all up in the air either. AM NewsThere’s probably some key points, some clutch areas where we just have to make deci08/20/26 sions still with three, four, five decisions that have to be made.”

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due to a dearth of quality talent at their respective positions, have one more opportunity to make their case tomorrow night when the Jets and Giants face each other at MetLife (7:30 p.m. kickoff) in the last of their three preseason games. In late June, Jets head coach Aaron Glenn

provided the media insight on his and general manager Darren Mougey’s thinking on AM News constructing a roster of both proven veterans and ascending players early in their careers. 08/27/26 “That was one of the things that we were very intentional about as far as bringing in guys who have been around and who have

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