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Vol. 117 No. 42 | October 15, 2026 - October 21, 2026

THE NEW BLACK VIEW

‘NEW CITY, OLD BLUES’ BEARING WITNESS TO A CHANGING CITY (See story on page 6)

(Photo illustration by AmNews; Photos © Andre Wagner; Stuffedbox NG & Oscar Portan via Pexels.com)

Harlem State Senator Offers A Plan For Building Housing Her Constituents Can Afford Urban Agenda by David R. Jones, President and CEO of the Community Service Society of New York - See page 5

2 • September 2026 - September 30, 2026 October 15,24, 2026 - October 21, 2026

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THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

NYC ‘stole’ properties from Black and Brown will homeowners Five ballot proposals NYC voters decide in third-party — but now itelection has to cough up $60M. on during seizures the November VOTER GUIDE BALLOT PROPOSALS

By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff

of the city constitution in 2026’s upcoming general election. Here’s what each ballot proposal says, some background information about each one, and a breakdown of the impact they might have, according to electeds and advocates.

Although much attention is being placed on the midterm elecBallot Question 1: Outdoor Dining tions this year, the city’s CommisAlthough outdoor dining has sion on Government Efficiency been allowed in New York City (COGE) has produced five propossince 1934, it was solidified as a lifeals that will be on the back of balline for many restaurants during lots this November. the COVID pandemic in 2020. CurThe ballot proposals cover a rently, sidewalk cafe applications range of topics, including outdoor take about six to eight months to dining rules, streamlining city concomplete, and roadway cafe applitracting for small businesses and The Mayor’s Office of the Commission of Government Efficiency (COGE) held an ethnic media roundtable on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, cations take three to five months, nonprofits, street safety,inbuilding Brownstone buildings Brooklyn, New at City Hall. (Ariama C. Long photos) said the report. It takes so long bepermitting, and setting York, in autumn 2025.targets (Photofor by Sasha cause outdoor dining runs into the city savings. age of the internet, or that we off the street.” Zilov via Pexels.com) “The Mayor asked us to go could do better,” said COGE ExMamdani called for COGE to issue of “revocable consent,” which By ARIAMA C. LONG which is ecutive Director is the right for a person or entity to money willCheng go to 64 had History through this document, Ann at homeowners convene thethat Charter Revisionof Theft During construct 1970s and structures 80s, theoncity citywas propat Amsterdam News Staff their properties in 2018, although quite old, and review it and find an ethnic media roundtableseized on Commission (CRC)it’s this May. After the of what erty when would it comes be a housing to streetscrisis and alleged were affected things that are outdated, that are Oct. 13. “We heardthat fromthousands union amore series of public hearingsthe andtip talks Last week, Requirements New York Citythat reached a his- We public spaces. with building owners who abandoned and by heard the TPT program. bureaucratic. members. from small with city workers, the commission neglected Theproperties, first ballot largely proposalinaims retoricagencies $60 million class action “Thewefundamental thatreport the and city have to fulfill that settlement business owners; heard from problem released aisfinal com- their to the to rent cut stabilization the lengthy laws. application Many after decades of executing unlawful took We value frompiled homeowners that sponse maybe don’t make sense anybig propbusinesscity owners. heard five ballot proposals. If voted See BALLOT on pagethe 25 of these seized under erty seizures undersense the city’s beyond the city was actual-change more, or don’t make in theThird-Party from peoplewas whofar just walkedwhat in through, this would partsproperties were Transfer (TPT) program, which dispropor- ly legitimately owed by their statement of city’s in rem tax-lien collection law. The TPT tionately impacted Black and Latino home- the debt,” said Keith Wofford, a partner at program was created in 1996, and is run by owners. White & Case law firm that’s representing the city’s Department of Finance and the The lawsuit was initially filed in March the victims. “For the city to take a million Department of Housing Preservation and See UNLAWFUL PROPERTY SEIZURES of 2019, and gained momentum after a Su- value for a $50,000 debt is illegal, unconstion page 35 preme Court ruling in 2023. The settlement tutional, and frankly, stealing.” By TANDY LAU the Board of Corrections with in- nity to do something about it is exAmsterdam News Staff tegrity and an unwavering com- citing to me.” As Watler settles into his role as mitment to that work.” New NYC Board of Corrections Watler, the oldest of three chil- BOC chair, the Center for Employ(BOC) chair Christopher Watler dren, hails from Crown Heights. ment Opportunities (CEO) hits its led his first public meeting Oct. 6 His parents arrived in Brooklyn as 30th anniversary this week. The By TANDY on the day LAU Mayor Zohran Mamimmigrants in the late 1950s and organization started in New York Amsterdam News dani announced hisStaff appointment. instilled a commitment to public City but now boasts offices in 30 It certainly left an impression, he service in a young Christopher states. Watler said CEO is currently It’s been a long timea coming recalled. “I’m thinking lot aboutfor the city’s early on. He recalls how his father looking to strengthen the “reentry Racial Plan, but will actualit,” said Equity Watler. “I re-listened tochange the and uncle started a church, where ecosystem” and combat mass inly come? Thehotline perpetually delayed blueprint calls on our from people his family would volunteer. His carceration nationwide. The city faces a mandate to shut was are supposed to dictate this year’s city who incarcerated about what mother spent four decades workbudgetexperiencing talks towards they’re and improving the need diversity ing for the administration of Chil- down Rikers Island, where most of the city jails are, by late summer and combating systemic racism for help. And the board responds to rooted in dren’s Services. localofgovernment, but only came out earlieach those calls and at the meetAfter college, Watler’s future felt 2027 while remaining behind er this long after this fiscal year’s ing, we month play theand calls.” uncertain, but he knew public ser- schedule with constructing the appropriations finalized. His new rolewere involves leadvice would factor in, so early in his four borough-based jails meant November Financial Plan ingAnanupcoming independent body desigcareer, Watler worked in youth de- to hold the remaining population New BOC chair Christopher Update allow the city to visit nated towill ensure the city jails are the adoptvelopment, which grew into crimi- in custody after the closure. MeanWatler. (Courtesy of CEO Works) while, a federal class action lawsuit ed compliance budget mid-fiscal year and provide an in with minimum nal justice reform work. opportunity to implement portions the helping New Yorkers standards. Despite the mayorhis of career “The city is a different place over alleged excessive use-of-force Racial Equity Plan. Mamda-a criminal legal system [from] the city I grew up in, and on Rikers led to increased overal appointment, theMayor BOC isZohran not navigate ni expressed when beholden to enthusiasm the mayor or Cityasked thatabout too often fails to treat them that’s a positive,” said Watler, “but sight and the recent appointment ofS.a Tisch remediation manager with it by The Amsterdam News. Council, and the nine board with the dignity andZohran respectMamadani they in some it is not great. Our Mayor joins respects, NYPD Commissioner Jessica for a security direct authority over the jails after “We made it very clear that thisdeserve,” is an all-said briefing members serve in a volunteer Mamdani in a statejail system is a good example of ahead of United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 17. (Kara McCurdy/Mayoral of-city-government has“He to understands capacity. Watler also approach remains inthat ment. thatOffice) com- that. We’re a great city in New York. the city failed to implement the Photography include every agency, so that his current role single as executive viceandmunity safety and justice go hand We do not have a jail system that initial reforms ordered in the settlement agreement. will be something that informs contains individual goals president of the Center for Em- our and Brown New Yorkers. in budget hand, andtice. that Itmeans improvmatches thatbrought aspirationBlack of greatHowever, AllNYC theCommission while, incarcerated on Racial as we get into it,” he said.(CEO), ing conditions about by 45 in local ployment Opportunities for people cus-government ness. I thinkagencies, about how difficult it the Equity (CORE), individuals an independent continued commission to die In short, theformerly plan provides a clear guideincluding dollar which helps incarcertody, supporting the staffthe who multi-billion care is for people to getbudthe services they in custody, the Racial particularly Equityunder Plan, line on howrejoin the city put money whereandgeted Department Correcated people thecan workforce. for them, finallyNYPD, closingand Rikers need to beoftreated well formed [and] theto evaluate See RACIAL EQUITY SeePLAN BOC on page 36 25 its“Christopher mouth is when championing (DOC) disproportionately impact Watler has spent racial Island.jusI am tion confident hethat will lead safety of staff. To have an opportu-

Christopher Watler takes head job at Board of Corrections, making criminal justice reform the centerpiece

City’s Racial Equity Plan set to shape criminal justice policy, but some are not satisfied with it

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

October 15, 2026 - October 21, 2026 • 3

ICE shot a man. Harlem’s Democratic House nominee wants NYPD commissioner gone By TANDY LAU Amsterdam News Staff

Anger erupted when a plainclothes U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent opened fire and wounded 28-year-old Oscar Belgal in Marble Hill on Oct. 8. People were particularly incensed when they learned a 5-year-old child was in the back seat. When New Yorkers took to the streets, NYPD officers, who are legally barred from collaborating with ICE, met the protesters with alleged force. After she was pushed to the ground by police at the subsequent protest over the shooting, Democratic Congressional Nominee Darializa Avila Chevalier called for Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch’s resignation. Her statement corroborated the videos that surfaced online of the incident and also called for the Strategic Response Group, a controversial unit often deployed to unplanned protests, to be disbanded. “When I was in Marble Hill last night, I saw NYPD officers rapidly escalating violence. As I was trying to de-escalate, I was shoved to the ground by an officer,” said Avila Chevalier. “I witnessed unmarked law enforcement cars hitting protestors as NYPD officers pushed people out of its path, and instead of condemning ICE’s violence, Police Commissioner Tisch attempt9ed to justify the shooting by reading off our neighbor’s past interactions with police.

“The NYPD spent more time protecting a militia that just shot someone than protecting New Yorkers. Last night, the NYPD and Commissioner Tisch violated the spirit, if not the letter, of our sanctuary city policies and fueled the Trump Administration’s attempt to demonize our communities.” During a press briefing with Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Tisch revealed the 28-year-old shooting victim’s identity and ran down his arrest record, which drew ire from the city’s left. NYPD officers responded to the shooting and took the handcuffed man in a department vehicle to render aid, according to the commissioner. He arrived at a local hospital in stable condition. Federal agents “have exercised their authority to take over the investigation,” Tisch added. “I want to be clear: the NYPD had no involvement in the federal operation prior to the shooting, and no members of the NYPD were on scene at the time of the shooting,” Tisch said. “Additional NYPD officers arrived and secured the scene for the purpose of preserving evidence. At least seven shell casings were recovered at the scene, along with the victim’s vehicle, which had ballistic damage to the front windshield. The back window of the car was also shattered. That vehicle was positioned perpendicular to the road. “An ICE vehicle, which is a gray four-door

People gather at Herald Square to protest Oct. 8 shooting involving U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026, in New York (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis

sedan, had damage to the left front panel, and the lower panel was fully disconnected. With respect to the child who was inside the vehicle: Pursuant to a wellness check, the NYPD located the child safe and in the care of a family member.” However, Avila Chevalier’s campaign questioned the NYPD’s involvement in ensuring ICE could get past activists to take Belgal from the hospital into an unmarked car and into custody. Currently, he is held in “deplorable condi-

tions” at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center, according to his lawyers from the Legal Aid Society and Make the Road New York. “Mr. Belgal is living through an unimaginable nightmare,” they said in a statement. “While he is currently in solitary confinement, a bullet remains lodged in his neck, the left side of his face is numb, and he can barely hear out of his left ear. Doctors have told him he urgently needs surgery, but that the procedure See ICE on page 25

Hochul and Blakeman spar over ICE, Cornell 7, Medicaid, Trump in heated gubernatorial debate By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff With just weeks left until the general election, Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul went up against Republican challenger Bruce Blakeman in their first debate as she bids for four more years in office. “My opponent says he’s going to bring Trump-style leadership to Albany. He says he’s going to cut Medicaid in half,” said Hochul in the Oct. 13 debate, “And he’s going to let ICE run rampant in our streets. So this is your choice, New Yorkers. I’m not letting this happen. Working together with you, we will not because your family is my fight.” Hochul, who has been in office since 2021, is going for her second full term as New York State’s Governor. She and Blakeman, the Nassau County Executive, traded barbs over polarizing issues like U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) presence in the state, Medicaid cuts, prosecuting the Cornell 7 case, data centers and AI, high energy costs, and the impact of President Donald Trump’s tariffs. “Kathy Hochul has spent $8 billion of your money on illegal migrants for free food, free housing, free transportation, and a free cell phone,” said Blakeman in the debate, lik-

ening all “illegal migrants” to criminals and murderers, and later slamming Mayor Zohran Mamdani as an “anti-semite.” According to the latest Marist polling, Hochul (53%) leads Blakeman (42%) by 11 points among New York’s registered voters. Hochul has large support from New York City and women voters throughout the state, while Blakeman has an advantage in more red-leaning counties upstate and has aligned with Trump. Quinnipiac University Poll Assistant Director Mary Snow noted that Hochul won her gubernatorial race four years ago by single digits, but for the moment she has a sizable lead over Blakeman. Hochul’s campaign has been courting Black voters for the past few months, especially after the historic announcement back in March that her chosen running mate for Lieutenant Governor is Adrienne Adams, the first Black woman New York City Council speaker. Her campaign opened an election ground team in Flatbush in Brooklyn and other districts across the five boroughs, and she’s been making key appearances like Rev. Al Sharpton’s birthday bash and the NAACP New York State Conference’s 90th anniversary gala. She also has the ardent support of Mayor Mamdani. “New Yorkers know Governor Kathy

Brooklyn Democrats held a debate watch party at the Lips Cafe on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026. (Ariama C. Long photo)

Hochul is standing up for and defending their rights. She is fighting with us to protect immigrant New Yorkers. Her opponent is campaigning for a role in Donald Trump’s fan club,” said City Councilmember Rita Joseph, who joined Black Democrats at a debate watch party in the Lips Cafe in Brooklyn on Tuesday, Oct. 13. The city has seen a spike in ICE presence as the governor’s race gets closer, ramping up instances of ICE-involved shootings and sparking huge demonstrations from anti-ICE protestors. Oscar Belgal, a 28-year-old Dominican father, was shot during an ICE operation near Marble Hill in the Bronx while his five-year-old son wit-

nessed it from the backseat of his car last week. For months, there have been multiple ICE sightings and arrests in Haitian, Hispanic, and other immigrant communities in Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx. “Being a ‘New Yorker,’ like being an ‘American,’ has nothing to do with when or how you arrived. These identities are based on shared values, values Bruce Blakeman fails to understand. Voters will elect Gov. Kathy Hochul and Adrienne Adams and reject him in November,” said Joseph. The watch party was supported by local civic organizations like NAACP Brooklyn Chapter, Brooklyn Young Democrats, and sororities like Sigma Gamma Rho.

4 • October 15, 2026 - October 21, 2026

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

When stolen home is ‘returned,’ fight has just begun By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff A home can be stolen with a forged deed, and that lost deed leads to the loss of one of the central values that owning a property can bring: its equity. Predatory lending, foreclosures, a disputed auction, or an eviction can strip the equity –– the wealth –– from a property before the owner realizes it. For New York families already struggling financially, that can mean losing both their home and the wealth they’ve built over generations. Trying to get a fraudulent deed canceled or winning a court case won’t necessarily restore the years of lost equity and possible income the property could have generated. New York strengthened its anti-deed theft laws in 2023 and 2024. Deed theft is now explicitly criminalized, the statute of limitations is longer, and the attorney general has statewide authority to prosecute. Now, prosecutors can try to pause evictions and ownership disputes; file notices warning would-be buyers of suspected fraud; and ask courts to void what look like fraudulent documents. The new Mayor’s Office of Deed Theft Prevention (MODTP) is specifically supposed to help with deed fraud corrections — but city agencies can’t override judicial orders, so the MODTP won’t be able to help a victim regain title to their property once it’s passed through limited liability companies (LLCs), mortgages, and third-party purchasers. In the Sanford Solny case, a Brooklyn judge convicted the disbarred attorney in June 2025 of charges tied to the theft of 11 properties from financially distressed homeowners. Last November, Solny was sentenced to two and a half to seven years, and the deeds he’d stolen were nullified. Prosecutors said he had collected nearly $500,000 in rent from the stolen properties, but his sentencing did not award that money to his victims. Now his defense attorneys are appealing his case. Janet Bruce, whose East Flatbush home was transferred to a Solny-controlled company after what she says was a fake “short sale,” filed a civil lawsuit against Solny, his family members, and his corporate entities. This past May, Justice Robin K. Sheares granted Bruce a default judgment against the Solny defendants after finding that they had “willfully, contumaciously, and repeatedly” violated discovery orders. The case had taken more than six years and required more than 1,000 filings to resolve. Most homeowners don’t have the funds to get the legal support to fight that long of a case. Attorney John O’Hara, who has spent years critiquing Brooklyn’s judicial and political systems, has argued that there are several recent deed-theft cases that could be seen as part of a system, and not as isolated transactions. He said there has to be greater scrutiny of guardianships, foreclosure sales, court fil-

Kings County Supreme Court (Creative Commons photo)

ings, sheriff enforcement, and the LLCs that acquire underpriced properties. “When this started, Bed-Stuy was probably 1 percent white,” O’Hara noted. “Now it’s 26 percent white, and when Black people talk about gentrification, I could tell you, white people just roll their eyes and look the other way. It’s all done in a very inclusionary fashion, right? If white people want to buy brownstones for $6 million, then fine, that’s their business. But that’s not what’s happening. [Some] are buying them for a million four, okay? They’re getting them for $5 million less, and that’s the one thing nobody’s noticed.” Someone can follow the chain of title, identify every beneficial owner, compare the sale price with current value, and ask which public official could have stopped the displacement. Once a disputed property title goes to court, resolving the case becomes long and complicated. Lawyers may have to reconstruct the ownership history, obtain banking and closing records, challenge whether legal papers were served properly, track rental income, seek court orders stopping further action, and determine damages. If the property has already been sold, lawyers would have to determine whether the new buyer knew the title was being disputed. Even if the original owner wins the court case, the fight may continue through appeals, hearings about damages, eviction proceedings, or another lawsuit to regain possession. That’s why advocates are calling for stronger laws that can stop suspected deed theft quickly and help victims recover what they

have lost. They want courts to halt property transfers when there are credible claims of theft; flag disputed titles for courts, lenders, and buyers; recover lost rent and equity; penalize professionals who help carry out fraudulent transfers; and provide legal support for cases that can take years. They also want a clear way for victims to regain ownership and possession of their homes. Prevention efforts and workshops can help, but advocates say they are no substitute for strong enforcement and compensation for victims. One new effort to fight these crimes comes from New York State Senator Jabari Brisport, who has introduced Senate Bill S7721A, a Private Right of Action bill designed to help deed-theft victims recover their losses. “Our Deed Theft Protection Package — created with the Coalition to Stop Deed Theft and other community input — is a set of bills designed to prevent future instances of deed theft and to restore justice for those whose deeds have been stolen,” Brisport said in a statement to the AmNews. “We included the Private Right of Action bill because it creates a pathway for victims of deed theft to receive financial compensation, potentially including increased damage compensation and the return of their home.” The bill, which is currently being reviewed by the rules committee and still has to pass the full Senate and State Assembly, and be signed by the governor to become law, would let victims sue anyone responsible for a deed theft and make any banks whose loans helped enable

the theft also liable to be sued. Victims would be able to recover their properties and sue for an amount that is three times their properties’ worth and have their attorney’s fees paid. Victims have also told the AmNews they want a specialized, independent property-justice organization they can turn to — something more than just a clearinghouse. They want an organization that has title lawyers, foreclosure and Housing Court litigators, forensic accountants, investigators, social workers, and emergency-relief staff all under one roof. It should accept cases regardless of whether the harm is labeled deed theft, partition abuse, guardianship, foreclosure rescue, or a disputed auction. Funding should allow cases to continue for as long as needed, rather than rewarding quick closures. The organization should also publicly report its results, without identifying victims, and show how many people recovered their homes, ownership, or lost equity. Editor’s note: This story was made possible with help from a grant from the Fund for Investigative Journalism. CORRECTION: An article in the Sept. 17, 2026, edition of the Amsterdam News ("Home health aide says 24/7 Home Care owes her years of wages," page 10) misidentified the agency involved in home health aide Marlene Urquhart's wage claim. The agency is 24/7 NY Services LLC, not 24/7 Home Care. 24/7 Home Care is not involved in the case. The Amsterdam News regrets the error.

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

Maria Granville provides space for art and community at Home To Harlem By JASON PONTEROTTO Special to the AmNews

Willie Torbert — that was her introduction to original independent artwork. Since then, While walking on Lenox, beshe has become a collector tween West 122nd and 123rd and connoisseur of original Streets, community memwork, such as paintings and bers or tourists can visit the sculptures, from the artists Artfullwalls Gallery at Home directly for her home. to Harlem, in the townhouse “I never went back,” Granowned by Maria Granville. At ville said. “I became this the gallery, which also operperson where if it is not origiates as a communal space, nal, I’m not buying it.” New Yorker there is also visual art on disAfter purchasing the play to purchase. brownstone in 2010 and fiGranville, 69, was ahead Maria Granville used her web nally completing renovations of her time when she creat- developer background to in 2019, Granville officialed the Home to Harlem web- create Home to Harlem, first ly opened Home to Harlem site in 1997 — the first website website dedicated to Harlem and the gallery as a result of dedicated to Harlem. It start- in 1997, which eventually all the wall space. That year, grew to become a physical ed as a guide for tourists in the she first connected with artspace in townhouse for neighborhood and eventually ists and curators Ernani art and community events grew into the physical space Silva and Minna Dunn, who today. (Photo courtesy of when it opened in 2019. In brought in works of other Maria Granville) addition to art, the space has artists to be sold at the galbeen used for jazz shows, poetry, film screen- lery. Over the last seven years, the gallery has ings, book clubs, meetings, and more. Granville run three-month showcases where people can connects with different artists and curators to look at and purchase art. Artists can run a onepresent the art. person showcase at the space as well. The Home to Harlem name was adopted For Granville, one of the best aspects of runfrom the Claude McKay book of 1928. ning Home to Harlem is the fact that so many “I think it looks more like a home,” Granville artists and community members convey to her said about the uniqueness of the space com- how much having the space in Harlem means pared to other venues. “It’s a very neighbor- to them. “I would say we have to maintain it hood kind of environment.” because people have told me that it’s necesGranville was born and raised in Harlem, at- sary, and they are glad we are here,” she said. tending schools like Our Lady of Lourdes and The garden level of the five-story brownplaying basketball. After graduating from high stone is used for community space, such as school early, she attended City College and meetings of the Mount Morris Park CommuSyracuse University; graduated with an eco- nity Improvement Association, hosting book nomics degree; and got into technology, be- clubs, theatre screenings, music, and private coming a programmer and business analyst. access to the garden. The parlor floor is for the In 1990, after leaving Wang Laboratories, a gallery. Granville recalled recently offering the computer manufacturing company, Granville space to a young entrepreneur who was doing started her own consulting firm, Madisyn Con- activities for children in the park and needed sulting. Her clients have included the New York an indoor venue. Urban League and Jazzmobile. “I just feel I have to help a sister out,” GranIn 1997, Granville used her developer ville said. “I think if we all did that, maybe we knowledge to create the website. She con- would all be well.” ceived of the idea when she would sit on her A special feature each year that Granville stoop noticing tour buses stopping in Harlem. holds dear is during the Harlem Holiday Lights Yet she observed that the tourists never went Celebration put on by the 125th Street BID, in to local businesses and/or spent money that which Home to Harlem is one of the viewing went to the community. To that end, the web- spaces. People gather and drink hot cocoa site would have a “daily itinerary” featuring while watching the show. On Saturday, Adrilocal businesses to patronize while spend- enne Adams will host a fundraiser for her race ing a day in Harlem, such as restaurants and as lieutenant governor. historic spaces like the Schomburg Center or Granville remains modest despite all of it, Studio Museum. saying she doesn’t think too deeply about what “The idea was to give people an opportuni- she has created but maintains that all she does ty or at least a reference so they would get off of is for the love of community. the bus and spend some money,” Granville said. “I always loved Harlem. I love being here. I The site grew to feature historical facts about made sure to raise my children here. I refuse Harlem and its notable residents. However, to move, even during the time other people Granville said it was unable to gain major reach would have,” she said. “Nothing is deliberate. and was unsustainable without support from Everything I do is just organic.” advertisers. Later, she partnered with the Carver Artfulllwalls Gallery is currently on hiatus Bank to allow them content from the website. and expected to resume around Black HistoAround the time Granville was marketing ry Month in 2027, when Silva is set to return the website, she attended an event with artist as the curator.

Black

October 15, 2026 - October 21, 2026 • 5

THE URBAN AGENDA

By David R. Jones, Esq

Harlem State Senator Offers A Plan For Building Housing Her Constituents Can Afford Harlem is being priced out of Harlem, and the housing New York calls “affordable” isn’t stopping it. Senator Cordell Cleare, who represents Harlem, spends much of her time fighting to fix state and city housing projects one at a time. Her bill with Brooklyn Assemblymember Emily Gallagher, the Permanently Affordable Social Housing for New Yorkers Act (PASHNY), would end that fight for good. It would create a public builder that develops and owns permanently affordable homes across our state, setting rents by what people earn, and putting tenants in control of their housing future. The reality of unaffordable housing in many Black and Latino communities in New York is staggering. In one Central Harlem ZIP code, the median Black household earns about $53,700 a year. Meanwhile, citywide, the 2023 Housing and Vacancy Survey found that New York added nearly half a million households earning over $100,000 since 2021. Households earning under $25,000 saw the steepest decline, and 56 percent of renters who moved into previously vacant apartments earned $100,000 or more. Over the past two decades, New York City lost nearly 200,000 Black residents. Harlem was once 98 percent Black; by 2015 it was roughly 60 percent. The existing “affordable” housing system hasn’t reversed this because it isn’t built for the people leaving. Here’s why: affordability is pegged to Area Median Income (AMI), a regional figure inflated by wealthy suburbs. Black and Latino households in the city earn just 48 and 49 percent of AMI on average, and most renters earn 59 percent, according to Community Service Society (CSS) analysis. Yet 80 percent of AMI for a family of three has jumped from $76,880 in 2019 to $122,160 today, a 59 percent increase that Harlem paychecks haven’t matched. Program term sheets, the documents that set how affordable a project will be, have barely budged. Harlem has been on the front lines of the fight to end the displacement of communities of color. The former Lincoln Correctional Facility, at 31-33 West 110th Street, shows how this plays out. In 2023 the state picked a private team to turn it into 105 homes called “Seneca,” after Seneca Village, the Black community razed to build Central Park. The homes were priced for households earning 80 to 100 percent of AMI. Senator Cleare calculated what that meant: about $3,000 a month for a two-bedroom at 80 percent, $3,700 at 100 percent. She rallied the community. A year later, the state deepened affordability: homes now start at 40 percent of AMI, with nearly a third for households up to 60 percent. That’s a real improvement, and

it shouldn’t have taken a pressure campaign. Harlem can’t rally for every building. A state development authority would have made Lincoln, and every project after it, better from day one, for four reasons: First, deep affordability is foundational. At least a quarter of these government-built homes must go to households earning 30 percent of AMI or less. A plurality must serve households at or below 80 percent, and no more than a third can be for the highest income earners. The biggest difference is that this new authority would set rents at 25 percent of household income, with increases capped at two percent a year unless needed for operations. CSS modelling projects that half of all the social housing units would serve households at or below 50 percent of AMI. Under the last state plan, that figure was 8.5 percent. Second, the community is in control with residents occupying seats on the authority’s governing board. And unlike today’s subsidized deals that carry regulatory agreements that eventually expire, PASNAY homes never expire. Third, it’s cheaper. If we think of a 100-unit project costing nearly $63 million to build: a combination of a 15 percent developer fee and various fees associated with the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program, including syndication, could add more than $10 million in transactional costs to this project’s budget. In New York City, soft costs, including legal, financing and consulting, run about 20 percent of hard costs. Fourth, government-built projects will scale fast and efficiently. Today, our tax dollars go out and don’t come back. State authority-built buildings stay public, and their revenue flows back into a revolving fund to build the next ones. This idea of a state-run housing developer isn’t just theory; it is a tested practice. Montgomery County, Maryland’s Housing Opportunities Commission uses a revolving Housing Production Fund to build mixed-income buildings it owns and runs. Seattle voters created a public social housing developer in 2023 and funded it in 2025. New York did it too: the state’s Urban Development Corporation built more than 30,000 homes in the 1970s. New York State’s last five-year housing plan in 2022 invested more than $25 billion in a system that spends all of its time incentivizing affordable housing development. Putting just a fraction of that, $1 billion a year, towards an authority as laid out in Senator Cleare and Assemblymember Gallagher’s bill means Harlem never has to fight for a say again, because the community would be doing the building itself.

David R. Jones, Esq., is President and CEO of the Community Service Society (CSS), New York’s leading advocate for low-income New Yorkers for more than 175 years. The views expressed in this column are solely those of the author. The Urban Agenda is available on the CSS website at www.cssny.org

6 • October 15, 2026 - October 21, 2026

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

‘New City, Old Blues’ bears witness to a changing city By ROBERT GERHARDT Special to the AmNews New York City has always been a place that has attracted photographers from every corner of the world. Gordon Parks, Robert Frank, W. Eugene Smith, Lisette Model, and Walker Evans all moved here to pursue photography. The city, with its energy, movement, and constantly changing surroundings, is a draw for those trying to capture the city in all its forms. But Andre Wagner had not originally moved to New York City to become a photographer. Rather, he came in 2011 to pursue a master’s degree in social work after attending college in Storm Lake, Iowa. After his first year of school, while

living in graduate school housing in Midtown across from Central Park in 2012, he moved to Bushwick, Brooklyn, after finding an apartment he could afford, not really knowing anything about the area. But his arrival coincided with significant changes in the neighborhood. “New York is always changing, but there was something very tangible about witnessing it at the scale of everyday life. We often talk about change and gentrification through these big umbrella terms, but living somewhere makes those ideas much more specific,” Wagner explained. “You meet people who have lived there their entire lives, people with real histories and family histories rooted in a particular place. And then you begin noticing displacement not

only through people leaving, but through buildings changing, businesses changing, rents changing, and the physical and social character of the neighborhood shifting around you.” As he spent time there, he realized that he was going to photograph the neighborhood. The more he looked and saw, the more he began to think about the people who lived there long before his arrival, and what it meant for him to take photographs there. And, importantly, how his photographs might honor the place and the people who called it home. “I don’t mean that in some lofty sense where I thought my photographs were going to stop gentrification or produce some kind of direct social change,” Wagner told

Photographer Andre Wagner. (Mason Poole photo)

Untitled, Manhattan, 2017. (Photos © Andre Wagner)

Untitled, Manhattan, 2022.

me. “It was much simpler than that. I wanted to live there honestly, pay attention, and photograph honestly. To allow the camera to be a kind of mirror for what was happening in front of me.” What Wagner saw was that while New York is described as a diverse melting pot, the social and economic structures of the city become obvious when you look. And this is where the title “New City, Old Blues” comes from. He realized they were the same structures that he had seen in Omaha, Storm Lake, and other places he had lived, just repeated around him in New York. “You could see where Black people lived, where Latino people lived, where white people lived, where wealth accumulated and where poverty accumulated. You could see the systems people had created to sustain families, communities, and artistic lives, while also seeing how difficult the economic structure made that sustaining,” Wagner recalled. “I was living in Bushwick and witnessing gentrification in real time while simultaneously trying to figure out how to survive in New York as an artist myself. So there was this constant paradox between the mythology of the city and the reality of actually living inside it. Photography became a way for me to work through that.”

But in his work, it is more than just his neighborhood Wagner examines. He would leave his house in Bushwick and just walk to wherever his feet would take him between Brooklyn and Manhattan, photographing as he went. Eventually, after enough walking, and looking at all the photographs he had made, they began showing him what he was paying attention to in his surroundings. But photography also revealed insights into himself, and how he works and moves in the world. “Over time, the photographs began revealing things about how I had learned to move through the world: where there was tension in my body, where I felt permission to look, where I didn’t, what I was anticipating from other people, and what kinds of negotiations were happening internally before I ever raised the camera,” Wagner said. “Seeing that has also been liberating. Photography has helped me stand more fully in my body and trust what I perceive. To photograph what I feel compelled to photograph, wherever I happen to be.” “New City, Old Blues” is published jointly by Steidl and the Gordon Parks Foundation. The book can be ordered through Steidl’s website at steidl.de. Visit andredwagner.com and follow on IG at @photodre for more info.

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

October 15, 2026 - October 21, 2026 • 7 Untitled, Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, 2014. (Photos © Andre Wagner)

Untitled, Bushwick, Brooklyn, 2014.

Continued on next page

8 • October 15, 2026 - October 21, 2026

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

Continued from previous page

Untitled, Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, 2017. (Photos © Andre Wagner)

Untitled, Manhattan, 2016.

Untitled, Manhattan, 2019.

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

October 15, 2026 - October 21, 2026 • 9

Mamdani cracks down on NYPD misconduct after officer quietly retires before disciplinary trial By TANDY LAU Amsterdam News Staff Despite the ongoing misconduct charges he faced for the 2024 fatal shooting of Win Rozario, a 19-year-old Queens man experiencing a mental health crisis, NYPD officer Salvatore Alongi retired in May with a pension. Last week, Rozario’s parents revealed the development to the public while calling on Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch to disclose how it happened. Now, Mayor Zohran Mamdani is ramping up ways to stop officers from evading discipline through retirement. He also issued a “comprehensive” review of NYPD use-offorce practices — the first in more than a decade — and will put $2.6 million towards a key police watchdog. “When the government uses force against a New Yorker, the standard for accountability must be at its highest. Every New Yorker deserves to know that force will be used lawfully, carefully, and only when necessary,” said Mamdani. “We have an obligation to Win’s family and to every New Yorker who calls for help in a moment of crisis. This review is about making sure our policies reflect that responsibility, that our officers have the guidance and training they need, and that New Yorkers and their families can trust their city will treat them with care and dignity.” Alongi allegedly defied mandates to report his retirement to the Civilian Complaint Review Board, which investigates and prosecutes NYPD misconduct for the city. He and

Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani joins New York City Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch for quarterly crime statistics briefing at One Police Plaza on Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026. (Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office)

another officer were charged on multiple counts over killing Rozario late last year. Mamdani’s administration implemented a new notification system to wrap up a disciplinary process before the accused officer can retire and made it an official policy to notify the state about pending disciplinary charges to prevent officers like Alongi from finding a job elsewhere in New York. The NYPD will also formalize the process for sharing information after a serious incident like the Rozario shooting, which includes family access to the NYPD Force Investigation Division final reports. A $2.6 million funding increase for the Office of the Inspector General-NYPD (OIG-NYPD) comes right on time for a

watchdog agency facing attrition and budget cuts. Only three people, including the then-Inspector General herself, were working for the office in August 2025 — down from 37 people in 2017. Under the previous administration, funding consistently declined since ex-Mayor Eric Adams entered office in 2022. Unlike the CCRB, the OIG-NYPD examines broader police practices and policies. It boasts subpoena powers to shed more light on questionable specialized units and otherwise-opaque tools like the “gang database,” which Mamdani vowed to abolish during his campaign. NYC Department of Investigation (DOI) Commissioner Nadia Shihata, whose de-

partment oversees the inspector general, lauded the budget boost. “These funds will allow DOI to fully staff and reestablish robust oversight of policing in New York City — one of my top priorities as DOI commissioner,” Shihata said in a statement. “I am very pleased that DOI can move forward [with] this objective: one that supports effective policy, protects our civil rights and freedoms, and builds strong police-community relations.” The Justice Committee, one of the two main organizations advocating on behalf of Rozario’s family, said the reforms are appreciated but fall short of full accountability. “The problem is not that the NYPD needs more training or to revise its policies, but that the department consistently evades oversight, transparency, and meaningful change; violates the law and its own rules to do so; and shields officers who harm and kill New Yorkers from facing discipline,” said Justice Committee Executive Director Loyda Colón. “Alongi’s retirement with an enhanced pension and the NYPD’s failure to notify the CCRB and report him for decertification is a glaring example of this. Previously, administrations tried to require the NYPD to review and adjust its own policies, and it has never worked.” The organization, which represents families of people killed by police, suggested several additional measures, such as appointing an inspector general with a background in working with police reform groups and ensuring the CCRB is notified as soon as an officer applies for retirement.

United Justice Coalition hosts 2026 UJC Summit at the Shed By NAFISSATOU YATTASSAYE Special to the AmNews Policymakers, legal professionals, advocates, educators, and mental health professionals, as well as those directly affected by the criminal justice system, will join the United Justice Coalition and RocNation for the UJC Summit on Saturday, Oct. 17. Now in its fourth year, this all-day free summit, at the Shed in Hudson Yards, brings together thousands of attendees in an attempt to identify effective decisions in combating the challenges of the legal system. “The UJC Summit is a space for everyone who believes our criminal legal system can and must be better,” said Dana Diaz, founder of the UJC and managing director of philanthropy at RocNation. “Students, elected officials, national and community leaders, policymakers, and creatives will all be in the same room, united by a shared commitment to change. It is free and open to the public so that everyone can be part of the conversations and solutions.”

Charlamagne Tha God; MSNow host Ari Melber; academic scholar and author Michael Eric Dyson; and author and Columbia Journalism School Dean Jelani Cobb, among numerous others. Representatives of organizations such as the Center for Policing Equity, Right On Crime, Legal Aid Society, and Youth Justice Network will also be in attendance. “Nearly 40 voices will be on stage, discussing alternatives to incarceration, mental health, the power of education, police violence and accountability, safer supervision, women in our carceral system, and more,” Diaz said. Roc Nation’s philanthropic team started the United Justice Coalition in 2019 as a think tank of individuals dedicated to sharing resources, information, and ideas to advance justice in the United States. (Photo courtesy of Roc Nation) The 2026 UJC Summit doors will open at 10 a.m. ET at the Shed in New York City. The With panel discussions, spotlighted con- fecting our communities and concrete ways event is free and open to the public. Addiversations, and a chance to connect with to drive change. tional information and registration details organizations from across the country, atScheduled speakers this year include are available at https://www.unitedjusticetendees will gain insights into the issues af- political strategist Angela Rye; radio host coalition.com/.

10 • October 15, 2026 - October 21, 2026

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

Labor & Workplace Three FDNY fire inspectors cleared the hurdles, but are still waiting to become firefighters By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff Three New York City fire protection inspectors (FPIs) say they did everything required to join the Fire Academy and become city firefighters — they invested time and money, completed the required process, and passed the Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT). But Franbel Peralta, Rashed Zaman, and Ryan Clarson are still waiting to enter a probationary firefighter class. A growing number of people who support them say they’re being delayed because the FDNY is still hesitant to promote more people of color from its fire-prevention workforce into its better-paid firefighter force. They claim the FDNY is still having difficulty keeping up with its equity promises — particularly those tied to a recent racialdiscrimination settlement. The three men already work inside the FDNY’s Bureau of Fire Prevention. As FPIs they enforce the fire code, inspect buildings, schools, construction sites and fire-suppression systems, identify hazards, issue violations or summonses and, when required, testify in court. “Our job is more proactive than retroactive,” FPI Zaman said, noting that their jobs can place them in confined, smoky, and hazardous locations. “Our job is to make sure that everything in the building is ready for the emergency.” As firefighters they will be toting hose lines and rescue equipment while responding to fires and emergencies. But probationary firefighters need to complete academy training before they can take on that kind of work. Supporters point out that the three inspectors completed the CPAT and other requirements and were ready to enter the Fire Academy when FDNY officials removed them from the process. According to the FDNY’s candidate guide, applicants do an intake, background checks, medical and psychological exams, and a timed run. The CPAT requires candidates to complete eight job-related tasks in 10 minutes and 20 seconds while wearing weighted equipment. When asked why the FPIs were not allowed to go on to the Fire Academy, the FDNY emailed a statement to the AmNews that said: “All three of these candidates are over age (they reached their 29th birthday before the application period). “We have no legal avenue to promote these candidates as they do not meet the criteria to be promoted.” But the FPIs have a growing list of individuals and organizations who are saying

You have to pass physical and mental tests to qualify and get hired as an FDNY firefighter.

FDNY vehicles outside headquarters advertise careers as New York City firefighters. (Karen Juanita Carrillo photos)

there’s no valid reason they should not be promoted. City councilmember Kevin C. Riley has urged city officials to realize that the three fire protection inspectors were initially assured they could move toward becoming firefighters under the one-time exception to the maximum age requirement set forth under Local Law 139 of 2023. In a Jan. 9 letter, Riley said the fire protection inspectors were first told they were eligible and took part in the DCAS promotion process but were later denied the age exemption — even though it was granted to EMS workers. In a June 2 letter, Daniel S. Sterling, the 1st vice-president of the Vulcan Society, the Black firefighters’ organization, said the FPIs appeared to have faced many of

the same “extraordinary circumstances” that prompted COVID-era accommodations for other FDNY personnel. The Vulcans called for a careful review to ensure that Local Law 139 of 2023 is “fully realized and consistently applied.” And in a July 7 letter, Robert C. Eustace, vice president of the Uniformed Firefighters Association Local 94, wrote that the three inspectors “took the promotional exam, passed it, were assigned list numbers by DCAS, and were allowed by DCAS to go through the full CPAT training.” He added that they were assigned firefighter mentors who assisted them during the promotion process. CPAT prep starts months in advance Zaman said the CPAT was an intense

physical test where you had to wear a 50-lb weighted vest while doing a stair climb and a series of equipment carry exercises. “It actually requires you to prep for months in advance to even pass this physical part,” he said. Zaman prepared for the test while traveling from Staten Island to Randall’s Island after work, and while his wife was pregnant. “The biggest thing was time,” he said. “I was sacrificing my time at home, but I figured it was going to be for a great opportunity, and I didn’t mind it.” All three FPIs had passed the CPAT and were preparing to do the medical stage when they were told they could no longer continue the process. “It was like a rug was pulled out from under our feet,” Zaman said. “We were essentially forced to withdraw from the process, still keeping our list number active, God willing that we get a chance to finish the process and become firemen.” Fire protection inspectors recently won a major case against the FDNY. Chalmers v. City of New York, a pay-discrimination lawsuit, ended in a settlement worth about $29 million and created a labor-management committee that’s supposed to help guide how FPIs are treated and help outline their working conditions going forward. Labor committee representatives Darryl Chalmers and Joseph Wilson have pushed to have the FDNY admit Zaman, Peralta and Clarson to the academy — they say there’s no valid reason for them not to be advanced. When AmNews emailed the FDNY to ask why the fire inspectors were not included under the Local Law 139 of 2023 exemption, the department replied: “The exemption did not apply to fire protection inspectors. It was only for members of EMS.” The letter of support from the Uniformed Firefighters Association Local 9 rejected the idea that admitting the inspectors would create a broader precedent. “Admitting them into the next class sets no precedent that can be used against the Department later, as these three FPIs are the only people to whom this unique set of circumstances apply,” they wrote. The union asked the FDNY to allow the three inspectors to join the next class as probationary firefighters, citing their reliance on assurances from local officials and DCAS’s decision to score their exams, assign list numbers, and permit them to train. “We didn’t ask for any special treatment,” Zaman said. “We just looked for fair treatment. We did everything we were supposed to. We didn’t cut any corners; we didn’t take any shortcuts. We took the exam, we passed it, and we should have been given a fair chance.”

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

October 15, 2026 - October 21, 2026 • 11

Gallery presents Gordon Parks’s ‘Voices in the Mirror’ By NAFISSATOU YATTASSAYE Special to the AmNews Gordon Parks’s photography lives on at the Jack Shainman Gallery on Lafayette Street. In collaboration with the Gordon Parks Foundation, the gallery revisits the work of Parks through the people and the families he photographed in an exhibition titled “The Voices in the Mirror.” “Over the last 20 years, the Gordon Parks Foundation has built relationships with many of the people that Gordon Parks photographed and got to know personally,” said Peter W. Kunhardt Jr., executive director of the foundation. “We are honored to have so many of their stories brought together in an exhibition at the Jack Shainman Gallery, one that will allow us to continue learning from them, so that the past may continue to inspire us.” For the first time, many of the families of the individuals photographed by Parks, including Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali, have reflected in writing on how Parks took these images, their power, and what they meant to them. Marking the 20th anniversary of the foundation, “Voices in the Mirror,” the title of Parks’s final memoir, published in 1990, goes beyond just the people he photographed. It is another deep-dive examination of the struggles these individuals and families have faced during a time of struggle for Black equality and excellence.

These images are stills of preserving Black culture and Black excellence. “There is something in his work that is so painterly and tender. The soft focus creates a kind of sacred distance between you and the subjects, even as it pulls you closer,” said Ava DuVernay, a young publicist for the 2000 Parks documentary and one of many who provided written reflections to the gallery on behalf of Parks’s work. “He did not bring elegance to Black life. He captured the elegance that is Black life.” That elegance was on full display throughout the gallery. Parks strived to capture what it meant to be a person of color and identify as an African American in America in the 1940s and onward. Images such as “Outside Looking In,” “At Segregated Drinking Fountain,” and “American Gothic,” to name a few, showcase a shared experience in the majority of the United States and all over the world, representing how racism and equality was an ongoing issue but self-representation as an African American remained. “We have to let a lot of people know the power of the arts, and the freedom that comes with sharing, and giving, and knowing that everybody wants to have the same opportunities and evaluations of life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” said former Ambassador Andrew Young in a re- Visitors at Gordon Parks exhibition. (Nafissatou Yattassaye photos) flection about Parks’s work. The exhibit is up until Nov. 10 on Tuesdays– Saturdays from 10 a.m.–6 p.m. at the Jack Shainman Gallery (46 Lafayette Street).

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12 • October 15, 2026 - October 21, 2026

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Opinion When the AmNews makes news

EDITORIAL

It’s always interesting for a reporter or a newspaper to be the focus of the news, but we have been mentioned on three recent occasions. First of all, the paper was cited in the obituary of Dr. Clarence Jones. Jones, who died May 28, and was once a part owner of the Amsterdam News. Last Saturday, the paper was cited when Don Rojas received an honorary doctor of letters from the University of the West Indies. Among his journalistic achievements, he was at one time the executive editor of the Amsterdam News. Finally, the AmNews will be one of the sites included in the National Urban League’s Legacy Tour on Oct. 14. These reports come as the paper is in the process of transforming its historic headquarters into a museum and a national center honoring the Black press. The project is slated to open sometime next year. Included in the conversion, along with the multi-faceted museum, are an archive, community space, a lounge, a café, a gallery, and exhibition space. A restored 1930s-style newsroom with research archives will be installed on the fourth floor. It will be a veritable one-stop in Harlem for the news; historical research; and a chance to hobnob with writers and community leaders, and grab a bite to eat. Knowing what we do about the creative thinkers behind this renovation, including its editorial chief and her staff, there are sure to be some technological and innovative aspects we have no way of conceiving at the moment. For a renowned publication covering the news, it’s awesome to discover it is also making the news.

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Nikole Hannah-Jones’ NYT article – The part we should really understand By THE REV. KAJI SPELLMAN DOUŠA

When Nikole Hannah-Jones writes, we get to talking. For plenty of folks, that talk is one more round of critiquing a Black woman. As for me and mine, she's given us homework. That’s what I’ve been praying about. In summer 2016, I read Hannah-Jones’s piece in The New York Times about the toughest choice her family had ever made; it helped me make ours. Her searing accuracy and the nakedness of her account convicted me. New York City runs one of the most deeply segregated school systems in the country, and one family was never going to undo that. For our child, we’d take nearly the opposite path: the best private schools. Black women can make opposite choices and still root for each other “from the roota to the toota,” as the elders say. Our families are now ten years into these decisions, and once again Hannah-Jones’ latest Times article sends me back to mine. My heart breaks while my fists clench at the systemic failures she describes. Those failures reach Black families one household at a time, and too many of us have tried to “lone wolf” our way through our children’s education. Her piece left me with the question I’ve been asking myself for a decade: who are my people? Whose people am I? Her 2016 piece sent me looking for my people as priority one. I found them among Black mothers who had made choices like ours. Together we set out to raise thriving, Black children inside elite, mostly white institutions. Her family and mine have learned Elinor R. Tatum: Publisher the same lesson and Editor in Chief from opposite Madison Gray: Executive & Investigative Editor ends: wherever Kristin Fayne-Mulroy: Managing Editor Black children go Cyril Josh Barker: Digital Editor to school, educatDamaso Reyes: Editor at Large ing them means a Siobhan "Sam" Bennett: fight. Chief Revenue Officer and Head of Advertising Now, her piece Wilbert A. Tatum (1984-2009): convicts me: the Chairman of the Board, CEO and Publisher Emeritus babies beyond

Journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones. (ABRAJi via Wikimedia Commons photo)

my own circle are my responsibility too. Elite white spaces have always been hard on Black children. Black students who face racism at school are 70% more likely to report persistent sadness or hopelessness, and more than three times as likely to have attempted suicide. Every head of school in this city should know those numbers by heart. Instead, many are taking their cues from a movement, championed by a President, that wants ours out. Many private schools that created DEI positions in the past decade are reversing course in quiet compliance. In their efforts at self-preservation, institutions tend to lose their missions. Only together will we remind (or convince) these schools that Black students and faculty are crucial to the mission, and that the school would be awful without us. Can you even imagine? Under every effort to educate Black children sits the pernicious assumption racism plants: that our children are inferior. That same assumption supplies

Experts name three of the most lifesaving supports for youth in crisis: therapy, safe and trusted adults, and safe community. The church can offer the last two and must partner with licensed professionals for the first. But a church is an institution too, just as capable of losing its mission. Dissuading the faithful from mental health care as if suffering were a lack of faith; tolerating and protecting abusers; subverting safety for institutional preservation — these are sins we must atone for and fix at the highest levels. Each one ripples far beyond the church’s walls, and so must the repair. I pastor a 216-year-old congregation on the Upper East Side that is now predominantly Black, and togetherness is our mandate. We follow the Jesus who centered children and said, “Let the children come.” Our youth started this work themselves with six words they’d chosen to carry it: joy, enough, breathe, belong, courage, hope. At Listening Tables, where we asked our youth what they want, they told us they need monthly sessions away from their parents, and outside of school. More than a hundred teens have asked to join us, most with no direct tie to our church. We’re scheduling the first session now, with our youth hosting, a licensed clinical social worker and me leading, and parents from several schools advising. We’re starting in our corner of the city, and we want to learn from everyone already doing this work. When Black youth thrive, the whole city thrives. Can you even imagine? Nikole Hannah-Jones has spent her career educating this nation about itself. God knows the price she’s paid for that. Her turning the mirror turns mine too, and, as usual, I only like some of my reflection. I’ve got work to do, and so do we. Let’s fight for all the babies like they’re ours. They are.

the wrong answer to a question this city keeps asking: why do so few Black students test into the specialized high schools? This fall, Deputy City Council Speaker Nantasha Williams and Councilmember Lincoln Restler are pushing to repeal the HechtCalandra Act, the state law passed in 1971 to block efforts to admit more Black and Puerto Rican students. Racism says they couldn’t get in. History says they were never supposed to. The law still stands. Part of the reason that the law still stands may be that so many Black families, mine included, have opted out of the public schools, taking our share of the organizing power with us. We’re all too busy fighting racism in our separate rings. I’m asking my own councilmember, Speaker Julie Menin, to back their resolution and bring it to a vote. Ten years ago, Hannah-Jones’ writing had me seeking community. Now, it asks what that community owes to children beyond our own. As we say in the church: The Rev. Kaji Spellman Douša the only way out is through; the is the senior pastor and CEO of only way through is together. Park Avenue Christian Church.

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS O P I N I O N

How the law is used as a weapon in deed theft By TODD ELLIOTT KOGER SR. For 30 years, I have watched a particular American truth reveal itself. This is not through spectacle but through the smallest bureaucratic gestures: a misfiled form, a notice that never arrives, a signature that disappears into a storage room where sunlight never reaches. The most devastating injustices in Black communities rarely announce themselves with sirens. They arrive quietly — through paperwork, administrative neglect, and records altered, buried, or resurrected depending on who benefits from the version that survives. My family lived inside that silence. In 2005, a municipal tax lien was filed against the home my family had owned for decades. It was never served to anyone named on the deed, never delivered to heirs, never given the chance to be answered. By law, the lien died in 2010. In 2011, the municipality’s attorneys signed an affidavit acknowledging its expiration. The record knew it. The court knew it. The law knew it. Yet for more than a decade, that dead lien was quietly brought to life again as soon as someone needed a procedural

weapon — first to disqualify a political candidacy, then to justify an eviction, and finally to clear title to a home my family had lived in for 26 years. This is not an isolated story. It is a national pattern — documented in Detroit, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Chicago, Washington, and rural counties across the South — where heirs’ property loss, defective notice, forged transfers, and quiet‑title abuse dismantle generational wealth at scale. These harms do not erupt; they accumulate. They slumber until their resurrection becomes convenient for those who profit from the lie. Nowhere is this more visible than in New York City, where deed theft has become a defining crisis in Black neighborhoods. As The Amsterdam News has reported, vulnerable homeowners are targeted through forged signatures, fraudulent conveyances, and procedural maneuvers that exploit gaps in oversight. In neighborhoods where families have held homes for generations, deed theft hides in plain sight, quietly transferring ownership while elders struggle to understand why the home they maintained for decades is suddenly not theirs. When documenta-

tion is manipulated, entire histories can be erased in a single proceeding. Documentation protects truth only when institutions honor it. When they do not, memory becomes the last defense. The machinery of erasure is dangerous not only because of the harm it inflicts but because of the way it hides. Institutional indifference does not declare itself. It accumulates in clerical decisions, in unchecked boxes, in precedents no one bothers to examine. A dead lien can be made to breathe again if the affidavit proving its death is folded into a box and pushed to a shelf. Years later, when a clerk needs a justification for removal, the box is opened, the convenient document is found, and the law — on paper — becomes a tool of dispossession in practice. This is not merely a legal failure. It is a failure of civic imagination — our unwillingness to see the quiet violence of administrative power for what it is. We have grown accustomed to thinking of injustice as spectacle: a headline, a viral video, a protest. But the slow, procedural violence that hollows out families and neighborhoods is harder to see and harder to litigate. It is the work of clerks and forms, of stor-

age rooms, and forgotten affidavits, of bureaucratic habits that become systems over time. To confront this machinery, we must treat memory as evidentiary. Memory is not sentimental; it is civic. It is the neighbor who remembers the day the assessor came, the child who keeps the envelope stamped with a date, the granddaughter who files the photograph of a deed. When records fail, memory is the ledger that survives — the witness that refuses to let the official version of events become the only version. We must treat it as such. Courts and clerks must be held to higher standards of transparency. Dead liens should remain dead. Affidavits acknowledging expiration should be indexed, digitized, and made discoverable. Storage rooms should not be the final arbiters of justice. Legal remedies must be accessible. Quiet‑title procedures and heirs’ property claims are labyrinthine and expensive — designed, in practice, to be inaccessible to the families they are meant to protect. We need legal aid, streamlined processes, and statutory reforms that recognize the See DEED THEFT on page 29

Black Agenda Rally in New Jersey warns what’s at stake this election

For several weeks, Larry Hamm, chair and a founder of the People’s Organization for Progress, has been beating the drum for an upcoming Black Agenda Rally on the radio. On WBAI Friday evenings, as well as Sunday mornings on WBLS and WLIB with Imhotep Gary Byrd and myself, Hamm has been persistent in getting the word out about this rally, set for Oct. 15 at 10 a.m.

Among the elected officials at the event, joining Rev. Al Sharpton, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and Rep. LaMonica McIver, will be a host of faith-based and political leaders, including Pastor Steffie Bartley, northeast regional director of the National Action Network; and John Harmon, president of the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey. On our recent show, Hamm emphasized the importance of the rally, especially in light of the upcoming midterm elections. “We need to get out and vote

like we did for Barack Obama in 2008,” he said. “This is one of the most consequential elections we’ve had in years, and we know that Trump is doing everything he can to steal this election.” The list of invited guests is quite extensive and matches the urgency to alert the community of the need to register and to vote. “The voting has already begun,” Hamm said. “Early ballots are being counted right now, so it is absolutely imperative for us to vote like our lives depended on it, and it certainly does.”

Others who have been invited include: Reverend Dr. Charles Boyer; Logan Township Mayor Frank W. Minor; Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson; Jacob Walthour, Blueprint Capital CEO; Pastor Pamela Jones; Ana Maria Hill, New Jersey state director and vice president of 32BJ SEIU; and Daryn Martin, secretary-treasurer of DISTRICT 1199J. National Action Network (NAN), National Urban League (NUL), NAACP, and People’s Organization for Progress are among the organizations invited.

October 15, 2026 - October 21, 2026 • 13

Why universal school meals should be a priority for politicians CHRISTINA

GREER, PH.D. I sometimes think about my childhood and the fond memories I have of recess and lunchtime with my friends. I think about the love notes my mom left in my lunchbox in elementary school and all of the conversations I had with friends in middle and high school about crushes, teachers, and dramas that seemed like the world at the time. However, as we shared snacks and lunches with one another, I never thought about the thousands upon thousands of American children who go hungry every day while at school. My cousin is a dedicated second grade teacher in Baltimore. She has told me about the difficulty teachers face when trying to teach and nurture young people who can barely concentrate due to hunger. I know I am not my best self when I am hungry. I am distracted, sometimes have an attitude, and am definitely not about to be my best self intellectually or emotionally. There are so many families struggling to provide for their families who need a little extra assistance. If anyone has been to the grocery store lately, they have seen the price of groceries skyrocket. It is so much harder to provide for one’s family as prices continue to increase and job prospects remain stagnant or unattainable for so many. Beginning in the 2025– 2026 school year, New York State School Food Authorities (SFAs) began participating in the federal school lunch and/or breakfast programs. These programs are required to provide reimbursable school meals at no cost to all students.

Children having a proper breakfast, snack, and lunch helps everyone involved in the educational process. Kids have food and can concentrate on their classes, and teachers can spend more time educating their pupils and less time trying to manage behaviors and distractions. New York is doing right by its students — but not all states are following suit. In the upcoming months, several Democrats will be dipping their toes into potential presidential waters. It is imperative that we know where candidates stand on providing universal school meals. Will they help push to codify universal school meals in the federal budget or push statehouses and governors to make universal school meals a reality for all? Universal school meals could ensure that children are fed without requiring families to complete income-verification paperwork. A universal program would also subsidize meals for families capable of paying and require lawmakers to identify a continuing source of state or federal funding. Providing universal school meals is an issue we need to be sure to keep at the forefront of candidate debates and campaign platforms. It is not too early to start thinking about issues that are of importance to you. We are in charge of creating the democracy and society we wish to have. Christina Greer, Ph.D., is a professor at Fordham University; author; senior policy fellow at Brooklyn Org; and co-host of the podcast FAQNYC.

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THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

Caribbean Update No surprise as Haiti postpones first elections in a decade By BERT WILKINSON Special to the AmNews Caribbean community governments, friendly nations like Mexico and Brazil, and the United Nations were all hoping that Haiti’s first general elections after a decade would have returned the troubled regional member state to democracy, but few say they are surprised that its interim administration, this week, postponed the planned Dec. 13 contest until further notice. Back in early 2024, these very groups had rushed along with Haitian stakeholders to an emergency summit in Jamaica to help put together a transitional government that would return the country to democracy, deal with the heavily armed gangs destabilizing life in the capital and related areas, and put the economy back on a path to recovery. But just as the electoral council (CEP) was preparing for the first round of voting in December, there were very strong indications that the date was in serious doubt as, up to this week, only about 800,000, or about 10 percent of the eligible voting population, had registered as electors. Officials say that some of the more than a dozen presidential candidates

had also not completed their paperwork. Combined with the tenuous security situation, including recent incidents where armed gangs have simply gone into residential and other areas and have slaughtered people, the transitional administration decided that it made no sense to go ahead with preparations as there was no indication that voter registration would increase exponentially, and the security challenges would be brought under control. “The period originally scheduled for the electoral campaign has been postponed. The timetable will be made public as soon as possible. This measure is intended in particular to allow candidates and the political structures concerned to have the necessary time to complete the formalities required under the legal and regulatory framework in force. The council is actively working to finalize an updated electoral calendar, taking into account the new provisions of the electoral decree, as well as the technical and operational requirements of the process,” the CEP stated. “The CEP is actively working to finalize an updated electoral calendar, taking into account the new provisions of the electoral decree, as well as the techni-

cal and operational requirements of the process,” the council said. For regional governments which have deployed a three-person team of former prime ministers to work with local stakeholders many times since 2024, the island nation remains the only one without a democratic government. Its last elections were held in 2016, meaning that the mandates of thousands of lawmakers, mayors, deputies, and other officials have long expired. Haiti’s woes were not made any easier after heavily armed Colombians and other mercenaries had assassinated Jovenel Moise, the last elected president, at his private residence in early July of 2021. The chaos that ensued has created a major opening for the gangs to control life in the capital and related areas. An example of this occurred with dire consequences in late August when gangs invaded the Kenscoff neighborhood outside the capital, killing 47 people, including children and civilians hiding in a church. As an indication of the inertia and malaise in preparations for the original election date, the electoral body stated that only 12 presidential candidates and a mere 270 candidates for the senate had officially indicated

intentions of participating. To help speed up the process for when a new date for the first round is named, authorities say they will open up dozens of online portals for digital registration and eliminate some of the paperwork requirements for candidates to ease frustration with the process. The candidate registration period had been scheduled to close Oct. 9. The CEP has now extended both online registration and the deadline for submitting required documents through Oct. 31. The campaign period, which was scheduled to begin Oct. 5, has also been postponed, the electoral body noted. The CEP said it will announce the new start and end dates later as part of an updated calendar to be finalized in consultation with political organizations authorized to participate in the elections. Meanwhile, U.N. officials said that at least 5,700 people have been killed between January and early September, most of them linked to gang activity or operations by security forces. The U.N. office said it has also recorded just over 270 kidnappings and abductions, and more than 1,000 incidents of rape or sexual assault on women in the troubled Caribbean nation.

Is ICE fighting a war or enforcing immigration laws? FELICIA PERSAUD

IMMIGRATION KORNER On Oct. 8, an ICE officer fired seven shots at a vehicle in the Marble Hill neighborhood of New York City during an attempted immigration arrest. Inside were 28-year-old Dominican immigrant Oscar Belgal and his five-year-old son. Belgal was struck in the neck. His five-yearold son was physically unharmed, but the psychological consequences were devastating. His mother, Arianna Montero, said the child has been experiencing nightmares and has stopped speaking since witnessing his father being shot. Federal officials say Belgal drove toward agents and endangered their lives. Questions remain about the encounter, including whether the plainclothes officers were clearly identifiable. But the shooting raises a larger question: Why are immigration arrests on American streets increasingly resembling combat operations? Are we fighting a war? And if so, against whom? Belgal’s shooting came nine months after two U.S. citizens were killed in Minneapolis during federal immigration enforcement operations. On Jan. 7, Renée Nicole Macklin Good, a 37-year-old mother, was fatally shot by an ICE officer. On Jan. 24, Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a 37-year-

old intensive care nurse, was killed by Border Patrol officers. Both deaths sparked questions about the use of force, official accounts of the encounters, and the need for independent investigations. Neither victim was an immigrant facing deportation. Yet both lost their lives during immigration enforcement operations. And now, another man has been shot with a young child just feet away. This followed the Sept. 20 shooting of Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, a 28-year-old Venezuelan DoorDash delivery driver, in Austin, Texas. Federal authorities allege that Garces Perez struck an ICE officer with his vehicle’s side mirror while attempting to flee and later tried to hit an officer with his car. Garces Perez disputes that account, saying an unmarked federal vehicle struck his car before an agent shot him in the back. The officer who fired was not wearing a body camera. We are told these operations are necessary to enforce immigration laws and protect public safety. Federal authorities argue that officers face dangerous suspects, including people who resist arrest or use vehicles as weapons. Those risks cannot simply be dismissed. Law enforcement officers have a right to protect themselves and others from imminent threats. But immigration enforcement is civilian law enforcement, not warfare. So why are Americans seeing masked federal agents carrying AR-15-style rifles, conduct-

ing heavily armed operations in residential neighborhoods, and sometimes firing multiple rounds during attempted arrests? What determines when such weapons and tactics are necessary? What alternatives are considered before an encounter becomes potentially deadly? And who independently examines those decisions afterward? The Department of Homeland Security’s own use-of-force policy establishes that deadly force must be objectively reasonable and necessary to protect against an imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury. Fleeing alone does not justify shooting someone. These standards matter because the power to arrest is not the authority to kill. Another troubling dimension to this debate is the following: According to the National Immigration Project, at least 28 people had reportedly died in ICE custody in 2026 as of Oct. 5. ICE reported 33 detainee deaths in 2025, the highest annual total in more than two decades. These deaths are not all shootings, nor do they share identical circumstances. But they raise another question about the government’s responsibility for people whose liberty it has taken away. When someone dies in federal custody, what independent examination determines whether appropriate medical care, supervision, and safeguards were provided? And when an immigration operation ends in gunfire, how quickly does the public receive the evidence necessary

to evaluate the official explanation? We can recognize the government’s authority to enforce immigration law without accepting that every enforcement tactic is necessary or proportionate. We can recognize the dangers officers sometimes face while insisting that their decisions remain subject to scrutiny. And we can acknowledge that some people targeted for arrest have criminal histories without treating those histories as justification for whatever force is subsequently used against them. America is not a battlefield. Its streets are not combat zones. Immigration officers do not encounter enemy combatants. They are individuals with legal rights, regardless of nationality or immigration status. Renée Good was an American citizen. So was Alex Pretti. Oscar Belgal is a Dominican immigrant who survived being shot while his young son sat nearby. Different people. Different circumstances. But the same fundamental question: If U.S. ICE is enforcing immigration laws rather than fighting a war, why are some of its operations ending in gunfire — and what is being done to ensure that an arrest does not become a death sentence? 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

October 15, 2026 - October 21, 2026 • 15

Arts & Entertainment

Harlem Stage celebrates young imaginations with first KIDS DAY! By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff Children are being invited to come sing, move, make, and imagine at Harlem Stage’s first KIDS DAY, a free five-hour celebration to be hosted by WQXR’s Terrance McKnight. The event, set for Saturday, Oct. 24, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Harlem Stage Gatehouse, 150 Convent Ave. at West 135th Street, will feature live music, astronaut training, face painting, games, bouncy houses, a children’s book giveaway, free food trucks, healthy snacks, and other family activities. Admission is first-come, first-serve –– advance registration is encouraged. For attendees who need accommodations, Harlem Stage will provide ADA-accessible entry and seating, ASL interpreters, and a golf cart for assistance. Harlem Stage says children deserve these kinds of artistic experiences and that it will give their creativity room to grow. At 10 a.m., the day begins with “Blast Off! Astronaut Training,” a free activity led by Mélissa Smith and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., families can also take part in face painting, games, bouncy houses, and a children’s book giveaway, with free food trucks and healthy snacks. “At Harlem Stage, we believe New York City’s children deserve the same adventurous, imaginative artistic experiences as our adult audiences; experiences that open the next generation to possibility and reflect the beautiful diversity of the world around them,” said Indira Etwaroo, CEO & artistic director. “Divinity Roxx, our newly appointed associate artistic director, is an award-winning musician who believes deeply in the untapped power of children’s imagination. When that belief meets Harlem Stage as a global play space … BOOM! Magic happens.” At 11 a.m., there will be a free live music celebration with a musical performance by “Gracie’s Corner,” the YouTube channel that presents upbeat, culturally centered, educational songs. Roxx will perform with Divi Roxx Kids, her family music project built around confidence, movement, and self-expression. Roxx is a two-time Grammy nominee

in the children’s category, recognized for “Ready Set Go!” and “World Wide Playdate.” “Stepping into this new role at Harlem Stage, it is especially meaningful to me that one of the first events of the season centers children and families and invites them into a space filled with wonder and possibility, extending the potential for young people to explore and expand their imaginations,” Roxx

said. “I celebrate music that inspires kids to dream bigger, express themselves, and harness the power of their own voices. “Harlem Stage KIDS DAY! gives us an opportunity to create that kind of experience and to make some great music, move, play, discover something new and, most importantly, let families and kids know that this is a space for them, too.”

There will be a free musical performance by actors with “Gracie’s Corner.” (Photo courtesy of Harlem Stage)

Harlem Stage Associate Artistic Director Divinity Roxx will perform with Divi Roxx Kids at the first KIDS DAY! (Photo courtesy of Ogata Photography)

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Hispanic Heritage Month

At CENTRO, ‘Dearchiving the Gaze’ asks viewers to see Afro Puerto Ricans outside of the colonial gaze By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff Century-old postcards depicting Black Puerto Ricans are on view at Hunter College’s CENTRO Gallery in East Harlem. The images show Black life on the archipelago just after the United States took over Puerto Rico in 1898. What’s disturbing is that these postcards reduced Black Puerto Ricans to colonial stereotypes, portraying them as laborers, curiosities, or symbols of poverty. CENTRO’s exhibit “Dearchiving the Gaze” asks visitors to look past that idea, toward the humanity of the people on view. Curated by Dr. Windy M. Cosme Rosario, the exhibition features 30 reproductions of photographs and postcards made from the late 19th into the early 20th century, when U.S. photographers documented Puerto Rico after the 1898 invasion. These images –– culled from the University of Puerto Rico (UPR) and the Afro-Puerto-Rican-focused Museo Afro Casa Silvana (MACAS) –– were originally captioned with text that linked Black life in Puerto Rico with manual labor, rural isolation, poverty, and exoticism. Cosme Rosario, who created the project while serving as a 2025-2026 research seminarist at PRAFRO, the Afrodescendant and racial studies program at UPR, explained that PRAFRO’s Director Dr. Mayra SantosFebres, had asked her to identify and show a way for students and future researchers to find Afro-Puerto-Rican images. When they found these images from the late 19th through early 20th centuries, they turned them into an exhibition that was shown at this year’s annual Cumbre Afro. CENTRO has adapted and expanded the original display for New York City viewers. Cosme Rosario first looked at how other

Postcard images from the ‘Dearchiving the Gaze’ exhibit at CENTRO. (CENTRO Gallery photos)

scholars had used the postcards and why they were produced. “I didn’t want to simply exhibit postcards; I wanted to work with the visualities those postcards produced. ‘Dearchiving the Gaze’ emerges from that exercise: temporarily suspending inherited titles and categories, reorganizing the images through other experiences and creating the conditions to look at them again through different questions. It is not about erasing their history, but about recognizing everything that those forms of classification had left outside our field of vision,” she said. Colonial rule by Spain initially established racial hierarchies based on ancestry, color, class, and enslavement. African enslavement was abolished in Puerto Rico in 1873, but inequality remained. Once the U.S. gained control over Puerto Rico, pictures and publications cast Puerto Ricans as colonial subjects who could be classified and governed. Cosme Rosario says that the people seen in “Dearchiving the Gaze” may have been

asked to pose, and yet never told how their likenesses would be used. These postcards were later circulated with demeaning titles and handwritten messages. “I decided that if my mission is to recover visual images, then what I specifically wanted to display as pieces in the gallery were those visual images of these bodies, these faces of African descent within these images — and to separate them from the colonial elements that accompanied them,” Cosme Rosario told the AmNews. “Because, you see, the original images, which are postcards, were accompanied by texts and captions that sometimes pigeonholed these people into a specific psychological framework. They were completely ignored, their agency was completely stripped away, [and] their bodies were seen merely as part of the landscape. The process by which these images were produced is the same process by which certain publications began to appear from the

United States, like ‘Our Islands and Their People as Seen with Camera and Pencil.’ “There’s also an intentionality within the narrative of these texts — to teach the colonizers how to look at us, how to view these new possessions,” she added. “Well, my interest is precisely in critiquing these narratives, and the act of critiquing them is to highlight the people who appear in those images — most of whom were forced to be there or weren’t even aware of what was really going on.” During a tour of the gallery show, CENTRO Director Dr. Yomaira C. FigueroaVásquez moved through different sections of “Dearchiving the Gaze” and talked about how they were organized around sociality, childhood, labor, and landscape. The Puerto Rican national image has often been celebrated as a harmonious mixture of Indigenous, European, and African ancestry. But many have shown that this idea also pushed Puerto Rico to distance itself from Blackness, minimize instances of racism, and elevate blanqueamiento — whitening — as a social ideal. Figueroa-Vásquez said the images on view in “Dearchiving the Gaze” are important because they show Black Puerto Rican life at a time when the national image of Ricanness was being formulated around the image of the jibaro, Puerto Rico’s traditional rural farmer. The jibaro is typically symbolized as a white-facing mixed race person. “Like that becomes a hero, but that man, that figure becomes the hero after these images are taken,” Figueroa-Vásquez said. U.S. photographers were trying to depict Puerto Rico, the land they had just conquered, for other white Americans. Figueroa-Vásquez added, “This is from the U.S. perspective, like how are we going to make this acceptable to the American

A public, which is when you get books like ‘Our Islands and Their People,’ these important books where they have that expansion of the U.S. and they’re doing these colonial photographs. They’re like, ‘okay, here are our Islands, everyone –– we are the Big Brother, we’re the dad, we’re the big uncle to these little islands. And here are our islands and their people.’ Your main figure, who’s a man of the land, he’s like, you know, European and Indigenous, mixed race, and he wears these hats. That becomes the national symbol for like 60 years, completely erasing the fact that the interior of Puerto Rico, not just the coast, because people understand that the coast of Puerto Rico looks [Black], but the interior of Puerto Rico also looked like this.” Cosme Rosario said she tried to isolate the faces and bodies depicted in the images from titles that boxed them into a colonial psychology or treated them as scenery. In Puerto Rico, the exhibition included a short curatorial text and three responses by research and curatorial assistant Daniel Rivera, who retitled selected images and wrote from what he observed. At CENTRO, the exhibition asked

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scholars and cultural workers to add their interpretations of the images, and there is a bilingual newspaper available to visitors that allows them to offer titles as well. Cosme Rosario said the effort is to ask people to question how they learned to look at and imagine the people in these colonial pictures and to begin to recognize them as ancestors and community members. Cosme Rosario said she hopes the exhibition will travel and that this method of viewing colonial-era images will be used in places beyond Puerto Rico, because colonial photography imposed similar ways of seeing in other countries. “Desarchivar is an invitation to explore liberation through historical reinterpretation,” said Ángel Antonio Ruiz-Laboy, CENTRO’s associate director of arts and culture. Desarchivar la mirada is on view through Dec. 18, 2026, Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., at CENTRO Gallery in the Silberman School of Social Work, 2180 Third Ave. at East 119th Street. Admission to the exhibit is free and open to the public. For more info, visit centropr.hunter.cuny.edu.

October 15, 2026 - October 21, 2026 • 17 M

(CENTRO Gallery photos)

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City College hosts symposium to recognize, save Black identity By MICHAEL HENRY ADAMS Special to the AmNews It’s often been a quiet, tactfully kept DL secret, sometimes expressed by area institutions in doublespeak, but Harlem’s longterm residents today are just as concerned with our community losing its unique and distinct Black identity, and association as white residents were about losing a special place 110 years ago. That’s what makes the question “Just what in the devil is ‘the built archive’ of Harlem?” an important one. It was a query pondered and grappled with recently, from Sept. 17–19, as the CCNY Spitzer School of Architecture held a dynamic symposium presented by the Harlem Place, Memory, and Culture Incubator. Led by Jerome Haferd, assistant professor of architecture in the City College Spitzer School of Architecture (SSA), and part of the architectural team in charge of the Amsterdam News’s coming National African American Journalism Center, the conference examined how design practitioners are reimagining our built environment and preservation practice through Afro-diasporic culture and memory. The premier event brought together Harlem and national leading artists, architects, scholars, archivists, and cultural professionals to explore how Black memory, design, spatial justice, and community knowledge shape the ways we document, preserve, and imagine our shared histories and futures — and how architecture can act to bridge multiple disciplines. During a tour I conducted Friday morning that compared the heritage of 135th Street, Black Harlem’s original Main Street, with 125th Street, which emphasized white shoppers well into the mid20th century, I stressed that whatever exists in Harlem has meaning and belongs to us. “Whatever survives, only did so due to us.” That applies to exceptional buildings built by and for whites or important adaptations like Franco’s painted security gates, In 1911, St. Philip’s Episcopal Church took deliberate action to hasten the creation of a Black stronghold uptown by purchasing a row of 10 French Flats (apart-

CCNY Harlem Place, Memory, and Culture Incubator’s Built Archive symposium’s final panel. (Michael Henry Adams photos)

1. 2.

1. Frank’s Chophouse, bought by Trinidadian African American Selwyn Joseph in 1964. . Picker Building, aka Frank’s Chophouse (315 West 125th Street), built in 1887 and designed by John F. Miller; 125th Street’s only surviving cast iron façade.

ments with private baths but no elevator) on the north side of 135th Street (stretching west of the Harlem Public Library that became the Schomburg Center, nearly to Seventh Avenue). The buildings were obtained through pioneering Black Realtor John Nail for a quarter-million dollars — the largest realty purchase by

African Americans in New York’s history. Whites were evicted and replaced by Black families. For three generations, this strategic investment was the basis of the church’s endowment. Renovated in a way that shaved off the buildings’ distinctive cornices and replaced ground-floor commercial shops, whose rents once

helped lower the rents of residents, it doesn’t just need immediate restoration of pretty architectural elements. “Sure, restoring the beauty and history of a place is an important way to attract business and tourism while instilling pride in the people who live here, but greater affordability can come from having stores that cater to residents. In this case, that’s of equal importance,” I told the group. On 125th Street, at stores like Blumstein’s, the Lowe’s Victoria Theater, and Frank’s Chophouse, Black patrons were discriminated against as late as the 1930s. It took lawsuits using New York State’s Civil Rights Law, regular editorials in the Amsterdam News, and other Black journals, and public demonstrations, to finally effect a change, led by community giants like Rev. Adam Clayton Powell Jr. and actress Freddie Washington. By 1963, famous Frank’s even became Black-owned after it was acquired by Trinidadian African American Selwyn Joseph. Rich-

ard Greene, executive VP of Blackowned Carver Savings and Loan Bank; Apollo Theater owner Frank Schiffman; entertainers Nancy Wilson, Dionne Warwick, Bill Cosby, Cannonball, Adderley, and other bigwigs all lunched here. Frank’s closed around 1971. On Saturday morning, Valerie Joe Bradley, president of Save Harlem Now!, opened a panel with compelling memories of Harlem and a path that led her to eventually move here from East 55th Street. Back in the 1970s, her wellto-do white neighbors shouted racist insults and epithets, threw garbage, and called police with noise complaints whenever she entertained United Nations delegates on her magnificent terrace. Uptown, in methodically restoring a Victorian brownstone, she became an active advocate for local parks, dance, and art charities, ultimately becoming an historic preservationist. Articulating how, along with gentrification and a rapidly evolving built environment, the traditional cultural life of Harlem is also under threat, she said, “This threat is real and doesn’t just include well-built buildings with beautiful architecture being put at risk of vanishing. Everyday sounds and rituals of Harlem like block parties are also what make this place unique. DJ Stormin’ Norman’s (Norman McHugh) summer dance parties, welcoming all comers, as diverse as they wanna be; Sundae See SAVE BLACK IDENTITY continued on next page

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French Flats — apartments on the north side of 135th Street, purchased in 1911 by St. Philip’s Episcopal Church to help turn Harlem from white to Black.

year; it’s become excessive!” Bradley’s remarks led to an enSermon; are out of this world, but gaging conversation with Sade in a changing Harlem, it’s becom- Lythcott, one of the designers reing more and more difficult to sponsible for creating the new Nasecure a permit due to noise com- tional Black Theatre. She pushed plaints from recent residents.” the panel and audience to look Hearing this, a local audience beyond conversations around the member noted, “Tomorrow is the nuance of preservation in comAfrican American Day Parade. I munities of color like Harlem. just want you to notice the police “Let’s consider that it’s not just presence. Bigger and bigger each about old vs new buildings, but

Continued from page 20

October 15, 2026 - October 21, 2026 • 19

Mordecai Cargill of ThirdSpace Action Lab; Jerome Haferd, CCNY professor, SSA; Justin Garrett Moore, Mellon Foundation officer; Vanessa Morrison, University of Oklahoma; Eric Riley, architect, KDI; Germane Barnes, U. Miami; Amber Wiley, U. Oklahoma; Marta Gutman, dean, CCNY, SSA; Inye Wokoma, Wa Na Wari. (Michael Henry Adams photos)

how do we effectively ensure that any aspect of Black cultural life will endure here or anywhere?” “I hear you,” said a delegate from Cleveland, complaining that for all its historical significance (Laura Spelman Rockefeller, wife of John D. Rockefeller, who founded Spelman College, taught there and Langston Hughes attended high school here) and architectural distinction, Cleveland’s Central

High School remains vacant with no announced plans. “These are high-stakes issues confronting us,” said Haferd. “My hope for the conference was to remove some of the ‘silos’ that currently seem to exist between different folks, org[anizations]s, and disciplines, all engaged in what I would consider to be preservation and memory work. These efforts of historic preservation, design,

and activism can and should all be allied in the holistic cultural preservation of neighborhoods and communities like Harlem, which have always been dynamic. What we’ve begun must commit us to an ongoing dialogue, assuring not just sustaining and substantiation for Black heritage worldwide, but utilizing culture, history, and heritage, in a way that stimulates and strengthens Black people.”

3. Original entrance to 1325 Park Avenue by C. P. H. Gilbert, one of 125th Street’s mostthreatened buildings. 2. Today’s entrance to 1325 Park Avenue, illustrates what could happen to entire landmarked building.

Onetime Twelfth Ward Bank Building, designed by George S. Drew in 1892; another unprotected and endangered 125th Street building.

20 • October 15, 2026 - October 21, 2026 A

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THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS & E N T E R T A I N

This week: ‘Fatal Negligence’ film, Jazzcultural, The Pocket, Film at Lincoln Center

As children, we view our parents as the best ever — super-heroes with Herculean strength and Superman powers. In the twilight of their years, though, adult children dutifully accept the responsibility of making sure their parent heroes are taken care of in a comfortable, secure, safe environment; perhaps a nursing home or assisted living facility. Although this may seem like an easy task, it can be an ever-evolving maze down a deep rabbit hole with no return in sight. Such disrespect for human dignity and predatory practices exposing the hidden elder abuse inside court-appointed guardianships is depicted in the heartwrenching, sensitive short film “Fatal Negligence,” a passionate 20-minute drama written by, directed by, and starring Juliette Fairley and inspired by true events. Fairley drops viewers into the depths of a broken system. The film follows Georgina Dillard (Fairley), a daughter who has been barred from seeing her father for weeks. Ben Dillard (Ajene D. Washington), a partially blind retired military veteran, has been placed under the guardianship of his girlfriend. Behind closed doors, he is being starved and denied the glaucoma medication that protects what remains of his sight. Desperate for answers, Georgina hires private investigator Larry Limine (Behzad Dabiri), who goes undercover and discovers that Ben’s isolation is no accident. Christianity references a hell for some in an after-life, but unfortunately, many elders are currently living in a daily purgatory under this systemic problem. “I made this film because families are living through this right now, and most of them have no idea it is legal,” said Fairley. “I want people to become more aware, be more careful and involved with their family and relatives when it comes to such matters. A court can hand a stranger control of your parent’s money, medical care, and front door, and you can be turned away at the reception

Cast and crew of “Fatal Negligence.” (Photo courtesy of Juliette Fairley)

desk with no recourse. Georgina’s fight is the fight thousands of sons and daughters are having in probate courts across the country. I want audiences to leave angry enough to call their legislators.” Currently on the film circuit after winning the 2026 Chain NYC Film Festival’s Signature Award for Best New Work, Fairley feels the award offers a little bit of justice but can never erase the pain and sorrow she and her father James E. Fairley endured. His guardianship case was argued and lost before the Texas Supreme Court in 2022. “[The film] does some justice for my father — he was a good man and shouldn’t have gone out like that,” she said. “I was unable to get him out of the guardianship before he died at 90 years old.” James was an international jazz saxophonist in the military before he was trapped under an unconstitutional court-appointed guardianship in San Antonio, Texas. While in the U.S. Air Force, he was a member of the “All-Airmen” Tops in Blue variety show in 1956. The ensemble performed 190 showcases across 155 military bases throughout the U.S., Europe, North Africa, and Greenland, with two appearances on the legendary Ed Sullivan show. After being discharged from the service, Fairley continued performing while directing talent showcases. “Fatal Negligence” is a visual vehicle to build public pressure for reform. It speaks for the many voices of exploited veterans and other victims of predatory guardianships nationwide. The film is

a sincere, gut-grabbing drama worthy of an Academy Award in the Short Film category. More information about this subject can be found with these links: • National Council on Aging, Get the Facts on Elder Abuse (ncoa.org) • National Council on Disability, Beyond Guardianship: Toward Alternatives That Promote Greater Self Determination (ncd.gov) Jazzcultural (349 West 46th Street), the only NYC jazz club with three live performances seven nights per week, features the Mike Rodriguez Quintet, Oct. 16–18. The Grammy-winning trumpeter/composer will be joined by his skilled troops: tenor saxophonist John Ellis, pianist Gary Versace, bassist Joe Martin, and drummer E.J. Strickland. Rodriguez has played with a variety of legendary artists, from Quincy Jones to Clark Terry, Joe Lovano, the Kenny Barron Quintet, Conrad Herwig’s Latin Side projects, pop icon Jessica Simpson, the Chico O’Farrill Orchestra, Wynton Marsalis and the JALC, the Lincoln Center AfroLatin Jazz Orchestra, and Herbie Hancock. Rodriguez leads a roaring group of like minds looking to take audiences into new dimensions, and will perform two shows each night, at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. The late-night sets, 10:30 p.m.– 12 a.m. on Oct. 16–17, feature Carlos Abadie’s Latin Jazz Express with tenor saxophonist Peter Brainin, pianist Manuel Valera,

James E. Fairley playing saxophone in Tops in Blue Air Force jazz band. (Base Photo Laboratory — Bolling Air Force Base, 1967; photo courtesy of Juliette Fairley)

bassist Raul Reyes, and drummer Pablo Bencid. As a fixture on the New York City jazz scene for more than three decades, trumpeter, composer, and producer Abadie blends bebop, hard bop, and Afro-Cuban influences. This cross-cultural band with roots in Mexico, Cuba, and Venezuela, all band leaders and composers in their own right, will bring a blend of Afro-Cuban-Latin jazz, Brazilian music, and sounds of NYC. On Oct. 18 at 10 p.m. features Jam in the Cafe. The weekend also features Afternoon Jam in the Cafe at 2 p.m. For a complete schedule, visit jazzcultural.com. Pianist, composer, and producer Orrin Evans is one of those rare artists who demands an audience to witness his latest creative thoughts transposed into musical notes, offering a new perspective from his last audience encounter. The Orrin Evans Quartet, unfortunately, ends its two-night engagement tonight, Oct. 15, at the Pocket (130 West 46th Street) with two shows, at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. He will be joined by an intergenerational group of cats pursuing infinite possibilities: alto saxophonist

Caleb Wheeler Curtis, bassist Alex “Apoli” Ayala, and drummer Mark Whitfield Jr. For reservations, visit thepocketnyc.com. “Once Upon a Time in Harlem,” a must-see film about the true essence of Harlem, opens Oct. 16–22 at Film at Lincoln Center (70 Lincoln Center Plaza). In 1972, legendary filmmaker William Greaves threw a party in Duke Ellington’s apartment, gathering an extraordinary group of artists, writers, poets, actors, musicians, and thinkers who were part of the Harlem Renaissance. With loose-limbed camerawork, he captured such hallowed figures as Richard Bruce Nugent, Aaron Douglas, Arna Bontemps, James Van Der Zee, and other legends in astonishingly beautiful color footage. Greaves created a living, breathing, one-of-a-kind document never seen by audiences in Greaves’s lifetime. Now, completed by the filmmaker’s son, David Greaves, “Once Upon a Time in Harlem” is a community portrait of the 1920s — the changing sociopolitical tides of the 1970s and a cultural celebration of the highest order. For film times, visit filmlinc.org.

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

October 15, 2026 - October 21, 2026 • 21

NAACP New York State Conference celebrates 90th anniversary with gala By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff It was a blue carpet bash as the NAACP New York State Conference kicked off its 90th anniversary with a lush Generations of Justice Gala. Held at the iconic Bowery Savings Bank Building on Oct. 9, the milestone event brought together civil rights leaders, elected officials, and community advocates from across the state. Distinguished guests in attendance included Governor Kathy Hochul, Mayor Zohran Mamdani, NYS Attorney General Letitia James, NYC Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, and NAACP NYS Conference President L. Joy Williams, all gathering to honor nine decades of civil rights advocacy and civic engagement. The evening featured inspiring remarks, live musical and choir performances, awards presentations, and a celebratory blue carpet. “The NAACP award means a lot to me — it’s a culmination of my healthcare journey over the years and hopefully I’m not finished yet,” said Erie County Medical Center

Radio’s Angela Yee hosts NAACP NYS gala on October 9. (Ariama C. Long photos)

NAACP NYS Civic Engagement Chair Charles Johnson (left) and 32BJ SEIU Executive Vice President Candis Tall (right) at gala.

Corporation CEO Andrew L. Davis, who received the Health & Humanity Award. “The NAACP is as effective as it was in the ’50s and ’60s, and we need

we’re talking about generations of leadership and generations of justice. It’s so critically important to us today because we believe that courage will not skip this generation.”

it now more than ever before,” said NAACP National Board of Directors Chairperson Emeritus Roslyn Brock. “This organization [is] in its 90th year under new leadership —

See NAACP New York State Conference and gala photo gallery on next page

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To learn more, visit www.nystateofhealth.ny.gov or call 1.855.355.5777

22 • October 15, 2026 - October 21, 2026

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

NAACP New York State Conference and gala photo gallery continued

NAACP New York State Conference President L. Joy Williams (at podium) at Generations of Justice Gala at Capitale/Bowery Savings Bank building on Friday, Oct. 9, 2026. (Ariama C. Long photos)

NAACP National Board of Directors Chairperson Emeritus Roslyn Brock on the blue carpet at gala.

NYS Attorney General Letitia James (left) and NAACP New York State Conference President L. Joy William (right) at gala

Erie County Medical Center Corporation CEO Andrew L. Davis (left) and his wife.

Attorney Lurie Daniel Favors, host of Lurie Daniel Favors radio show (left) and husband Brian Favors.

Colleagues at gala (left to right): Assemblymember Latrice Walker, former First Deputy Mayor of New York City Sheena Wright, and former New York City Schools Chancellor David C. Banks.

On blue carpet at gala (left to right): NAACP NYS Civic Engagement Chair Charles Johnson, Harlem Judge J. Machelle Sweeting, NAACP NYS Executive Director Chris Alexander.

October 15, 2026 - October 21, 2026 • 23

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

Health Voting under pressure: 2026 midterms and Black emotional health By JENNIFER PORTER GORE Word in Black With the midterm elections less than four weeks away and early voting already starting in some states, Black voters are heading to the polls with a familiar knot in their stomachs, worried that democracy itself — and their civil rights — is on the ballot. The anxiety is palpable: Several polls mirror a new Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights survey that found 82% of likely voters fear their rights are being rolled back. Nearly as many believe democracy is under serious threat, and a national survey of Black women found that nine in 10 are dissatisfied with the direction of the country. Roughly 37% of Black Americans doubt or don’t believe their state and local governments will run fair elections, compared with around 27% of white Americans. Experts trace the anxiety to President Donald Trump’s defeat of Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 general election — a result that also ushered in a far-right agenda that included rolling back civil rights protections. “People are at their edge, and understandably so,” said Dr. Wendi Williams, president of the American Psychological Association. Voters, she says, want answers: “When will the vote that I cast be counted? Will someone figure out a way to take away the vote that I cast, and so on and everything in between? Can we trust the people who are running to follow up and do the things they say that they can do or that they will do?”

“I think that we are living through a simultaneous reckoning of the devaluation of Black women and Black women’s leadership, and also the consequences of not having it in key places and spaces right now,” she said. She described politics, the economy, and public systems as marked by what she called “a lack of care.” That reckoning played out publicly in late August, when far-right activist Laura Loomer posted racist and sexist attacks aimed at Florida State Rep. Angie Nixon, now the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate, and other prominent Black women. Williams said such rhetoric has conseDistrusting the process quences well beyond its targets. Anxiety about the election process itself, “When you normalize a dehumanization signaling distrust, is also running high. A response or treatment of people, then it gives Gallup/Kettering Foundation survey of it a permission structure,” Williams said. The 23,683 adults, conducted April 24–June 10, cumulative effect is “giving permission that found that 67% were concerned about po- we still don’t have to care about anybody, and litical leaders pressuring election officials to that becomes pretty nihilistic.” change outcomes, and 73% were concerned about multiple aspects of the election pro- Taking back power cess. Half worry their own ballot will not be Clinical psychologist Dr. Calvin Fitch counted. Heavy social media users, who has a name for what that cultural environspend three or more hours a day on those ment does over time: “disempowerment platforms, reported more concern than stress.” He said it comes from living in a nonusers. society that stigmatizes minority identities The survey also found more than three of through chronic systemic oppression. four Black adults — more than any other Over time, he said, disempowerment group — were concerned about peaceful stress “starts to erode core psychologiprotesters being harmed by federal agents, cal faculties,” wearing down agency and a the military, or police, compared with 60% sense of safety. of white adults. Fitch — who founded “Courageously You,” Williams, the author of “Black Women at a set of self-help resources for Black gay, biWork: On Refusal and Recovery” and co- sexual, and trans men — works with margineditor of “The Majestic Place: The Freedom alized groups, including Black and LGBTQ+ Possible in Black Women’s Leadership,” clients. He built the concept based on minorsees the anxiety in the Black community as ity stress research. a broader rupture in the fabric of the cul“It starts to feel like life is just happening ture, focused in part on Black women. to you,” Fitch said, “and you sort of start to

post, a political event. The gas is the stress already in the air, such as past experiences of racism, anti-LGBTQ+ stigma, or invalidation, that “makes this hit even harder,” Fitch said. Naming the gas, he said, helps explain why a given moment lands so hard. “We cannot solve every systemic issue in one interaction, but we can choose meaningful actions: finding validating community, platforming people and organizations that are speaking out, giving less of a platform to people who are remaining silent or [seem to be] supporting” the attack. Whatever their politics, Williams hopes Black voters recognize the stress and “vote for the care of each other.” She also urged people not to dismiss small acts of restoration: rest, spirituality, time in nature, a 10-minute walk, a call to someone who “just loves the pants off of you.” “It is not a waste,” she said. (Pexels/Edmond Dantès)

become accustomed to things happening to you.” To help patients cope, Fitch separates the “flame” from the “gas.” The flame is the immediate trigger: a headline, a social media

Help is available: If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, thinking about suicide, or worried about someone else who needs emotional support, call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988. Help is available 24/7. TTY users can dial 711, then 988, to get help.

13. Publication Title

14. Issue Date for Circulation Data Below

New York Amsterdam News

October-26 Average No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months

15.

Extent and Nature of Circulation a. Total Number of Copies (Net press run)

b. Paid Circulation (By Mail and Outside the Mail)

c. Total Paid Distribution

Mailed Outside-County Paid Subscriptions Stated on (1) PS Form 3541 (Include paid distribution above nominal rate, advertiser's proof copies, and exchange copies) Mailed In-County Paid Subscriptions Stated on PS (2) Form 3541 (Include paid distribution above nominal rate, advertiser's proof copies, and exchange copies) Paid Distribution Outside the Mails Including Sales (3) Through Dealers and Carriers, Street Vendors, Counter Sales ,and Other Paid Distribution Ouside USPS Paid Distribution by Other Classes of Mail Through (4) the USPS (e.g. First-Class Mail)

f. g.

(7,040)

(7,207)

(1,369)

(1,561)

(206)

(1,192)

(1,255)

(0)

[Sum of 15b. (1), (2), (3), and (4)] Free or Nominal Rate Outside-County d. (1) Copies Included on PS Form 3541 Free or Nominal In-County Copies Included (2) Free or Nominal Rate on PS Form 3541 Distribution (By Mail Free or Nominal Rate Copies Mailed at Other and Outside the Mail) (3) Classes Through the USPS (e.g. First-Class Mail) Free or Nominal Rate Distribution Outside the Mail (4) (Carriers or other means) e.

No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to filing Date

(0)

(2,767)

(3,022)

(51)

(550)

Total Free or Nominal Rate Distribution (Sum of 15d. (1), (2), (3) and (4))

(550)

(650)

(649)

Total Distribution (Sum of 15c. and 15e.)

(3,417)

(3,671)

Copies not Distributed (See Instructions to Publishers #4 (page #3))

(2,069)

(2,049)

Total (Sum of 15f. and g.) h. i. Percent Paid (15c. Divided by 15f. Times 100) 16. Publication of Statement of Ownership

X Publication required. Will be printed in the

October-26

(5,485)

(5,720)

82.0%

81.30%

issue of this publication. 10-8-26

17. Signature and Title of Editor, Publisher, Business Manager, or Owner

Publication not required Date

Sept 30,2026 I certify that all information furnished on this form is true and complete. I understand that anyone who furnishes false or misleading information on this form or who omits material or information requested on the form may be subject to criminal sanctions (including fines and imprisonment) and/or civil sanctions (including civil penalties)

PS Form 3526, July 2014 [(Page 2 of 4) United States Postal Service Statement of Ownership, Management and Circulation (All Periodicals Publications Except Requester Publications) '16. Electronic Copy Circulation a. Paid Electronic Copies b. Total Paid Print Copies (Line 15c) + Paid Electronic Copies (Line 16a) c. Total Print Distribution (Line 15f) + Paid Electronic Copies (Line 16a) d. Percent Paid (Both Print & Electronic Copies) (16B divided by 16C X100) □ I certify that 50% of all my distributed copies (electronic and print) are paid about a nominal price.

Average No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months (4,528) (7,295) (7,945) 91.82%

17. Publication of Statement of Ownership 10/8/2026Will issue. be printed □ If the publication is a general publication of this statement is requirement. in the Oct 8, 2026 issue of this publication

Publication not required.

18. Signature and Title of Editor, Publisher, Business Manager or Owner

Date: 9/30/2026

No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to filing Date (2,811) (5,833) (6,482) 89.99%

9/30/2026 Publisher / Editor -in-Chief I certify that all information furnished on this form is true and complete. I understand that anyone who furnished false or misleading information on this form or who omits material or information on the form may be subject to criminal sanctions including fines and imprisonment) and or civil sanctions (including civil penalties).

24 • October 15, 2026 - October 21, 2026

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

Religion & Spirituality Congregants celebrate the reconstruction of one of America’s oldest Black churches

that prohibited large gatherings of African Americans out of fear of slave uprisings. Ingram handed the mantle off to the new Pamphlet interpreter, Brandon Lee, who debuted at the dedication. ‘We were just so elated’ In addition to discovering the original church’s foundation, archeologists uncovered the graves of 62 community members. DNA tests and bone analyses for three sets of remains linked them back to the African Baptist Meeting House congregation. It was oral tradition, however, that served as the first hint in the discovery, with stories of ancestors buried in the area leading to a search. “We knew the building was here, and we knew that there were maybe burials behind it,” said Jennifer Wilkoski, director of architectural preservation and research at Colonial Williamsburg. When the church’s original structure was discovered in 2021, Davis called it “a rediscovery of the humanity of a people.” “We were just so elated that those people who had been buried and forgotten, have now been unearthed and given the recognition as human beings, as they should have been,” he said. “It’s a wonderful time to shed light on our history in light of the erasure of so many things within our history.”

Reconstructed African Baptist Meeting House, now known as First Baptist Church of Williamsburg, during community-wide rededication ceremony in Williamsburg, Va. (Mike Kropf/AP photo)

By NANCY JIANG Associated Press WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (AP) — Hundreds of residents gathered on Friday for a community-wide rededication of the original First Baptist Church of Williamsburg, one of the nation’s oldest Black churches, where congregants gathered in secret before building a meeting house in Virginia. The church was established in 1776 by enslaved and free African Americans in defiance of laws that prevented them from congregating. In 1805, its original parishioners built the church house, known as the African Baptist Meeting House, with recycled bricks and materials they scrounged. A tornado in 1834 destroyed the church, which was rebuilt in 1856 before it was turned into a parking lot a century later by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation living history museum, because it didn’t match the 18th-century aesthetic of the town at the time. Since then, the 16-foot by 32-foot church has been reconstructed after archeologists uncovered the church’s original foundation

in 2021, as well as 62 graves linked to the congregation. “What this day means and shows is that Black history is American history, and we’re an example for the rest of the nation,” Reginald F. Davis, pastor of First Baptist, told the Associated Press on Friday. “A church that has a history that was during the signing of the Declaration of Independence — you cannot erase us out of American history because we have been at the outset and formulation of the nation.” Davis leads the current 215-member congregation in a 20th-century church on Scotland Street, less than a mile from the original site. For decades, Colonial Williamsburg didn’t tell the story of the church’s history as a pioneer of Black American faith traditions. More than half of the 2,000 people who lived in Williamsburg in the 18th century were Black, with few of them free. In recent years, the museum has resuscitated the church’s traditions, starting with Friday’s celebration of the building’s 250th anniversary. “I wanted them to know that we were always here, where when the doors of the

Colonial Williamsburg Foundation first opened, the restoration, and even before then, we were sometimes present, but not able to speak,” said Janice Canaday, community engagement manager at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. “This is a reclamation, a reclaiming of the narrative.” From past to present The rededication event began with a procession symbolizing the ways the historic congregation has continued a multigenerational fight for education, faith, and freedom. The Nassau Street Remembrance Choir set the mood, followed by an invocation from Davis and speeches from Virginia State Senator Mamie Locke and James Ingram, a museum interpreter who has portrayed Gowan Pamphlet, First Baptist’s pastor when the original church structure was built, for 26 years. In a 2025 AP interview, Ingram said Pamphlet was “a precursor to someone like Frederick Douglass, who would be the precursor to someone like Martin Luther King Jr.” Pamphlet, an enslaved tavern worker, preached about equality in the face of laws

Construction nearly finished The meeting house reconstruction, built at its original site, honors its original character. Archeologists and Colonial Williamsburg’s construction team modeled the new church out of pine and white oak woods, and recreated details such as the original half-round brick steps. Wilkoski said the materials for the original church demonstrated the resourcefulness of the congregants, who probably included carpenters with the skills necessary to build the church. Modern renovations include an HVAC system to cope with Virginia’s hot summers, a refreshed altar table for sermons, shutters, and handblown glass windows. Last year, Colonial Williamsburg considered glassless windows, but had to reconsider building the cooling HVAC system. “It’s not church stained glass, but we call it restoration glass — handmade like they would’ve had in the 18th and early 19th century,” Wilkoski said. Finishing touches on the church will wrap up in the next few months and will include an ADA- accessible ramp. Davis said the meeting house structure is overdue recognition for “those of us who are still working to make America a more perfect union.”

Ballot Continued from page 2

process down to about two months, and save small businesses up to $1,800 on fees. Ballot Question 2: City Contracting Reform Getting a city contract is an infamously daunting process for small businesses and nonprofits, even more so for Minority and Women Business Enterprise (M/WBEs). According to the 2025 city comptroller report, only 5% of citywide procurement is actually awarded to M/WBEs, staggering considering the city’s lofty goal of giving out close to 30% MWBE contracts. Businesses specifically owned by “women of color and Black and Hispanic American men” win far fewer contracts than others, said the report. The second ballot proposal aims to reduce the amount of paperwork for small businesses and non-profits, be more transparent in procurement oversight, and have fewer reporting requirements to free up staff time. The M/WBE program is regulated by the state, but COGE commissioners said that several M/WBE owners testified to their struggles in contract procurement during the public hearings. “We heard from a lot of [M/WBEs] in this process. And so both the outdoor dining proposal and the contracting proposal were in response

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

October 15, 2026 - October 21, 2026 • 25

to stories and testimony from the M/WBE community about both the struggles they face with outdoor dining, and also the struggles they face in contracting with the city,” said Cheng. “I think that making it easier to work with the city will make it easier for those goals to be met.” COGE Commissioner Henry Garrido added that waiting to be paid on these city contracts is deeply costly for MWBEs and needs to be streamlined. “For a lot of the nonprofits, the minority contractors don’t have bank accounts that can withhold delays, delays, and delays. … So speeding up the process, reducing the administrative burden will help them in the end to also have cash flow for continuing to [bid on] other contracts, to be able to pay the workers, to be able to pay the bills and pay the rent faster,” said Garrido. Regardless, there’s still a large skepticism from nonprofits and city officials that the proposal will help the city’s “cash flow problem” without real change and accountability.

lanes and bus lanes. It would achieve this by eliminating any requirement that an agency that is consulted about a major transportation project must consult with local groups within the agency. This ballot proposal would allow the DOT to start work on a project before consulting the local community board, and a lawsuit could not stop the implementation of a street safety project based on technical errors in presenting or notifying the community board. There’s already been some pushback from driving commuters in Brooklyn who dislike the configuration of new lanes and elimination of old ones, as well as the impending threat to the borough’s dollar van businesses. Some small business owners also claim that there’s been a negative impact on their foot traffic, resulting in a loss of customers. Additionally, this ballot proposal would fast-track the sale or lease of “modest” city properties, the air rights above city-owned landmarks, and lease of office space for Ballot Question 3: Street Safety Projects city workers, said the report. This proposal Mamdani has been focused on delivering would remove both the City Planning Comon his promise of fast buses, as opposed to mission hearing and approval requirement free, just yet, with the city’s Next Stop Plan. and the City Council’s disapproval authorThis is in partnership with the Metropoli- ity over office acquisitions as well, giving it tan Transportation Authority (MTA) and the to the Department of Citywide AdministraDepartment of Transportation (DOT). tive Services (DCAS). The ballot proposal aims to speed up construction of street and infrastructure proj- Ballot Question 4: Building Permitting ects, including the building out of bike Renovating a house or building ‘affordable’

housing is a complex maze of interagency permitting to get the construction going. This fourth ballot proposal would require the city to create a centralized hub online for construction permits, and allow for the Department of Buildings (DOB) to approve certificates of occupancy and consolidate waterfront permitting more quickly.

Ballot Question 5: Rainy Day Fund New York City’s rainy day fund, or the Revenue Stabilization Fund (RSF), which was created as a backup savings in case of emergency, was established in a previous charter revision commission in 2019. However, rules about deposits or withdrawals and a target goal of how much to balance in the fund were not mandated. As of the 2026 final budget, Mamdani has about $2 billion in the fund. The fifth ballot proposal would add to a previous amendment and create rules for the rainy day fund and set a target amount of money to be held in reserve at 12% of the city’s total tax revenue. Although, the best route would be to adopt a target balance of 16% of tax revenues and a lower bound of 10%, according to the most recent Comptroller’s report. Don’t forget to check your voter registration at NYC’s Board of Elections. Find your polling place at findmypollsite.vote.nyc/. Early voting begins Oct. 24. Election Day is on Nov. 3.

about fixing the the agency’s first formerly incarcerated com“We’re at an important point where there’s Board of corrections seriousness” issues that lead to incarceration missioner. Mamdani handpicked borough- an opportunity for us to really work to close and reincarceration. When Mamdani entered office, several prominent criminal jusformer Mayor Eric Adams. Watler said he tice reform advocates joined his adminisrebuffed the potential of joining the BOC tration to bolster Rikers’ closure plan efforts. under the former administration, because Stanley Richards, a reentry nonprofit head, rehe “didn’t have a sense that there was a real joined the NYC Department of Correction as

based jail plan expert Dana Kaplan as the Close Rikers czar. He also brought on former public defender Justine Olderman, who helped reduce the Rikers population during the COVID-19 pandemic, as the city’s criminal justice coordinator. These appointments impressed Watler, who works in similar spaces.

Rikers, address some of the conditions there, and to work more collaboratively,” said Watler. “Everyone wants the same thing. They want safety. They want people who are incarcerated [to be] treated well and have access to the things that they need, so they leave jail better than when they came [in].”

ICE

conversations with President Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin in an unsuccessful attempt to get Belgal released. “This is a residential neighborhood,” said Mamdani. “We are right here by a subway, and the pretext of ICE is, in their words, to keep this country safe. How is it keeping

anyone safe to have, as you just heard from the police commissioner, individuals wearing construction vests and masks with long guns? Residents have no idea if these are law enforcement agents or if they are simply attacking someone on the street, and when it comes to ICE, it begs the question: What’s the difference? There is no explanation for this.”

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was too dangerous to perform Thursday evening without a specialized surgeon present. “Although he was instructed to return to the hospital this week, he has been left in the dark about whether that surgery will even happen. He is also suffering from a shoulder wound caused by shattered glass during the incident.” Sanctuary laws prevent the NYPD and other local law enforcement agencies from sharing information or participating in joint operations with federal immigration authorities like ICE. However, a fraught relationship between the department and anti-ICE protesters stems from issues over the city’s police force ostensibly “clearing the way” for immigration enforcement such as with Belgal’s hospital arrest. Last year, the NYPD arrested demonstrators who tried blocking an ICE raid in lower Manhattan. Avila Chevalier, a Democratic Socialist firebrand, rose to prominence this year after defeating longtime incumbent Rep. Adriano Espaillat in the Democratic pri-

mary after a boost from Mamdani’s endorsement. She will be on the general election ballot this November, where she is overwhelmingly favored to win along with other Manhattan/Bronx Democratic House candidates. She will also represent the Marble Hill area, if elected. In the meantime, the longtime community organizer remains on the front lines during protests — recently, Avila Chevalier, as well as other notable figures like Councilmember Chi Ossé and Oscar-winner Susan Sarandon, were arrested outside the United Nations for protesting against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before his General Assembly speech. Tisch’s prominent role in Mamdani’s administration remains scrutinized as Democratic Socialists like the mayor and Avila Chevalier, whose opposition to Israeli attacks on Gaza and “tax the rich” policy platforms are directly at odds with the police commissioner’s background as a billionaire heiress and pro-Israel proponent. The NYPD did not respond to a request to comment. Mamdani reiterated his determination to abolish ICE and called the federal agency “rotten to its core.” He revealed phone

PUBLIC NOTICE Pursuant to Section 104 Public Notice of the Open Meetings Law, this notice is to inform the public that the board of trustees of Democracy Prep New YorkNotice School Public Democracy Prep New York School will hold a board meeting on: Meeting of the Board of Trustees

October 27th, 2026 at 1:00 pm., local time.

Pursuant to Section 104 Public Notice of the Open Meetings La

inform the public that the4th board of trustees of Democracy Prep 1767 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10035 Floor. th

hold a board meeting on September 30 , 2026 at 1:00 pm., loc

Park Avenue, New York, 10035 4th Floor. Some board members may choose to 1767 participate remotely via NY video conferencing, but as of this notice it is notPlease clearcontact what Katelyn their location will be. Kenney at dpps_accountability@democ Please contact Katelyn Kenney at dpps_accountability@democracyprep.org questions. with any questions.

26 • October 15, 2026 - October 21, 2026

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

CL ASSIFIED ADS 100 PUBLIC NOTICES

101 LEGAL NOTICES

RULES AND REGULATIONS

M/WBE bids sought for 1864 Fulton Street, Brooklyn, NY construction project. A scope meeting will be held on October 19th. Contact bidding@taxaceny.com for details.

of New York, City and State of New York, Block 1630 and Lot 72. Approximate amount of judgment is $6,844,225.78 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #850168/2024. Scott H. Siller, Esq., Referee McCarter & English, LLP, 250 W 55th Street, 13th Floor, New York, New York 10019, Attorneys for Plaintiff. Tel: 203-3995910

p.m., premises known as 204 East 112th Street, New York, NY 10029. 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 1661 and Lot 44. Approximate amount of judgment is $7,830,885.16 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #850218/2024. Clark Whitsett, Esq., Referee McCarter & English, LLP, 250 W 55th Street, 13th Floor, New York, New York 10019, Attorneys for Plaintiff. Tel: 203-3995910

ily Mortgage Pass-Through Certificates, Series 2019-SB68 , Plaintiff, vs . 2371 2nd Ave LLC , ET AL., Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Default Judgment and Order Approving Consent Judgment for Foreclosure and Sale duly entered on March 4, 2026 and a Consent Order Extending Deadline to Conduct Foreclosure Sale duly entered on July 22, 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 November 10, 2026 at 2:15 p.m., premises known as 2371 2nd Avenue, New York, NY 10035. 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 1786 and Lot 27. Approximate amount of judgment is $5,523,727.02 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #850204/2024. Clark Whitsett, Esq., Referee McCarter & English, LLP, 250 W 55th Street, 13th Floor, New York, New York 10019, Attorneys for Plaintiff. Tel: 203-3995910

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF New York , U.S. Bank National Association, as Trustee for the Registered Holders of Wells Fargo Commercial Mortgage Securities, Inc., Multifamily Mortgage Pass-Through Certificates, Series 2019-SB63 , Plaintiff, vs . 291 Pleasant Ave LLC , ET AL., Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Default Judgment and Order Approving Consent Judgment for Foreclosure and Sale duly entered on March 3, 2026 and a Consent Order Extending Deadline to Conduct Foreclosure Sale duly entered on July 22, 2026 , I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the New York County Courthouse, the room assignment will be posted outside of room 130, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY 10007 on November 17, 2026 at 2:15 p.m., premises known as 291 Pleasant Avenue, New York, NY 10029. 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 1709 and Lot 24. Approximate amount of judgment is $2,764,450.60 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #850172/2024. Scott H. Siller, Esq., Referee McCarter & English, LLP, 250 W 55th Street, 13th Floor, New York, New York 10019, Attorneys for Plaintiff. Tel: 203-3995910

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.

M/WBE bids sought for 3231 Rochambeau Avenue, Bronx, NY construction project. A scope meeting will be held on October 19th. Contact bidding@taxaceny.com for details. M/WBE bids sought for 895 James polite Avenue Bronx, NY construction project. A scope meeting will be held on October 19th. Contact bidding@taxaceny.com for details NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NEW YORK 1SHARPE OPPORTUNITY INTERMEDIATE TRUST, Plaintiff AGAINST YEN-CHUN CHEN, ET AL., Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered March 9, 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 November 10, 2026 at 2:15 PM, premises known as 302 E 96th St. Unit 401, New York, NY 10128. All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, City, County and State of New York, Block 1558 Lot 1005. Approximate amount of judgment $566,806.24 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #850099/2025. Gerard Geisweller, Esq., Referee McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce, LLC 420 Lexington Avenue-Suite 840 New York, NY 10170 24-18445NY 91577 NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF New York , U.S. Bank National Association, as Trustee for the Registered Holders of Wells Fargo Commercial Mortgage Securities, Inc., Multifamily Mortgage Pass-Through Certificates, Series 2019-SB63 , Plaintiff, vs . 102 East 103 LLC , ET AL., Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Default Judgment and Order Approving Consent Judgment for Foreclosure and Sale duly entered on March 5, 2026 and a Consent Order Extending Deadline to Conduct Foreclosure Sale duly entered on July 22, 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 November 17, 2026 at 2:15 p.m., premises known as 102 East 103rd Street, New York, NY 10029. 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

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF New York , U.S. Bank National Association, as Trustee for the Registered Holders of Wells Fargo Commercial Mortage Securities, Inc. Multifamily Mortgage Pass-Through Certificates, Series 2019-SB68 , Plaintiff, vs . 411 East 118 LLC , ET AL., Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Default Judgment and Order Approving Consent for Foreclosure and Sale duly entered on March 3, 2026 and a Consent Order Extending Deadline to Conduct Foreclosure Sale duly entered on July 23, 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 November 10, 2026 at 2:15 p.m., premises known as 411 East 118th Street, New York, NY 10035. 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 1806 and Lot 7. Approximate amount of judgment is $9,778,359.34 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #850203/2024. Clark Whitsett, Esq., Referee McCarter & English, LLP, 250 W 55th Street, 13th Floor, New York, New York 10019, Attorneys for Plaintiff. Tel: 203-3995910 NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF New York , Wilmington Trust, National Association, as Trustee for the Registered Holders of Wells Fargo Commercial Mortgage Securities, Inc. Multifamily Mortgage Pass-Through Certificates, Series 2019-SB60 , Plaintiff, vs . 204 East 112th LLC , ET AL., Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Default Judgment and Order Approving Consent Judgment for Foreclosure and Sale duly entered on March 31, 2026 and a Consent Order Extending Deadline to Conduct Foreclosure Sale duly entered on July 22, 2026 , I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the New York County Courthouse, the room assignment will be posted outside of room 130, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY 10007 on November 10, 2026 at 2:15

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF New York , Wilmington Trust , NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR THE REGISTERED HOLDERS OF WELLS FARGO COMMERICAL MORTGAGE SECURITIES, INC., MULTIFAMILY MORTGAGE PASSTHROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2019-SB60 Plaintiff, vs . 233 East 111 LLC , ET AL., Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Default Judgment and Order Approving Consent for Foreclosure and Sale duly entered on March 30, 2026 and a Consent Order Extending Deadline to Conduct Foreclosure and Sale duly entered on July 23, 2026 , I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the New York County Courthouse, the room assignment will be posted outside of room 130, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY 10007 on November 10, 2026 at 2:15 p.m., premises known as 233 East 111th Street, New York, NY 10029. 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 1661 and Lot 16. Approximate amount of judgment is $2,778,715.67 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 850219/2024. Clark Whitsett, Esq., Referee McCarter & English, LLP, 250 W 55th Street, 13th Floor, New York, New York 10019, Attorneys for Plaintiff. Tel: 203-3995910 Ahern Painting Contractors, Inc is seeking M/WBE and SDVOB Subcontractor Proposals for the following MTA Project: “HHM-407: Bridge Preservation at the Henry Hudson Bridge”. Please contact Anna at 718-639-5880 for details. NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF New York , U.S. Bank National Association, as Trustee for the Registered Holders of Wells Fargo Commercial Mortgage Securities, Inc., Multifam-

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF New York , Wilmington Trust, National Association, as trustee for the registered holders of Wells Fargo Commercial Mortgage Securities, INC., MultifAmily Mortgage Pass-Through certificates, series 2019-SB60 , Plaintiff, vs . 122 East 103 LLC , ET AL., Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Default Judgment and Order Approving Consent Judgment for Foreclosure and Sale duly entered on March 30, 2026 , and a Consent Order Extending Deadline to Conduct Foreclosure Sale duly entered on July 23, 2026, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the New York County Courthouse, the room assignment will be posted outside of room 130, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY 10007 on November 10, 2026 at 2:15 p.m., premises known as 122 East 103rd Street, New York, NY 10029. 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 1630 and Lot 65. Approximate amount of judgment is $4,710,408.21 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #850217/2024. Clark Whitsett, Esq., Referee McCarter & English, LLP, 250 W 55th Street, 13th Floor, New York, New York 10019, Attorneys for Plaintiff. Tel: 203-3995910

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF New York , U.S. Bank National Association, as Trustee for the Registered Holders of Wells Fargo Commercial Mortgage Securities, Inc., Multifamily Mortgage Pass-Through Certificates, Series 2019-SB63 , Plaintiff, vs . 124 East 103 LLC , ET AL., Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Default Judgment and Order Approving Consent Judgment for Foreclosure and Sale duly entered on March 12, 2026 and a Consent Order Extending Deadline to Conduct Foreclosure Sale duly entered on July 22, 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 November 17, 2026 at 2:15 p.m., premises known as 124 East 103rd Street, New York, NY 10029. 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 1630 and Lot 63. Approximate amount of judgment is $7,557,570.66 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #850171/2024.

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

October 15, 2026 - October 21, 2026 • 27

101 LEGAL NOTICES

Scott H. Siller, Esq., Referee McCarter & English, LLP, 250 W 55th Street, 13th Floor, New York, New York 10019, Attorneys for Plaintiff. Tel: 203-3995910

pose: Any lawful purpose.

on 03/06/2026. 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 Bonnie Maxey : 45 e 22nd st. APT 18B New york, NY 10010 . Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/13/2026. 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 Laurice Lusane: Laurice. lusane@gmail.com. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

pany (LLC) upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY should mail process to Valerie Simms-Dixon: 156-20 Riverside Drive W apt 5i New York, New York 10032. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

of process to: 228 Park Ave S #155945, New York, NY 10003. Registered agent LegalZoom USCA, Inc., 45 Main St., Ste. 238, Brooklyn, NY 11201, upon whom process may be served. Purpose: any lawful purpose.

Notice of formation of ASHLEIGH THURSTON LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 5/22/2026. 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 LEGALCORP SOLUTIONS, LLC: 11 BROADWAY, SUITE 615 NEW YORK CITY, NY, 10004, USA. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. Notice of formation of ANIVA LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/09/2026. 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 Registered Agents Inc.: 418 Broadway, Suite R, Albany, NY 12207. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. Notice of formation of LEYLLE LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/02/2026. 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 Northwest Registered Agent: 418 BROADWAY, STE N, ALBANY, NY, 12207, USA. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. Notice of formation of RT 42 4446 LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/12/2026. 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 RT 42 4446 LLC: 269 W 87 Street, 11A, NY NY 10024. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. Notice of formation of Table Stakes LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 9/01/2026. 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 Kelly Bennett: 130 East End Ave, Apt 14d, New York, NY 10028. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. Notice of formation of CHRISTOPHER SALE DESIGN LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 06/06/2026. 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. Pur-

Notice of formation of Great Northeast Properties, LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 8/25/2026. 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 Secretary of State of New York: 53 Union Avenue, Maplewood, NJ 07040. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. Notice of formation of Creswell Jewelry, LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 6/0426. 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 Birkley Sigband: birkley@creswelljewelry.com. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. Notice of formation of STATSTRAT LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 5/25/2026. 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 Mingyu Zhang: 508 51st Street, Apt 1112, West New York, NJ 07093. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. Notice of formation of Living Passport LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/18/2026. 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 Kit Lam: 1 Irving Place, Unit V20D, New York, NY 10003. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. Notice of formation of Mind Waves Psychiatry of NY, PLLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/22/2026. Office location: New York County (Manhattan). SSNY designated as an agent of Professional Limited Liability Company (PLLC) upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY should mail process to Sachin Soni: 220 5th Av, 11 FLR, New York. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. Notice of formation of Rebecca Brown Marriage & Family Therapy, PLLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/11/2026. Office location: New York County (Manhattan). SSNY designated as an agent of Professional Limited Liability Company (PLLC) upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY should mail process to Rebecca Brown: 220 5th Avenue, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10001. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. Notice of formation of Blue Bonnet Studio, LLC . Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY)

Notice of formation of PERFUMAROMA LLC . Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/13/26. 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 Onlis Junior Henriquez Polanco: 1250 Leland Ave 3L. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. Notice of formation of Haley Venn LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 9/15/2026. 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 Haley Venn: hvenn@compass.com. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. Notice of formation of RollaHamper, LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 9/17/2026. 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 Tyler Evick: Tyler.evick@yahoo.com. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. Notice of formation of Art Eyes LLC . Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/21/2006. 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 Legal Zoom: galarzagal@gmai.com . Purpose: Any lawful purpose. Notice of formation of SOFIA ROSALES CONSULTING LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/01/2026. 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 SOFIA ROSALES: 171 Suffolk Street. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. Notice of formation of Vital Essence Wellness LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/09/2026. 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 The LLC: 310 EAST 23RD STREET, APT. 5G, NEW YORK, NY 10010-4703 . Purpose: Any lawful purpose. Notice of formation of Ivolv LLC.

Notice of formation of Pepperworks LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 9/02/2026. 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 The LLC: 450 W 42nd St Apt 17A, New York, NY 10036. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. Notice of formation of VYSE RENTALS , LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/27/2026. 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 LegalZoom USCA. INC : 45 MAIN STREET, SUITE 238 BROOKLYN, NY, 11201, USA. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. Notice of formation of Show Stop Tickets, LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 7/29/2026. 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 Legal Management Tools, PLLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 7/29/2026. Office location: New York County (Manhattan). SSNY designated as an agent of Professional Limited Liability Company (PLLC) upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY should mail process to Jacob Richman: jrichman@legalmgmttools.com. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. Notice of formation of Hyacinth's Flowers, LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 8/24/2026. 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 Karina Singh: 159 west 122nd st, apt 4 New York NY 10027. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. Notice of formation of Word of Mouf Catering LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/31/26. Office location: New York County (Manhattan). SSNY designated as an agent of Limited Liability Com-

Notice of Qualification of Turbineco, LLC. Certificate of Authority filed with Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 9/2/2026. Office location: New York County (Manhattan). Limited Liability Company (LLC) formed in Delaware on 8/24/2023. SSNY designated as agent of Limited Liability Company (LLC) upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to The Corporation Trust Company: Corporation Trust Center, 1209 Orange St, Wilmington, DE 19801. Articles of Organization originally filed with Secretary of State (SOS). DE SOS, 401 Federal Street, Suite 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. RMA CONSULTING GROUP LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 09/22/26. 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, 22 E 41st Street, 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10017. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. NOTICE OF FORMATION of THE PHONE MOVIE LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on June 22, 2026. Office located in New York Co. SSNY designated as agent upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of any process to: 418 BROADWAY STE R, ALBANY, NY 12207. Purpose: any lawful act. Notice of Formation of SHARFFI LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 03/30/2026. Office location: New York County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: Eric Sharff, 140 7th Ave Apt 6P, New York, NY 10011. Registered Agent: Dimov Associates LLC, 211 E 43rd Street, Ste 628, New York, NY 10017. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. MINETTA PRIVATE CAPITAL LLC Articles of Org. filed NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 08/24/2026. Office in New York Co. SSNY desig. agent of LLC upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to 300 Mercer St., Apr 15J, New York, NY 10003. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. CJW 123 LLC Filed 8/17/26 Office: New York Co. SSNY designated as agent for process & shall mail to: USA Corporate Services Inc, 98 Cuttermill Road, Ste 466, Great Neck, NY 11021. Registered Agent is at the same address. Purpose: all lawful HELIOSIGNAL LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 6/4/26. Office location: New York County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy

Notice of Formation of FONTANA LEGAL PLLC. Articles of Organization filed with NY Secretary of State (SSNY) on 09/22/2026. Office located in NY County. SSNY designated as agent of PLLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 97 Chestnut St, Andover MA 01810. Purpose: Practice of law. NOTICE OF FORMATION OF DIVA POLITE WBE LLC Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 03/17/2022. Office location: Bronx County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to: Diva Polite WBE LLC, 3915 Orloff Ave 10B, Bronx NY 10463 Purpose: any lawful purpose. Notice of Formation of TRAVIS DEEN LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 7/14/2026. Office location: New York County. Principal business location: 208 W 149th St, Apt 2F, New York, NY 10039. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 208 W 149th Street, Apt 2F, New York, NY 10039. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. Jules Power LLC, Arts. of Org. filed SSNY 7/9/26. Office: NY County. SSNY designated as agent for process & shall mail process to: David Jaramillo, 7E 86th St, Apt 16A, NY, NY 10028. Purpose: any lawful act. YALLA HOSPITALITY LLC, filed App. for Auth. with the SSNY on 7/2/2026. Office: New York County. LLC formed in DE on 4/8/2024. SSNY is designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served and shall mail process to: The LLC, 153 Second Ave, New York, NY 10003. Address required to be maintained in DE: United States Corporation Agents, Inc., 131 Continental Dr, Ste 305, Newark, DE 19713. Cert of Formation filed with DE Sec. of State, John G. Townsend Bldg, 401 Federal St, Ste 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: any lawful act. Notice: Blackhall Equipment Services LLC, a foreign limited liability company. Application for Authority filed with the NY Secretary of State on 07/21/2026. County: New York. LLC organized in Delaware on 3/15/2021. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process may be served; SSNY shall mail a copy of process to: Blackhall Equipment Services LLC, 1415 Constitution Rd SE, Atlanta, GA 30316. Purpose: To engage in any lawful act or activity for which limited liability companies may be organized

28 • October 15, 2026 - October 21, 2026

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

101 LEGAL NOTICES

195LEGAL HELP WANTED 101 NOTICES

101 LEGAL NOTICES

under the laws of the State of Delaware.

1200, New York, NY 10017

ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the complaint in this action, and to serve a copy of your answer, or, if the com‑ plaint 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 comple‑ tion of service where service is made in any other manner than by personal delivery within the State. 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 foregoing Sum‑ mons is served upon you by publication pursuant an Order of the Hon. Francis A. Kahn III, a Justice of the Supreme Court, of New York County, dated Au‑ gust 26, 2026 and entered Au‑ gust 26, 2026. Dated: August 17, 2026 Westbury, New York, Maria Sideris, Esq. DRUCK‑ MAN LAW GROUP PLLC At‑ torneys for Plaintiff 242 Drexel Avenue, Westbury, New York 11590 (516) 876-0800

Notice of formation of Akanksha Kevalramani, LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 8/03/2026. 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 Akanksha Kevalramani: 170 Amsterdam Ave, Apt 13D, New York, NY 10023. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Notice of Qualification of FRO‑ ZI LLC. Application for Authority filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/29/2026. Office location: New York Coun‑ ty. LLC formed in Delaware on 06/26/2026. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to: LegalZoom USCA, Inc., 45 Main St. Ste 238, Brooklyn, NY 11201. Ad‑ dress required to be maintained in DE: 131 Continental Drive, Suite 305, Newark, DE 19713. Purpose: any lawful act or ac‑ tivity. NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF STRAZZELLA PROSTH‑ ODONTICS LLC. STRAZ‑ ZELLA PROSTHODONTICS LLC filed an Application of Authority with the New York State Department of State on 07/23/2026. LLC formed in NJ on 05/30/2024. Its office is lo‑ cated in NEW YORK COUNTY. The Secretary of State has been designated as agent of the Company upon whom it may be served and a copy of any process shall be mailed to THE LLC, 279 GOFFLE ROAD, RIDGEWOOD, NJ, 07450. Certificate of Formation filed with the NJ Department of the Treasury, Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services, 33 W. State Street, Trenton, NJ 08608. The purpose of the Company is any lawful purpose. SUPREME COURT ‑ COUNTY OF NEW YORK. 175 WEST 76TH STREET LLC, Plaintiff ‑against‑ LICHTER REAL ESTATE NUMBER ONE, L.L.C., et al Defendant(s). Pur‑ suant to a Decision and Order on Motion and Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated September 14, 2026 and en‑ tered on September 22, 2026, and that certain Amended Order and Judgment (Motion Related) dated September 30, 2026, and entered on October 1, 2026, I, the undersigned Ref‑ eree 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 out‑ side of Room 130, on Tuesday, November 10, 2026 at 2:15 p.m. premises situate, lying and be‑ ing in the Borough of New York, County of New York, City and State of New York, bounded and described as follows: BE‑ GINNING at the corner formed by the intersection of the north‑ erly side of 76th Street with the easterly side of Amsterdam Av‑ enue (Formerly 10th Avenue); being a plot 100 feet by 102 feet one-half inch by 100 feet by 102 feet one-half inch. Block: 1148 Lot: 1 Said premises known as 175‑179 WEST 76TH STREET a/k/a 341‑347 AMSTERDAM AVENUE, NEW YORK, NY Approximate amount of lien $57,710,750.76 plus interest & costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale. Index Number 850233/2024. SOFIA BALILE, ESQ., Referee KRISS & FEUERSTEIN LLP Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 360 Lexington Avenue, Suite

{* AMSTERDAM, NYLJ*} SUPREME COURT ‑ COUNTY OF NEW YORK. BOARD OF MANAGERS OF THE 75 KENMARE STREET CONDOMINIUM, Plaintiff ‑against‑ KOK KIT LEE, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered herein and dated July 7, 2026, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auc‑ tion at the New York County Supreme Courthouse, 60 Cen‑ tre Street, New York, NY, in the courtroom designated by the posting outside of Room 130, on Tuesday, November 17, 2026 at 2:15 p.m. prem‑ ises situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, City, County and State of New York, The Unit known as Unit No. 2G in the Building known by 75 Kenmare Street, known and designated as Unit No. 2G in the condominium known as "The 75 Kenmare Street Con‑ dominium". Together with an undivided 1.65 percent interest in the common elements. Block: 480 Lot: 1310 Said premises known as 75 KENMARE STREET, UNIT 2G, NEW YORK, NY Approximate amount of lien $70,040.78 plus interest & costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale. Index Number 151896/2025. GREGORY M. LASPINA, ESQ., Referee Schneider Buchel LLP Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 60 Crossways Park Dr West, Suite 340, Woodbury, NY 11797 SUPPLEMENTAL SUMMONS SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUN‑ TY OF NEW YORK 57TH ST. VACATION OWN‑ ERS ASSOCIATION, INC., BY AND THROUGH ITS BOARD OF DIRECTORS, Plaintiff, -against- SUMIE TAKEUCHI, if living, and if she be dead, any and all persons unknown to Plaintiff, claiming, or who may claim to have an interest in, or generally or specific lien upon the real property described in this action; such unknown persons being herein gener‑ ally described and intended to be included in the follow‑ ing designation, namely: the wife, widow, husband, widower, heirs-at-law, next of kin, de‑ scendants, executors, admin‑ istrators, devisees, legatees, creditors, trustees, committees, lienors and assignees of such deceased, any and all persons deriving interest in or lien upon, or title to said real property by, through or under them, or ei‑ ther of them, and their respec‑ tive wives, widows, husbands, widowers, heirs-at-law, next of kin, descendants, executors, administrators, devisees, lega‑ tees, creditors, trustees, com‑ mittees, lienors and assigns, all of whom and whose names, except as stated, are unknown to Plaintiff, Defendants. INDEX NO.: 850059/20024 FILED: September 21, 2026 Plaintiff designates New York County as the place of trial pursuant to CPLR § 507 TO THE ABOVE NAMED DEFENDANTS: YOU

Notice of Formation of JESSUP LANE 101 LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/11/26. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 500 Park Ave., Apt. 36 A/B, NY, NY 10022. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom pro‑ cess against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Ellen Aschendorf-Shasha at the princ. office of the LLC. Pur‑ pose: Any lawful activity. Notice of Formation of MVMH IP LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/10/26. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom pro‑ cess against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Davidoff Hutcher & Citron LLP, 605 Third Ave., NY, NY 10158. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Notice of Qualification of 222 MONROE ST, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/30/26. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 09/01/26. Princ. office of LLC: 25 Broadway, 11th Fl., NY, NY 10012. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom pro‑ cess against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 122072543. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Secy. of State, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., #4, Dover, DE 19801. Pur‑ pose: Any lawful activity. Notice of Qualification of 264 BROOKLYN AVE, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/30/26. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 09/01/26. Princ. office of LLC: 25 Broadway, 11th Fl., NY, NY 10012. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom pro‑ cess against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 122072543. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington,

101 LEGAL NOTICES

Notice of Qualification of Take Coast LLC. Certificate of Authority filed with Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/28/2026. Office location: New York County (Manhattan). Limited Liability Company (LLC) formed in Delaware on 08/11/2026. SSNY designated as agent of Limited Liability Company (LLC) upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to United States Corporation Agents, Inc.: 131 Continental Drive, Suite 305 Newark 19713. Articles of Organization originally filed with Secretary of State (SOS). 2810 N Church St PMB 977166 Wilmington, Delaware 19802-4447 US. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Secy. of State, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., #4, Dover, DE 19801. Pur‑ pose: Any lawful activity. Notice of Qualification of 756 GREENE AVE, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/30/26. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 09/01/26. Princ. office of LLC: 25 Broadway, 11th Fl., NY, NY 10012. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom pro‑ cess against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 122072543. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Secy. of State, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., #4, Dover, DE 19801. Pur‑ pose: Any lawful activity. Notice of Qualification of DON‑ CASTERS US 2 LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/08/26. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Dela‑ ware (DE) on 03/18/13. 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., Al‑ bany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, DE Dept. of State Div. of Corps., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of 345 PARK F&B OPERATOR LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/02/26. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 04/08/25. Princ. office of LLC: c/o Rudin Management Co. Inc., 345 Park Ave., 32nd Fl., NY, NY 10154. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom pro‑ cess against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 122072543. DE addr. of LLC: CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Secy. of State, 401 Do‑ ver St., #4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Notice of Qualification of DON‑ CASTERS US LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/08/26. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Dela‑ ware (DE) on 03/11/13. 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., Al‑

Notice of formation of Pixmersion, LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 01/14/2026. Office loca‑ tion: 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 Xian Wang: 535 W 43rd Street, Apt S6G, NY, NY, 10036. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. Notice of formation of Davis & Kwong LLP. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/08/2026. Office loca‑ tion: 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 Brendan Davis: brendandavis‑ esq@proton.me. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. Notice of formation of The Lenox Project, LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 9/15/2026. Office lo‑ cation: 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 Emma Stamm: 2248 Broadway #1206 New York NY 10024. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. Notice of formation of ELITE GROUP & CO STAFF SERVICE LLC. Ar‑ ticles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 9/7/2026. Office location: New York County (Manhattan). SSNY des‑ ignated as an agent of Limited Liability Company (LLC) upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY should mail process to LE‑ GALZOOM USCA,INC: 45 MAIN STREET, SUITE 238 BROOKLYN, NY 11201, USA. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF SCHMEISSER LAW, PLLC. App. for Auth. filed with SSNY 08/11/2026. Off. loc.: NY Co. PLLC formed AZ 04/03/2025. SSNY desig. agent for process & shall mail: 43 W. 43rd St., NY, NY 10036. AZ off.: 14362 N. Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd, Ste 1107, Scottsdale, AZ 85260. Cert. of Org. filed with AZ Corp. Comm., 1300 W. Washington St., Phoenix, AZ 85007. Purpose: law. bany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, DE Dept. of State Div. of Corps., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of STAM‑ FORD TENT, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 03/18/26. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Con‑ necticut (CT) on 01/02/26. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Cogency Global Inc., 122 East 42nd St., 18th Fl., NY, NY 10168. CT addr. of LLC: 10 Red Court Ln., Red‑ ding, CT 06898. Cert. of Form. filed with CT Secy. of State, 30 Trinty St., Hartford, CT 06106. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Notice of Qualification of STRIDE HOSPITALITY PART‑ NERS, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/01/26. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Dela‑ ware (DE) on 07/30/26. Princ. office of LLC: 1370 6th Ave., Ste. #1902, NY, NY 10019. 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., Alba‑ ny, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilm‑ ington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Charuni Patibanda-

Sanchez, 401 Federal St., #4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Passive Investments in Private Companies.

Notice of Qualification of 375 DENNYTOWN ROAD LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/20/26. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 11/13/25. Princ. office of LLC: 767 Fifth Ave., 42nd Fl., NY, NY 10153. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom pro‑ cess against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the princ. office of the LLC. 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 DON‑ CASTERS US 3 LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/08/26. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Dela‑ ware (DE) on 03/30/26. 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., Al‑ bany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, DE Dept. of State Div. of Corps., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

OBITUARIES

Deed theft Continued from page 13

imbalance between institu‑ tional resources and those of ordinary people. We must also expand our civic imagination about what counts as evidence. Photographs, oral histo‑ ries, community testimo‑ ny, and family archives should be treated as legit‑ imate components of the public record when formal documentation is absent

or corrupted. Our legal system is built on paper; our communities are built on memory. The law must learn to read both. Finally, literature must continue to do the work in‑ stitutions will not. Stories make visible what bureau‑ cracy hides. They translate the slow violence of paper‑ work into human conse‑ quence. My own multi‑form

October 15, 2026 - October 21, 2026 • 29 project, The Record That Woke (written with my au‑ tistic son), emerged from homelessness and eco‑ nomic precarity, written in the aftermath of the admin‑ istrative harm it documents. Its purpose is testimony — an insistence that when in‑ stitutions fail to protect the record, literature must keep the record alive. My family’s truth was ac‑ knowledged in a courtroom in June 2011. The affida‑ vit admitting that the lien had expired was filed, then

Dutchess Delphia "Sondra" Long Houston Taylor

Dutchess Delphia Sondra Long Houston Taylor was the first daughter born to Isaac Long and Kathrin Martin, the youngest daughter of the Barefoot Prophet of Harlem, Elder Clayton Martin. Dutchess, or Sondra, was born prematurely in Harlem Hospital. Family crises brought Sondra to Moundville Alabama the hometown of her father. There she was raised by her grandparents Robert and Mattie Hopson Long. Sondra, throughout her life, shared her grandmother's wisdom with family, friends, fellow nurses and patients. After graduating, she returned to Hempstead, New York and married a former Marine, Thomas Houston. At Albert Einstein Hospital (Bronx), Sondra flourished as a registered obstetrics and gynecologic charge nurse. She was the hands that comforted birthing mothers, cradled new life to anticipating parents and consoled families not going home with the child of their dreams. Despite, Sondra worked diligently while facing her own fertility challenges. Married eight years, she gave birth to her only pregnancy and live birth, a daughter. The new family moved to Co–op City in the Northeast Bronx. Marital crises changed the composition of Sondra's family from three to two. A few years later, Sondra married Gilbert Taylor. She followed him to Baldwin, Long Island and then to North Myrtle Beach, SC. In North Myrtle Beach, Sondra lost her dream of bedside nursing as a result of developing polymyositis from taking statin medicines. However what could have been an end to purpose and life transformed to an amazing next act.She found treatment success. She began a career of giving her time, teaching kids to read, working the church Rummage book room and understanding the less fortunate at Horry Helping Hands. Even after her last full act of bedside nursing in home hospice with her husband, Sondra returned to helping others. Before her death she supported the preparations for mass at St. Stephen's and hosted a cat from the local Animal Shelter. Through the years, through the changes in people, location and view, Sondra encouraged others to try to find a way to be better. She would say, " when you know better, you do better" and "find a way to be kind". Imagine if you were alone in a strange place, what would you want? What type of people would you want to find you?

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folded, boxed, and forgot‑ ten until someone needed a procedural instrument to displace us. Memory is the last de‑ fense against erasure — and the first step toward justice. Todd Elliott Koger Sr. is a writer and co‑author of The Record That Woke, a multi‑form literary project exploring the intersection of documentation, erasure, and family resilience and based in Pittsburgh.

30 • October 15, 2026 - October 21, 2026

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS S P O R T S

With the preseason coming to a close, the Knicks eye the real thing By JAIME C. HARRIS AmNews Sports Editor The NBA preseason has tangible value. Players are battling for roster and rotation spots. Coaches are implementing and assessing revised and new schematics. Team presidents and general managers are pouring over contracts, salary cap considerations, and team construction. The Knicks, coming off of the franchise’s first championship since 1973, are painstakingly assessing all eventualities and options as they endeavor to become the first team since the 2017 and 2018 Golden State Warriors to repeat as NBA champions. For title contenders like the Knicks, preseason doesn’t portend the regular season. Starters are playing limited minutes and coaches are still tinkering with lineups and game plans. The Knicks play their final preseason game tonight as they host the Toronto Raptors at Madison Square Garden. They are 0-4 after being devoured by the 148-98 by the

lege games at Memphis during the 2019-2020 season under their head coach — three-time AllNBA icon Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway — before withdrawing from school. Wiseman, however, is a strong candidate for the Knicks’ final roster spot and stated his case versus the Raptors, flashing his diverse skill set by leading the Knicks in scoring and rebounds with 18 and 10, respectively, in 24 minutes. Coach Mike Brown knows Wiseman well. He was a Warriors assistant coach from 2016 to 2022, during Wiseman’s early years in the league. “Back then, obviously, he was talented but he was really raw in terms of his ability and feel on the court,” reflected Brown before Tuesday’s game. “It’s obviously a New York Knicks guard Jose Alvarado (5) drives past the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Jaylen Clark (7) and Joan lot higher now, but he’s also been Beringer (19) on Monday night at Madison Square Garden during the Knicks’ 122-104 preseason loss. (AP humbled a little bit with the chalPhoto/Frank Franklin II) lenges and the adversity he’s gone Raptors on Tuesday in Toronto James Wiseman, the second- Knicks hope he can develop into through in his career. He underwith all Knicks starters sitting out. overall pick in the 2020 draft by a reliable third center behind vet- stands how hard it is.” While there were many mo- the Golden State Warriors, who erans Karl-Anthony Towns and The Knicks open the regular ments of unsteady play for the has not yet lived up to his prom- Andre Drummond. The 6’11” season on Tuesday at MSG against Knicks, one positive was center ise. Still, Wiseman is only 25. The Wiseman played only three col- the Philadelphia 76ers.

What’s next for the Liberty after falling short of reaching the WNBA Finals? By DERREL JOHNSON Special to the AmNews The New York Liberty were among the betting favorites to reach the WNBA Finals entering this season. They did not meet that prediction. Their injury-filled campaign under first-year head coach Chris DeMarco ended last Friday night at the Barclays Center after being swept 3-0 by the No. 4 seed Atlanta Dream. The No. 8 seed Liberty were sent packing after losing 85-83 in Game 3 of the best-of-five series. The disappointment could be felt throughout the arena, but what made their exit more disheartening was that the Dream were without four-time All-Star Allisha Gray, the team’s leading scorer this season (19.0 ppg), who injured her hand in Game 1 of the semifinals and missed the rest of the series. Though the Liberty were without three-time All-Star forward Satou Sabally, their major free-agent signing this offseason, who played only 13 games due to lingering symptoms from a head injury/ concussion sustained on June 23 facing the Las Vegas Aces, the team still had a strong core. Brean-

The Liberty’s season came to a disappointing ending when they were swept 3-0 by the Atlanta Dream in their WNBA semifinals series. (Jamir Dickens, Fence Boy Media photo)

na Stewart, Jonquel Jones, and Sabrina Ionescu all logged significant minutes in the opening round 2-0 upset over the No. 1 seed Minnesota Lynx and against the Dream. Still, Ionescu, who had a subpar season relative to her resume as one of the WNBA’s best point guards, revealed that she was battling lingering back issues. “...It was not an easy year for me, physically, mentally, all the above,”

said Ionescu when asked about her back. “I’m looking forward to the offseason to be able to get right.” Ionescu was sidelined 13 games and averaged the fewest assists (4.7) of her seven-year professional career and lowest points per game (14.6) since 2021. Stewart pointed to the team’s uneven performances as a reason they did not duplicate their 2024 title run, when the franchise cap-

tured its first-ever league championship. “Of course we want to win a championship every single time we step on the court,” said Stewart, who led the Liberty in scoring (27 ppg) in five playoff games. “But it’s really hard in this league and in order to do that, you need to be consistent for the full 44 games… “I don’t think we were consistent throughout the season. I think that

we started to show some life and peak a little bit towards the end and really in the playoffs, but this is not like cramming for a test, you know what I mean?” The Liberty finished the regular season 26-18 to claim the last playoff spot. Liberty General Manager Jonathan Kolb assembled championship caliber talent, but did he put the right person on the sidelines? The 40-year-old DeMarco, a former Golden State Warriors assistant from 2012-2026, was given the keys to a new Porsche but was an inexperienced driver. Some close followers of the Liberty are of the opinion that Kolb should have offered former head coach Sandy Brondello a contract extension instead of choosing not to re-sign her at the end of the 2025 season. Brondello, who piloted the Liberty for four seasons (2022-2025), moved on to the Toronto Tempo, who were 11-33 this season. With Sabally and the core of the 2024 championship team expected to return next season, the Liberty should again be among the favorites in the 2027 WNBA season. But it will be a long offseason of reflection.

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS S P O R T S

October 15, 2026 - October 21, 2026 • 31

Former boxer Christy Salters fights opponent outside the ring By TONY PAIGE Special to the AmNews She was the first female fighter to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated and to sign with promoter Don King. She became a world champion and was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2020. Though retired from boxing for 14 years, Christy “the Coal Miner’s Daughter” Salters (formerly Martin) is still fighting — now as an advocate against domestic violence and president of Christy’s Champs, a role she has held since 2017. “This is the most important thing that I am doing or that I have done,” said the 58-year-old Salters, who was raised in Mullens, W.Va., and now lives in Apopka, Fla. “Christy’s Champs’ mission is to help survivors get back on their feet and make the general population aware of domestic violence.” She knows this experience firsthand. Her husband, manager, and trainer Jim Martin, abused her one night in 2010 to the tune of four stabbings and a gunshot wound. He told her he would kill her if she ever left him. He was convicted of second-degree murder, sentenced to

Salters, who also promotes eight fighters, advises abused women and travels the country speaking against domestic violence. On Thursday, Oct. 22, she will be at SUNY Farmingdale at 11 a.m. “You have to believe in you first,” declared the former WBC super-welterweight champ. “You have to put yourself number one. We hear mothers say, ‘I have to do this for my child.’ No: You have to take care of you first. If you don’t take care of you, you can’t take care of that child.”

Christy Martin (center) with fellow boxing pioneers Regina Halmich (left) and Laila Ali during 2022 International Boxing Hall of Fame Induction Weekend, June 2022 in Canastota, N.Y. (Alex Menendez via AP)

25 years, and died in prison in 2024. People will always question why abused women don’t just leave. “That’s the bottom line,” Salters said. “They go back so many times because you’re financially tied together. All those things are not easy, especially when you’re 30, 40, or 50, or coming out of college with all that zest.” Salters’s ring style could be described as zestful aggression: Of her 49 wins, 32 were by knockout. She lost seven times with three draws. She put women’s boxing on the map, fighting on the un-

dercard of the Frank Bruno-Mike Tyson heavyweight championship in 1996; the same year as the Sports Illustrated cover. Salters had the best fight of the night, winning a six-round slugfest over Deirdre Gogarty. Five years later, she defeated Lisa Holewyne over 10 rounds and they were married in 2017. Salters fought on major fight cards of Holyfield, Trinidad, and Chavez, but her first love was basketball. She earned a hoops scholarship to Concord College (NAIA) in Athens, W.Va., graduating with

a B.S. in education. She carries unseen scars from her boxing days. After breaking her hand during a fight and having surgery that lasted seven hours instead of two, she had a stroke after the operation. “I can’t come up with words, and my vision’s a little goofy,” she acknowledged. “I have double vision.” Her life has been covered by the Netflix documentary “Untold: Deal with the Devil”; last year’s biopic “Christy,” starring Sydney Sweeney; and her book, “Fighting for Survival.”

Looking to the future Salters raised the stature of women’s boxing, but what of today’s fighters when greats like Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano are close to retirement? “There’s a bunch of good, talented women fighters,” she said, but “do they make the jump to that level? Remains to be seen.” Salters wants to be remembered not so much as a fighter, but as something much more. “I survived domestic violence, the crazy world of boxing,” she said with a small laugh. “I’m not only one hell of a survivor, but I have tried to turn around to help others.”

Top-ranked UConn women in familiar spot for the upcoming basketball season By LOIS ELFMAN Special to the AmNews It was business as usual in the Big East Conference Women’s Basketball Preseason Poll. The University of Connecticut took the top spot. Junior forward Sarah Strong was voted Big East Preseason Player of the Year and guard Olivia Vukosa was voted Preseason Freshman of the Year. While those forecasts are likely to follow form, that did not dim the enthusiasm of the other conference teams. “We’re going to be a very great team this year; we have a lot of depth,” said MacKenzie Givens, guard-forward from Marquette University, which finished sixth in the preseason poll, at Big East Basketball Media Day. “We’re excited to see how far we will go.” The excitement has an extra level heading into the season because the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Tournament will expand from 68 to 76 teams. “You’re giving a hundred studentathletes the opportunity of a lifetime,” said Seton Hall University

The women of Georgetown are optimistic about their upcoming college basketball season. (Lois Elfman photos)

DePaul University players Louis Volker (l) and Zoey Ward.

head coach Anthony Bozzella. “I feel we have a lot of versatility; I’m happy to see how this season pans out,” said Destiny Agubata, a junior guard studying physics at Georgetown University, which finished eighth in the poll. Given Georgetown’s academic rigor, its student-athletes value not only their basketball performance but

way that we want to play, and I think we have an opportunity to take a big step,” she said. Seeing DePaul University 11th (last) in the preseason poll did not dissuade senior forward Zoey Ward, a transfer from Iona University. She dressed to impress in a blue suit with gold heels, knowing she was setting the tone for

also excellence in the classroom. “It’s always been a value that my parents instilled in me and my siblings from an early age.” Xavier University is ninth in the poll, but head coach Billi Chambers, now in her fourth year at the reins, sees this as a breakthrough season. “We have a great young group of women who are committed to the

NIL opportunities. “I wanted to be classy and really pretty. I know I’m an athlete … but here I wanted to look cute,” she said. On the court, Ward is optimistic for a solid season and wants to keep building, knowing the NCAA has ruled that all student-athletes may be granted a fifth year. “I’m hoping to leave it all on the floor,” she said.

32 • October 15, 2026 - October 21, 2026

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

Sports Jets reap much-needed win as David Bailey earns his stripes By JAIME C. HARRIS AmNews Sports Editor

averting a disastrous and anxiety-triggering 1-4 start. Panic would have overtaken and saturated social media and sports talk Jets 23-year-old rookie David Bailey is — but Bailey wouldn’t have known. atypical of his fellow Generation Z mem“I’m not really on social media, so I can’t bers: He doesn’t live on social media. really speak on what was said. All that I feel The 2025 unanimous All-American for like matters is what my coaches are telling, Texas Tech is a native of Orange, Califorwhat my teammates are telling me,” Bailey nia, 35 miles from Los Angeles, and started said after the game. his college journey at Stanford UniversiThe win won’t define Bailey or the Jets — ty in Palo Alto, California — ironically in there are still 12 games remaining in the Silicon Valley, the hub of technology and regular season — but it portends their insocial media in this country. dividual capacity and capability. That didn’t compel Bailey to scroll videos “It’s the same thing you saw from him and other content both praising and criticoming out of college,” Glenn noted in decizing his play. That mindset has persisted constructing Bailey’s skills. “His ability to since early in his professional career. bend the edge, his ability to dip, lean, use After being selected by the Jets as the power in that lean, and be able to rip up second overall pick in last April’s NFL and be able to go make plays on the quarDraft, Bailey came to a franchise that terback. His ability to make a move and hasn’t made the playoffs since 2010 with then rush with power.” New York Jets edge rusher David Bailey (31) celebrates after one of three sacks with expectations from a parched fan base that Oh, and his prudence and discipline to teammate Jamien Sherwood (44) in Jets’ 17-12 win against Cleveland Browns on Sunday he would immediately produce as a pillar refrain from being preoccupied with the at MetLife Stadium. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) AM News AM News of a rebuild. masses’ perspective of him — focusing 06/25/26 09/10/26 Entering Sunday’s game at MetLife Sta- choice. He answered emphatically with the Bailey was the difference maker Jets gensolely on being a the bedrock of a franchise dium versus the Cleveland Browns, Bailey Jets’ eight sacks, seven tackles, three tackles eral manager Darren Mougey and head in need of consistent stability and not alhad not consumed social media or sports for loss, nine pressures, and four quarter- coach Aaron Glenn foresaw when they in- lowing external forces to alter his attitude. talk, where there were discussions and de- back hits on the Browns’ Deshaun Watson vested steep draft capital in him. He was The Jets will face the 3-2 New England Patribates about whether the Jets made the right in a much-needed 17-12 Jets win. central to the team improving to 2-3 and ots this Sunday (1 p.m.) on the road.

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01276 Jackson State Grambling State makes a power move with a win over By JAIME C. HARRIS AmNews Sports Editor Since capturing the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) championship in 2017, the Grambling State University Tigers have ended their last eight campaigns with a losing record. The most storied program in the history of HBCU football, the Tigers were once synonymous with excellence under the late legendary coach Eddie Robinson, who over a remarkable 56-year tenure leading GSU, won nine Black college national championships and 408 games, placing him third all-time among all college football head coaches. Only John Gagliardi, who compiled 489 wins, mostly at Saint John’s University in Minnesota, and Joe Paterno’s 409 at Penn State, have more victories. After ending last season 7-5, the Tigers, under the direction of head coach Mickey Joseph, are on pace to eclipse their previous win total. They are tied in the SWAC West standings with Alcorn State at 2-1 after a 45-38 statement victory on Saturday over SWAC East leader Jackson State, which is also 2-1 in conference play. The Battle of Tigers annual matchup saw

Grambling improve to 4-2 overall in handing the JSU Tigers (5-1) their first loss of the season. AM4 News GSU jumped from No. 8 to No. in the HBCU Media Poll while they are No. 5 in 07/09/26 the HBCU FCS Coaches Poll heading into Week 7. JSU, piloted by head coach T.C. Taylor, holds the No. 2 spot in the media poll and No. 3 in the coaches poll. Junior quarterback Jacobe Robinson acAM counted for five touchdowns in a News stellar performance on GSU’s home turf at James 07/16/26 “Shack” Harris and Doug Williams Field at Eddie G. Robinson Memorial Stadium. A native of Denton, Texas, Robinson began his collegiate career at Boston College and last season was a member of Southern AM News Mississippi’s program before transferring to Grambling. He passed for four touch07/23/26 downs, connecting on 17 of 22 pass attempts and rushed for another. In total, Grambling amassed 237 passing yards and 201 rushing yards, with sophomore running back D’Shaun Ford topping AM News the Tigers with 71 on the ground and a touchdown. Redshirt sophomore Tyson George 07/30/26 snared eight catches for 93 yards and one TD. JSU’s freshman running back Li’Darious Pryor averaged an indomitable 7.5 yards

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Grambling State University quarterback10/08/26 Jacobe Robinson has been a force in the Tigers’ rise to No. 4 in the HBCU football rankings. (Grambling State Athletics photo)

per carry in posting 166 yards on 22 attempts and three touchdowns in driving AM News JSU to a 21-7 lead early in the second quarter before Grambling staged its comeback. 10/15/26 The 5-1 Morgan State Bears occupy the No. 1 ranking in both the media and coaches’ polls.

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