THE INNER-CITY NEWS

Grails, Put Your Records On

by Mona Mahadevan

Spotify and Apple Music aren’t stopping a local polymath from opening a new record store in downtown.

More than 20 people filled the warmly lit store Wednesday morning to dig through vinyl-packed milk crates, listen to R&B records, and chat. The owner, King Kenney, was joined by Mayor Justin Elicker, Arts Council Executive Director Hope Chávez, and his longtime supporters to celebrate the grand opening of Grails, a music store that aims to serve as a gathering space for audiophiles.

Before opening Grails, Kenney had worked as a writer, painter, DJ, and marketing executive for Long Wharf Theatre. Chávez, a longtime friend and former colleague, said she views Kenney as a “prolific artist” that produces “sophisticated,” “elegant,” and “deep” work.

“He can tell you the full lineage of every hip-hop album, and then yesterday, he put on opera,” she said.

Kenney is especially passionate about music, saying in a press release that “[t] he most honest version of myself has always been the one connected to music.”

Even in the age of streaming, Kenney is convinced that Grails can flourish. For one thing, the store specializes in a curated selection of “Holy Grails“: an elusive, unique set of specialty vinyls that music lovers spend years pursuing, even though the same songs are available online.

One of those audiophiles — Tim Mannle, better known as DJ Creative or Table Tyrant — has a wholesale preference for vinyls, saying “every [album] has a story.” Cover artwork is also “really important” to him, often making such an impact that he can “see a little of the cover and know every single song that’s on it.”

Mannle, who plays Wu-Tang vinyls Wednesday nights at Nolo, spent “hours and hours” of his life practicing on vinyl. For years, he trained as a competitive DJ and still “can’t get away from [his] records.” The record-playing experience is “much more tactile” than digital music, and it’s also more challenging, since it’s difficult “to make something sound flawless on vinyl.”

Chávez, while having no preference between vinyl and digital, views vinyl as “a completely different experience” to digital. She enjoys the “scratchiness” of records, and the fact that she has to stand up to flip or change out the album.

“This physical thing has been

through time,” said Chávez. “Even a Sabrina Carpenter album transports you into an experience.”

Records show signs of age through warps, scratches, and other imperfections, said Chávez, which add a nuanced sound that digital alternatives lack.

Kenney is adamant about not selling CDs. He said he worked at a record store growing up and would see people stealing CDs “all the time.” They’d often remove the disc from the case, copy the music, and listen to digital versions of the songs. People who buy CDs “don’t care about the art on the case,” explained Kenney.

In addition to selling vinyls, cassettes, music players, and merch, Kenney’s inviting the broader community to gather in Grails.

Down the stairs from Arethusa’s ice cream shop, he set up comfy chairs, chess and Scrabble tables, and cozy lighting. He also created an extensive corner for kids — replete with a plastic turn table and lullaby versions of Taylor Swift — because he remembered how bored his 12-year-old daughter, Emilia Boeger, seemed when he shopped.

“You can feel the love down there,” said David DelVecchio, the director of real estate management at Yale University Properties. Grails, located at 1020 Chapel St., is owned by Yale University Properties. It’s the only music store currently in the Yale portfolio.

Just before the ribbon cutting, he praised the Grails Scholars Program, which came out of a partnership with the Neighborhood Music School. Grails plans to match any donations from customers to fund need-based scholarships for New Haven Public School students.

One customer, Azaria Tyler, left the store with four different records in tow. The two Alyson Williams albums, she said, “remind me of a Saturday morning with my mom, cooking grits, eggs, and toast, and then making us clean up the house.” She also left with a Kid ‘n Play album, which is more “Saturday night” and “good time vibes.”

Originally from Miami, New Haven’s vibrant theater scene brought Tyler to the city. She currently works at Shubert Theatre and is aiming to partner with Grails so that Shubert performers can have a place to gather and potentially perform.

With her new albums, and her record player, which, she lamented, has been “collecting dust,” she said she’ll bring “rich, good music” to Saturday mornings with her 15-month-old son.

Protest Criticizes Dispatch For “Aiding & Abetting” ICE

by Mona Mahadevan

Waving “ICE Out of Connecticut” signs and chanting for justice, more than 30 people rallied outside the Hamden Police Department on Tuesday to criticize the town’s dispatch for not relaying a tip about an imminent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid to the police department.

In a press release, Hamden police clarified that the federal-government caller never mentioned ICE, and that dispatch was only told Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) would be conducting an “investigation” at an unspecified location on Dixwell Avenue.

The press release and protest at 2900 Dixwell Ave. represent the most recent fallout from the Optimo Car Wash raid in Hamden, where eight people were detained by ICE on Oct. 15. Hamden Council Member Abdul Osmanu and State Rep. Laurie Sweet attended the protest.

John Lugo, lead organizer for Unidad Latina en Acción (ULA), said he believes eight adults, six men and two women, were arrested by ICE at Optimo Car Wash as part of that Oct. 15 raid. He said that two people were released because they had already started the process to get legal status. He declined to share further details. Lugo said one person, who is still being held by ICE, has a visa as a Special Immigrant Juvenile.

The six remaining detainees are spread across detention centers in Vermont, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island, said Lugo. Some of them are parents to young children, who were in school when their parents were taken; Lugo said that the kids are “fine now” but said he doesn’t know details about their home situations.

According to a press release from the Hamden Police Department that was sent out in advance of Tuesday’s protest, at 8:13 a.m. on Oct. 15, dispatch received a call from someone claiming to be a federal special agent from HSI. The caller said HSI would conduct a 15-minute investigation between 9:15 a.m. and 10 a.m. on Dixwell Avenue but declined to share an address. Dispatch was told that HSI “did not require assistance from the Hamden Police Department.”

“Notably, the Special Agent did not mention ‘ICE’ at all or refer to it during the call,” reads the statement. HSI is the division of ICE responsible for disrupting “transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) and terrorist networks that threaten or seek to exploit the customs and immigration laws of the United States,” according to ICE.

According to the town’s police department, dispatch received another call at 11:04 a.m. indicating HSI’s “investigation” had been completed.

“The Hamden Police Department completely complied with the State of Connecticut’s Trust Act,” reads the

statement. “No Hamden Police Officers were present or involved in the event. The Hamden Police Department was not provided any details and/or specifics of the ICE operation until after the event had taken place.”

Later on Tuesday night, the press release was updated with the following:

“The Hamden Police Department’s Ethics and Integrity Unit has commenced an investigation to determine all facts pertinent to this incident.”

Connecticut’s Trust Act, recently amended to provide stronger protections for migrants, primarily restricts state and local police departments from cooperating with immigration detainer requests unless ICE has a judicial warrant, the migrant is on a terrorist watch list, or the migrant has been convicted or pleaded guilty to a serious violent crime. The recent update now allows migrants to sue over violations of the law.

“Withholding info is basically working with ICE,” Lugo argued on Tuesday. He’s disappointed that the town hasn’t “educated employees” with the knowledge that many federal agencies — including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), and U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) — are working alongside ICE.

At a Hamden legislative council meeting Tuesday night, Lugo said he and other advocates planned to speak during public comment and call for disciplinary action against the dispatcher who received the call from HSI. They also planned to ask the town to provide financial support to the detainees, including by covering their legal expenses.

To address raids moving forward, the group is urging Hamden to educate its employees about their responsibilities under the Connecticut Trust Act and the city’s Welcoming City ordinance, which, among other things, limits cooperation and info-sharing between Hamden police and ICE.

New Haven, which has its own Welcoming City ordinance, does not cooperate with ICE unless compelled by law.

New Haven Public Safety Communications Director Joe Vitale, who heads up the city’s dispatch team, told the Independent, “If we receive information about any federal enforcement operations happening within the city,” ICE or not, “we notify NHPD supervisors immediately.” That protocol has not changed, even with increased enforcement activity from ICE.

Vitale said the department has not received any calls from ICE informing them about upcoming raids.

If they did receive a tip, police spokesperson Officer Christian Bruckhart said the police department wouldn’t send officers to the scene unless addressing

Leaders Look To Keep Rally Momentum Going

by Paul Bass

Three New Haven leaders have ideas for how thousands of “No Kings” ralliers they revved up can keep renewed hope alive.

The trio — national immigrant-rights organizer Kica Matos, State Sen. Gary Winfield, and East Rock/Fair Haven Alder Caroline Tanbee Smith — took the stage Saturday to address the crowd gathered to protest the Trump administration’s immigration, budgetary, education, National Guard, and environmental policies. Like many in the festive crowd, they said the event inspired them about the possibility of resisting what they see as the country’s fast-developing authoritarianism.

The rally “gave me so much hope,” Matos said during a post-mortem discussion with Smith and Winfield on WNHH FM’s “Dateline New Haven” program. People were actively participating and saying, ‘We’re here. We want to be heard. We want to be seen.'”

She called the rally “a beautiful example of what a thriving democracy should look like. People being active, exercising their constitutional rights and calling this lawless president to account, putting him on notice that authoritarianism is not something that’s welcome.”

The radio conversation touched on the ways mass movements can spur follow-up action and change policy. The threat of a national march on Washington led President Harry Truman to issue an executive order to desegregate the military. Civil rights marches of the 1950s and 1960s spurred follow-up organizations that led to civil rights laws. On the other hand, the mass women’s marches of 2017 did not subsequently alter the course of the feder-

al government during President Trump’s first term.

The trio spoke of pushing for local and state laws to prepare to respond if the Trump administration sends troops here as it has in other blue states. They also urged people to register others to vote. Winfield urged people to contact their elected representatives to support pushback against the Trump administration in general; he said voters don’t always recognize the positive impact that can have, even with officials they believe may not need nudging. Smith spoke about the value of getting involved with other people in civic activity, period — showing up with neighbors — as a positive way to build communal antidotes to isolation and authoritarianism. (“Part of what rallies can do, and part of what it means to move forward, is to rebuild our civic and social fabric.”) Matos urged people to support organizations like Connecticut Students For A Dream as well as the group she heads, the National Immigration Law Center.

“The path to authoritarianism in this country is being built on the backs of immigrants. They will begin with immigrants and they won’t end with immigrants. Eventually they’re going to come after all of us,” Matos stated.

“They’re deploying the military on our streets with a pretext of bringing down crime and controlling immigration. What’s around the corner is the Insurrection Act. If they invoke the Insurrection Act, we will have the U.S. military engaging in civilian enforcement. We could have military jeeps rolling up in my neighborhood of Fair Haven, with the military dragging out families.”

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“Aiding & Abetting”

“another public safety issue.”

“As per the city’s Welcoming City Executive Order, no city employee – including police officers – are permitted to assist ICE unless required by federal law,” wrote Bruckhart. “Nor are police officers permitted to obstruct a federal law enforcement action.”

He continued, “The NHPD continues to work collaboratively with other federal law enforcement agencies within its established policies and procedures, including the FBI, DEA and ATF to target violent criminals.”

For Lugo, that’s not enough. In an ideal world, police officers would be deployed on the scene and require ICE agents to remove their masks, provide identification, and supply a signed judicial warrant that proves their raid is based on more than racial profiling.

“They went in [at Optimo Car Wash on Oct. 15] because they saw brown people working in there,” said Lugo. ICE is “detaining people and asking questions later.”

Brian Timko, a ULA organizer, agreed, saying that not sharing information about a raid is akin to “aiding and abetting” ICE. “The police need to be held accountable,” said Timko.

According to Lugo, a coalition of migrant advocacy groups will advocate during the special session of the Connecticut General Assembly for a law that bans ICE agents from wearing masks and requires them to produce identification during enforcement actions.

Citizens witnessing a raid, said Timko, should “start interrogating the ICE agent” if they feel comfortable. They could also call the police department and say, “There’s a masked man with a gun kidnapping someone,” hopefully buying enough time for a rapid response team to arrive.

Lugo echoed that suggestion, praising Rachel, an eyewitness to the raid at Optimo Car Wash, for demanding identification from agents. “We need 200, 500, 1,000 Rachels,” said Lugo, noting that ULA offers training to people who want to learn how to “peacefully but effectively” confront ICE agents.

For Lance Boos, a middle school science teacher at Wexler-Grant, it’s most important for the city to create a “messaging system” that gives migrants the “opportunity to protect themselves.”

He decided to speak at Tuesday’s protest because of his wife, who’s an immigrant, and his students, many of whom are migrants or the children of migrants. “They are afraid,” said Boos. And as middle schoolers, “they’re going through enough already.”

He views ICE’s actions as nothing short of “inhumane” and “unconstitutional.” Moving forward, he’s calling for Connecticut, “as a broader community,” to work together on protecting migrants,

Teacher-Retaliation Settlement

by Maya McFadden

The Board of Education and the city’s Litigation Settlement Committee have both approved a new agreement that would bring to an end a 2022 federal lawsuit by a former Worthington Hooker elementary school teacher.

That teacher, Jessica Light, alleged that the school’s then-principal, Margaret-Mary Gethings, had defamed and retaliated against her after Light publicly raised concerns about the safety of returning to in-person learning during the Covid-19 pandemic.

In August 2024, a federal jury agreed with Light, and awarded the teacher $1.1 million in damages. A New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) spokesperson said at the time that the district “vehemently” disagreed with the ruling, and planned to appeal it.

This new settlement would resolve the federal court case entirely, for an as-yet-undisclosed amount expected to be less than $1.1 million.

The Board of Education voted unanimously to approve the new settlement agreement at its most recent meeting last Tuesday. The city’s Litigation Settlement Committee then voted on Wednesday to approve that same deal.

On Tuesday, city spokesperson Lenny Speiller told the Independent that all parties have agreed on the “major terms” of the settlement. Now, “counsel for both parties are working on finalizing a written agreement. We anticipate the process being finalized by the end of the month, if not sooner.” Speiller described this as “the standard legal and city process for resolving and finalizing settlement agreements.”

Speiller also said that the final dollar amount and other terms of the settlement will not be made publicly available until all parties sign off on the final paperwork. In a separate comment provided to the Independent last Thursday, Speiller said that “the settlement was reached during a full-day mediation with United States Magistrate Judge Robert A. Richardson, following a ruling from the trial judge reducing the jury verdict and ordering a new trial on one of the counts. Once final, the settlement will resolve all outstanding claims that Ms. Light has against all defendants and any pending litigation would be dismissed.”

He added that none of the initially awarded $1.1 million has been paid out to Light.

Light, meanwhile, has worked as a teacher in New Haven’s public school district for the past 15 years. Three years ago, she transferred from Worthington Hooker to Ross Woodward to become that school’s discovery lab STEAM teacher.

While no parties are able to disclose the final award amount yet, Light told the Independent that one third of the final settlement payment will be used to pay her lawyer and another third of the total will be taken for taxes. “It was never about the money. It was about being a teacher advocate,” Light said.

At around 7:30 p.m. at last Tuesday’s Board of Education meeting, school board members returned from an executive session during which they had discussed the Light case settlement. Back in public session, the board members voted to approve the settlement.

Light was joined at the meeting by her husband and two children. She hugged her family while wiping away tears after the school board voted to approve the deal.

She left Tuesday’s meeting feeling proud, she said, because “the First Amendment is paramount for safety, so I had to fight to be who I wanted to be for the students and I’m proud of seeing it through.”

She recalled the long and hard process of pursuing this legal case, which often left her feeling drained. She said she refused to walk away from the case because

“it meant more than anything. It’s who I am.”

She continued that her obligation is to New Haven’s students and includes speaking up about safety concerns. Also at Tuesday’s meeting, Board of Education President OrLando Yarborough read the following statement about the settlement: “After careful and thoughtful negotiations, Jessica Light and the New Haven Board of Education resolved Ms. Light’s case (Civil Action No. 3:22-cv-425(JBA)). Ms. Light has consistently served as an advocate and educator during her 15 years with the New Haven Public Schools. The board values Ms. Light’s commitment and looks forward to continuing to work together for the shared benefit of the district’s students.”

Light concluded by stating on Tuesday, “I’ll always speak up when there is a moral obligation to do so.”

Ted Talks Return, With Local Twist

by Allan Appel

Anne-Marie Knight thinks joy is not only an emotion but potentially an indispensable strategy, even a force that can be harnessed to strengthen local community. Her mother used it — and shared it — to save her children in an abusive marriage and to start a new life in the U.S.A.

And Jessica Sager believes if you can solve the chronic child care morass in America — poverty wages for educators, never enough affordable spots — you will be addressing among our society’s deepest crises. She learned that as the protector and advocate for her little brother, offering the love both of an older sister and also of a surrogate parent.

Those big societal questions — told through personal, familial, gripping, and, above all, local Elm City stories — were at the heart of a new and decidedly local edition of Ted Talks, organized by TEDxNewHaven, which is part of and licensed by the larger TEDx movement.

There were 158 applicants — local doers, leaders, innovators, thinkers, and dreamers, according to the press material — who applied to present what was narrowed down to eight 15-minute, formal, rehearsed, note-less performance-style talks, in the TED style, said Mercy Quaye, chair of the board that comprises TEDxNewHaven.

The event took place on Friday at the Flint Street Theater at 25 Flint St.

A kind of modern, digital version of the 19th Century Chautauqua, the simultaneously high-powered/low key event is adult learning about the Big Questions of our time with a little pzazz of Hollywood thrown in as speakers entered, runway-style, down the center aisle of the newly renovated theater and are escorted

onto the stage by a tuxedoed host.

It drew a full, sold-out house to the Friends Center’s Flint Street Theater Friday afternoon and was moderated by Wesleyan University professor and local radio host Dr. Khalilah Brown-Dean.

Anne-Marie Knight, the executive direc-

tor of the Black Business Alliance in New Haven, offered the initial talk, to consider an alternative to IQ and even EQ, emotional quotient.

That would be the JOY Quotient: “Joy is a deep sustaining strength that is grounded in faith, that is not moved by circum-

stances and it radiates with connections, purpose, and truth and it lets you challenge the notion that service is erasure.”

She even offered an acronym: J might stand for “just be you,” that is, lower the masks one often wears; O for “own your energy,” that is, learn who the people in your life are who drain you (the audience makes a deep low growl of agreement!) and who are those blessed beings who fuel you in the best way; and Y should remind you to yield to the vision and spirit that moves you forward in the deepest way.

“Joy was my mother’s strength, and it was shareable,” she concluded. “It was a social force.”

Up next was Jessica Sager, dressed all in dramatic black, who said, “I wanted a world where people didn’t feel alone, so with Jenna Wagner we created high quality child care in New Haven (All Our Kin) and now it operates in 30 states across the country.”

She continued: “It is a continuing version of inequity of women and especially Black women that we allow $15 an hour,” the average rate for early childcare workers.

Mixing statistics (lack of access to child care costs the U.S. $120 billion annually; four million kids can’t find a spot in the U.S. even though 90 percent of children’s brain development occurs in the early years) with historical perspective, Sager’s talk ended, as did the others, with a call for transformation and action: “What if we could think of child care differently, as, for example, a collective public investment?”

And she cited individual achievements along that road, including Connecticut’s recent use of surplus revenue to build a $300 million childhood endowment.

Quaye said that a first version of TEDx came to New Haven in 2022, but they were here and gone, and not anchored in the Elm City experience. This current edition, she said, is here to stay, using the TEDx brand and format to convene, celebrate, and explore what we have by way of joy and genius and accomplishment in our own backyard.

“I grew up with story-telling people,” Quaye said. “In middle school people came and told us of [their experience in] the Holocaust.” TEDxNewHaven in her view will be a way to continue that New Haven story telling tradition that is alive and well in what she termed “the hidden gem” that is New Haven: “gathering people in one place, hearing their stories, dreams, opinions, where those opinions derive from, and why they matter.”

New Haven’s a city of small enough size so that it also lends energy and power and potential to these talks, said Aly Fox, another board member. The city is intimate enough that there’s a good chance audience members will run into these speakers shopping in the same grocery store, she added, and the conversation will continue.

It already was in the buttery popcorn-filled lobby of the theater, at the first break, where attendee Sally Esposito, a long-time Fair Haven activist, who helps manage the Clinton Street School Community Garden, said she was going to ask the most recent speaker before the break, Stuart DeCew, from the Yale Center for Business and the Environment, what his thoughts were — whether the freaky drought, then the rush of rain, or the time of planting — might be behind why this year’s crop of sweet potatoes over on Clinton Street is not nearly as beautiful as last year’s.

All the talks will be posted on the TEDx site, in a week or two, Quaye added.

CT Joins 22 States, DC In Supporting Illinois Against National Guard Deployment To Chicago

by Donald Eng

HARTFORD, CT — Attorney General William Tong has joined a coalition of 22 attorneys general and the governors of Kansas, Kentucky and Pennsylvania in filing a brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in support of Illinois against what he called “President (Donald) Trump’s unlawful, unconstitutional, and undemocratic deployment of the National Guard without approval from the state’s governor.”

According to the brief, Trump’s actions break the law and threaten one of America’s most important principles — that the military must remain under civilian control — while also threatening state sovereignty and core constitutional principles of federalism.

“Trump is deploying American soldiers against American families on American soil, and that is both extremely dangerous and plainly illegal,” Tong said. “We’re

fighting back in courts across the country to protect public safety, our constitution and our state sovereignty.”

In recent months, the Trump administration has repeatedly ordered the National Guard into communities throughout the country to usurp the role of local law enforcement. Starting in Los Angeles, then Washington, D.C., the to Portland, Oregon, and Chicago, Illinois, according to Tong’s office.

The coalition’s brief argues that this violates the Constitution and federal law. The brief urges the appeals court to reject the Trump administration’s request to move forward with the deployment, arguing that using federal troops in civilian communities is unlawful and harms both public safety and trust.

The group also argues that turning the military into a domestic police force would blur the line between civilian and military power — the very abuse the founders sought to prevent.

On Saturday, although it allowed for the federalization of the Guard during the pendency of the stay request, the Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit denied the Trump administration’s request for an immediate administrative stay of the portion of the district court’s decision that barred the deployment of any federalized National Guard in Illinois.

Tong is calling on the court to deny the Trump administration’s request for a broad stay pending appeal, which would allow troops to be deployed to Chicago.

In filing the brief, Tong joined the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawai‘i, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington. The governors of Kansas, Kentucky and Pennsylvania also joined the filing.

Structural Educational Inequality Rx: Look To The Little Kids

by Allan Appel

Over his long career as a teacher, principal, and now superintendent of schools in Hamden, Gary Highsmith has seen time and time again little kids starting kindergarten without knowing the difference between a letter and a number; without being able to identify primary colors. Meanwhile, other kids the same age nearby on the carpet are already reading books.

That’s why, if he ruled the education world and could have his fondest wish, it would be quality universal pre-K for every child.

That idealist vision emerged Monday night at a panel event exploring the structural inequality in public education convened at Albertus Magnus College’s Eckhart Center.

In addition to Highsmith, who was the featured speaker, respondents included his mentor Dr. Leroy Williams, a longtime New Haven educator; Dr. Kelly O’Leary, who is the principal of the independent Catholic St. Martin de Porres Academy in the Hill neighborhood; Donna Pallanti, who is the supervisor of education programs at Albertus; and Gladys Washington, who is studying at Albertus in preparation for a second career as a nurse.

There was little disagreement among the panelists on the structural causes of such gaps in learning: mainly the problems of poverty, which can often be generational, and correlate with poverty’s grim cousins, racial, economic, and housing segregation.

Or as Highsmith put it earlier in his remarks: “The Connecticut Metro areas are among the most segregated by race, poverty, and income inequality.”

Donna Pallanti highlighted the glaring gaps among groups that result from a funding structure for education that, to a fault, is based on local taxation. The result: “The neediest districts have students who have the most needs,” she said. And the least resources to close those

gaps.

And all of this, of course, snowballs from year to year, generation to generation. Among the welter of statistics panelists cited — like $27,000 per pupil spending in Fairfield County versus $20,000 in New Haven — Pallanti, a teacher trainer, pointed out that currently Fairfield County’s schools have six teacher vacancies whereas New Haven currently has 48. All those students who every day face a rotating or changing cast of often ill-prepared substitutes are not going to get needs met, gaps filled.

But there is hope and Highsmith suggested the past might be a guide. In the if-there’s-a-will-there’s-a-way department, he cited the success of the G.I.Bill in addressing the educational and housing needs of ten million American soldiers returning from World War II, which paved

the way for the generational wealth that made the expansive economy of the 1950s and 1960s possible.

“Except,” he added, “Black vets were systematically denied those benefits. The same problems Connecticut had in 1944 we have today, that is, a structural inequality that could have been eliminated.”

Highsmith and the other panelists, however, were not entirely Jeremiahs as the past also offered points of light.

“In 1998,” Highsmith said, “Connecticut’s fourth and eighth graders were tops in the nation in reading and math, and for years after that Black and Latino student achievement performed so well, the achievement gap decreased until about 2007,” he reported.

“So how did little Connecticut do this?” HIghsmith asked.

The answers: Teacher standards and salaries were raised dramatically between 1986 and 1991; professional development for teachers became mandatory; and early reading and literacy experts were introduced.

His conclusion: “We should revisit the success of the past to move forward with current structural inequalities.”

The brief Q & A from the audience was more or less an exercise in concurrence.

One Albertus English professor said, “As long as we fund locally with property taxes, we will always have structural inequality baked in, no?”

Yes, Highsmith agreed. “No other industrial country in the world funds the way we do.”

That localized property tax-based funding model is now exacerbated by the

gutting of the federal Department of Education and all its grants, and no one was optimistic about when that would be reversed.

“Every system is perfectly designed to get what it’s designed for. A system with disparities will create results that are disparate,” Highsmith said.

“Given our inability to make financial changes now,” asked another audience member, “why can’t we restructure things that we know can make a difference, like parent involvement?”

“It will take myriad ways,” said Dr. Williams, “to get parents involved. Some parents never see their child’s report card.”

The questioner — who described herself as growing up poor in the projects but with the advantage of having two parents at home and involved, so that now she is the holder of a doctorate — suggested state-required regulation of some kind for parent involvement.

While Williams shied away from such prescriptive enforcement, Sister Ann Kilbride, who supervises cultural and religious life at Albertus, endorsed Highsmith’s idea about universal quality pre-K and suggested an add-on to that: that in an ideal educational world an accompanying feature of universal quality pre-K might be a unit to educate the parents and grandparents of the kids in daycare.

As the immediate prospects for positive structural change in education are bleak, and the panel did not shy away from enumerating them, you might say the panel percolated with some notes of, if not despair, then great skepticism about the immediate period ahead.

Still there are classrooms full of kids out there and teachers facing them every day. Highsmith therefore ended his remarks with a call for teachers nevertheless to “maintain high expectations for every student regardless of conditions at home. Don’t let that lower it.

“This is my advice,” Highsmith said, “for all future teachers.”

Giant Puppets Walk The Green

by Lisa Reisman

There was Muchos Colores, rising to her 12-foot height and decked out in a multi-colored ensemble complete with red-pedicured talons. And Mother Earth, sporting a crown of greenery and a flowered blue-and-green blouse over black leggings.

On a balmy autumn Saturday afternoon, the two joined an estimated 2,000 crowding the New Haven Green—among the nearly 7 million people at roughly 2,600 sites across the 50 states in the latest demonstration against Donald Trump’s administration amid a government shutdown.

From there, they floated benevolent-

ly above the forest of hand-painted and screen-printed signs and waving flags, amid full-throated chanting and singing to the tunes of Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie.

Then it was onto Elm Street and then Church and Chapel, where they bopped up and down to the beat of a bass drum among people clad in inflatable animal costumes, and decked out in revolutionary garb and Lady Liberty crowns. They proceeded past Taste of China and Atticus Bookstore and the Yale University Art Gallery, with bystanders snapping photos from the steps.

Muchos Colores and Mother Earth are the work of Hartford artist Anne Cubberly. She was already a visual artist when, at

20, a performance of the Bread & Puppet Theater in Vermont introduced her to giant puppets. “My mind was blown, and I just slowly starting making them,” she said in a telephone interview on Monday. For the last 28 years, she’s been engineering large-scale puppets, kinetic sculptures, and installations. With her company, Anne Cubberly’s Giant Puppets, she deploys highly trained teams of puppeteers around the country for “roaming performances and awe for all,” as her website reads.

“They’re for every kind of purpose,” said Chris Dunn, the puppeteer who brought Muchos Colores to life at the Saturday event; a multidisciplinary artist, he’s been touring with Cubberly for five Con’t on page 22

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Early Voting Begins — Including At SCSU

by Thomas Breen

Perry Flowers walked from his home in Westville Manor to a basement program room at Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU) Monday morning to vote for himself — and to cast the first ever ballot at the city’s second early voting location.

Flowers is the Republican candidate for alder in West Rock/West Hills’ Ward 30. He’s running against three-term incumbent Democrat Honda Smith in the Nov. 4 general election.

On Monday, Flowers became the first New Havener to vote at the city’s newest polling place, which is located at SCSU’s Schwartz Hall at 320 Fitch St.

Early voting in November’s municipal elections across Connecticut began on Monday, and is scheduled to run for the next 14 consecutive days. New Haven’s two early voting sites are located at City Hall and at SCSU’s Schwartz Hall. (Connecticut’s first election with early voting was the April 2024 presidential primaries.)

As Schwartz Hall polling place moderator Paul Chambers explained Monday, a new state law requires municipalities to establish early voting sites at public colleges where at least 1,000 students live on campus or in school-run housing. SCSU meets those criteria. And so the local Registrar of Voters opened up this second early voting site at Schwartz Hall.

Early voting on Monday began at 10 a.m. and runs through 6 p.m. Those are the hours that the two early voting locations will be open through Nov. 2, with the exception of Tuesday, Oct. 28 and Thursday, Oct. 30, when early voting will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Republican Registrar of Voters Lisa Milone, who was working at the SCSU site on Monday, said that no one cast ballots at the Schwartz Hall early voting location during the Sept. 9 Democratic primaries (when there were primaries in alder races downtown, in the Hill, and in Morris

Cove), therefore making Flowers the first New Havener ever to vote at the new SCSU early voting spot.

Flowers showed up to the Schwartz Hall polling place at around 10:19 a.m. He said he listened to soul singer Al Green — and in particular the song “Love and Happiness” — as he made his way on foot from Lodge Street to Fitch Street.

Why’d he decide to vote on Monday at SCSU? “They took our polling place away from us at Katherine Brennan,” he said about the former West Rock neighborhood polling place on Wilmot Road. He said he’s encouraging voters in his neighborhood — at public housing complexes like Westville Manor, Rockview, and Brookside — to get out early and vote at Southern. The ward also has an election-day polling place at The Shack community center at 333 Valley St.

Flowers said he voted early to lead by example. “I put my vote in so I already know” I voted, and don’t have to worry about scrambling on election day itself to

balance work and voting.

Plus, he said, voting carries a special significance for him and his family as he’s in the “fifth generation from slavery. My people are from Georgia.” Voting is not something to be taken for granted, and so he wanted to get out early and cast his ballot Monday.

Flowers forgot to bring an ID with him, however, and so he spent a minute inside the Schwartz Hall polling place scrolling through his phone to try to find a picture of his identification. He found one, presented it to the polling place workers, signed and dated the requisite form to indicate that he’d be voting early, and then filled out his ballot and put it in the tabulator.

Who did he vote for in the Ward 30 race? “Myself,” Flowers said. And what about in the mayoral race, Democratic incumbent Justin Elicker or Republican challenger Steve Orosco? “You know who I voted for,” Flowers said with a smile.

ICE Raids Dixwell Avenue Car Wash

by Mona Mahadevan and Thomas Breen

Hamden’s mayor, town council president, and two dozen immigrant rights activists and fellow politicians gathered on Dixwell Avenue Wednesday afternoon to denounce an ICE raid that took place at a nearby car wash Wednesday morning.

Still looking for answers as to what exactly happened, the elected officials said that federal agents seized a total of eight people.

An eyewitness to the raid, meanwhile, said she saw at least 10 agents show up — some wearing masks and tactical gear — and described a man being slammed to the ground and a woman being hauled away into an unmarked van.

Hamden Mayor Lauren Garrett said at Wednesday’s press conference at the Keefe Community Center that the raid happened at the Optimo Car Wash, located at 1126 Dixwell Ave., at approximately 10:20 a.m.

She said that, as part of this raid, federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents detained a mother and father while their kids were in school.

“The acts from the administration and ICE are deplorable, they are disgusting, they are not what we represent in Hamden,” Garrett said. “People are living in fear because of an inhumane presidency.”

Wednesday afternoon’s presser was also attended by Hamden Legislative Council President Dominique Baez and New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker, among a host of state legislators, pastors, and immigrant

rights advocates.

One of the speakers at the presser identified herself only by her first name, Rachel, and said she was at the car wash Wednesday morning when the raid took place.

She said that, while she was at the car wash, she heard “tires screeching to a halt.” When she ran to the window to see what was happening, she said she saw at least 10 ICE agents, many of whom were wearing masks and tactical gear. She heard the girl who works at the front desk scream.

She said she saw a “man who was slammed to the ground.”

When she asked the man if he was OK, Rachel said, an ICE agent “got in my face and said I would end up just like him” if she interfered. She said she saw an ICE agent haul the girl who screamed into an unmarked van.

An employee at NE Motors, which sits right next door to the car wash, told the Independent on Wednesday that she also saw the raid play out, and that she saw a bunch of people get tackled. She said that, after ICE took people away, the car wash was left open and people’s stuff were strewn about. She identified Rachel as a neighbor of the car wash, and said that Rachel and other staff helped close up the car wash after the raid.

The ICE raid was partially captured on video and posted on Instagram by the New Haven Immigrants Coalition. The video’s caption states that seven people were “confirmed” to have been detained by ICE officers around 10 a.m. on Wednesday.

Unidad Latina en Acción (ULA) organiz-

er John Lugo went to Optimo Car Wash after hearing about the incident. He told the Independent Wednesday that he heard that ICE agents surrounded the store and seized seven people, including a ULA member. He said he was also told that a client of the car wash confronted ICE officers, who then tried to arrest her. Lugo was unsure if the client had actually been arrested.

Garrett drove to Optimo after hearing that ICE had detained people there. She said in a separate interview with the Inde-

pendent that witnesses to the incident told her that seven people were taken, while the Hamden Police Department told her they heard the number was eight.

“We’re in the middle of contacting family members of those detained,” added Garrett.

Tina Colón Williams, the lawyer representing previously ICE-detained Wilbur Cross student Esdrás Zabaleta-Ramirez, learned about the incident from the family member of someone who was detained.

“It’s all very sudden, and we’re still figuring out what’s going on,” said Colón Williams in an interview with the Independent. She heard either eight or nine people were seized.

Garrett convened the press conference about the incident at the Keefe Community Center in Hamden at 2:30 p.m. Roughly 30 people attended the presser.

Rev. Emily Scott from First Presbyterian Church in New Haven said that one person who was taken was a customer, and not a worker. She said that when she and the New Haven Immigrants Coalition showed up Wednesday morning, “the entire staff was gone with no trace.” Doors were locked and no one was there to talk with them.

At 2:58 p.m. Wednesday., U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro sent out an email press release about the Hamden ICE raid.

“Right now, I am focused on confirming the safety and status of those who were detained during the raid on a Hamden car wash today, as well as their family members, some of whom are school-age children,” she is quoted as saying in that press release. “The aggressive tactics used by ICE and endorsed by President Trump have escalated tensions with communities here and across the country, exacerbating fear. They are not making Americans any safer. I will continue to engage with local leaders and law enforcement to understand the basis for this raid and to ensure that the rights of these individuals and all Connecticut residents are respected.”

Representatives from ICE have not responded to requests for comment.

City To Grow Swim Program For Seniors

by Thomas Breen

The city’s Elderly Services Department is on track to grow a new program that provides swim instruction for New Haveners ages 55 and up, thanks to the alders’ formal acceptance of a related $15,000-plus grant.

The Board of Alders took that vote Monday night during its latest meeting on the second floor of City Hall.

Local legislators voted unanimously in support of a resolution authorizing the mayor to accept a $15,316 grant from the Agency on Aging of South-Central Connecticut “to provide swimming lessons and water aerobics for New Haven senior citizens.”

During a Sept. 25 meeting of the Board of Alders Health and Human Services Committee, city Elderly Services Management and Policy Analyst Chantel Cave explained that this grant will help the department broaden the reach of its new “Golden Swimmers” program.

That effort is a 5-week program undertaken in partnership with the nonprofit LEAP and based out of LEAP’s pool at 31 Jefferson St. The program provides free water aerobics and swim lessons for New Haven-

ers who are 55 and older.

This $15,000 grant will allow the department “to add additional cohorts” to the Golden Swimmers program, Cave said. Currently, classes have a cap of 14 par-

ticipants each. With this grant funding, the department should be able to increase that cap to 18. “Right now, we have over 29 applicants for the program,” Cave said in late September, demonstrating a “major need”

for more swimming instruction for local seniors.

Cave said that there are two different types of course: one day a week of water aerobics, and one day a week of swimming instruction. “This is very important because we want to ensure that our seniors are coming out of their homes,” that they’re not isolated, and that they’re learning water safety and developing confidence in the water.

Cave said this grant will also allow the department to provide transportation for seniors from the city’s three senior centers; will allow for the offering of additional swim-instruction sessions; and will help cover the cost of related equipment, like swim gear, swim caps, towels, and bags to store one’s belongings while swimming.

What’s the cost of this program besides the $15,000-plus coming in from this grant? Downtown/East Rock Alder Eli Sabin asked during the September committee hearing.

Cave said that to run a five-week session costs a little over $3,000, not including transporting seniors from each senior center to the pool.

The Elicker administration initially planned on holding a press conference cele-

brating this program on Sept. 29; that press conference was subsequently postponed, and has been rescheduled for Oct. 27.

“Responding to requests from seniors for swimming classes, the program is being offered in partnership with the non-profit LEAP, which hosts the program at their community pool, facilitates the fitness classes, and provides swim instructors and lifeguards,” a press release announcing that postponed press conference read. “Golden Swimmers provides seniors with opportunities for physical activity, water safety, and social connection with water aerobics classes on Mondays and swim lessons on Thursdays.”

The press release went on to state that the Golden Swimmers program “is part of the City’s broader efforts to expand swimming opportunities for residents and also part of its broader investments to provide programming and community spaces for senior residents.” That part of the press release included a link to a page on the city’s website that describes the Elicker administration’s efforts to convert the contaminated former English Station power plant property into a new Mill River Park with an outdoor public pool.

Assata, A Legacy for this Hour by Dr. Roderick Ferguson,

Public Intellectual & Contributing Commentator to ICN

You would not know that Assata Shakur’s Assata: An Autobiography is a work of intellectual and literary heft, not with all the malevolent talk that was heaped upon its author. In her 1988 review, the journalist E.R. Shipp said, “the author provides a spellbinding tale that evokes mixed feelings in the way the autobiographies of Malcolm X, Sonny Carson and Claude Brown did in years past.” Choice magazine wrote, “A compelling tale of the impact of white racism on a sensitive and powerful young black woman.”

In contrast, the mainstream media, police in New Jersey and New York, and the FBI represented Shakur as a robber, a murderer, and a terrorist. These depictions were shaped and propelled by the FBI’s counterintelligence program or COINTELPRO, which initially targeted Dr. Martin Luther King, civil rights activists, the Black Panthers, the American Indian Movement, the Young Lords, the Socialist Workers Party and the New Left, hounding them on the presumption that they were communist and anti-American. In a context in which federal and state authorities used their considerable powers to vilify progressive activists, Shakur—a member of the Black Liberation Army—was indicted ten times for robbery, murder, and kidnapping. Those cases ended in dismissals, acquittals, or hung juries—all except for one. In May of 1973, she was convicted and imprisoned for the murder of New Jersey

state trooper Werner Foerster and for wounding another state trooper James Harper. Three neurologists testified that she could not have pulled a trigger because her median nerve had been severed by gunshot wounds. Another expert said that her clavicle had been shattered because of gunshots, indicating that she was shot while her hands were raised. And according to other experts, the police officers’ own tests showed no gun residue on her fingers. Despite this testimony, she was convicted, and her demonization continued. In 1998, former New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman offered a $100,000 reward for her return from Cuba. In one of the book’s poems, she writes, “I have been locked by the lawless./Handcuffed by the haters./Gagged by the greedy.”

When you read some books, they become extensions of your hands. Assata is like that. It is a tale of tribulations and a handbook of survival. Part of the autobiography’s message is that it is not only the big heroic feats that carry the day but that small interventions can count for thousands. There’s the brother—the hospital security guard—who cautiously gives her the power sign as she lies wounded on a stretcher. “That man will never know how much better he made me feel at that moment,” she said. Then there are the two Black women nurses who showed her kindness. One of them slips her three books—a poetry anthology, Gerder Lerner’s Black Women in White America: A Documentary History, and Herman Hesse’s

Siddhartha: An Indian Tale. When she got tired of the police officers’ abuse, she would take the anthology and read aloud William Ernest Henley’s “Invictus” and Claude McKay’s “If We Must Die”. From studying Black Women in White America, she said, “i felt the spirits of those sisters feeding me, making me stronger. Black women have been struggling and helping each other to survive the blows of life since the beginning of time.” And from Siddhartha, she learned to chant Om and felt the unity of all living things.

In the book, we also learn that frequently practices of resistance are as everyday as home. Shakur moved with her grandparents when she was three years old from Jamaica Queens to Wilmington, North Carolina. That’s where her grandfather grew up. Her grandparents drilled into her a sense of dignity and the necessity to defend it. “Who’s better than you?” her grandmother would ask.

“Nobody.” “Who?” “Nobody?” “Get that head up.” “Yes.” “Yes, who?” “Yes, Grandmommy.”

A text, a gesture, a prayer, a recitation passed carefully from hand to hand. If accumulated, they can comprise a manual for all the ways we can assist each other.

North Carolina possesses a noble history of fugitivity. In The Emancipation Circuit: Black Activism Forg-

ing a Culture of Freedom, the writer and historian Thulani Davis says, “African Americans in North Carolina, from leaders to laborers and sailors who fled slavery, show ways in which fugitives organized themselves in groups to deal with common problems and made new iterations of the word we.” In that state, newly freed people understood themselves as “we, the members of a refugee encampment, we as ‘contrabands of war,’ we as conscripted laborers, and increasingly we as a race.” The Black people of North Carolina can, therefore, claim a history in which they articulated for themselves a shared sense of community and identity, one specifically designed to meet the afterlife of slavery and the promises of freedom. This is where Assata was molded.

She knew what all freedom fighters know. Freedom is strengthened by use, and if it is not used, it will surely die. Her lawyer Lennox S. Hinds captured this insight when he wrote in the foreword to her autobiography: “Dear Sister, thank you for sending us your vital voice and sharing your passion and commitment with us. Meanwhile, we in this society must remind ourselves again how we threaten our own interests and rights when we condone by our silence the government’s use of surveillance, attacks on the legitimacy of political activists, and the use of the criminal law to suppress and punish political dissent.” Her life and her words provide the resources we need for such a time as this.

Hip-hop legend Snoop Dogg is embracing inclusivity in children’s media after previously expressing discomfort with LGBTQ+ representation. He is now teaming up with GLAAD for Spirit Day, a national event dedicated to supporting LGBTQ youth, and opened up to The Voice contestant Jeremy Beloate about why he now believes in showing diverse families in his animated kids’ show, Doggyland. In the chat, Snoop said he wants children to grow up understanding that “all families are special in their own unique ways” and that “love has no bounds.” That message is also at the heart of a new Doggyland song he created with Jeremy called “Love Is Love.”

Snoop, known for hits like “Young,

Wild & Free,” shared how the song is meant to “build a bridge of understanding” for children. He added, “It’s a beautiful thing that kids can have parents of all walks of life and be shown love — whether it’s two fathers, two mothers, or anything else. Love is the key.”

According to TMZ, this comes after Snoop drew criticism in 2022 when he admitted he was caught off guard seeing a same-sex couple kiss while watching Lightyear with his grandkids, saying at the time he wasn’t prepared to answer their questions.

Now, the rap icon has had a clear change of heart — and is ready to help kids learn that love comes in many forms.

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Head Start Gave the Author an Early Inspiration to Share Her Story

By National Head Start Association

It did not come as a surprise to Atiya Henley’s parents, alumni of Head Start, that she would become a published author before the age of 10. “Atiya has a BIG imagination,” said her mother, Amy Deanes. “This isn’t her first book, but it’s the first one that we published. She wrote this book because of no experience of her own, but because of her passion to help others.” Atyia is a former student of the Institute of Community Services (ICS Head Start) of Mississippi and the author of the “Mean Girls: A Bunch of Bullies,” a powerful story about the impact of hurtful teasing, taunting, and aggressive behavior. Her former teacher, Mrs. Dorothy Gaston, is proud of her learning process and progress. “During her year at Head

Start, Atiya exemplified good social skills with her peers,” said Mrs. Gaston. “Early learning is a must when it comes to helping students gain social skills early in life. It helps them to interact with others and not be a bully to get what you want.”

In her book, Atyia imagines students being pushed around by others and not being treated with kindness. She drew on the social skills she developed with Mrs. Gaston to write about how to stop bullying. “When a child leaves home and gets on the bus ride to school, they should know that this is their second home and nothing bad will happen to them. Bullies are everywhere, but even a bully can be stopped,” said the young author. “I am also working on the second part to show how bullying doesn’t just stop because the bully gets caught, especially when the

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Children must be age 3 by September 1,2025

bully becomes more crafty.”

Bullying can have lasting impacts on everyone involved: the person being bullied, bystanders who witness the bullying, and the person who bullies others. In fact, bullying is considered an Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE). ACEs are potentially traumatic events that can have negative, lasting effects on a person’s development, the way they interact with others, and how they perform in school. Research has shown that children reporting more ACEs may be more likely to exhibit bullying behavior. “We always ask our teachers and staff to listen attentively to what our children are saying. If we do not listen, we will miss the message,” said ICS Head Start Executive Director Eloise McClinton. “We are proud to know that one of our own had a vision during this

time in her life to pen such a powerful story and to share her experience of bullying with her teacher.”

Parents, caregivers, teachers, and schools all play an important role in pre-

venting and addressing bullying and its harmful effects. Wise beyond her years, Atyia is an example of how students can also help prevent bullying and trauma at school and contribute to a positive school culture for both fellow students and staff. Preventing bullying and building a positive culture is Atiya’s specialty. Not only is she helping kids to understand bullying, but she is also modeling how to treat others with kindness and respect.

Because of Head Start’s programmatic focus on social-emotional health, Head Start children are more prepared to participate in kindergarten classrooms. “Alum like Atiya makes me so elated to be a Head Start teacher,” said Mrs. Gaston. “I would not have it any other way.”

“We thank ICS Head Start for being a great part of her early childhood education,” added her mother. “Strong and powerful teachers are everywhere, but most certainly in Head Start, where children get the best formal education and the ability to grow into their childhood. Mrs. Gaskin to this day is still her favorite teacher.”

Early Voting Starts Today In CT’s 2025 General Election

by Viktoria Sundqvist

Early voting for Connecticut’s municipal elections starts today throughout the state and will continue for 14 days.

The early voting allows anyone registered to vote to cast their ballots in-person on a day of their choosing prior to Election Day, Nov. 4 — including on two separate weekends — creating more convenience for voters and encouraging greater participation in elections, Lamont and Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas said in a joint news release.

Polls will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Oct. 20-Nov. 2, which four additional hours of voting offered on Tuesday, Oct. 28, and Thursday, Oct. 30, when polls are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., elections officials said.

“With busy work and family lives, early voting provides a convenience for voters, enabling them more options,” Gov. Ned Lamont said in a statement. “Early voting has been available in nearly every state in the U.S. for years and I’m glad that we finally have it in Connecticut. I encourage everyone to cast their ballots in this election.”

Connecticut first allowed early voting in primaries and general elections last year, when more than 740,000 took advantage of it.

“You can make voting a fun part of your weekend — stop by on your way to brunch, after errands, or between other plans,” Thomas said in the release. “No matter when you cast your ballot, these elections let us have our say on issues that really shape our daily lives, from property taxes and public works to school programs and conservation. Every vote matters, and taking part is the best way to make your voice heard in your community.”

All early voting will be at specifically designated locations in each municipality and may not necessarily be the same location where voting is held on Election Day. Most municipalities have just one early voting location, officials said.

Voters can only vote in the town or city in which they are registered, Thomas said. Election officials in every town keep a record of every voter who has voted early, preventing them from voting early at any other location, submitting an absentee ballot, or voting again on Election Day, officials said.

On Tuesday, Nov. 4, all polling places in Connecticut will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.

For more information and to find early voting locations, visit MyVote.CT.gov.

Project 2025’s Mastermind Russell Vought Is Running the Country—And Black America Is

By Stacy M. Brown Black Press USA Correspondent

ProPublica’s in-depth investigation reveals that Russell Vought, Donald Trump’s former budget director, is the real power inside this White House. Vought is the principal author of Project 2025, a racist and authoritarian blueprint that reshapes government around a single goal: to make America a white Christian nation. While Trump holds the title of president, it is Vought who drives policy, using the machinery of government to wage war on equality and democracy. ProPublica’s reporting shows that Vought has consolidated power through the Office of Management and Budget, controlling federal spending, freezing funds, and shutting down entire agencies. He has used his position to block aid for the poor, cancel education programs, and dismantle health and environmental protections that serve Black and brown communities.

Inside Washington, even senior officials describe the government as one where Vought, not Trump, is calling the shots. Vought calls himself a Christian nationalist and says America was “meant to be a Christian nation.” In speeches and documents, he has vowed to “traumatize” civil servants who he sees as part of a liberal “regime.” His chapter in Project 2025 outlines a plan to let the president control agencies that have traditionally been independent, including the Justice Department. The League of Conservation Voters notes that Vought’s section of the plan pushes mass firings of federal employees and the suspension of funds Congress has already approved. When Trump asked Vought during his first term to “find a way to counter Black Lives Matter,” he delivered. As OMB director, he ordered the cancellation of federal contracts that mentioned white privilege or systemic racism. He replaced diversity and equity training with a new ideology that cele-

They’re Giving Us Maxwell, But We Really Want Love Jones II

By Dr. David Asbery, President of Fixing Fathers, Inc.

Let’s be clear: when news dropped that Nia Long and Larenz Tate were reuniting for a new romantic drama on Netflix, the culture collectively held its breath. The stars who gave us the timeless, poetic love of Darius Lovehall and Nina Mosley in 1997’s Love Jones are coming back together. It feels like we’re being brought back to the ’90s, a time when Black love on screen was smooth, complicated, and utterly captivating.

The new, untitled film is reportedly inspired by Maxwell’s debut album, Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite. This is a project that defined the neo-soul genre, a concept album that tells a whole story about a passionate, complicated romance from beginning to end. With Eugene Ashe of Sylvie’s Love directing, there’s no doubt this film will have style and substance. Maxwell himself is even on board as an executive producer, alongside Long and Tate. But here’s the thing. While a story based on Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite sounds in-

brates racial hierarchy. That order became one of the first building blocks of Project 2025. ProPublica’s reporting shows that Vought now uses his control over the budget to punish opponents and reward those who fall in line. He has paused or canceled more than $400 billion in funding for programs that support education, public housing, and medical research. Many of these programs are lifelines for low-income families and for Black Americans who have fought for decades to gain access to them.

The League of Conservation Voters calls Vought’s agenda a direct attack on democracy. “Vought has promised to traumatize civil servants and shut down agency funding to carry out his dangerous Project 2025 agenda,” said Matthew Davis, the organization’s vice president of federal

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triguing, is it what the people really want?

Is it what we need? For years, fans have been calling for a sequel to Love Jones. We want to know what happened to Darius and Nina. Did their “urgent” love last? Did they build a life together, filled with poetry, photography, and rainy Chicago nights? There’s so much story left to tell there.

Seeing Nia Long and Larenz Tate back as romantic leads is a win, no question. Their chemistry is undeniable; it’s a spark that has lasted for decades. Tate himself has talked about how natural their connection felt from the very first screen test. What we saw in Love Jones wasn’t just acting—it was a genuine vibe. So, while we will definitely be seated for this new Netflix project, a huge part of us will be watching and wondering what could have been. We’ll take the ’90s feel, the soulful soundtrack, and the beauty of seeing these two icons share the screen again. But let’s be honest—what we’re really hoping for is that this reunion is just a warm-up. Give the people what they want. Give us Love Jones II.

Paying the Price

policy. “We will fight him at every step and stand with these public servants who protect our communities.” What Vought describes as restoring order is instead the construction of a new Jim Crow system. It strips rights, silences dissent, and rewards loyalty to an ideology that centers white Christian power. ProPublica’s reporting makes clear that Vought is not a bureaucrat carrying out policy but the architect of a plan to reverse more than half a century of civil rights progress. Vought is the man behind the curtain, a figure who uses faith as cover for cruelty and government as a weapon against the vulnerable. As long as he directs this regime, Black America and every community that depends on fairness in government will remain in his crosshairs.

Hay cupos disponibles para Pre-K3 y Pre-K4 en las escuelas Dr. Reginald Mayo, John S. Martinez y otras escuelas del vecindario, para el año escolar 2025-2026 Para aplicar, visite 54 Meadow Street, New Haven o en línea nhps.net.

Los niños deben tener 3 años para septiembre 1,2025.

Plan de estudios de aprendizaje basado en el juego

Programa diario de 6 horas

Solo para residentes de New Haven

The Cashless Conspiracy: How Trump’s Economy and Musk’s Data Grab Threaten Freedom

By Stacy M. Brown Black Press USA Correspondent

The Trump administration’s economic experiment, rooted in chaos, crony capitalism, and unchecked digital surveillance, is pushing America toward a dangerous new frontier. It is a crypto-driven, cashless society that threatens to erase financial freedom for millions, particularly Black Americans and the working poor. As the economy contracts and inflation rises, President Donald Trump’s aggressive tariff regime has already sent shockwaves through every sector. According to Fortune, Trump’s reckless tariff decisions have wiped nearly seven trillion dollars in market value, decimated small business confidence, and driven consumer prices to levels not seen in decades. Senator Brian Schatz of Hawaii warned that Trump is ruining the economy on purpose, pointing to middle-class families now paying an average of five thousand dollars more each year for basic goods such as cars, homes, groceries, and clothing. While Americans struggle with higher prices and shrinking savings, the Trump White House has quietly advanced a sweeping new financial system that merges state power, private crypto interests, and invasive data collection.

In early 2025, Trump authorized a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, incorporating the volatile cryptocurrency into official United States financial infrastructure. The Conversation reported that this hybrid model privatizes the issuance of money while keeping control of reserves under the executive branch. It undermines the Federal Reserve’s independence and centralizes power in the Oval Office. Trump described bitcoin as freedom money, but in practice, it represents state-aligned crypto dominance and an economy where wealth and access depend on government loyalty.

Behind the scenes, Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, once run by Elon Musk, came under scrutiny for uploading massive federal databases containing the personal information of hundreds of millions of Americans, including Social Security data, to unsecured cloud servers. A whistleblower revealed that the team requested its activities not be logged and even deleted records of ac-

cess, behavior that cybersecurity experts compared to criminal hacking operations.

Sensitive information tied to union members, workers’ rights cases, and corporate secrets may have been exposed, with traces of suspicious activity linking back to Russian IP addresses.

By the spring of 2025, Musk left DOGE and the government under a cloud of suspicion after a public spat with Trump. He has gone mostly silent since his departure, but multiple people believe he took large volumes of data with him. The full extent of what was removed or copied remains unclear, leaving major concerns about the safety of sensitive personal and governmental information.

At the same time, Trump’s allies have opened new financial avenues for the wealthy through Erebor Bank, a cryptocurrency-focused institution backed by conservative megadonors and approved with unusual speed by Trump’s Treasury Department. Its mission is to serve ultrahigh-net-worth individuals and tech firms, signaling a parallel financial system that privileges the rich while ordinary citizens are pushed into algorithmic surveillance economies.

These developments align with global moves toward digital ID systems such

as the United Kingdom’s One Login and digital wallets, which The Telegraph described as a real nightmare that centralizes personal data and is riddled with security flaws. In the United States, REAL ID enforcement now allows the federal government to link biometric data to digital identification across states. Officials claim it enhances security, yet many Black Americans have long viewed REAL ID with suspicion. Without it, citizens cannot board domestic flights, enter federal buildings, or access certain public facilities. Critics warn that REAL ID creates another layer of exclusion and control, particularly for those who already face bureaucratic and systemic barriers.

An expanded picture of what is happening around the world makes this moment appear even more calculated than coincidental. In the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s digital ID program has been exposed as a security disaster that relied on unsecured workstations in foreign countries, leaving millions of British citizens vulnerable to data theft and foreign manipulation. In the United States, whistleblower Charles Borges revealed that the DOGE team copied and uploaded the Social Security Administration’s database containing

hundreds of millions of Americans’ personal records to unmonitored cloud servers. He resigned after filing complaints, claiming he was harassed and isolated by the administration. Meanwhile, cybersecurity analysts detected data activity linked to Russia at the same time DOGE engineers were transferring files. When taken together, these events suggest a global pattern of governments and private actors concentrating power by controlling not only digital money but also personal identity and access to daily life.

Globally, other nations have already begun shifting toward cashless societies. Sweden and Norway have reduced physical currency use to historic lows, and while the move is framed as progress, even their governments are now warning about the vulnerability of fully digital economies to war, cyberattacks, and authoritarian abuse. The convergence of Trump’s crypto policies, REAL ID enforcement, the global cashless push, and Musk’s suspected data exfiltration raises the specter of a coordinated effort to centralize control over citizens’ finances and personal freedoms. It suggests that the line between economic policy, surveillance, and political domination is disappearing.

As the physical dollar fades, major institutions warn of who will be left behind. Brookings predicted years ago that cash will soon be obsolete, with digital currencies becoming the new norm. While central banks promote benefits like efficiency and transparency, they also introduce total traceability, enabling governments or corporations to freeze, restrict, or program how citizens spend money. J.P. Morgan and Loughborough University both note that a cashless system risks excluding the poor, the elderly, and the unbanked, groups disproportionately represented by Black and minority Americans.

Digital payments must be designed with inclusion and convenience at their core, said Loughborough economist Markos Zachariadis, warning that without oversight, we risk leaving vulnerable groups excluded. In the United States, those same groups are already being priced out of basic participation in the economy as Trump’s tariffs, inflation, and anti-worker policies strip away safety nets like Medicaid and food assistance.

For Black America, the stakes are especially high. The march toward a cashless economy threatens to replicate the structural inequalities of the old banking system under the guise of innovation. Access to digital money will depend on data verification, credit history, and digital ID compliance, areas where Black Americans have historically faced discrimination and surveillance. With tech billionaires like Musk controlling the digital rails, privacy and autonomy may soon become luxuries reserved for the elite.

As Global Finance observed, nations like Sweden are reassessing their nearly cashless economies after realizing that wars, natural disasters, and crises reveal vulnerabilities in fully digital systems. In America, those vulnerabilities may soon look like total control, where the same administration that tanked the economy gains the power to decide how and where citizens can spend what little they have left.

In the end, Trump’s version of economic freedom is not about liberty. It is about ownership of currency, of data, and of people. If this cashless, crypto-fueled dystopia becomes reality, Black America and the poor will once again be first in line to pay the price.

Garrity Asphalt Reclaiming, Inc seeks:

NOTICE

AVISO DE AUDIENCIA PÚBLICA PARA

NOTICE

NOTICE

Construction Equipment Mechanic preferably experienced in Reclaiming and Road Milling Equipment. We offer factory training on equipment we operate. Location: Bloomfield CT We offer excellent hourly rate & excellent benefits

LA AUTORIDAD DE VIVIENDA DE NEW HAVEN (ECC/HANH)

VALENTINA MACRI RENTAL HOUSING PRE- APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE

INFORME ANUAL DE TRABAJO (MTW) DEL AÑO FISCAL 2024

Contact: Tom Dunay Phone: 860- 243-2300

VALENTINA MACRI RENTAL HOUSING PRE- APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE

VALENTINA MACRI RENTAL HOUSING PRE- APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE

Email: tom.dunay@garrityasphalt.com

Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply

Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer

La Sección II y la Sección VII del Acuerdo de Trabajo de la Autoridad {el "Acuerdo") exige que antes de que la Agencia pueda presentar su Plan y Informe Anual de Tra bajo Aprobado al Departamento de Vivienda y Desarrollo Urbano de los EE. UU. (el "HUD"), debe realizar una audiencia pública, considerar los comentarios del público sobre las enmiendas propuestas, obtener la aprobación de la Junta de Comisionados y presentar las enmiendas al HUD.

Garrity Asphalt Reclaiming, Inc seeks:

HOME INC, on behalf of Columbus House and the New Haven Housing Authority, is accepting pre-applications for studio and one-bedroom apartments at this development located at 108 Frank Street, New Haven. Maximum income limitations apply. Pre-applications will be available from 9AM TO 5PM beginning Monday Ju;y 25, 2016 and ending when sufficient pre-applications (approximately 100) have been received at the offices of HOME INC. Applications will be mailied upon request by calling HOME INC at 203-562-4663 during those hours. Completed preapplications must be returned to HOME INC’s offices at 171 Orange Street, Third Floor, New Haven, CT 06510.

HOME INC, on behalf of Columbus House and the New Haven Housing Authority, is accepting pre-applications for studio and one-bedroom apartments at this development located at 108 Frank Street, New Haven. Maximum income limitations apply. Pre-applications will be available from 9AM TO 5PM beginning Monday Ju;y 25, 2016 and ending when sufficient pre-applications (approximately 100) have been received at the offices of HOME INC. Applications will be mailied upon request by calling HOME INC at 203-562-4663 during those hours. Completed preapplications must be returned to HOME INC’s offices at 171 Orange Street, Third Floor, New Haven, CT 06510.

Reclaimer Operators and Milling Operators with current licensing and clean driving record, be willing to travel throughout the Northeast & NY. We offer excellent hourly rate & excellent benefits

HOME INC, on behalf of Columbus House and the New Haven Housing Authority, is accepting pre-applications for studio and one-bedroom apartments at this development located at 108 Frank Street, New Haven. Maximum income limitations apply. Pre-applications will be available from 9AM TO 5PM beginning Monday Ju;y 25, 2016 and ending when sufficient pre-applications (approximately 100) have been received at the offices of HOME INC. Applications will be mailied upon request by calling HOME INC at 203-562-4663 during those hours. Completed preapplications must be returned to INC’s offices at 171 Orange Street, Third Floor, New Haven, CT 06510.

El período de comentarios de treinta (30) días comienza el viernes 1 de noviembre de 2024 y finaliza el sábado 30 de noviembre de 2024. Se pondrán a disposición copias del Informe Moving to Work (MTW) del año fiscal 2024 en el sitio web de la agencia www.elmcitycommunities.org o a través de Twitter, www.twitter.com/ECCommunities o a través de Facebook www.facebook.com/ElmCityCommunities.

NOTICIA

Contact: Rick Tousignant Phone: 860- 243-2300

NOTICIA

Se le invita a enviar comentarios por escrito dirigidos a: ECC/HANH, Moving to Work FY2024 Annual Report, Attn: Evelise Ribeiro, 360 Orange Street, New Haven, CT 06511 o por correo electrónico a: eribeiro@elmcitycommunities.org. De conformidad con las Secciones II y VII mencionadas, se ha programado una audi encia pública en la que se aceptarán y registrarán los comentarios públicos para el lunes 25 de noviembre de 2024 a las 3:00 p. m. a través de RingCentral: https://v.ringcentral. com/join/185686287?pw=d7db4e4f735df6289ed5adfb24f3f113

Email: rick.tousignant@garrityasphalt.com

NOTICIA

VALENTINA MACRI VIVIENDAS DE ALQUILER PRE-SOLICITUDES DISPONIBLES

Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply

VALENTINA MACRI VIVIENDAS DE ALQUILER PRE-SOLICITUDES DISPONIBLES

Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer

Union Company seeks:

ID de la reunión: 185686287

Contraseña: yaw6Zk28PK

O marque:

HOME INC, en nombre de la Columbus House y de la New Haven Housing Authority, está aceptando pre-solicitudes para estudios y apartamentos de un dormitorio en este desarrollo ubicado en la calle 109 Frank Street, New Haven. Se aplican limitaciones de ingresos máximos. Las pre-solicitudes estarán disponibles 09 a.m.-5 p.m. comenzando Martes 25 julio, 2016 hasta cuando se han recibido suficientes pre-solicitudes (aproximadamente 100) en las oficinas de HOME INC. Las pre-solicitudes serán enviadas por correo a petición llamando a HOME INC al 203-562-4663 durante esas horas.Pre-solicitudes deberán remitirse a las oficinas de HOME INC en 171 Orange Street, tercer piso, New Haven , CT 06510

Contact Dana at 860-243-2300

+12679304000 Estados Unidos (Filadelfia, PA)

HOME INC, en nombre de la Columbus House y de la New Haven Housing Authority, está aceptando pre-solicitudes para estudios y apartamentos de un dormitorio en este desarrollo ubicado en la calle 109 Frank Street, New Haven. Se aplican limitaciones de ingresos máximos. Las pre-solicitudes estarán disponibles 09 a.m.-5 p.m. comenzando Martes 25 julio, 2016 hasta cuando se han recibido suficientes pre-solicitudes (aproximadamente 100) en las oficinas de HOME INC. Las pre-solicitudes serán enviadas por correo a petición llamando a HOME INC al 203-562-4663 durante esas horas.Pre-solicitudes deberán remitirse a las oficinas de HOME INC en 171 Orange Street, tercer piso, New Haven , CT 06510

Tractor Trailer Driver for Heavy & Highway Construction Equipment. Must have a CDL License, clean driving record, capable of operating heavy equipment; be willing to travel throughout the Northeast & NY. We offer excellent hourly rate & excellent benefits

HOME INC, en nombre de la Columbus House y de la New Haven Housing Authority, está aceptando pre-solicitudes para estudios y apartamentos de un dormitorio en este desarrollo ubicado en la calle 109 Frank Street, New Haven. Se aplican limitaciones de ingresos máximos. Las pre-solicitudes estarán disponibles 09 a.m.-5 p.m. comenzando Martes 25 julio, 2016 hasta cuando se han recibido suficientes pre-solicitudes (aproximadamente 100) en las oficinas de HOME INC. Las pre-solicitudes serán enviadas por correo a petición llamando a HOME INC al 203-562-4663 durante esas horas.Pre-solicitudes deberán remitirse a las oficinas de HOME INC en 171 Orange Street, tercer piso, New Haven , CT 06510

Email: dana.briere@garrityasphalt.com

Código de acceso/ID de la reunión: 185686287

Contraseña de acceso telefónico: 9296952875

Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply

Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer

Números internacionales disponibles: https://v.ringcentral.com/teleconference

NEW HAVEN

Construction

Cualquier persona que requiera una adaptación razonable para participar en la audien cia puede llamar al Gerente de adaptaciones razonables (203) 498-8800, ext. 1506 o al número TDD (203) 497-8434.mber (203) 497-8434.

242-258 Fairmont Ave

NEW HAVEN

NEW HAVEN

Seeking to employ experienced individuals in the labor, foreman, operator and teamster trades for a heavy outside work statewide. Reliable personal transportation and a valid drivers license required. To apply please call (860) 621-1720 or send resume to: Personnel Department, P.O. Box 368, Cheshire, CT06410.

242-258 Fairmont Ave

2BR Townhouse, 1.5 BA, 3BR, 1 level , 1BA

242-258 Fairmont Ave

All new apartments, new appliances, new carpet, close to I-91 & I-95 highways, near bus stop & shopping center

Listing: Mechanic

2BR Townhouse, 1.5 BA, 3BR, 1 level , 1BA

2BR Townhouse, 1.5 BA, 3BR, 1 level , 1BA

Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/V Drug Free Workforce

All new apartments, new appliances, new carpet, close to I-91 & I-95 highways, near bus stop & shopping center Pet under 40lb allowed. Interested parties contact Maria @ 860-985-8258

All new apartments, new appliances, new carpet, close to I-91 & I-95 highways, near bus stop & shopping center

Immediate opening for a full-time mechanic; maintenance to be done on commercial diesel trucks and trailers. A valid driver’s license is required in order to run company errands efficiently and safely. Send resume to: HR Manager, P. O. Box 388, Guilford, CT 06437 or email hrdept@eastriverenergy.com

Pet under 40lb allowed. Interested parties contact Maria @ 860-985-8258

Listing: Commercial Driver

***An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer, including disabled and veterans***

Pet under 40lb allowed. Interested parties contact Maria @ 860-985-8258 CT. Unified Deacon’s Association is pleased to offer a Deacon’s Certificate Program. This is a 10 month program designed to assist in the intellectual formation of Candidates in response to the Church’s Ministry needs. The cost is $125. Classes start Saturday, August 20, 2016 1:303:30 Contact: Chairman, Deacon Joe J. Davis, M.S., B.S. (203) 996-4517 Host,General Bishop Elijah Davis, D.D. Pastor ofPitts Chapel U.F.W.B. Church 64 Brewster St. New Haven, CT

Continuum of Care, New Haven, Connecticut –

LEGAL NOTICE INVITATION TO BID

CT. Unified Deacon’s Association is pleased to offer a Deacon’s Certificate Program. This is a 10 month program designed to assist in the intellectual formation of Candidates in response to the Church’s Ministry needs. The cost is $125. Classes start Saturday, August 20, 2016 1:303:30 Contact: Chairman, Deacon Joe J. Davis, M.S., B.S. (203) 996-4517 Host,General Bishop Elijah Davis, D.D. Pastor ofPitts Chapel U.F.W.B. Church 64 Brewster St. New Haven, CT

Town of Bloomfield

NOTICE

Senior Sales Representative Wanted

The Town of Wallingford Electric Division is seeking a highly motivated individual to

241 Quinnipiac Avenue, New Haven which are two bedrooms and rent from $1,950-$2,000 and include heat, hot water and cooking gas, private entrance, off street parking and onsite laundry. I have a couple with washer/dryer which are $2,000. Please bill 241 Quinnipiac Avenue, LLC, 111 Roberts Street, Suite G1, East Hartford, CT 06108.

Also, I have a 3 bedroom unit at 254 Fairmont Avenue, New Haven. They rent for $2,050 and the tenant pays all the utilities. Off street parking and private entrance. Section 8 welcomed.

Also, I have a 2 bedroom at 248 Fairmont Avenue, New Haven. They rent for $1,950.00 and the tenant pays all the utilities. Off street parking and private entrance. Section 8 welcomed.

CT. Unified Deacon’s Association is pleased to offer a Deacon’s Certificate Program. This is a 10 month program designed to assist in the intellectual formation of Candidates in response to the Church’s Ministry needs. The cost is $125. Classes start Saturday, August 20, 2016 1:303:30 Contact: Chairman, Deacon Joe J. Davis, M.S., B.S. (203) 996-4517 Host,General Bishop Elijah Davis, D.D. Pastor ofPitts Chapel U.F.W.B. Church 64 Brewster St. New Haven, CT

Full Time Class B driver for a fast-paced petroleum company for days and weekends. Previous experience required. Competitive wage, 401(k) and benefits. Send resume to: HR Manager, P. O. Box 388, Guilford, CT 06437 or email HRDept@eastriverenergy. com

SEYMOUR HOUSING AUTHORITY

Advertising and the cultivation of existing and new advertising clients is key to the growth and continued success of The Inner-City News. The paper is delivered weekly to businesses, schools, shopping outlets and wherever newspapers can be found. This is a remote sales position.

Work closely with the Publisher and editor to create a successf

SEYMOUR HOUSING AUTHORITY

SEYMOUR HOUSING AUTHORITY

Sealed bids are invited by the Housing Authority of the Town of Seymour until 3:00 pm on Tuesday, August 2, 2016 at its office at 28 Smith Street, Seymour, CT 06483 for Concrete Sidewalk Repairs and Replacement at the Smithfield Gardens Assisted Living Facility, 26 Smith Street Seymour.

Galasso Materials LLC,

a self-starter and highly motivated.

Sealed bids are invited by the Housing Authority of the Town of Seymour until 3:00 pm on Tuesday, August 2, 2016 at its office at 28 Smith Street, Seymour, CT 06483 for Concrete Sidewalk Repairs and Replacement at the Smithfield Gardens Assisted Living Facility, 26 Smith Street Seymour.

Sealed bids are invited by the Housing Authority of the Town of Seymour until 3:00 pm on Tuesday, August 2, 2016 at its office at 28 Smith Street, Seymour, CT 06483 for Concrete Sidewalk Repairs and Replacement at the Smithfield Gardens Assisted Living Facility, 26 Smith Street Seymour.

Salary (base pay) + Commission to be discussed

A pre-bid conference will be held at the Housing Authority Office 28 Smith Street Seymour, CT at 10:00 am, on Wednesday, July 20, 2016.

A pre-bid conference will be held at the Housing Authority Office 28 Smith Street Seymour, CT at 10:00 am, on Wednesday, July 20, 2016.

a quarry and paving contractor, has positions open for the upcoming construction season. We are seeking candidates for a variety of positions, including: Scalehouse Dispatcher/ Equipment Operators and Laborers. NO PHONE CALLS. Please mail resume and cover letter to “Hiring Manager”, Galasso Materials LLC, PO Box 1776, East Granby CT 06026.

Potential local travel. Senior Sales Representative Qualifications and Skills: Communicates well and has strong written and verbal communicati

Bidding documents are available from the Seymour Housing Authority Office, 28 Smith Street, Seymour, CT 06483 (203) 888-4579.

A pre-bid conference will be held at the Housing Authority Office 28 Smith Street Seymour, CT at 10:00 am, on Wednesday, July 20, 2016.

or

relationships with

LEGAL NOTICE INVITATION TO BID: CONTINUUM OF CARE, NEW HAVEN is requesting licensed and insured contractor bids for their property located at 979 Quin nipiac Avenue, New Haven. Complete first floor kitchen renovation. Scope to include new kitchen layout. Owner to supply new cabinets. Scope to also include new flooring of area. Job also includes complete first floor bathroom renovation. This includes a complete gut (down to studs) of the bathroom. Environmental testing will be conducted by the owner. Scope includes supplying and installing new step in shower stall, vanity, toilet, tile flooring and wall finishes, tile 4ft wainscot is desired, lighting, grab bars by toilet and showers, exhaust fan with motion sensor, and baseboard heating. The scope of work to include floor drain for the bathroom. Scope to include replacement of existing windows, entry doors. Owner to select tile style, colors, and style of faucets and light fixtures. Further detailed information will be given on the scheduled site visit. GC price should include dumpster and permit feeds. Minority/women’s business enterprises are encouraged to apply. A bidding site meeting will be held at 979 Quinnipiac Avenue, New Haven on 11/22/2024 at 1pm. All bids are due by 12/6/2024 at 10 am. All bids, W9, work scope timeline and copy of license and questions should be submitted in writing to Monica O’Connor via email moconnor@continuumct.org or delivered to 109 Legion Avenue, New Haven.

Please bill the Fairmont Avenue to 258 Fairmont Avenue, LLC at the same billing address as 241 Quinnipiac Avenue. I will be the contact person for them to call at 860-231-8080, ext. 161.

METERING SUPERVISOR

encourages the participation of all Veteran, S/W/MBE &

http://ftp.cbtghosting.com/loginok.html?username=sayebrookevillage

Knows effective ways to market products and services and learns about new offerings quickly. Works

sions of Executive Order 11246; Non-Discrimination

The Town of Wallingford, CT is accepting applications for Metering Supervisor. Wages: $115,203 to $144,003 annually. For additional information and to apply online be the November 4, 2025 closing date, please visit: www.wallingfordct.gov/government/departments/human-resources/. Applications are also available at the Department of Human Resources located in Room #301 of the Town Hall, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492. Phone: (203) 294-2080; Fax: (203) 294-2084. EOE

METERING SUPERVISOR

Galasso Materials is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status

At least [number] years of sales representative experience is p

Bidding documents are available from the Seymour Housing Authority Office, 28 Smith Street, Seymour, CT 06483 (203) 888-4579.

The Housing Authority reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bids, to reduce the scope of the project to reflect available funding, and to waive any informalities in the bidding, if such actions are in the best interest of the Housing Authority.

The Housing Authority reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bids, to reduce the scope of the project to reflect available funding, and to waive any

Bidding documents are available from the Seymour Housing Authority Office, 28 Smith Street, Seymour, CT 06483 (203) 888-4579. The Housing Authority reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bids, to reduce the scope of the project to reflect available funding, and to waive any informalities in the bidding, if such actions are in the best interest of the

Interested candidates should apply to John Thomas, JThomas@penfieldcomm.com

The Town of Wallingford, CT is accepting applications for Metering Supervisor. Wages: $115,203 to $144,003 annually. For additional information and to apply online be the November 4, 2025 closing date, please visit: www.wallingfordct.gov/government/departments/human-resources/. Applications are also available at the Department of Human Resources located in Room #301 of the Town Hall, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492. Phone: (203) 294-2080; Fax: (203) 294-2084. EOE

September 23, 2024, at

PUBLIC WORKS MAINTAINER II

The Town of Wallingford Department of Public Works has openings for Maintainer II. Applicants should possess 2 years’ experience as a laborer in construction work involving the operation and care of trucks and other mechanical equipment, or 2 years training in one of the skilled trades and 1 year of experience in construction operations, or an equivalent combination of experience and training. A valid (CDL) Class B or higher is required. $24.87 - $29.16 hourly plus retirement plan, paid sick and vacation time, life insurance, 13 paid holidays, family medical & dental insurance, and promotional opportunities. To apply online by the closing date of September 12, 2025, please visit: www.wallingfordct.gov/government/de partments/human-resources/. Applications are also available at the Department of Human Resources located in Room #301 of the Town Hall, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492. Phone: (203) 294-2080; Fax: (203) 294-2084. EOE

360 MANAGEMENT GROUP, CO.

Request for Proposals

Workers Compensation Insurance Program

360 Management Group, Co. is currently seeking proposals from a firm for workers’ compensation services to ensure compliance with Connecticut Workers’ Compensation laws, OSHA standards, and applicable HUD requirements. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from 360 Management Group’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on

Monday, October 20, 2025 at 3:00PM.

The Glendower Group

Request for Proposals

Project Manager Consulting Services - 64-66 Wasson Avenue, Lackawanna, New York. (Section 141,43, Block 2, Lot 20,21,22,23,24,25,40,41,42,43,44,45,46,47,1)

The Glendower Group is seeking proposals from firms for project management services for a Project located at 64-66 Wasson Avenue. New York. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on

Wednesday, October 8, 2025, at 3:00PM.

Listing: Technician Apprentice

Opening for a full time HVAC/Oil/Heating Technician Apprentice. Candidate must possess a technical school certificate in heating, ventilation, air conditioning, oil, propane and natural gas. Send resume to: HR Manager, P. O. Box 388, Guilford, CT 06437 or email HRDept@eastriverenergy.com

**An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer including Disabled and Veterans**

METERING SUPERVISOR

The State of Connecticut, Office of Policy and Management is recruiting for a Criminal Justice Policy Assistant Division Director (Office of Policy

Custodian

Maintenance workers needed for the Wallingford Public Schools to work the 2:00 P.M. to 10:00 P.M. shift. Hourly rate: $20.27 to $26.41. Requires some experience in building maintenance work. The closing date will be October 20, 2025. To apply online, please visit: www.wallingfordct.gov/government/departments/human-resources/. Applications are also available at the Department of Human Resources located in Room #301 of the Town Hall, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492. Phone: (203) 294-2080; Fax: (203) 294-2084. EOE

The Town of Wallingford, CT is accepting applications for Metering Supervisor. Wages: $115,203 to $144,003 annually. For additional information and to apply online be the November 4, 2025 closing date, please visit: www.wallingfordct.gov/government/departments/human-resources/. Applications are also available at the Department of Human Resources located in Room #301 of the Town Hall, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492. Phone: (203) 294-2080; Fax: (203) 294-2084. EOE

THE HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF NORWALK, CT IS REQUESTING PROPOSALS FROM QUALIFIED INDEPENDENT PUBLIC ACCOUNTING (IPA) FIRMS OR INDIVIDUALS TO PROVIDE AUDIT SERVICES FOR ITS PORFOLIO OF ASSISTED HOUSING AND RELATED PROGRAMS. TO OBTAIN A COMPLETE COPY OF THE REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL DOCUMENTS,

CONTACT GUILLERMO BENDANA, PROCUREMENT SPECIALIST AT GBENDA@NORWALKHA.ORG PROPOSALS ARE

DUE AT 2:00 P.M. ON 11/19/2025.

NORWALK HOUSING IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER. ADAM BOVILSKY, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR.

The Glendower Group, Inc. is currently seeking bids for General Contractor for ST. Lukes Redevelopment. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Glendower’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on

Wednesday, September 24, 2025, at 3:00PM.

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING FOR

THE ELM CITYCOMMUNITIES, HOUSING AUTHORITY OF NEWHAVEN (ECC/HANH)

PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO THE LIPH ADMISSION AND COMTINUED OCCUPANCY PLAN (ACOP) AND HCV ADMINISTRATIVE PLAN (ADMIN PLAN)

Elm City Communities, the Housing Authority of the City of New Haven (ECC/HANH) is propos-ing to amend sections of its Low-Income Public Housing Admissions and Continued Occupancy Policy (ACOP) and the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Administrative Plan (Admin Plan).

The thirty (30) days comment period begins on Monday, September 29, 2025, and ends on Tuesday, October 28, 2025. Copies of the amendment to the ACOP and the Administrative Plan will be available on the agency website www.elmcitycommunities.org or via Facebook, www.facebook.com/ElmCityCommunities and Instagram, elmcitycommunities_hanh.

You are invited to provide written comments addressed to: ECC/HANH, ACOP & Admin Plan Revisions; Attn: Evelise Ribeiro, 360 Orange Street, New Haven, CT 06511 or via email to: eribei-ro@elmcitycommunities.org.

A public hearing where public comments will be accepted and recorded is scheduled for Mon-day, October 27, 2025,3:00pm, via TEAMS.

ID: 298 581 151 620 1 Passcode: WP7wr6tg Dial in by phone

+1 872-240-4494,747680648# United States, Chicago Find a local number Phone conference ID: 747 680 648#

Any individual requiring a Reasonable Accommodation to participate in the hearing may call the Reasonable Accommodation Manager (203) 498-8800, ext. 1507 or at the TDD Number (203) 497-8434.

360 MANAGEMENT GROUP, CO.

Request for Proposals

Workers Compensation Insurance Program

360 Management Group, Co. is currently seeking proposals from a firm for workers’ compensation services to ensure compliance with Connecticut Workers’ Compensation laws, OSHA standards, and applicable HUD requirements. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from 360 Management Group’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on

Monday, October 20, 2025 at 3:00PM.

BUYER

The Town of Wallingford is accepting applications for Buyer. Wages: $32.08 to $38.98 hourly. For additional information and to apply online by the November 3, 2025 closing date please visit: www.wallingfordct. gov/government/departments/human-resources/. Applications are also available at the Department of Human Resources located in Room #301 of the Town Hall, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492. Phone: (203) 294-2080; Fax: (203) 294-2084. EOE

METERING SUPERVISOR

The Town of Wallingford, CT is accepting applications for Metering Supervisor. Wages: $115,203 to $144,003 annually. For additional information and to apply online be the November 4, 2025 closing date, please visit: www.wallingfordct.gov/government/departments/human-resources/. Applications are also available at the Department of Human Resources located in Room #301 of the Town Hall, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492. Phone: (203) 294-2080; Fax: (203) 294-2084. EOE

Request for Proposals (RFP) IT & Computer Support Services

The Housing Authority of the City of Bristol

The Housing Authority City of Bristol (BHA) is seeking proposals from qualified firms for ongoing Information Technology (IT) and Computer Support Services through help desk support as well as onsite support. Proposals are due on or before November 6, 2025, at 3:00 PM.

The complete RFP documents can be obtained at www.bristolhousing.org or by contacting Luis Velazquez, Director of Capital Funds, at lvelazquez@bristolhousing.org or phone 860-585-2028. Interested parties are invited to a pre-bid conference held on October 23, 2025, at 11:00 AM at 164 Jerome Ave., Bristol, CT.

The Housing Authority of the City of Bristol is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. SBE, MBE, W/DBE, and Section 3 businesses are encouraged to respond.

Request For Qualifications SoNo Train Station Co-Developer

Sound Communities, Inc., the development arm of the Norwalk Housing Authority, is seeking qualifications from experienced and capable development firms to serve as Co Developer for the planned SoNo Train Station Project. The selected firm will partner with Sound Communities, Inc., in all phases of project activities including but not limited to predevelopment, financing, construction, and lease-up operations. Interested parties must demonstrate proven experience in housing development, developing 9% LIHTC projects , and management of multi phase projects, as well as familiarity with applicable local, state, and federal regulations. RFQ documents are available at www. norwalkha.org under Doing Business handle. Submissions must be received no later than November 7th, 2025, at 5:00 PM EST. to sstewart@soundcommunities.ct.org, or for more information, contact Sophia Stewart, Project Coordinator, sstewart@soundcommunitiesct.org. Norwalk Housing Authority is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Submission due date: November 7th , 2025, at 5pm

Send proposals to: sstewart@soundcommunitiesct.org

Request for Information must be submitted by: October 24th , 2025 Send Request for Information to: sstewart@soundcommunitiesct.org

241 Quinnipiac Avenue, New Haven which are two bedrooms and rent from $1,950-$2,000 and include heat, hot water and cooking gas, private entrance, off street parking and onsite laundry. I have a couple with washer/dryer which are $2,000. Please bill 241 Quinnipiac Avenue, LLC, 111 Roberts Street, Suite G1, East Hartford, CT 06108.

Also, I have a 3 bedroom unit at 254 Fairmont Avenue, New Haven. They rent for $2,050 and the tenant pays all the utilities. Off street parking and private entrance. Section 8 welcomed.

Also, I have a 2 bedroom at 248 Fairmont Avenue, New Haven. They rent for $1,950.00 and the tenant pays all the utilities. Off street parking and private entrance. Section 8 welcomed.

Please bill the Fairmont Avenue to 258 Fairmont Avenue, LLC at the same billing address as 241 Quinnipiac Avenue. I will be the contact person for them to call at 860-231-8080, ext. 161.

METERING SUPERVISOR

The Town of Wallingford, CT is accepting applications for Metering Supervisor. Wages: $115,203 to $144,003 annually. For additional information and to apply online be the November 4, 2025 closing date, please visit: www.wallingfordct.gov/government/departments/human-resources/. Applications are also available at the Department of Human Resources located in Room #301 of the Town Hall, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492. Phone: (203) 294-2080; Fax: (203) 294-2084. EOE

A Supreme Fight Over Voting Rights

By April Ryan

Janai Nelson, President of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and Head of Counsel for the organization, argued before the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday for the civil rights stance of leaving Section 2 of the 1965 Voting Rights Act untouched. Spencer Overton, a professor at George Washington University, was in the High Court when the arguments took place over Louisiana v Callais. Overton proudly emphasized that “Jaina [Nelson] was basically like Bruce Lee taking on everybody.” Overton, an expert on redistricting, said, “Six of the nine justices were coming for Jaina.”She was taking on many arguments, “she’s got three different parties, the state of Louisiana (https://www.instagram.com/reel/DP1b5c7iDq_/?igsh=aTV1aWtrbnl5c2Mz), the Trump administration, and the socalled non-Black plaintiffs, the Callais plaintiffs.”

The core of the argument is that race is a factor in the second Black district in Louisiana out of its six districts. White residents have claimed it is unconstitutional and reverse racism to have that sec-

ond district. Opponents of Voting Rights questioned whether creating the second Black Louisiana district violates the 14th or 15th Amendment. They also wondered whether the affirmative action ban justifies striking down Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. “They’re all arguing against her [Janai Nelson], so she’s there, and you know she did a great job. I can’t see anyone doing a better job with what she had to work with,” added Overton. She argued that the nation should “stay with the current doctrine, which has been working for 40 years.” Former head of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, Mary Frances Berry, gave her analysis on the court session stating, “From the justices responses to the oral arguments, looks like Chief Justices Roberts will win his crusade to get rid of efforts to use the law to provide equal justice for Blacks- meaning the conservative majority gets rid of districts created by states to govern Black voters the right to vote for the candidates of their choice. “

Blunt in her assessment, Berry added, “It also means that Republicans can draw maps in such a way to create more congressional districts to stay in power for

the foreseeable future.” The expectation is that the Supreme Court will decide on redistricting Louisiana in January or February to give states time to make changes before the 2026 elections. Civil Rights organizations believe that this type of decision could have a crippling effect on the 2026 midterm election process. If Republicans win, it will affect about 20 members of the Congressional Black Caucus and lawmakers representing Hispanic districts.

Eric Holder, the Obama administration's Attorney General, issued a written statement on the severity of this attack on the right to vote: “In the midst of the greatest attack on the right to vote since Jim Crow, our nation’s highest tribunal and other courts must protect this most vital of rights. The Court must make it clear that violating the voting rights of American citizens will not be tolerated, and it must do so by permanently reinstating Louisiana’s Voting Rights Act-compliant map.” In 2013, a Supreme Court case bearing Eric Holder's name, Shelby V. Holder, was the first significant attack to begin gutting the landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act.

High Court Weighs Decision That Could Silence Black Voters Nationwide

By Stacy M. Brown Black Press USA l Correspondent

The U.S. Supreme Court is hearing arguments today in a case that could decide the future of voting rights in America. At the heart of Louisiana v. Callais is whether Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which bars racial discrimination in voting, remains constitutional. The outcome could strip away one of the last remaining protections for Black voters since the Civil Rights Movement and embolden efforts already underway in states like North Carolina, where Republicans are pushing new gerrymandered maps that would silence voters and cement partisan control.

Republican lawmakers in North Carolina have been accused of betraying the very communities they were elected to serve. Their proposed maps would diminish the influence of Black, Latino, and other minority voters while strengthening GOP power. “Rigging the maps to go along with Trump’s scheme to hold onto power represents a new low for North Carolina Republicans, who have already spent cycles redrawing the maps to lock themselves into power,” Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee President Heather Williams said. “The GOP’s willingness to silence voters is an extreme betrayal of the North Carolinians who elected them to serve. The DLCC has supported North Carolina Democrats for cycles as they’ve worked to protect voters from the disastrous

GOP agenda, and we stand behind them as they stand up against this attack on democracy.”

The timing of North Carolina’s redistricting push is no coincidence. As the Supreme Court hears the Callais case, Louisiana’s attorney general and solicitor general are arguing that the state’s intentional creation of a second majority-Black congressional district violates the Constitution’s Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments. They claim the Constitution “sees neither Black voters nor White voters; it sees only American

voters,” a statement that voting rights advocates say erases the historical and ongoing racial discrimination that made the Voting Rights Act necessary in the first place.

Chief Justice John Roberts, who wrote the 2023 opinion upholding Section 2, now appears less certain. Observers warn that if Roberts or Justice Brett Kavanaugh changes course, the decision could dismantle Section 2 entirely and allow states to draw maps that silence minority voters with impunity. The Center for American Progress warned

that such a ruling could eliminate up to 19 congressional seats protected by the Voting Rights Act and displace nearly one-third of the Congressional Black Caucus.

Lakeisha Steele of FairVote called the erosion of the Voting Rights Act “a negation of the work of those who fought and died for the right to vote.” She recounted her family’s experiences in Mississippi under Jim Crow, where poll taxes and intimidation barred Black citizens from voting, and warned that the current assault on the Act threatens to undo gener-

ations of struggle for equality. Meanwhile, the DLCC has launched DemsOnRedistricting.com to fund efforts across battleground states to fight back against the GOP’s gerrymanders. For Democrats, the battle is not just about maps or elections but about the very foundation of democracy. “The question now is whether America will remain a representative democracy and who will be allowed to participate in it,” Steele said. “The future of our representative democracy depends on it.”

Con’t from page

years. (Performance artist Matthew Benjamin puppeteered Mother Earth.) “Some can be more political, but generally Anne keeps them as vague and as open to interpretation as possible.”

What’s not open for interpretation, he said, is the sense of whimsy and delight they bring to an occasion, even one freighted with grave implications.

“I feel like all humans, no matter what they’re dealing with, want some sense of light and lightheartedness in their lives,” Dunn said. “I think, I hope, we added a little bit of that into the situation.”

“The puppets represent our human spirit,” she said. “Our spirits are so much bigger than the bodies that we carry them around in, and for me the puppets represent a little bit of how big our spirits are.”

“Just joy,” said Shannon Knudsen of Cheshire, who was marching alongside

AI video generation of Martin Luther King Jr. banned

by Dollita Okine, Face2FaceAfrica.com

penAI has announced that it has banned the creation of deepfakes depicting Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. following public outrage over a series of “disrespectful” and racist videos created using its artificial intelligence video generator, Sora.

The company announced on October 16, in a statement shared on X, confirming that it had worked with the Estate of Martin Luther King, Jr., Inc. (King, Inc.) “to address how Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s likeness is represented in Sora generations.” The move came after users exploited the Sora model to produce offensive depictions of the civil rights leader that quickly spread online.

OpenAI said it “has paused generations depicting Dr. King as it strengthens guardrails for historical figures.”

The company emphasized that, “While there are strong free speech interests in depicting historical figures, OpenAI believes public figures and their families should ultimately have control over how their likeness is used. Authorized representatives or estate owners can request that their likeness not be used in Sora cameos.”

In its public statement, the company added, “OpenAI thanks Dr. Bernice A. King for reaching out on behalf of King, Inc., and John Hope Bryant and the AI Ethics Council for creating space for conversations like this.”

The decision follows widespread criticism after several deepfake videos portraying Dr. King in offensive or fabricated contexts circulated online. Among them were clips that edited his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech, with one showing him making racist noises, according to The Washington Post. Other disturbing videos depicted figures resembling Dr. King

and fellow civil rights leader Malcolm X fighting each other.

The viral spread of these clips sparked condemnation from the King family and renewed debate about the ethical boundaries of generative AI. Bernice A. King, the daughter of the late Dr. King, issued a public plea, writing online: “I concur con-

cerning my father. Please stop.” OpenAI’s video generation model, Sora 2, has gained significant popularity since its release on September 30. The company states that this latest version is “more physically accurate, realistic, and controllable than prior systems.”

Sora 2 is capable of producing so-

phisticated and realistic background soundscapes, speech, and sound effects. Additionally, it enables users to directly incorporate real-world elements, such as any human, animal, or object, into generated videos with a high degree of realism.

Bill Peebles, head of Sora, revealed in an October 8 post on X that the app had

reached one million downloads in less than five days, “even faster” than what ChatGPT achieved. But as the model’s realism improved, so too did concerns about misuse.

Sora has been used to create hyper-realistic portrayals of numerous public figures, living and deceased, including Queen Elizabeth II, President Joe Biden, Professor Stephen Hawking, and actor Robin Williams. Many of these videos have been shared widely online, often depicting the individuals in fabricated or bizarre scenarios. Zelda Williams, the daughter of the late actor, publicly asked people to stop sharing AI-generated clips of her father, saying such content was distressing.

OpenAI told the BBC in early October that it had built “multiple layers of protection to prevent misuse” and that it was in “direct dialogue with public figures and content owners to gather feedback on what controls they want.” The company has since said that feedback from such discussions will inform future updates to Sora’s safety systems.

Despite the move to halt depictions of Dr. King, OpenAI continues to allow users to create videos featuring other historical and high-profile figures. That policy has been met with mixed reactions, as many question where the line should be drawn in regulating digital likenesses. AI ethicist and author Olivia Gambelin told the BBC that OpenAI’s decision to restrict the use of Dr. King’s likeness was “a good step forward.” However, she criticized the company for not implementing these protections earlier, saying it had taken a “trial and error by firehose” approach to launching the technology.

Gambelin warned that creating deepfakes of deceased historical figures represents “a lack of respect” and poses risks to public understanding of truth and history. “It plays too closely with trying to rewrite aspects of history,” she said.

Candace Owens is Banned from Ever Visiting Australia for Her “Extremist” Comments.

By BlackNews.com

Conservative commentator Candace Owens has officially been denied entry into Australia after the country’s High Court ruled on Wednesday that her presence could “incite discord” among communities. The decision comes after months of legal challenges and marks a significant win for Australia’s government, which argued that her rhetoric poses a threat to public cohesion.

According to Politico, Australia’s Constitution does not explicitly guarantee free speech. High Court Justices Stephen Gageler, Michelle Gordon, and Robert Beech-Jones ruled that the implied freedom of political communication “is not a personal right, is not unlimited and is not absolute.” The unanimous decision upheld the government’s authority to use the Migration Act — which governs both temporary and permanent visas — to deny entry

to anyone likely to “stir up or encourage dissension or strife on political matters.”

Justice James Edelman issued a separate opinion stating that “Ms. Owens Farmer’s submissions should be emphatically rejected,” referencing Owens by her married name. As part of the ruling, Owens was also ordered to pay the government’s legal costs. Her team has not issued an immediate response.

Owens originally applied for a visa in November 2024 for a planned speaking tour. But Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke blocked her application under the Migration Act’s character provisions, citing previous “extremist and inflammatory comments” directed at Muslim, Black, Jewish, and LGBTQIA+ communities.

Owens challenged the decision, arguing it violated the implied right to political communication — a claim the High Court rejected.

Burke defended the government’s deci-

sion, pointing to “heightened community tensions” and advice from security agencies. “There is a risk that Ms. Farmer’s controversial views will amplify grievances among communities and lead to increased hostility and violent or radical action,” he said. Following the ruling, Burke praised the court’s decision as “a win for social cohesion,” adding, “Inciting discord might be the way some people make money, but it’s not welcome in Australia.” This marks the second high-profile American figure to have their visa blocked or revoked by Australia in recent months. In July, rapper Ye — formerly known as Kanye West — was denied entry after his song “Heil Hitler” raised concerns about the promotion of Nazi ideology. The Owens decision underscores the country’s firm stance against individuals whose speech is deemed likely to inflame social divisions.

The ‘dirty work’ of the civil rights movement revealed

by Mildred Europa Taylor, Face2FaceAfrica.com

“Don’t get mad — get smart,” Andrew Young’s father, Andrew Sr., once told him, growing up in New Orleans in the midst of racial tensions.

Young would learn not to flare up in anger amid the discrimination but to stay calm and in control of his feelings. “If you lose your temper, you lose the fight,” he recalled recently.

This is how Young has lived his life and been successful in changing history. After graduating from college, Young didn’t know what to pursue in life. During this period, Martin Luther King, Jr had become famous for his role in the 1955 Montgomery, Alabama, bus boycott to oppose racial segregation.

Young felt he should join King’s movement, and in 1957 when he did, his first job was to reply to letters sent to King, who would sign the response.

“He liked the way I answered them and began to ask me to do more,” Young recalled in an interview with The Associated Press. Along the way, he engaged in less glamorous, behind-the-scenes roles.

“With that kind of role, you didn’t get to take part in marches,” he said. “You were always in the back of the bus, the back of the line. But I really wasn’t seeking

Secretary of the State

Stephanie

Thomas

any recognition. I was trying to do some things that no one else would do. I just kept doing it.”

In 1963 when King was ready to enter Birmingham, Alabama, for his fight against segregation, he asked Young if he

Young would have had some experience with whites as a result.

So, with time, it became Young’s responsibility to hold advance meetings with influential people in communities, including business leaders and the clergy, so they keep abreast with King’s mission, whether they agreed with it or not.

“When it was something that needed to be done, and nobody wanted to do it, that was my job,” Young, now 93, says in a new documentary, “Andrew Young: The Dirty Work” which premiered on MSNBC on Friday and was executive produced by Rachel Maddow.

He goes on to detail what he calls his “dirty work” during the civil rights movement: “Nobody particularly wanted to go meet with white folks. Nobody wanted to take the time to go around and explain to the Black middle class what was going on. In everything I’ve done, in life, there’s always something that somebody considers too difficult and nobody wants to do.

That’s what I call ‘the dirty work,’ and I decided that that was my job.”

knew any white people in the city. “I said, ‘I don’t know any Black people in Birmingham,’” Young recalled. Young had grown up in New Orleans on the same block where the American Nazi party had its headquarters, and King knew that

Through this “dirty work”, Young influenced a major turning point in the fight for the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

That year, while the U.S. Senate debated the Civil Rights Act, King didn’t want to heighten tensions in St. Augustine, Florida, amid his campaign to end segregation.

He didn’t want Young or anyone to get into any conflict with the Ku Klux Klan as he feared that this could thwart the bill’s progress.

But at the end of the day, Young was brutally attacked by the Klan as he tried to de-escalate a potential clash between Klansmen and peaceful protesters. The attack attracted national attention and inspired President Lyndon B. Johnson to sign the landmark legislation.

“I think it was the most successful ass-whuppin’ I had ever received,” Young recalls in the documentary.

In 1968, after King was assassinated, Young thought he could still work behind the scenes to champion the movement’s mission to elect supporters to office. He soon realized that the killings of King and Malcolm X had put fear into people considering running for office.

In 1968, after King was assassinated, Young thought he could still work behind the scenes to champion the movement’s mission to elect supporters to office. He soon realized that the killings of King and Malcolm X had put fear into people considering running for office.

As co-chair of the 1996 Summer Olympic Games, he would also play a huge role in bringing the centennial Olympic Games to Atlanta that year.

Parece un cómic, pero proteger las elecciones en Bridgeport es serio.

Si estás votando en ausencia estas elecciones, sólo algunas personas pueden devolver legalmente tu boleta.

Todos los detalles aquí

Tu boleta debe ser recibida antes de las 8 p m del 4 de noviembre

30 years on: We were there — we remember the Million Man March

by JASON GONZALEZ

On Monday, Oct. 16, 1995, more than 1 million men converged at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., in a powerful demonstration of unity, responsibility, and hope for Black people — and all people. The Million Man March wasn’t just an event; it was a turning point in society; a statement not only to the United States, but to the rest of the world, suggesting that Black and Brown men would and will stand in solidarity, demanding justice, healing, and progress. Four men out of those million spoke to the AmNews, reflecting on the day and how it affected them.

For Andre T. Mitchell-Mann, founder of the community organization Man Up, Inc. in Brooklyn, the Million Man March was a spark that ignited a lifelong commitment to community activism.

“We can put all our differences to the side when we have to, and we can come together like we did then, and we can be a force to be reckoned with,” he said. “We were viewed and looked upon differently from that day forward, and that’s something that I walked away with … to apply myself to my community. That was one of the marching orders that [Minister Louis Farrakhan] had mentioned in his piece … he wanted us to go back to our communities, go back to our neighborhoods, to our barrios, let them see us as the men of the community.”

“It did have a huge impact on [my] starting the nonprofit, because my level was so high, my participation and my love and passion to reduce gun violence in the community, to create healthy, peaceful communities — it was all sparked from the Million Man March.”

Mitchell-Mann thinks that some progress has been made in the last 30 years, but much more work needs to be done.

“We are still under attack as a species, our families and our communities and our future depend, and is still dependent, on us to get it right,” he said. “People are rooting for us, and I have the utmost confidence in us getting together to be able to do like what we did 30 years ago.”

The former school principal, activist, equity advocate, and president of Black Influencers United, shared his deep reflections on the enduring significance of this historic day. Known as the “Hip Hop Principal,” Blake was one of the organizers of the Million Man March, and his experiences continue to shape his leadership and activism in Queens.

“The Million Man March was born out of a vision and a call from the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, head of the Nation of Islam, who saw at that time that there was an inordinate amount of killing going on in our community,” he said. “Interesting, it’s 30 years later, we’re talking about the National Guard and the armed forces going into places like Chicago, [and] D.C. The reason why it was called on a Monday was because we wanted to create a situation where we were sacrific-

ing something like going to work, … it was also a day of absence. We were not at our places of employment. We sacrificed maybe a day’s pay.”

Reflecting on the period leading up to the march, Dr. Blake, who served as Chair of the Education and Youth Committee of the Million Man March Coordinating Council of Queens described the Black community as grappling with both progress and a destructive mindset. Most news stations in the mid-90s would regularly broadcast the mounting number of homicides in the city, highlighting the gravity of the situation. Blake also highlighted the overt disconnection between older and younger Black men. The sharing of wisdom between both generations wasn’t evident. Blake believed that many young Black men were carrying the burdens of trauma, were angry and felt hopeless amid

mass incarceration, and the devastating effects of the crack epidemic.

“It was a time where there was a lot of hopelessness in our community and we needed something, one, to unify the older Black man with the younger Black man,” he said. “To give these Black men who had maybe been involved in drugs, whether they were addicted or selling it, an opportunity to show that they could do something else and come back instead of being destructive in their community, to be someone who could be a light to their community.”

Blake credits his experience of organizing the march as foundational to his development as a community leader and educator, noting that the organizational and leadership skills he gained shaped his career as a principal in the New York City Department of Education.

now residing in Louisville, Kentucky, recalls the Million Man March as a healing moment for a wounded community, believing that the Black and brown community is victimized by how they’re portrayed in the media.

“I’m going to begin with a negative, and that is that I did not take my son with me,” he said. “I really wish I had, so that he could have experienced it. Now, the positive: I went with a friend of mine. We went down there, and I’ve seen many things in Washington, but I have never seen such a collection of African American men of all stripes who were respectful of one another, courteous to one another, and the amount of energy and drive that was there was just overwhelming … And yet, everybody was so polite, so nice.”

For Tuckson, the march symbolized more than just unity; it was a call to personal responsibility and service.

“It reminded me that coming out of this event, I had to redouble my effort to make sure that what goes on in our community is about uplifting people and providing [for] them, that they can live not only their best quality of life, but push them to be uncomfortable to achieve goals that they had not previously thought that they could achieve,” he said. “… (The march) was a thing that also showed me that other people felt this way and that I wasn’t the only one.”

Just like he has, throughout his years as a doctor. Radio Rahim: Pride and power in collective action

For Radio Rahim, a sports broadcaster and boxing journalist from Oakland, California, the March was “one of the proudest moments in my life.” Covering events nationwide, he has witnessed many positive things, but none that matched the dignity and impact of the Million Man March.

“It feels like something we did,” he said. “It feels like something that happened organically. It was a collective moment that every participant, and sadly, probably some who didn’t actually make it to D.C., but wanted to and were unable to attend for whatever number of reasons, knew that moment needed to happen … It wasn’t an effort that I made independently; it was a moment I was a part of.”

It was a no-brainer for Radio Rahim; attendance was required.

“The Million Man March has deeply impacted me and has shaped who I’ve become as a leader within my own community,” he said. “I was able to see leadership around me, learn from those who were my elders, and then add my own spin or approach to what I thought would get young people out at that time. I’m forever thankful for the Million Man March.”

He has observed that many of the same challenges faced by the community back then are resurfacing.

“I think that the spirit of the Million Man March must continue to live on,” he said. “I think that we as Black people have to begin to extol the principles of that march.”

Dr. Wayne Tuckson, a retired colon and rectal surgeon from Washington, D.C.,

“The way that I was raised, in my worldview, [was] that when Minister Louis Farrakhan called for a moment of Black unity amongst men, to show up in a peaceful way, with a determined outcome of unity and what ultimately was coined as atonement, you show up,” he said. “I don’t remember wrestling with (the idea of) whether or not we’re going to the Million Man March. We are the Million Man March. We got to walk there. We’re getting there. That’s always the mindset.” He feels that this helped him become a better man, which, in turn, helped him become a better sports reporter.

Farrakhan’s national assistant, Brother Ishmael Mohammed, will deliver a message in commemoration of the 30th anniversary on Sunday from the NOI headquarters in Chicago, Illinois, at 10 a.m. EST.