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Friday, March 31, 2023
Vol. 98, No. 13
2023
BEST OF
NASSAU
COUNTY SPECIAL SECTION LOOK INSIDE FOR THE NOMINEES IN THESE CATEGORIES...
BEST OF NASSAU COUNTY NOMINEES
SHERMAN WINS WITH WRITE-IN IN THOMASTON
NORTHWELL RELAXES COVID MASK MANDATE
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Racial slur on Plaza banner sparks outrage Blakeman, Ryder seek to find author of anti-Chinese writing BY R OB E RT PE L A E Z Local officials gathered at the Village of Great Neck Plaza Thursday to condemn racist vandalism of a Great Neck Chinese Association banner, which is currently under investigation by the Nassau County Police Department. The organization’s welcome banner was on display above the Great Neck Long Island Rail Road station, officials said, and had a “racial slur” written at the bottom last week. Dorothy Feng, co-president of the Great Neck Chinese PHOTO BY ROBERT PELAEZ Association, called on the individual(s) who committed the vandalism to step forward and accept responsibility for Temple Emanuel Rabbi Robert S. Widom, left, and Village of Great Neck Plaza Mayor Ted Rosen their actions.
“The attack on the banner is not a simple act of vandalism,” Feng said. “But it is an attack on a group of residents based on our ethnicity. More importantly, this is an attack on the ideas of tolerance, acceptance and the celebration of diversity.” Feng, on behalf of the organization, expressed gratitude for the outpouring of community support and urged others who witness any attack against any other religious or ethnic group to speak out against it. Village of Great Neck Plaza Mayor Ted Rosen said that an act of hatred against any one person or group is an act of hatred against the entire Great Neck and Nassau County community. Continued on Page 34
2nd school official targeted by activists BY R OB E RT PE L A E Z An email to Manhasset School District officials called for an investigation into the assistant superintendent for curriculum after he made statements to a journalist associated with the far-right Project Veritas site about diversity, equity and inclusion. The email, signed by “Manhas-
set Parents.” was sent from the email address “ManhassetParents@proton. me.” Efforts to reach the sender’s to verify their identity were unavailing. Donald Gately, who was hired by the district in 2022 to also oversee instruction and personnel, is the cofounder of EdCamp Long Island, described on its website as “a grassroots, teacher-led event that brings together
educators from across the region to share their ideas and expertise.” In a Project Veritas video released March 13, Gately said teachers now have kids with some parents that are “extremely conservative and rightwing.” “Now you’re gonna have people make — they’re gonna connect politics to DEI work,” Gately continued.
Project Veritas is a right-wing group that has gained notoriety for recording undercover videos and releasing deceptively edited versions of them. The organization’s founder, James O’Keefe, known for targeting left-wing officials and groups, left his post in February. The email called for the school district to launch an investigation into
Gately and for him to be placed on leave until the probe is finished. “We request that the Board of Trustees promptly place Dr. Gately on leave until the investigation is complete,” according to the email. “As you know, the board has a legal and fiduciary obligation to investigate this matter and we therefore respectfully Continued on Page 35
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