Serving Manhasset, Munsey Park, North Hills, Plandome Heights, Plandome Manor, Plandome and Flower Hill
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Friday, July 24, 2020
Vol. 8, No. 30
NHP-BASED FIRM KEY IN SILVER SENTENCING PAGE 9
STUDENTS, ALUMS FORM NASSAU MOURNS JUSTICE INITIATIVE JOHN LEWIS PAGE 2
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Pressure rises for district to change mascot Community members, alumni sign petition supporting retiring the Indian BY R O S E W E L D ON AND ROBERT PELAEZ
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE MANHASSET SCHOOL DISTRICT
A member of Manhasset Secondary School’s varsity football team plays in the school’s 2018 Homecoming game. The Indian mascot, shown in letters on the jersey and the side of the helmet, is currently the target of a campaign for removal.
Two North Shore school districts with Indian mascots are being urged to change them to avoid offending Native Americans. The Manhasset and Sewanhaka school districts are both receiving heat from community members and alumni to retire the mascots as the Washington Redskins football team announced that it would retire its name, which Native American groups have called a racial slur, and logo. A Change.org petition for Manhasset to change its mascot now has near-
ly 1,900 signatures. Commenters on the petition refer to the Indian mascot as outdated and “racist.” “Native American have been abused and mocked enough for centuries,” one signer wrote. “Why would we want this?” One alumnus called the mascot “disrespectful,” and remembered getting into “an intense argument” with her senior class after one suggested “dressing up as Indians” for a spirit day. “Despite trying to explain the racist, disrespectful, and hurtful nature of this act, the majority of them did not Continued on Page 27
Officials call for increased federal funds BY R OB E RT PELAEZ
to provide municipalities with federal aid in response to the coronavirus pandemic that has Officials from Nassau Coun- devastated the economy. Suozzi was joined by Nasty joined U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-Glen Cove) in a call for action sau County Executive and fellow
Democrat Laura Curran, Town of North Hempstead Supervisor Judi Bosworth and North Hempstead Councilwoman Veronica Lurvey last Wednesday. U.S. Rep. Peter King (R-Seaford) and Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone also participated in the bipartisan effort to pass legislation that will provide federal aid to states, counties, localities
and schools due to the budgetary shortfalls caused by the pandemic. “It has been two months since the House passed legislation, which would bring billions in local aid to our state, counties, towns, cities, villages and school districts,” Suozzi said. “As demonstrated by the bipartisan group of elected officials here today, every local municipal-
ity needs Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans to negotiate a deal and pass the Heroes Act.” “The alarm bells are ringing loudly for the Senate to act immediately,” Curran said. “Nassau County is ready to emerge from the pandemic stronger than before but requires the hands of all our partners on the federal level.” Continued on Page 27
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