Communities of Color_April 2012

(k.clements)

SOUTHEAST QUEENS-FREE APRIL 2012, VOLUME 1, ISSUE 6

Youth Speak Out… about Bullying

Page 4

The movement for a Skate-park in Jamaica

Page 5

York hosts the Music of Stevie Wonder

Page 10

ALSO INSIDE:

Fathers Alive In the Hood March for peace - page 3 From Mourning to Marching to Action

Photo Gallery - page 6

“If I had a son, he

would look like Trayvon

Martin” -President Obama

3/23/12 White House Rose Garden

David Shankbone

April 2012, Volume 1, Issue 6 WWW.THECOMMUNITIESOFCOLOR.COM Communities of Color—Southeast Queens Edition—2

FEATURE Pushing Back against Suspicious Blacks By Karen Clements

Hoodies have become the new ward-robe mainstay as the case of Trayvon Mar-tin continues to touch a nerve. Hoodies can be seen on everyone, both male and female, from the streets, to the of-fices and all the way to the pulpits. And it’s more than just a fashion statement as marches and vigils are being coordi-nated at the speed of lighting.

But in Commu-nities of Color, where stop and frisk and heavy police presence dominates, is this hoodie move-ment and the Tray-von Martin case enough to ignite much needed change?

Nighttime in Communities of Color and police precincts get busy. In Southeast Queens its three precincts, the 103rd, 105th and 113th, are actively engaged. They are walking the perimeter of Baisley Park, riding in police vans in groups and being chartered to and from hot spots. They are standing on various corners along Brewer Boulevard and from South Road to 137th Street. This show of force in the commu-nity in recent weeks is part of the 113th impact zone where new trainees from the Academy join in the efforts to fight crime. Mobile units are stationed at various loca-tions throughout the community and the skywatch tower looms as well. But this isn’t the only show of force in Southeast Queens. The most recent stop and frisk reports highlights over 684,000 stops throughout New York City. The 103rd Precinct is ranked as one of the top ten precincts by number of stops. In the 105th precinct, they are reporting increases in crime across the board and arrests are up across all the categories. Their Command-ing Officer Deputy Inspector Courtesis has put in a request for a number of impact

zones in his precinct. Residents are grateful for this work of

the people in blue. At meetings where police and residents gather, it is not un-

common to hear a word or two of grati-tude. But in the back-drop of the show of force and statistics, lies a reality of living in these communities, especially as a Black man, that has yet to be resolved. And the most recent case of Trayvon Martin, a young Black man fa-tally shot after a trip to a convenience store, is bringing to light that reality in a major way.

According to reports by the shooter, Trayvon Martin, was display-ing suspicious behavior. His behavior was suspect enough that the shooter felt com-pelled to act. But what is this suspicious behavior that drives a compulsion to act.

The stop and frisk practice is driven by suspicion. An individual who is dis-playing suspicious behavior or possibly carrying a concealed weapon, is stopped and detained while an officer performs a physical search of that person. Recent statistics site that the majority of individu-als who are stopped and frisked are not subsequently arrested. Statistics also site that African Americans are stopped more frequently than any other group and in communities where they live. Of the top 10 precincts for NYPD stop and frisks in 2011, over half were in primarily African American neighborhoods.

Deputy Inspector Courtesis spoke about the stop and frisk practice at a recent community meeting and gave a scenario where it might be implemented, a fight at a school. The police would arrive at the scene based on a 911 call. That call might have included information that there were weapons on the scene. Police responding

“don’t know who is the good guy or the bad guy” he told residents. Further, if there is a concern of a possible weapon “it raises the response level” from police. The person being detained then has to deal with a more, although understandably forceful, officer looking to protect themselves and the public while conducting a search. If the officer encounters aggression from the person being frisked, that can heighten the exchange even more. And while that type of scenario is quite understandable, it doesn’t seem to be the norm.

At that same meeting, resident and attorney Jacques Leandre spoke about the number of calls he receives from “good people in the community” that have been a victim of the policy. Alain Berroute, 27 years old, attended the same meeting and was concerned about the damage the pol-icy may be doing to the youth and their interaction with police. “I asked five peo-ple if they wanted to come” he said. Alain came alone to the meeting. Dwight John-son, President of the Federated Blocks of Laurelton, spoke at the meeting of the atti-tude and lack of courtesy and respect “people are tired of it”.

But not matter how tired of it people are and how much push back the commu-nity gives on the is-s u e , n o t h i n g changes. The policy is what Deputy In-spector Courtesis says “is specific to what we do”. But is it working? And is it doing more harm than good?

Parents have been grappling with talking to their chil-dren in the wake of the Trayvon Martin case. Ayman Ge-brail, who has two teenage boys, is concerned about his children. “I have to tell my kids how to behave if they are stopped. That they should say yes sir even if they get shot or beat up”. Vance Caines is also concern. He is the father of a 14 year old who lives in a community that is thinking of starting a watch program. “My son is into sports and athletics. I’m just so concerned.”

The Trayon Martin case illustrates the conversations enclosed in this important dialog. It delves deeper into the question of suspicious activity and highlights how the seemingly simple actions of Black males can be misread. It also illustrates that certain people should not be granted policing powers. In Communities of Color, while there is much respect for the people in blue, it is also known that there are some bad apples in the bunch. And most importantly, it highlights that it is a right as an American citizen to be treated with respect. This is a particularly sensi-tive issue in Communities of Color where there is a group of people with a genera-tional legacy of having fought and died to be granted certain rights. Being respected as a citizen, and having the same rights as all Americans, is taken very seriously.

Yet it seems that the rights of those at the receiving end of perceived suspicious activities are enforced while the rights of residents in Communities of Color is just price to pay for what some consider their own faults.

Stand your ground laws, like the one in Florida, allows permitted gun owners to use lethal force on anyone they reasonably believe will prevent grave injury or death. It is such a law that has kept Trayvon’s shooter safe from prosecution. But what protects those in Communities of Color? How many times do residents have to complain and speak out before their con-cerns are effectively addressed?

And residents have not even called for an ending to the stop and frisk practice, but rather have been hoping for ways the sys-tem can exist while not doing damaged to those who have done no wrong. Like the efforts to keep those that were not arrested after a stop and frisk out of a database.

But proponents of stop and frisk will say that more stops happen in Communi-ties of Color because that is where the crime is and that police are only respond-ing to resident complaints. And that show of force is necessary because of the high levels of crime. And there are statistics

and graphs and charts that prove these points. Granted. But this is supposed to be an equal society. And if states can enact laws that make it pos-sible to stand ones ground from suspi-ciousness, then why can there be similar legislation for the other half of the equa-tion? Because crime happens across all neighborhoods, it just seems to be handled in

a different matter in Communities of Color. Recently it has come to light that Muslim youths have been monitored in their communities. But what is not heard is that those same youths are being stopped and frisked at a stagger-ing pace. And then there is the old adage that there is just as much drugs in the col-lege dormitories and offices of downtown Manhattan as there are in the projects of East New York Brooklyn. East New York just happens to be the number one police precinct for stop and frisk in 2011.

What it comes down to is a double standard. A double standard in the way Citizens of Color are treated on the streets, in their communities, in the legislature and in regards to their concerns. Death row is littered with individuals with little evi-dence against their crimes while George Zimmerman remains free. And a young man, whose potential was unlimited, is gone. Trayvon Martin follows the tradi-tion of other young men, full of promise, who are now martyrs for a cause no one would knowingly support. Sean Bell, Amadou Diallo, Danroy Henry, Ramarley Graham. And unless some moveable ac-tion in this dialog occurs, sadly there will be more names added to their rolls. §

“In the backdrop...lies a reality of living in these Communities as a Black man that has yet to be

resolved”

“Because crime happens across all neighborhoods,

it just seems to be handled in a different

matter in Communities of Color”

Police Officers on patrol on Jamaica Avenue (k.clements)


NEWS Day of F.A.I .T.H and Cease Fire By Karen Clements

Fathers took to the streets Saturday, March 24 in a march to decry the violence in the community. “We come together when police start killing us” its organizer Kenny Carter said. But he believed that the community also needed to come to-gether when its “us” against “us” he said.

And it was just such a shooting death, Darryl Adams on March 2nd, inside the South Jamaica Houses, that hung fresh over the events of the day. And other’s equally affected by shooting violence joined the march wearing tee shirts and memorabilia of loved one lost, some with tears still fresh on their faces.

Fathers Alive In The Hood, F.A.I.T.H., organized the march with the hope of getting fathers and men to ‘man up and stand up’. The small contingent of walkers started the march at Darryl Adam’s memorial with a moment of silence and prayer. They then made their way out of South Jamaica Houses and onto Guy R. Brewer Boulevard chanting encouragement on their theme of non-violence “Peace Up, Guns Down” and “Don’t Shoot, New York”.

Residents stood outside stores and churches, stopped their errands momentar-ily and showed their support before con-tinuing on their way. Traffic slowed con-siderably, while a horn or two honked an acknowledgement along the Boulevard as community affairs police officers escorted the march through the neighborhood. Many residents were engaged along the way with a handshake or hug from march participants.

The march paused at Baisley House on the corner of Foch and Brewer Boule-vards to urge residents to join the effort. “We need to wake this whole project up” Kenny said before the group huddled to-gether for prayer. The marched continued to 137th Street and Brewer Boulevard and ended in Rochdale Village where Maurice Johnson was fatally shot a few weeks ear-lier.

The King of Kings founder Lance Fertudo participated in the event and spoke of the importance of letting the community and its youth know that “we are here and that we care”. His foundation has initiated a new campaign called snug (guns spelled backwards) which looks to diffuse situa-tions before they escalate to violence. He believes it is already having an impact in its initial months in operation in the Red-fern houses in Far Rockaway. “Two days prior to the launch of the campaign, there were two murders. Eight months later, no shootings, no killings” he said.

The march’s end was a perfect begin-ning to the Time 4 Ceasfire event spon-sored by LifeCamp and the King of Kings Foundation at the New Jerusalem Baptist

Church. The event’s goal was to make peace a life-style. “We get excited at that moment. Then it’s back to business as usual.” said Erica Ford, the event’s organizer and long term youth violence civic leader, referring to the difference in the amount of the people present at Darryl Adams funeral versus those currently at

the event. “We are not going back to the norm” she emphasized.

CeaseFire is a method of dealing with community violence which was modeled with the concept of violence as a public health issue. The program tracks areas where violence is escalating and works to mediate and defuse the situation. The pro-gram is claiming success in other cities and is profiled in the documentary “The Interrupters”.

Cease Fire Southeast Queens hopes to continue within that model. The first phase of the program, messaging, was introduced to those who gathered. There it is about using today’s technology and so-cial media to push the message that peace is cool. Fridays, believed a high violence day of the week, will include a push to make ‘peace a lifestyle’ a trending topic on Twitter. There is also a Facebook Page, ‘Peace Is A Lifestyle’, and a signature color, orange, to highlight one’s affiliation

with peace. The group is also looking to set up a points rewards system to acknowl-edge the efforts of those kids doing well with points redeemable for various retail items.

“We have to stay focused on our Travyon Martins and our invisible chil-dren” Erica said to the group that gathered which included mothers of children who met a tragic end.

Mary Wilson, a resident who raised several male children in the South Jamaica Houses was happy she attended the Time 4 CeasFire event. Mary was happy to see “the men in the community stepping up”. She had been concerned, prior to that day, that they were not taking a stand.

Friends of Darryl Adams said he was-n’t the type to get into trouble. “If it could happen to him, it could happen to any-body” said Xavier Redfield in a talk with Darryl’s friends between the events. But what do you do if you know of a situation? Both Erica and Lance offered their contact information 917-361-4376 or 718-712-7684 (QNYSNUG). And knowing they cannot physically respond to every situa-tion, they suggested the option to contact some of the ‘original gangsters’ in the neighborhood for support.

F.A.I.T.H is planning several similar marches throughout the five boroughs on

this topic. They can be contacted through their Facebook Page, Fathers Alive In the Hood. Peace is a Lifestyle is the Facebook page associated with the Time 4 Ceasfire forum.§

“We get excited at that moment.

Then it’s back to business as

usual...We have to stay focused

on our Travyon Martins and

our invisible children”

ARE WE STILL AFFECTED BY

RACISM?

In Letters to the Black Community, Dr. Eugena Griffin focuses on generational experiences of racial oppression within the Black Community and its develop-ment of the illness, internalized oppression. She also offers general solutions to combat this maladaptive phenomenon. This book is a perfect resource for aspiring college students, academics, and the general body of individuals pursing ideas for positive change within the community. Additionally, this book offers information that can add to the purview of academics who continue to research the psychoso-cial impact of racial oppression within the Black Community. Please note, Dr. Griffin is available for book readings, seminars, and community speaking engagements. If interested, please feel free to call, write, or e-mail your occa-sion and date of interest.

Dr. Eugena K. Griffin Creating Change Publishing, LLC

P.O. Box 80327 Brooklyn, NY 11208

718-802-8965 [email protected]

Books can be purchased via www.tx4creatingchange.com and/or Amazon.com

March organizer Kenny Carter, center, leads the group in prayer prior to the march. (k.clements) Darryl Adams memorial in South Jamaica Houses (k.clements)


NEWS Closing August Martin High School By Karen Clements

It was a breezy Friday night. The weather had been unseasonably warm and Daylight Savings was just around the corner. All the elements were favorable and cooper-ating so the hard work which needed to be faced on school closing could proceed for-ward. NY State Senator Shirley Huntley planned a gathering for parents, educators and community members at August Martin High School, one of the schools slated for closure, to deal with the issue. The problem was, hardly no one showed.

August Martin is one of thirty three schools which were recently announced as closing. The new listing of school closings seem to come out of nowhere and go against progress reports that August Martin’s Parent Teacher Association (PTA) President, Jose Ferruzola, claims were improving. Including graduation rates at the school which the PTA says have improved to 70% from 40%.

At the gathering, Senator Huntley called the school closings a “mean spirited act” which she believed to be more politically motivated than anything else. She also spoke to the lack of seats filled in the auditorium of the school which educates approximately 1100 students. “Parents should care enough to come out for their children”.

But parents and educators have come out before and it seems the processes happen despite the protest. In addition, the last minute notification of the closings may not have reached parents and the community in enough time to mobilize resources. Not to mention the overall ex-haustion from fighting a continual educa-tional war that would cause battle fatigue to its most ardent warriors. But the importance of the fight was not lost on those gathered “Education is for our kids. It’s not for politics” said Ferruzola.

Melissa Hub-bard, a parent and member of the school leadership team at Humanities & the Arts High School, believes education is the “civil rights issue of the 21st Century”. In remarks

at the gathering, Melissa said that “business people and [the] mayor want to come in and tell us how to run our schools. They see us as commodities. We all grew up with an education system that worked.”

Melissa is an alumni of Andrew Jackson High School. And many members of the

community were benefactors of public education attending area high schools at a time before charter schools and co-locations existed. Lorraine Gittens-Bridges, an alumni of August Martin and currently head of the

Parents Association for All High Schools, credits public education for what she referred to as “the lifestyle that we have now”. This journalist is an alumni of Grover Cleveland, which is also on the list for closure, and worked on its newspaper as a senior. This

community alumni affilia-tion further makes it diffi-cult for residents to under-stand why so many schools under the current admini-stration are failing and re-quire new models. “It’s always us” said Senator Huntley referring to the number of schools which

are in minority districts. John Baub, a resident that attended the

meeting, faults the mayor for the failures. “He should take the responsibility for that

failure” he said. Many gathered believe these school closings are about two very important elements, money and unions. Charter schools receive access to millions of dollars of funds to actualize their vision and do not have to rely on unions or be subject to their regulations. In terms of dollars, Senator Huntley noted that it “cost more money to close a school”.

On April 16th a joint public hearing will convene at August Martin High School at 6:00PM to discuss the schools closing. Its PTA President, Jose Ferruzola, is urging for full attendance. Huntley tasked those gath-ered to find three additional individuals to join the fight for the schools and bring them to a meeting. §

“Education is the civil rights issues of the 21st

Century”

By Karen Clements

Thursday March 8th, the 113th Precinct and its community council hosted a forum to give community youth a chance to speak out on their issues. Council President Vivian McMillian, in speaking about the inspiration for the forum, said that there are many meet-ings “about the youth” but we don’t get a chance to hear “from the youth”.

Although this meeting was no excep-tion, with a majority of the talking coming from the adults in the mix, by meetings’ end a shift had occurred and the youth in atten-dance became more vocal and directly ad-dressed their concerns. A promise of another meeting in which the youth in attendance would partner with the Council on coordinat-ing was a hopeful end to a forum which dealt with some serious youth concerns including bullying.

Bullying was a central issue for the youth as a brave fourth grader took to the microphone during the forum to address the concerns she had being a victim of bullying. She was the only youth among the 20 or so represented, that brought her question out to the floor. She* spoke of how, despite telling an adult of the problem, the bullying per-

sisted. This brought to light the complex challenges of not only dealing with a bully but involving adults into that quotient.

The youth spoke about how parental or school involvement can cause a bullying situation to intensify. Bullies who are repri-manded can return to exact retribution on the individual who told. But that fear should not stop an individual from finding relief from the situation. Miranda Smalls, a teacher and administrator, spoke to those gathered about how there is understanding and concern from adults and educators on this complex issue. Ms. Smalls offered some suggestions about how to deal with individuals before things proceed to the bullying stage. “Choose your friends wisely” she said. Ms Smalls also recom-mended telling someone even if it does not gener-ate the wanted results. “And keep telling” she reiterated until there are results. Most importantly, she urged those individuals not to get discouraged.

Questions were filtered to the forum via index cards filled out by the youth in atten-dance and then handed to the moderators. The shift in the forum came late when it seemed as though the attending youth were zoning out on the lectures and the question, “why do adults feel that everything they say is correct” made its way unto the floor.

It was at that time that James Richard-son, a young man in attendance, responded to the claim that adults do know a thing or two having journeyed through the pitfalls of ra-cism during the years of lynching and other fear and intimidation tactics. James spoke

about a life filled with friends being killed combined with the everyday struggles that he believed many adults could not relate to and the disconnect between the generations. “You can tell us how to deal with it [but] we have to rely on what we know” he said.

But it was the adults in the room that spoke of a past filled with many of the things James experienced. It was Reverend David-son who spoke of the hardships he faced growing up on 164th Street and South Road with a past that mirrored James’ own. And it was there that a truce was struck where the moderator asked youths to take what adults know and use that to maneuver through their situations. James also suggested that adults

should be more compas-sionate about a situation rather than “just jumping on the situation”. Vivian suggested seeking out an adult that could be trusted if parents aren’t available.

Some other questions that made it to the forum included navigating tricky situations including one question about what to do when there are fights in the park that are being videotaped? Youths were advised that there is nothing wrong with getting help or making an call to 911 which can be anony-mous. More importantly, they were advised to not make their friends ‘bully celebrities’ by videotaping the event.

Another question dealt with the negativ-ity girls experience at the hands of boys. Officer Ramos addressed the issue by talking about the challenges of everyday life “you will be tested” and spoke on the significance of buying into negativity. “If somebody says

something to you and you believe it, that’s when you were wrong.” But it was the young men in attendance that offered the best insight on this issue. They speculated that if a young man is disrespecting a young woman, it typically highlights his fear of being rejected. And hearing this response from within the peer group made it more digestible for the young ladies. And it was this type of interaction at the forum which led moderators to propose another similar forum, but with the youth taking the lead. As there are a lot of serious issues young people are dealing with today, it is the hope that they will be able to coordinate such an effort.

The 113th Community Council meets every third Monday of the Month in the Pre-cinct’s Muster Room. The follow up to this youth forum is tentatively scheduled for Thursday, June 7th.

*Editors note: name withheld as to not heighten the bully situation. §

“Why do adults feel that

everything they say is correct?”

Youth Speak Out . . .about Bul lying

Youth gather together at a table and write out their questions for the forum (k.clements)

Communities of Color

August Martin High School (NYC Schools)

Sign outside August Martin High School (k.clements)

“April 16 a joint public hearing will convene at

August Martin HS at 6P to discuss the schools closing”


NEWS Did Redis t r ic t ing Si lence Your Vote? By Candace Prince

Late in the evening of March 14, during

the Senate redistricting debate, a Republican legislator moved to close the debate sooner than the originally agreed upon time. Senate Democrats were so infuriated with this ma-neuver that they walked out of the chambers. “They eliminated our right to debate. We’re going back to pre-civil rights eras, when people were denied the fundamental right to speak their mind, to advocate for the oppor-tunity to vote,” Senate Majority Leader John Sampson told reporters outside of the Senate chambers.

The vote on the redistricting bill was still held in their absence, and passed 36-0.

The remaining Republican Senators also passed a bill creating the proposed redistrict-ing constitutional amendment, without any Senate Democrats present.

And so, with the Senate passing the revised redistricting bill, a constitutional amendment passed, and a statute in the works, Governor Cuomo agreed to sign off on the new district lines. This concluded New York State’s long and contentious battle over how the State districts would be com-prised for the next ten years.

It seemed simple. The lines drawn by LATFOR in January were overwhelming criticized as illogical and partisan driven. Practically everyone in the state seemed to oppose them, and legal challenges mounted. Governor Andrew Cuomo repeatedly vowed to veto any proposal that did not represent a fair and bi-partisan effort. In the weeks fol-lowing the release of the LATFOR lines, State Legislators, think tanks, interest groups, residents and the press kept the pressure on Governor Cuomo to fulfill his promise to veto the State lines. Many were convinced that the Governor would ultimately keep his word and utilize his veto power, allowing the fate of the State lines to mirror that of the Congressional lines, which were drawn by a

court-appointed federal magistrate after State legislators failed to come to an agreement.

So what happened? Despite his public commitment to veto any unfair redistricting proposal, Governor Cuomo ultimately had other plans for a resolution. Cuomo agreed to sign off on them only if the Legislature was able to successfully submit its own revised lines, along with a redistricting amendment that would establish a better process – namely one that would take the process out of the hands of lawmakers and assign it to an independent body – and compose a statute that would enforce the provisions of the amendment. The Legislature submitted its revised lines on March 11, to the dissatisfac-tion of many within the state who opposed any attempts for a compromise that included accepting LATFOR’s lines.

The noise following the passage was miniscule in comparison to the drumbeats of opposition prior to its acceptance. Many attribute that to a well liked Governor with far reaching powers. Yet a deep sense of disappointment lingers, as Communities of Color wonder how and why they have been given the shaft once again. The NAACP agrees. On March 12st, the Jamaica Branch held a press conference with various Senate

Democrats to voice their opposition to the Senate redistricting plan. Senator Shirley Huntley spoke about how the redistricting plans were drawn in such a manner that her home was nearly knocked right out of her own district. Many elected officials believed that minority voters have been disenfran-chised and that Communities of Color must continue to fight to have their voices heard.

So now, what‘s left for the ordinary citizen to do? The first thing voters can do is study the new maps to figure out if and how their district has changed. The 2012 approved m a p s c a n b e v i e w e d a t www.latfor.state.ny.us/maps/, or by calling the LATFOR office at 212-618-1100 for information on obtaining a hard copy. Next, voters should follow any announcements from their State representatives to find out what candidates (incumbents and newcom-ers) are running in which district. Lastly, voters should look out for any notification from the Queens County Board of Elections, or reach out to them directly – (718) 730-6730 – to confirm their polling site location.

The Congressional primary is June 26. State primaries are scheduled for Tuesday, September 11th.§

WRITERS WANTED! Think you have what it takes to write about a fast moving, ever changing, dynamic community?

Send your resume or writing samples to [email protected]

The Freedom to Skate By Karen Clements

It was a beautiful spring Saturday eve-ning with conditions perfect for a day of fun and activity in the park. But instead of en-joying the day by “ripping it” , young male skaters, bmx-ers and fans of freestyle action sports spent the evening at Bellitte Bike Shop gathering over food and in the shadow of wheels. The purpose, to start a movement to “build freestyle parks and to empower action in the Jamaica region” said its organizer Dar-ryl Montgomery.

Although Southeast Queens has a num-ber of beautiful parks in the area, they are ill equipped for the freestyle skate sport. The sport is not simply about riding a bike or skating on a board. It is about tricks and fast moves and stunts and freestyle expressions

that area parks are not equipped to handle. Either they have no designated area for free-styling, have no props or ledges to perform grinds or service a family population where little children roam freely about making the mix a potential recipe for disaster.

Currently freestylers must venture to the parks far out of the district, either in Far Rockaway or Manhattan, to ride. That would not be too much of an issue except for the fact that many who engage in the sport are teenagers who shouldn’t roam far from home. In addition, riders complain about not being able to take their bicycles on city buses complicating any journey.

Add to that the lack of acceptance at area parks from other park goers, “basketball

players get mad” said Kyran Marshall, and getting kicked out of area parks like St. Al-bans because it “isn’t a skate park” he went on to say. Area schools are not an option to ride as they close early and there is the fre-quent harassment by the cops.

And it is not surprising to know that these riders get harassed. As their style in-

cludes graphic tee, skinny jeans, droopy hats, long hair, piercings and an overall grunge look is not fitting with area norms. However, their sweet faces and athleticism combined with their youth is a refreshing alternative and definitely reason for a second look.

Many joined the movement because of being harassed. Or they know of a friend or family member that has been ticketed or received a summons for engaging in the sport. That made Bellittle Bike an appropri-ate place for the gathering. Although they do not sell skateboards, the owner’s son Michael is a skater and long time aficionado. Re-cently, he received a summons for participa-tion in the sport. “I know what it feels like when you don’t have anywhere to go” he said. He hopes the effort will pay off.

The opinion at the gathering as to whether their efforts would pay off was split. “No one cares” was the feeling from Jayquan Jones knowing that they have been at it since 2004. But veteran biker Benny Guerra feels

strongly that it will happen. “Absolutely” he said. “There has been a lot of progress that’s why I see no reason why this park shouldn’t open up”. As a twenty year veteran of the sport, he was riding at a time when he re-members skateboarding was a crime. Al-though it is not a crime today, the impact of getting a ticket, which many gathered had experienced, can have implications on a rider’s future prospects.

One obstacle sited by organizers as an issue surrounding the dialog is speaking with civic and political leaders that have not en-gaged in the sport. Many are of a generation that proceeded the sport and therefore do not “understand what the problem is” said Dar-ryl. “Freestyle parks are not as straightfor-ward as baseball diamonds or football fields.”

Gregory Mays, founder Better Jamaica Foundation, is also concerned about the long distance sport participants have to travel for a skate park. He hopes the effort can yield some smaller area parks and one large desti-nation park. Some of the sites the group is looking at include Roy Wilkins Park for a BMX/Mountain bike track, Laurelton Park off the Belt Parkway and Van Dohlen Park where Archer Avenue and the Industrial block meet for freestyle parks.

To get more information or join the effort, visit their Facebook page www.Facebook.com/jamaicafreestyling.

Editors note: ‘ripping it’ refers to riding at high rates of speed. Grinding refers to tricks performed with BMX bikes. Freestyle sports include skateboards, scooters, inline skating, and mountain bikes.§

“Although SE Queens has a number of beautiful parks...they are ill equipped for the freestyle

skate sport.”

Freestyle community gathers to talk parks (k.clements)


Community members gathered for a walk through the community and to discuss a new

effort to make Peace a Lifestyle (see story page 3). Top Row. Lance and Todd Feurtado

stand with Talia McFadden whose brother, Tone MacFadden Jr. II was a victim of vio-

lence last October; Kenny Carter, march organizer; Grandfathers care too! Richard Sea-

bern with grandson Atif and Treshawn Walker. Marchers gather at the makeshift memo-

rial for Darryl Adams. Second Row, marchers along the route’; Debra Jameson, a long-

time resident has been a part of watching the men in the community grow; Erica Ford,

second from right, joins in on an inspirational song. Third row. Friends of Darryl Ad-

ams, Terrnon Vaughn, 20; Xavier Redfield, 20; Gary Jenins, 19; Terrle Jones 18; back

row: Hansom 18; Ukwan Milliner, 20. Right, Erica Ford address group gathered for the

Time 4 CeasFire forum which included mothers of children who have succumbed to

violence. (k.clements)

PHOTO GALLERY From Mourning to Marching to Act ion


Marches have been organized across the nation in support of

Trayvon Martin and to demand justice and Southeast Queens

was no exception. On March 31st, residents gathered with

civic leaders and elected officials to don their hoods and show

their support. And it wasn’t just Trayvon that was on their

minds, but all the youths that have lost their future to violence.

Read the full story at examiner.com/jamaica Left: marchers

along the Linden Blvd Route; First row; X-Ryders and par-

ents of Sean Bell, watchers show their support , Community

Affairs officers on site for the day, Rev. Norris offers prayer at

the rally; Second row: Elected Officials gather with 113th

Community Council Members and march organizers, rally

participants bow their hoodie heads in prayer, brothers Mi-

chael and Christopher Branch show their support. (k.clements)

PHOTO GALLERY Southeast Queens is Trayvon Mart in!

March was women’s month and they were honored at various ceremonies in and around the community. Councilman Leroy Comrie held a luncheon that was inspiring and celebratory to not only the women being honored, but all the women in the room. Honorees include l to r Bishop Dr. Ebony Kirkland; Susan Agin, Executive Director Queensborough Community College Performing Arts Center, who was very honored and felt “great to be appreciated for what you do”; Lois Menyweather, Director Inter-Governmental Relation for NYS Sen Huntley; Rev. Dr. Ernestine Sanders; Community Leader Janice Clark whose grandson, Neko Stroman, said is the “biggest influence on my life. She always had faith in me and always was the first person behind me”; Katie Bellentine whose flower shop has serviced the community for over 20 years; former educator Jane Harris; Hon. Janice Taylor the first African American State Supreme Court Judge and Tanya Whitmore Community Liaison for Health First who credits her “aunt and mother” as her sheros. Linda Michelle Baron, not pictured, was also honored. (k.clements)


EDITORIAL & OPINIONS

My deepest condolences go out the family and friends of Trayvon Martin, whose young and precious life was taken away far too soon. The senseless murder of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black youth, has sparked a national outcry for justice. This has placed a spotlight on the controversial law “Stand Your Ground.” This law gives anyone a license to kill if they “reasonably believe that such force is necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm to himself, her-self, or another.” The State of Florida has seen homicides almost triple since the law was enacted in 2005. What is even more alarming is that similar laws are already in effect in more than 20 other states and subsequent trage-dies could arise. My Senate Democ-ratic colleagues and I cannot and will not support Senate Bill S. 281, which is similar of the “Stand Your Ground” Law in Florida and have demanded that the sponsor of the bill, Republican Senator George Maziarz to withdraw the legislation.

I would like to share my memory of a time when our community thought

this sort of senseless killing would not happen again. At 5:00 AM in South Jamaica on April 28, 1973, 10-year-old Clifford Glover was shot. The two officers, Thomas Shea, and his partner, believed the African-American boy and his stepfather were guilty of rob-bery. Glover and his stepfather were afraid of the two officers and ran from them, believing they themselves were about to be robbed. Glover was hit by at least two bullets.

Residents were outraged and frus-trated following the shooting Thomas Shea was put on trial for murder. He was the first New York City police officer ever to be tried for murder while on duty. Shea was declared not guilty on June 12, 1974.

We thought that this would never happen again. However, the tragic murder of Sean Bell in 2006 in Ja-maica, Queens which occurred before I represented the area was another senseless killing of an unarmed black male. The officers involved in that shooting received no prison sentences and three of them were allowed to re-sign with full benefits. The killings of

Trayvon Mart in: History shows that t rue just ice remains out of reach

Amadou Diallo, Danroy Henry, and Ramarly Graham also highlight the risk our minority males face when they are automatically deemed suspicious because of the color of their skin or the clothing they are wearing.

The pattern of shooting unarmed minorities first and asking questions later has occurred all too often with the result being the death of an innocent individual.

As a mother and grandmother it is unconscionable to see how our minor-ity youth are stopped, frisked, beaten, and even murdered due to how they look and dress. Members of the media have made irresponsible statements about Trayvon’s hoodie being a reason why he was targeted. His attire should-n’t be a litmus test for suspicion, and media focus should instead be on the quick triggers of those who committed these murders without cause.

It is frightening to know that a cold-blooded killer is free and at large among the public, still in possession of the gun he used to kill young Trayvon. We must recommit ourselves to pursue

justice and police accountability. This fight will grow each day until Tray-von’s killer is arrested for murder. A tragedy of this magnitude reaffirms my belief that justice is rarely given, but must be demanded through mobiliza-tion and action. I have and will con-tinue to make my voice heard and will work with others who realize our young minority males are being un-fairly targeted and killed by those en-gaging in reckless, often unpunished actions.§

Shirley Huntley is New York State

Senator of the 10th District which cov-ers parts of Southeast Queens includ-ing Jamaica and Howard Beach.

Guest commentary is welcomed by

Communities of Color! Guest com-mentary reflects thoughts and opinion of the writer and not necessarily those of Communities of Color.

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Jamaica NY 11434 Phone: 718-341-0139

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THE CIVIC CORNER with Adrienne Fel ton

CLERGY: OUR ORIGINAL GOVERNMENT

Before African Americans and other minori-ties were elected officials and judges, we would convene in our houses of worship, stood on God’s Word and our pastors and ministers were the voice for the people. We must revive this successful strategy to heal our communities. People of all walks of life, shapes, sizes and colors may have different personal views and opinions, but the majority of the people, love and respect God and His Word and the ministers that HE has chosen to deliver them. So, I am calling on my brothers and sisters in Christ, Muslim ministers, Jewish rabbis, Hindu minsters, Buddhist ministers and all other faiths to look to your doctrines and meditate on what righteousness is, fair and equal treatment of people and speak life into the people that God Himself have chosen to hear your voice.

Some may say, “Well, what about the people who don’t go to church, temple, or masque? How

will they hear it?” The answer is they will hear it from their loved ones and persons that they know who do attend these houses of worship.

As I reflect on the death of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on April 4, 1968, I am still in awe of his legacy. Dr. King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech still touches my spirit as if it was heard for the first time whenever I hear it. I was not born when this and his many other historic events occurred, but I feel directly connected to the impact of them even now. My favorite piece writ-ten by Dr. King has to be, “Letter from a Birming-ham Jail”. It is clear in this letter that Dr. King understood who he was and what his purpose as a minister of God truly meant.

In this document, Dr. King wrote to fellow clergy about their criticisms of him protesting against discrimination and other infractions that plagued African Americans and other minorities cross the country, typically in our Southern states. These men of clergy referred to his actions as, "unwise and untimely." Dr. King intelligently, respectfully yet direct and with the righteousness and boldness that comes with the Holy Spirit shared with his White brothers of the Cloth, just how wrong they were. Dr. King gave tangible examples for these urgent and deliberate steps that were being taken: “In any nonviolent campaign there are four basic steps: collection of the facts to determine whether injustices exist; negotiation; self purification; and direct action. We have gone through all these steps in Birmingham. There can be no gainsaying the fact that racial injustice en-gulfs this community. Birmingham is probably the most thoroughly segregated city in the United

States. Its ugly record of brutality is widely known. Negroes have experienced grossly unjust treatment in the courts. There have been more unsolved bombings of Negro homes and churches in Bir-mingham than in any other city in the nation. These are the hard, brutal facts of the case. On the basis of these conditions, Negro leaders sought to negotiate with the city fathers. But the latter con-sistently refused to engage in good faith negotia-tion.”

He told them that there is an urgency to cor-rect wrong doing; that as men of God they had a charge to stand up for righteousness. He reminded them that they had an even greater charge to be a living example of Jesus himself. Dr. King realized that his fellow clergymen were focusing on the wrong things. He wrote, “You deplore the demon-strations taking place in Birmingham. But your statement, I am sorry to say, fails to express a similar concern for the conditions that brought about the demonstrations.”

I find that this is currently happening in our society today. No one is questioning that there is an obvious imbalance in the way that matters are governed. No one is questioning that there must be change. However, there seems to be an echo of the “waits” and “not nows”. Dr. King addressed this as well. He wrote, “We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed. Frankly, I have yet to engage in a direct action campaign that was "well timed" in the view of those who have not suffered unduly from the disease of segregation. For years now I have heard the word "Wait!" It rings in the ear of every Negro with piercing familiarity. This "Wait" has almost always meant "Never." We must come to see, with one of our distinguished jurists, that "justice too long delayed is justice denied."

In addition to this challenge there is some sort of consensus of “that is not the way that things are done”. I am a believer and advocate of proto-col. I stand firm on order. However, when the protocol becomes more concentrated on the ritual and has little to no effect on progression, I have to tell you that I agree with Dr. King’s position on

doing away with it for the greater good of human-ity. Dr. King wrote, “There was a time when the church was very powerful--in the time when the early Christians rejoiced at being deemed worthy to suffer for what they believed. In those days the church was not merely a thermometer that re-corded the ideas and principles of popular opin-ion; it was a thermostat that transformed the mores of society. Whenever the early Christians entered a town, the people in power became dis-turbed and immediately sought to convict the Christians for being "disturbers of the peace" and "outside agitators."' But the Christians pressed on, in the conviction that they were "a colony of heaven," called to obey God rather than man. Small in number, they were big in commitment. They were too God-intoxicated to be "astronomically intimidated."

I share the sentiments of Dr. King in viewing the positions or lack of positions on issues for my beloved men and women of clergy. Dr. King wrote, “In deep disappointment I have wept over the laxity of the church. But be assured that my tears have been tears of love. There can be no deep disappointment where there is not deep love. Yes, I love the church.”

So, when there an issue with our homes, schools, youth, redistricting, legislation or any-thing else that affects us, I am calling on my clergy brothers and sister to lead the charge and let every-one else know, stand strong and together and keep pushing battle after battle until we win the war! See you on the front lines.

The Civic Corner is an editorial column that will discuss community affairs and actions from a social and political perspective. The Civic Corner looks forward to keeping you informed & wants questions & comments on the articles & issues that you would like the Civic Corner to discuss. Thank you for joining me in The Civic Corner!

Adrienne Felton is a community, political, & social activist. She is a co-founder/Exec. Board Member of the South East Queens County Young Democrats (SEQCYD). §

Sports Corner returns this month to dissect with Woman’s History for a talk with Michelle Reed, Southeast Queens’ local ath-letic celebrity. As the coach of women’s basketball at York College and a founder and coach for her civic initiative, ProResponse, Michelle is a part of the effort to offer alter-natives to youths in the area. In the warmer months, you can see her on the courts behind the South Jamaica Houses with her group of volunteer coaches engaging the children in athletics and education. ProResponse offers basketball leagues, camps and clinics for ages 8 to 20. And it’s not just about the fun of the sport, but life lessons as well. Mi-chelle frequently partners with various com-

munity mentors during court time to talk to the youth and share their experience and insight. It’s all part of her vision for ProRe-sponse to be a full service sports and educa-tion institution for children and young adults. And it is in keeping with her goal to give back to the community that she credits for her success.

This daughter of the community is an alumni of August Martin High School which was an early pathway to her college and pro-fessional success. Her mother is a staunch community activist for children and tenants rights and instilled in her a strong sense of community and giving back. “Giving back is in your heart and not in your wallet” says Michelle and its also a determining factor in her personal success. “I can go to any neighborhood and do something for $100,000 and be miserable because I’m not reaching people that need it. I’d rather reach people that need it…I know my community needs it.” she said.

ProResponse runs an annual basketball tournament at the tail end of the spring pro-gram which is fast becoming Southeast Queens’ version of March Madness. The fun begins the first week of July and runs every Saturday and Sunday until the end of August, depending on the amount of teams registered that year. During the season, each team plays once or twice and all teams go to play-offs. Bracketology comes into play during the playoffs where winning teams advance.

Giving Back for the Game By Karen Clements

SPORTS CORNER

Michelle Reed (k.clements)

There could conceivably be a situation where a team from the South Jamaica Houses is up against a team from Baisley Houses. Those matchups in the past have resulted in what Michelle calls a “fun rivalry”. The tourna-ment includes both girls and boys with teams broken out by division. Co-ed teams are in the 12 and under category. The fun is open to residents of not only Southeast Queens but all of New York. Michelle is working to raise funds to ensure the costs of teams regis-tering for the league are kept to a minimum. Michelle is also working to secure more neighborhood courts to house her teams’ play.

Although her professional athletic days ended in 1998, Michelle says that being an athlete gave her life “purpose”. “It allowed me to mold myself as an individual. It ma-tured me as a person and gave me a gift that has to be shared with the rest of the world” she confessed.

For more information about ProRe-sponse and to get information about joining t h i s y e a r ’ s s e a s o n , v i s i t www.proresponsesport.com or contact 917-304-3605.

Michelle Reed was a member of the WNBA league of professional women’s bas-ketball players and the a Professional Inter-national Women’s Basketball Player. §

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Cris is of the Black Male: From Learning to Leadership By Karen Clements

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The Crisis of the Black Male Conference: From Learning to Leading was a two day, two campus event which used the topic to inspire and empower young Black males, and people of all ages, to move into leadership roles.

York College hosted Day Two of the confer-ence with a morning panel discussion which fielded the question, within the context of the current presidency, Are we living in a post racial society? The afternoon session included keynote speaker Dr. Divine Pryor who spoke on the theme of moving past one’s circumstances to leadership.

People from the community joined bus loads of students from area schools including Pathways College Preparatory School and Campus Magnet High School along with Civic organizations’ men-tees for the days events.

These young men from middle to high school and future leaders were not the suspicious lot that some feel need to be stopped and frisked, but rather young gentlemen that were attentive and engaged on the subject matter. If they did find opportunities to roam, they were quickly put in line by educators whose orders they respectfully fol-lowed.

During the morning panel session, panel members resoundingly believed that America was not in a post racial society. “If a Latino was elected President, would all the Latino issues disappear?” asked panelist Professor Daniels, York College’s Profes-sor Emeritus. “We have never been in a post racial society. America was formed for the white race” said panelist Minister Abdul Hafeez Muhammad from Mosque Number 7 in Harlem. The third and final panelist, York Provost and Professor Ivelaw Lloyd Griffith con-curred later in the program and urged attendees to read ‘An Economic Interpretation of the Constitu-tion’ by Charles Beard for more information on the subject. The Minister also spoke about the current national polarization in the last presidential elec-tion as further evidence that society has not be-come post-racial. In addition, he examined the conversation which surrounds the President that continually centers on his White mother but never focuses on his Black father.

As to the President’s role on race, panelists believed the President could do more but felt tim-ing was key. “He must be judicious about what and when he does something” said Professor Grif-fith. “Should we wait for the second term” asked the panel moderator journalist Peter Noel. He posed the question while asking whether the Presi-dent, at least, can acknowledge Black unemploy-ment in a speech. While all the panelists agreed the President could do more they each had con-cerns. Concerns about the current climate of hate

and about “winning a battle and losing a war” said Professor Griffith. Profession Griffith credited the President for pushing the education envelope with programs and funding for more opportunities. “Power is through education. To combat racism is to get educated or re-educated. Not only look to President Obama but how do we empower our-selves” he said. Professor Daniels also conceded that education was key. “Education is important. These are big issues to think about” he said citing that “we are one Supreme Court decision away from another Plessey versus Ferguson.” The Min-ister believed that the President should be able to speak freely. “All other Presidents can speak about race and handle what they’ve wanted to…but Obama can’t speak to his body politic. That is not freedom. He should be able to speak. We understand wisdom but what about equality” he said. The Minister went on to emphatically state that there is difference between training and educa-tion and the goal should be a mind that can go free . He punctuated his ideas with strength and confidence which gathered lots of applause.

But with the events of Trayvon Martin in the backdrop the issue of White on Black, Blue on Black and Black on Black killing was bound to make an appearance into the discussion. Professor Daniels believed the issues of White on Black killing and Black and Black killing were separate

issues, both of which could be handled. ”Black men throwing down on Black men, that’s not new” he said. He went on to say that “we would stop killing each other less if we focus on the en-emy”. “I don’t confuse the battle within from without. We have to have both conversations” Profes-sor Griffin said. On the battle within he asked the questions “Why aren’t more Black males in college? Why are we not empow-ering ourselves more? What is

the pride in wearing your pants down? What is the role of family and church?” He urged those present to be registered to vote and to join organizations. “An election doesn’t just happen” he said.

The minister was concerned that there is a coming together “only under disasters and death”. In between life and death, “we are fighting each other” he said. He did not condone the protesting, but felt an economic component should be added citing that if the 30,000 Black men who gathered for Trayvon recently, had each contributed a dol-lar, Black men would “wake up” as they can see where their money goes. And right now the eco-nomics are against an attainable education. “How do you get an education if you can’t pay” said the Minister.

The panel opened the floor for questions and dealt with the subject of when the stop and frisk practice would end. “It will end when politicians become strong enough to deal with law enforce-ment who reports to them. Maybe [when there is] a Mayor who has the sensitivities of his people” said the Minister. Professor Daniels urged the younger generation present to “lead themselves”

and “march on the city”. He was willing to join a movement that brought young people out to de-mand an end to the practice. Moderator Peter Noel spoke to his many years learning from law en-forcement about their practices on how “clothes makes the suspect”. He spoke of a process called “ghetto awareness wear” where those who wear hoodies or have a particular angle of their hat are stopped more readily.

The floor also asked if President Obama represents the Black Community as he should. Although the panelist believed the President could do more, the question received a resounding yes. The Minister believed The President represented the best that we have produced from our ranks politically and is a shining example of Black intel-lectual aptitude. Professor Daniels believed Presi-dent Obama “represents the finest in Black human-ity” His history of rising to the Presidency and his “beautiful and brilliant wife” adds to that, he said.

The afternoon session, though having a dis-tinctly different tone, packed just as much power. The audience was younger, filled mostly with middle school aged boys, and the subject matter was more serious and delivered with a more som-ber tone from Dr. Pryor a former inmate who is now a doctor who consults on issues of juvenile justice. He began his speech by mentioning that just recently he had given a similar speech to oth-ers of the same age group. The difference was the other audience was in a juvenile justice setting and unable to leave after the speech.

Dr. Pryor also brought home the fact that criminal justice settings are also predominately Black even in areas that are predominately White. And while most Blacks that are in prison are for drug related issues, drug use is more prevalent for

Whites. Dr. Pryor was serious in his assertions with no anger in his delivery. “People went through a whole lot of struggle, hard work and sacrifice. So much was given for you to be sitting here at York [College] today”, he said.

And sit the students did through a speech over 25 minutes long which chronicled his up-bringing and being labeled “bad” and how that turned into a self fulfilling prophecy which landed him behind bars. He spoke about how he used that time behind bars to change his life. He wanted to encourage the young boys gathered to not believe that prison is their destiny.

And these young boys listened throughout remaining attentive and engaged. In the question and answer segment, a few ventured to the micro-phone. One asked Dr. Pryor about his role models to which he honestly spoke of have competing models. One was the work-a-days in his neighbor-hood like the postman and the other group was filled with the street guys who had all the nice cars and all the girls. He had noted that the guys that had all the girls and popularity on the streets, were lonely and without visits when they were eventu-ally sent to jail.

When the students of Pathways were asked if they enjoyed the days’ program, a resounding “yes” came back. Student Tija learned that “knowledge is power” and student Jason learned that in the “real world Black people are a target”.

The conference was held at The York Col-lege Performing Arts Center. Day One of the conference was held at Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn and featured different panelists and speaker on the same theme. .§

“When will stop and frisk

end? Who are your role

models?”

Boys from the Pathways College Prepartory School attend the conference (k.clements)


ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT LIFE - GOING FORWARD

with Parr is Alethea AN OPEN LETTER ON BEHALF OF TRAYVON MARTIN

I am Trayvon Martin, I am 17 years old, a junior at Carol City Senior High School, and I did not want to die. It was raining that day, this I remember, and I only had intentions of taking my iced tea and skittles back home. Sounds simple doesn’t it? It wasn’t.

I ask you, what did I do that contributed to this fate? Is it because I wore a hoodie that night Mr. Ger-aldo? Maybe it was because I was sus-

pended from school. Maybe it was be-cause I was talking to my girlfriend on the phone. Maybe it is because I am Black.

Have you even known a child who has been suspended from school? Have you ever worn a hoodie? Has someone ever hit you and you fought back? I did not deserve to die because of these things; I deserved to be able to go home.

I deserved to graduate from high school.

I deserved to go to college.

I deserved to play sports.

I deserved to be somebody.

I deserved to be left alone.

I deserved to not be judged because of how I looked.

All I ask is that you tell the real story, tell how I screamed for help to no avail. Tell the story of how the

neighborhood watch man should not have a gun. Tell the story of how I just wanted to get out of the rain and go home. If I was your child, could you sleep at night? Respect my family, re-spect my parents. Respect me.

Do not let me die in vain. Fight for what is right. Fight for me, fight for Sean Bell, fight for Ramar-ley Graham, fight for Danroy Henry. Rekia Boyd and Ervin Jefferson just joined us here in heaven – fight for them too. We are more than black men and black women, we are young people who have the right to live our lives and determine our own fates, not to be stolen by men.

I am Trayvon Martin, tomorrow I could be you. §

Parris Alethea is a lifestyle writer and expert living in Queens, NY. You can visit her blog, http://Lanovelista.com.

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In the Key of Wonderful By Karen Clements

Friday March 23rd, TheYork College Big Band played host to jazz saxophonist veteran T.K. Blue at the York College Per-forming Arts Center. This wasn’t a typical night for the big band that plays swing and latin to the delight of audiences across the New York Area. It wasn’t even their first night hosting big name talent as they recently welcomed Grammy winning pianist Arturo O’ Farrill to their stage to jam along. How-ever, this was a night of wondrous musical creation, Stevie Wonder music that is. The band played an entire evening devoted to the musical majesty that is Stevie Wonder.

It was an anticipated night as the concert was the crescendo to a three part campus wide event celebrating the artist. It began with a screening of “Live at Last” and moved to a panel discussion titled ‘Life in the Key of Love – The impact of Stevie Wonder”.

The auditorium was filled with jazz regulars, new comers and Wonder fans look-ing for a night of great live entertainment. This size audience is typically reserved for York College’s larger premier events, but

with Stevie on tap, the crowd was front and center.

The band played the gamut of hits from pop, to latin to funk showcasing the dynamic range of Wonder the composer. ‘My Cherie Amor’ started the night off and the dance floor was opened for ‘Don’t You Worry About A Thing’. The funk entered on ‘Too High’, ‘I Wish’ and ‘Superstition’. TK Blue alternated between alto and soprano saxo-phones for his many solos that added an extra punch to the songs. As the night went on, the tunes were so familiar Musical Director Tom Zlabinger didn’t need to introduce the songs. Its ending piece, ‘Higher Ground’ was so funky and percussion filled, the drummer broke a stick but didn’t miss a beat!

The combination of Stevie and the Band made the performance comfortable, notable and Wonder..full. And that led to the biggest critique of the evening, the program was too short!

Tom hopes to do more concerts centered around this artist who he believes is the “greatest living composer”. Bringing artists with ties to the community is another great component to the show, and TK was no ex-ception. TK Blue felt right at home he told the audience, and shared what an “honor” and “privilege” it was to return to the com-munity he grew up in. “I spend a lot of time in Rochdale Village. I feel like I have a lot of family and a lot of love” he said.

York College Big Band members in-clude student, staff and faculty. §

TK Blue Performs with York College Big Band (k.clements)


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EVENTS Wednesday, April 4 Safe Southeast Queens Monthly Meeting Senator Smith’s Office 205-20 Jamaica Ave 7P for more info 718-454-0162 SouthEast Queens County Young Democrats 2nd Annual Queens Day of Solidarity Honor-ing Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebrating Dr. King life & legacy of fight-ing for workers and union rights as the 44th anniversary of his assassination approaches. Meet at Jamaica Bus Terminal for a march and rally at Grace Church 5P-8:30P. For info 347-613-2315 or [email protected] Thursday, April 5 Federated Blocks of Laurelton Monthly Meeting 219-03 Merrick Blvd 7P Saturday, April 7 Councilman Comrie’s Annual Easter Egg Hunt! St. Albans Park (At Sayres Ave) Noon-5P FREE Wednesday, April 11 Health & Resource Affair! Testing and Screenings for Diabetes, Hearing, and Hyper-tension. HIV/AID testing. The Veteran Administration will be on hand with their mobile van to assist with **VETERAN’S** benefits!!! St. Paul Community Baptist Church 859 Hendrix Street, Bklyn. For more info 718-257-1300X138 9A-3P FREE

Thursday, April 12 Councilman James Sanders hosts a commu-nity meeting on Flooding in Rosedale. Up-dates on the 148th Drive project and upcom-ing projects in Rosedale. Rosedale Library 144-20 243rd Street 7P For info 718-527-4356 FREE Saturday, April 14 Opening night of the 2012 Queens Sym-phony Orchestra. Jamaica Performing Arts Center, Jamaica Ave & 153rd St. 7P FREE Free Prostate Cancer Screening, Blood Pres-sure, Hearing and HIV/AIDs. Free breakfast served from 8-9A First Presbyterian Church of Jamaica 89-60 164th Street 8A-1P For info 718-526-4775 FREE A Cause A Concern Solution & NYS Sen. Shirley Huntley host their 5th Annual Girls Empowerment Conference. Empowering workshops, guest speakers, sistah circle rap session on bullying. Girls ages 12-21 are urged to come. York College Academic Core Building 94-20 Brewer Blvd 10A-4P for info www.acacas.org or [email protected] FREE

It takes a Village to stop Youth Violence. Eastern Queens Alliance is hosting a round-table discussion . St. Johns Episcopal Church 137-67 Belknap St. RSVP & more info 347-824-2301 10A-Noon FREE Monday, April 16 113th Community Council Meeting, Precinct Muster Room 167-02 Baisley Blvd 7P

Friday, April 20 Dr. April Lee James, mezzo soprano, per-forms at the York College Performing Arts Center 94-20 Brewer Blvd 7P (Suggested Donation) Saturday, April 21 Come to Fashion, Come to Life. An evening of fashion, food, networking and entertain-ment featuring exclusive creations from Ja-maica’s up and coming fashion designers. Jamaica Performing Arts Center, Jamaica Avenue & 153rd St. Additional Info: [email protected], 718-526-2422. 6-9P FREE Hands on History: Music, Mozart & The Manor. Music, history & fun for families. King Manor Museum, Jam Ave & 150th St. Additional info: kingmanor.org, 718-206-0545. 12-3P FREE

Monday, April 23 From Battleground to Empire State New York and the Legacy of the War of 1812. Lecture explores the creation of New York as the “Empire State”. York College Academic Core Bldg, 94-20 Brewer Blvd, Room 3D01 6:30P FREE Community Board 13 Monthly Meeting—Bellerose Assembly of God 240-14 Hillside Avenue 7:30P Thursday, April 26 Guy R Brewer United Democratic Club Monthly Meeting. See how you can help get the vote out for Obama. 197-01 Linden Blvd. 7:30P Saturday, April 28 Book Fair! Harvest Room 90-40 160th Street for more info contact 718-591-4525 Noon-5P FREE King of Kings Foundation has kicked off their "Anti-Drug-Anti-Gang Warriors Tour". The tour educates on the dangers of being involved with drugs, guns, gang violence, succumbing to peer-pressure & more. For info call: 718 712-7684 or kingofkingsfoundation.org.

Communities of Color_April 2012

Documents

martin case

recent case of trayvon

police precincts

ing suspicious behavior

jamaica page

peace page

bullying page

recent stop