by Daniel Johnson

July 28, 2024

50 Cent Calls For Removal Of White Judge Captured on Video Threatening To Shoot Black Teens

New York State Supreme Court Justice Erin Gall was captured on police bodycam video from 2022 threatening to shoot a group of Black teens if the police don't.

Rapper and television producer Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson is calling for the removal of a New York State Supreme Court judge who was seen on video threatening to shoot a group of Black teenagers at a high school graduation part.

According to Vibe, the video is from 2022, and depicts Erin Gall, who is white, intimidating a group of Black teenagers and at one point, threatening to shoot them if the police don’t.

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The video, which comes from the bodycam of an officer who responded to a reported trespassing at the party in New Hartford, New York, was released earlier in July and has resulted in several calls for Gall to be removed from her position as a state Supreme Court Judge. That includes 50 Cent on Instagram. “This is bad,” he wrote in part.

According to Vibe, Gall tells the teenagers, “You’re not going to find your keys. You got to call an Uber and get off the property. You’re going to get a cop escort home. I’ve done this for a million years. I’m a lawyer. I’m a judge. I know this.”

Here, it turned into a menacing encounter as she made sure to tell the officers that she knew they could shoot the teens without any legal consequences, before saying, “You can shoot them on the property.” If not, Gall said, “I’ll shoot them on the property.”

According to the Rochester Democrat-Chronicle, Gall also insulted the intelligence of the group of Black teenagers: “They don’t look like they’re that smart. They’re not going to business school, that’s for sure.” As the outlet reported, this was intended as a comparison to her son, who was allegedly involved in a fight at the party but was attending business school.

Gall was rebuffed at one point by an officer, who told her, “You can’t shoot somebody for simply going on your property…Do you hear what you’re saying? You’re all white, privileged people with high-power jobs.”

Undaunted, when informed that the officers could potentially face civil rights lawsuits for unlawful arrests, Gall told the officers, “The good part is I’m always on your side. You know I’d take anyone down for you guys. You know that.”

According to the Commission of Judicial Conduct’s report, which recommended that she be removed from her position for her actions, Gall “repeatedly violated the ethical rule prohibiting judges from lending the prestige of their judicial office to advance their own private interests or the interests of others.”

According to Robert H. Tembeckjian, the administrator of the State Commission on Judicial Conduct, Gall’s behavior is as shocking as anything he has seen in his 40 years of judicial ethics enforcement. The commission’s recommendation will go before the New York State Court of Appeals for a final recommendation.

Tembeckjian continued, “It is utterly unacceptable for a judge to threaten gun violence, exhibit racial prejudice, promise favorable treatment for the police, or disparage a law intended to keep guns away from dangerous people. Any one of these things would undermine public confidence in the administration of justice.”

by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

July 28, 2024

Axed NFL Player To Serve 60 Days Of Hard Labor For Animal Cruelty Charges

Isaiah Buggs allegedly left two dogs 'malnourished, emaciated and neglected' while under his ownership.

Former NFL player Isaiah Buggs will take on hard labor in Alabama due to his conviction on animal cruelty charges. After his second arrest for another offense, the Kansas City Chiefs released Buggs from its roster in June.

According to the Associated Press, a Tuscaloosa judge convicted the 27-year-old on two misdemeanor animal cruelty charges. Sentenced to a year of hard labor in the southern state, Buggs will only serve 60 days “pending” his behavior. The rest of the sentencing would be suspended for two years.

Buggs allegedly left two dogs “malnourished, emaciated and neglected” while under his ownership, as revealed in court documents obtained by the New York Post. According to the Tuscaloosa Patch, police found a white pitbull surrounded by feces on Buggs’ porch, while a Rottweiler also sat in a cage. Both animals had no access to food or water, court documents said.

Law enforcement issued arrest warrants against the professional athlete in May. His agent, Trey Robinson, initially called the charges a tactic to get Buggs to close his hookah lounge.

However, another arrest in June for domestic violence and burglary shifted Buggs’ NFL career. He allegedly pushed his child’s mother down a flight of stairs, leading to the Chiefs’ decision. Despite this, Buggs’ attorney called the conviction “confusing” and remains adamant that the case is not over.

“The Buggs situation is confusing and bears explaining, but it has not been concluded yet,” explained the lawyer, Greg Gambril, to WRBC.

The Pittsburgh Steelers originally drafted Buggs in 2019. He played there for three seasons before moving on to the Detroit Lions, who cut him after two seasons. He joined the Chiefs’ practice squad in 2023, recently signing an almost $1.3 million contract with the franchise. The athlete is now a free agent.

The specifics of his hard labor have not been disclosed.

by Mary Spiller

July 28, 2024

Carlee Russell Breaks Silence For First Time After Admitting Kidnapping Hoax

Carlee Russell reflected on her year in a post for her 27th birthday.

The Alabama woman who faked her abduction last year has spoken out for the very first time since her sentencing hearing in March. The 27-year-old Carlee Russell wrote a long caption to reflect on her past year on social media on July 22.

According to PEOPLE, the post was made to celebrate Russell’s birthday. She wrote, “I wasn’t going to make a birthday post but I would be remiss not to publicly acknowledge the goodness God has shown to me. He not only allowed me to see another year but He changed the trajectory of my life from the negative place I was in this time last year.”

She continued, “To those who have been there for me, your kindness and support have meant the world to me. Whether it was a text, call, direct message on social media, post, prayer, thoughtful gift, or words of encouragement, nothing was too little and each helped me to fight to live another day. Thank you sincerely for helping me find the light in the darkest of moments.”

Russell acknowledged that she knows she has a long road ahead of her in the court of public opinion but was, overall, optimistic about her future as she has learned from her experience.

“[As] I step into this next year of life, I am filled with hope and optimism toward continuing to overcome challenges, cherishing those who cherish me, and embracing the future and God’s plan for my life with an open heart and mind,” she finished.

In July 2023, Russell, a nursing student, found herself in the media spotlight after making a false 911 call claiming to see a toddler wandering on the side of a highway in a diaper. When police arrived on the scene to find her gone, it all eventually led to her being declared a missing person. A statewide manhunt searching for her ensued, with both local and federal authorities and community members joining in to look for her. Soon after, though, she revealed that the initial call and her disappearance had been a hoax.

She was sentenced to probation for false reporting to law enforcement and falsely reporting an incident. She received no jail time, although there were requests from the prosecutors, but she was found guilty in October 2023 by a judge in Hoover, Alabama.

by Daniel Johnson

July 28, 2024

Kamala Harris’ Campaign Charges Into Florida With ‘100 Days of Action’ To Flip Key Battleground State

Local Democratic Party campaign workers say that they haven't seen this kind of energy and excitement since the Obama campaign.

As Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign is now officially 100 days from the general election, it focused its efforts around a “100 days of action” weekend, encompassing Florida, typically a Republican stronghold.

According to the Tallahassee Democrat, the Harris campaign’s efforts in Florida began in earnest on July 26 to try and flip the state, targeting its estimated 30% of undecided voters using a variety of methods.

Jasmine Burney Clark, the director of the Harris campaign in Florida, told the outlet that they view Florida as a key battleground state and are determined to win.

“We are working for every vote in this state … it’s one we are determined to win,” Clark told the Democrat.

True to her word, Clark and the rest of the Harris campaign got 7,000 campaign volunteers to sign up in Florida during the 72 hours immediately after Harris announced her candidacy for the presidency. Local Democratic Party campaign workers told the outlet that they hadn’t seen this kind of energy and excitement since the Obama campaign.

Jennifer Griffith, the chair of the Pinellas County Democratic Executive Committee, told the Democrat that they had to expand their original plans to accommodate anticipated workers.

“I have never seen anything like this. We had to expand to a second shift on Saturday and add two more for Sunday because more people are trying to sign up. The maximum capacity for our office is 55 people.” Griffith said.

The campaign is actively targeting lapsed or no-party voters, who research indicates could potentially be swayed by Harris’s messaging. According to Tara Newsom, the director of St. Petersburg College’s Center for Civic Learning and Community Engagement, those voters lean moderate and are primarily interested in economic and education issues and support family planning and reproductive choice, things Trump’s platform lacks emphasis on.

“Harris offers a stark contrast to Trump, who is embracing an ultra-right messaging that sounds like the party of grievances, which makes the optics of Harris much more moderate,” Newsom said.

According to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, the Harris campaign is also determined not to repeat the mistake of the Clinton campaign and used a similar plan of action in Wisconsin, another state the campaign sees as a battleground state.

At a rally in West Allis on July 23, Harris told the crowd how important she believes Wisconsin will be in determining the next President of the United States of America. “The path to the White House goes through Wisconsin, and we are counting on you right here in Milwaukee.”

Harris officially opened her campaign in Wisconsin, a move that Marquette University political science professor Julia Azari believes is an important distinction between Harris’ campaign and Clinton’s campaign in 2016.

Azari says it is “a direct response to any of the inevitable comparisons with the Hilary Clinton campaign and the big critiques. (Clinton notably did not campaign in Wisconsin) I think it illustrates a likelihood that this will be the tipping point state.”

by Daniel Johnson

July 28, 2024

New Orleans Mayor Faces Federal Civil Rights Lawsuit From Woman She Accused Of Stalking

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell is now facing a federal civil rights lawsuit from the woman she accused of stalking her for taking the now infamous picture of Cantrell and her former bodyguard, Jeffrey Vappie, as they sat on the balcony of the Tableau restaurant.

Embattled New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell is now facing a federal civil rights lawsuit from the woman she accused of stalking her for taking the now infamous picture of Cantrell and her former bodyguard Jeffrey Vappie as they sat on the balcony of the Tableau restaurant.

According to WWLTV, Anne Breaud filed the lawsuit against Cantrell, Clifton Davis, her chief of staff, and three police officers, Leslie Guzman, Victor Gant, and Ryan St. Martin, who took the mayor’s police report. According to its report, Cantrell used the police report to claim that Breaud was stalking and harassing her.

In the lawsuit, Breaud accuses Cantrell of violating her civil rights by defaming her and stating false information in a protective order the mayor took out against Breaud. The order was dismissed. However, sensitive information about Breaud was made public before it was denied, including her Social Security number, an old driver’s license picture, and an expunged arrest.

According to the lawsuit, “LaToya W. Cantrell and some of the Defendants—law enforcement officers and City of New Orleans employees—violated federal and state law to obtain the Plaintiff’s private personal information, including, but not limited to her date of birth, her full Social Security number, and a dated photograph (late 1980s/early 1990s) which appears to be obtained from the Louisiana Department of Motor Vehicles. In addition to obtaining this private personal information, Defendant Cantrell and other Defendants improperly obtained a criminal history on Breaud, which included a 2016 arrest of Breaud in Assumption Parish, Louisiana, related to an alleged domestic violence incident.”

The lawsuit also claims that Cantrell’s statements that she was being followed or otherwise harassed by Breaud in the incident report filed with the New Orleans Police Department were false. “These statements are false and show actual malice on the part of Defendant Cantrell. She acted in reckless disregard for the truth,” the court documents read.

The lawsuit also claims that Cantrell used her position to, in effect, silence Breaud’s constitutionally protected speech.

The lawsuit states, “While Cantrell falsely painted herself as the victim of a pattern of stalking, harassment, and intimidation by Breaud, it is Cantrell who has engaged in a pattern of harassment and character assassination against Breaud, a person wrongly accused by Cantrell of stalking solely because Breaud captured a photograph of Cantrell and Vappie in a compromising position.”

Mayor Cantrell’s spokesperson issued the following statement to Axios concerning the lawsuit and its various allegations: “The City of New Orleans will withhold any comment at this time due to the ongoing nature of this litigation. Our position will be communicated in our answer to the petition.”

Softball, Sports, NIL Deal, College Softball

by Daniel Johnson

July 28, 2024

College Softball Standout NiJaree Canady Reportedly Lands ‘Unprecedented’ NIL Deal

Canady's deal is reportedly for one year, and is in excess of $1 million, officially coming in at $1,050,024.

Former Stanford University softball ace NiJaree Canady made waves when she announced on July 24 that she would join the Texas Tech Red Raiders in Lubbock. Her reported NIL deal could signify that softball is emerging as the next big thing in women’s sports.

According to The Athletic, Canady’s deal is reportedly for one year and is in excess of $1 million, officially coming in at $1,050,024 with Texas Tech’s NIL collective Matador Club for signing with the team.

John Sellers, the co-founder of the Matador Club, told the outlet what the signing means for both parties. “It’s a game-changer for softball, and even beyond that, she (Canady) could have gone anywhere, but she’s coming to Tech.”

These past two years have been amazing and I thank @StanfordSball for the ride of a lifetime. Excited for what’s ahead! @TexasTechSB pic.twitter.com/C017QT51Gp
— NiJaree Canady (@CanadyNijaree) July 24, 2024

Y’all ready for this one… 🥁

All-Pac12 First Team selection
2024 Pac-12 Pitcher of the year
0.53 ERA (Ranked #1)
243 strikeouts (Ranked #1)

USA Softball COLLEGIATE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Welcome to Lubbock, NiJaree Canady! pic.twitter.com/tBKR4HZDG6
— The Matador Club (@MatadorClubOrg) July 24, 2024

According to Blake Lawrence, the CEO of Opendorse, a company that facilitates and manages NIL deals, the deal is “unprecedented.”

“It’s absolutely unprecedented, for an annual compensation for a D-I softball player. This is 10 times higher than the biggest figures we have seen at Opendorse for college softball players. (The previous high was estimated at $175,000) There are very few six-figure players, and they are barely into the six figures.” Lawrence told The Athletic.

Canady is, in no uncertain terms, a superstar; her ERA over her first two years at Stanford was exceptional. In her freshman season it was 0.57 and in her sophomore year, it was 0.65, both were tops in the nation. Further proof of her complete dominance is last season’s strikeout numbers; she amassed a staggering 337 strikeouts across just barely over 230 innings.

Unsurprisingly, Canady was last season’s USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year.

“NiJa is already throwing as fast as I was a pro. Her limit does not exist. I think she could potentially reach 80 (mph). I don’t know — can NiJa be the Caitlin Clark of softball? I kind of believe she can,” former Tennessee pitcher Monica Abbott, current Guinness Book of World Records holder for the fastest softball pitch, told The Athletic in May.

After announcing her move to Texas Tech, Canady told ESPN that women’s sports deserve to be invested in because it will pay off on the back end.

“I could never have imagined this,” Canady said. “But I feel like we need to invest in women’s sports. We saw it with women’s basketball this year: You invest in women’s sports and women’s basketball just blew up on a national stage. I think the same thing has happened with softball…If I’m even a little part of that, that’s my whole dream.”

Canady continued, “My goal every year is to win the Women’s College World Series, so that’s my goal right now. I think there’s a good young core coming in and a lot of good players from Louisiana. They’re all studs and they looked really good. To be able to compete in the Big 12…I think that will be fun.”

Softball’s rise has been explicitly tied to the compelling nature of Canady’s performances, and like Clark, she does not shy away from unleashing her emotions when she deems it necessary.

“I feel like I show my emotion a lot on the mound,” Canady told the outlet in May. “Especially if it’s a good battle.”

Like the WNBA, what has triggered the explosion of softball and other women’s sports currently experiencing a boom in popularity is a combination of star power, television placement, and the work of the women who paved the way before them paying off.

Natasha Watley, a four-time first-team All-American at UCLA and a two-time Olympian who currently runs a foundation dedicated to increasing diversity in softball told The Athletic that before her transfer to Texas Tech, Canady was the key to that because of her visibility and popularity.

“I have a young daughter now; to see a Black pitcher at Stanford University – that’s normal. That wasn’t the norm for me,” Watley said. “I don’t know if she realizes how powerful it is.”

Michelle Obama's Brother, Discrimination Lawsuit, Private School

by Mary Spiller

July 28, 2024

Family Sues Uber After Two Young Girls Were Trafficked

The Uber drivers transporting the two girls are accused of not canceling the rides after learning of the girls' ages.

South Carolina families say two daughters, from two seperate households and both under 14, were trafficked using Uber. And now, both of the families have filed a lawsuit against the ride-share company.

Attorney Tracey Cowan describes the case as a nightmare of child sex trafficking from York County, South Carolina. The lawsuit alleges that Fayvion Jarrod Williams paid for an Uber to transport the girls across state lines to his North Carolina home, WYFF 4 reports. The driver allegedly did not stop the ride or deny service due to the girls’ ages.

Cowan said, “The girls were given drugs, and the 12-year-old was raped, struck, repeatedly, spit on, and the whole thing was filmed on the rapist’s phone, which he later sent around.”

She claimed that Uber drivers played a large role in the circumstances of the crime, adding, “Part of the reason that we’re seeing such a surge in these types of crimes is that it’s easier than ever for traffickers to transport and to essentially get their trafficking victim from one place to another.”

Williams was arrested in November 2023, charged, and pleaded guilty to all charges related to the incident. He was sentenced to 6 to 8 years.

The incident occurred in North Carolina after the two girls were allegedly brought across state lines from South Carolina via Uber. The victims’ family has sued Uber for their involvement in the transport.

According to Kris Ballew, a member of Switch, a sex trafficking advocacy group, “In South Carolina, as in all states, it is growing by leaps and bounds. Unfortunately, the victims are getting younger and younger. The typical age of entering sex trafficking is between the ages of 12 years old to 16. It used to be more like 14 to 16.”

Ballew explained that it was important for families to be aware that victims of sex trafficking are often targeted through social media interactions and transported via ride shares.

“Check up, see who they’re talking to, make sure that they have access to their social media accounts because that’s where we are seeing the greatest threat,” she told the outlet.

by Daniel Johnson

July 28, 2024

3 White Supremacists Sentenced Over Plot To Destroy Power Grid

According to the government, the men 'prepared, and trained to attack America’s power grid in order to advance their violent white supremacist ideology.'

The three men who plotted a white supremacist attack on an energy facility in Idaho and its surrounding states were sentenced on July 25, according to a press release from the Department of Justice.

According to United States Attorney General Merrick Garland, “As part of a self-described ‘modern-day SS,’ these defendants conspired, prepared, and trained to attack America’s power grid in order to advance their violent white supremacist ideology. These sentences reflect both the depravity of their plot and the Justice Department’s commitment to holding accountable those who seek to use violence to undermine our democracy.”

Paul James Kryscuk, a 38-year-old from Boise, Idaho; Liam Collins, a 25-year-old from Johnston, Rhode Island; and Justin Wade Hermanson, a 25-year-old from Swansboro, North Carolina, were all sentenced in connection to their roles in the plot.

Kryscuk was sentenced to six years and six months in prison for a charge of conspiracy to destroy an energy facility, Collins received 10 years for aiding and abetting the interstate transportation of unregistered firearms, and Hermanson received one year and nine months sentence for conspiracy to manufacture firearms and ship interstate.

According to USA Today, federal officials did not specify where the targeted facility was located, but court documents indicated that agents seized a list consisting of approximately a dozen locations in Idaho and surrounding states that held “a transformer, substation, or other component of the power grid for the Northwest United States.”

According to Attorney General Garland, the men met on a now-closed neo-Nazi forum called the “Iron March,” where they discussed and researched previous attacks on power grids. The Justice Department contends in a 2021 indictment of five defendants that the group spent time between 2017 and 2020 amassing supplies for the attack, including stealing military equipment, manufacturing firearms, and getting informed about toxins and explosives in preparation for the attack.

Collins and another co-defendant in the indictment, Jordan Duncan, also from North Carolina, used their status as Marines stationed at Camp Lejeune to Illegally obtain military equipment and information. They also wanted to use 50 pounds of explosives to destroy transformers.

According to a DOJ memo, “In October 2020, a handwritten list of approximately one dozen intersections and places in Idaho and surrounding states was discovered in Kryscuk’s possession, including intersections and places containing a transformer, substation, or other component of the power grid for the northwest United States.”

Attacks such as the ones plotted by these three men have become an area of elevated concern for the DOJ and the Department of Homeland Security. According to a 2019 paper by scholars from the University of Chicago and the Paul Scherrer Institute in Switzerland, “Most energy infrastructure is extensive, relatively easy to attack, and difficult to protect, which reduces the cost of attacking.”

This reduced cost is likely attractive to white supremacist groups, who, according to High Country News, have been historically active in the Western United States. These groups have increasingly been implicated in plots or attacks on energy substations in the United States, including three men arrested at a Las Vegas Black Lives Matter protest with Molotov cocktails in their car.

According to Bennett Clifford, an extremism researcher who is the co-author of a 2022 report on extremism for George Washington University’s Program on Extremism, “Extremists are seizing on the fact that other individuals are conducting successful attacks and perceived successful attacks on the energy grid.” He told High Country News, “They see all of these things as putting one more grain of sand in a big bucket, and to mix my analogies here, one of those things, in their view, will be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.”

brooklyn, state trooper, girl's death, murder charges

by Mary Spiller

July 27, 2024

Alabama Lawmaker Facing Federal Prison Time After Allegedly Breaking Plea Agreement

John Rogers served as an Alabama lawmaker in the House for 40 years prior to his arrest.

John Rogers, one of the longest-serving Alabama House lawmakers, faces federal prison. According to court records, Rogers has breached his long-standing plea agreement for misusing Jefferson County tax dollars during his last term.

Rogers’ term ended after he pleaded guilty to participating in a federal kickback scheme. The case involved the Jefferson County Community Action Fund, which used increased taxes in 2017 to support local students by funding new school construction. Rogers and fellow state lawmakers Fred Plump and Varrie Johnson Kindall exploited the action fund for personal gain.

The state senators directed some of the grant money to Plump’s youth baseball league, Piper Davis, over several years. Plump would then “kick back” nearly half of the grant proceeds to Rogers and Kindall. Kindall would go on to cash the money in the form of checks.

For his involvement, Rogers agreed to a plea agreement to serve a 14-month sentence with house arrest.

However, according to court records, Rogers allegedly breached his plea agreement, and now prosecutors are pushing for him to finish out his sentenced time in a federal prison.

In Rogers’ sentencing memorandum, involved prosecutors said, “Rather than ensuring the fund’s money was used to help inner city kids learn to play baseball, as he promised would be done, Rogers stole $200,000 to support himself and his lover. Rogers helped destroy Piper Davis and deprived other worthy charities to satiate his greed.”

Rogers’ plea agreement included home confinement and a guilty plea for his role in the kickback scheme. According to court records, Rogers convinced Kindall to “accept full responsibility for the kickback scheme and tell investigators that he was not involved.” In exchange, he promised to pay her mortgage and care for her children while she was imprisoned.

Despite signing the plea agreement, Rogers’ defense attorney later filed an objection and stated, “Defendant does [sic] have any memory of making this promise. However, the defendant does acknowledge that said information is contained in the factual basis of his plea agreement and that he signed the factual basis and admitted in open court that the factual basis was substantially correct.”

Prosecutors pointed out that this objective filing breaches the plea agreement and that Rogers should serve his 14-month sentence in prison instead of at home.

Rogers’ next sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 30, and the federal government has already requested Rogers pay nearly “$400,000 in restitution and forfeiture fees.”

by Daniel Johnson

July 27, 2024

New York State Reparations Committee Sets First Meeting

The New York State Community Commission on Reparations Remedies will have approximately a year and a half to produce a final report.

Following New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s signing of a bill in December 2023 to establish a commission to study reparations for the descendants of enslaved people and New York’s broader role in the slave trade, the commission will hold its first meeting.

According to Spectrum News, the New York State Community Commission on Reparations Remedies is set to meet on July 30 at the Capitol in Albany to create an outline for their work, which will go on for approximately a year and a half.

After such time, the commission is expected to produce a report directly to the legislature by the close of 2025. The process is similar to California‘s progress with its reparations study earlier this year.

In New York’s case, although slavery was officially abolished in New York in 1827, there were insurance companies based in New York that would insure enslaved people.

The appointed commissioners range from experts at HBCUs to civil rights and poverty experts to faith leaders and more, all appointed by Gov. Hochul, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie.

Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages told Spectrum she is excited by the group’s diversity.

“They all have a unique expertise, which is very exciting to see, that they come from different lenses, whether it’s public, private [or] academia, they all have a unique perspective to bring to the table.”

Solages is the sponsor of the bill that Gov. Hochul signed into law in December 2023, and the New York State budget for 2024 included $5 million for the study, which includes examinations of the impacts of original enslavement, segregation and Jim Crow, and present-day or ongoing racism.

Solages continued, emphasizing her belief in the commission’s ability to produce a report that can provide a starting point to redress the problems created by America’s original sin and its progeny.

“I believe they’re going to come up with a report that really highlights what we can do to really begin this healing process and to talk about how we can take apart these systems that were really created to suppress individuals in New York state,” Solages told Spectrum. “Whether it’s redlining, unfair housing policies, you know, economic practices, there are systems that exist today that we need to dismantle to ensure that we have an equitable and just New York.”

Solages, meanwhile, is hopeful about what the commission can accomplish.

“We’ve been talking about centuries upon centuries of disenfranchisement of Black Americans and so when we convene, it’s going to be historical,” Solages explained to Spectrum. “This is actually a reflection point to say that we are not our past, but our future, and that we can have a better future for all.”