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Our view: Keep building on the 'Auburn Cayuga Approach'

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The Citizen Newspaper Editorial Board, published September 3, 2020

Auburn Police Department Sgt. Christine Gilfus and Jack Hardy of the Harriet Tubman Center for Justice and Peace talk at a "getting to know you" event hosted Aug. 28 by center. (Photo Credit: Lisa Brennan, HTCJP Secretary)

Auburn Police Department Sgt. Christine Gilfus and Jack Hardy of the Harriet Tubman Center for Justice and Peace talk at a "getting to know you" event hosted Aug. 28 by center. (Photo Credit: Lisa Brennan, HTCJP Secretary)

All around the nation over the past few months, millions of people have marched and demonstrated in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Not long after those demonstrations began, another public demonstration began — marches and rallies in support of law enforcement.

Many of these events are being framed, if not by organizers then by many participants, as being diametrically opposed to each other. There's an implication that you can't possibly stand up to say "Black Lives Matter" if you also feel compelled to "Back the Blue."

And that's a huge part of why tensions remain so high all over the United States. There has been far too little work aimed at building understanding of each other as people, and searching for common ground upon which to establish a foundation for fundamental social justice reforms.

Fortunately for people in Auburn and Cayuga County, we've seen the exact opposite approach. While people standing up for social justice issues and law enforcement still have much work to do, leaders have been coming together with a true purpose.

LOCAL NEWS

Auburn law enforcement, social justice leaders connect at event

An excellent example of a small but deeply meaningful effort took place last week when law enforcement and social justice leaders got together for a "speed dating" type of event in Auburn in which everyone spent time talking to each other about their lives. It wasn't a debate on what's going in city hall, Albany or Washington. It was just a chance to get to know others as people.

Bill Berry Jr., event host and chair of the Harriet Tubman Center for Justice and Peace, explained the purpose well in a post on the center's website:

"Build community where different opinions could be heard, valued, and respected; where everyone recognizes that compromise is a stance to achieve in order to reach an agreed upon end game of true partnership and cooperation."

This philosophy, part of what the Tubman Center calls the "Auburn Cayuga Approach," takes a lot of hard work to put into action. And we all should be proud and grateful to have community leaders willing to do that work.

But it also takes the rest of the community to achieve meaningful and lasting progress. To that end, Berry and the Tubman Center are encouraging everyone to consider organizing similar "getting to know you" type of events.

We'd love to see these happen all over the city and county, and perhaps it can be an inspiration beyond our borders for other communities to start moving past divisions so they can start righting some long-standing wrongs.

The Citizen editorial board includes publisher Michelle Bowers, executive editor Jeremy Boyer and managing editor Mike Dowd.

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Auburn law enforcement, social justice leaders connect at event

David Wilcox, Features Editor, The Citizen Newspaper, published

September 3, 2020

READ FULL ARTICLE
 

A Gathering of Community Leaders: Getting to Know One Another

view of the garden taken from upstairs window.JPG

“Getting To Know You” was a private event held on August 28, 2020 for leadership of law enforcement and local social justice agencies to engage each other in a fun, social way similar to speed dating over lunch with timed conversations. Eight distinct physical distancing tables with two chairs enabled participants to focus on a simple goal. Get to know something about the person you were talking to and not get into what the person did for a living. The photo montage (below) gives you a glimpse that personal group conversations between individuals who really need to start to know one another is possible even with the regulations related to keeping everyone safe during the pandemic.

Enjoy the Slide Show below of the “Getting to Know You” event held on August 28, 2020: (Photo credit: Lisa Brennan, HTCJP Secretary)

DSC_6074.JPG

         Hosted by the chair of the Harriet Tubman Center for Peace and Justice with members of that organization involved, the leadership of the Auburn/Cayuga branch of the NAACP, Auburns’ Human Rights Commission, Auburn Police Department and the Cayuga County Sheriff’s Office rounded out the participants.

          The bottom line take-away or what I routinely refer to as “aftershock” is restively simple and not that complex.

          If you are able, with minimal organization and time allotment, identify a small group of neighbors or co-workers who want to move past the artificiality of  knowing who our public safety officers are and are ready to get to know them as people. I am confident there will be officers who would welcome (depending on assignment and schedule) to get to know residents as long as there is no discussion of what someone does career-wise so perceptions and long held beliefs are not part of the person to person engagement.

I stand ready to advise such grass root initiatives and share with you what was learned from the first “Getting to Know You” initiative. At its essence, the “Auburn Cayuga Approach”  attempts to identify and build a viable and specific platform to be the action plan when community  demonstrations, marches, speeches, signs and other efforts to sway public policy start to recede in the public’s mind and folks look to figure out what is next. In a small way, all collaborating partners involved in the social justice milieu will continue to chart a plausible path. The community’s ideas and concerns are welcome.  

~ bill berry, jr. 

bill berry, jr. is the CEO of aaduna, Inc. and publishes the Auburn-based global literary and visual arts journal called aaduna. He serves as chair of the HTCJP and from his perspective, this essay is a profoundly personal assessment of where he feels social justice in Auburn is headed, evolving and its need for further community engagement.

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The Age of Hypocrisy: Understanding Our Truths in a Divisive National Atmosphere-

an opinion essay by bill berry, jr.

CLICK TO READ ESSAY
 

The Age of Hypocrisy: Understanding Our Truths in a Divisive National Atmosphere-

an opinion essay by bill berry, jr.

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To put what I am sharing in its proper perspective, if you do not know about; are not from, or even if you live in Auburn, New York, here are a few basics. {Of course, our local tourism board can provide a more in-depth analysis.} https://www.tourcayuga.com/

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        Auburn is a small and only city in predominately rural and basically agricultural Cayuga County. This upstate New York State city is sited within the Finger Lakes region  and is noted for its legacy of being “home” to American heroes Harriet Tubman and William H. Seward. The city’s population of  27,687 residents is 86% white, 8% Black, 3% Hispanic, 3% bi-racial, and less than 1% Asian and Native American. The County’s population is similar with a population of 76,576 neighbors. Whites account for 92%, Blacks 4.4%, Hispanics 3.1% Bi-racial 2.3%, Asians .07% and Native American .05%. These demographics may help frame and put into perspective what a small city and upstate county can  achieve to start to address issues involving the 21st century dynamics of law enforcement while being cognizant of the simple fact that no community’s thinking is homogeneous or purposely single-minded.

           It is not necessary to re-iterate all the societal complexities that are faced as local communities, regional areas, and the nation grapple with current events and historical realities steeped in American racism and inequality. George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Jacob Blake, BLM, armed militias, neighbors existing in their tribe solely based on deeply-seeded politics, race, and culture. Society is beginning to better comprehend that opportunities for success and family wealth have been for some and not others. The ladder of equity has been hampered by a legal system that renders a distinct brand of law to a majority group and has been totally oblivious to the unequal, unfair and often times brutal treatment of others permeated by law enforcement and the judicial system. The result continues to be the planned subjugation of an essential working class that all too often are people of color. And then, whether it is covert or overt, there is what is becoming increasingly routine, senseless killing of, or unprovoked assault on Black men, women, other peaceful white protestors. The harrowing mental impact of subjecting young African American children to the same vicious assault placed on their parents has shocked the nation and is indicative of a callous disregard for protecting the safety of Black children. (And note, the police’s use of less lethal weaponry, without appropriate training, since 1990 has led to over 300 people becoming disabled with at least 50 deaths according to the journal, BMJ Open, a “peer-reviewed open access medical journal that was established in 2011.”)

          Black lives are now measured in minutes, seconds, the number of bullet holes, body bags and caskets and no longer predicated on life insurance actuarial tables. The bended  knee once seen as disrespect for the flag, military service and a signal of “how dare they” black arrogance fueled by the blatant ignorance of elected national leaders is now a global multi-racial symbol of courage, peaceful resistance, and willingness to do the work for planned and systemic social justice change. 

          Now, it may be common-sense to appropriately cast dispersion on those rogue police officers who are sworn to serve and protect yet they miserably fail to do that basic exercise for people of color. There are significant numbers of American and global citizens who are beginning to better understand the proposition that not everyone is served or protected equally under the law. Unfortunately, the majority of “those in blue” are cast as agents of forced containment and keeping certain people in their generational  place as being “less than.” However, the majority of law enforcement officers are decent individuals who want those things in life that are guaranteed for all by the U.S. Constitution. They have been stigmatized and cloaked in nefarious actions by reprehensible uniformed police criminals who remain protected by the “blue wall of silence,” wily defense attorneys, unyielding unions that have only one consistent, never changing message, reluctant and tardy prosecutors, and juries that do not adequately represent the diverse fabric of who we really look like as a unified people belonging to one nation.

          Auburn/Cayuga, like other communities, is influenced emotionally and in its collective and individual mindset by national events. More notably, as a local community, we continue to strive to better manifest the community we aspire to be, inclusive and equitable. Truth be told, we are not there; yet, planned change is not an instant mix of ingredients for immediate gratification. It is hard work that must be consistent and unrelenting.

“Connecting Bridges” first public forum held on November 18, 2019 at the Westminster Presbyterian Church, Auburn NY. A second forum was held at the Booker T. Washington Center, Auburn, NY on December 3rd, and on December 10th, the third and final f…

“Connecting Bridges” first public forum held on November 18, 2019 at the Westminster Presbyterian Church, Auburn NY. A second forum was held at the Booker T. Washington Center, Auburn, NY on December 3rd, and on December 10th, the third and final forum of the fall series was held at the Apostolic Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, Auburn, NY.

            A few years ago, the Harriet Tubman Center for Justice and Peace (HTCJP,) which was  organized in 1996 to address social justice issues in all its various stages in the Auburn/Cayuga community, started to work proactively with the Auburn Police Department (APD,) the Cayuga County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) and Auburn Fire Department under the leadership of Chief Shawn Butler, Sheriff Brian Schenck and Fire Chief Joseph Morabito, respectively. The long-range goal was to develop strategic plans to diversify the employment ranks of those agencies, as well as to build a better relationship between law enforcement, uniformed services and the community. With a focus on people of color, as well as other residents who were not represented in policing ranks and often on the receiving end of a different level of public safety engagement, an increased number of applicants were platformed on enhanced applicant diversity in 2019. (Interestingly, the son (Jack Hardy) of Auburn’s first Black fireman is now the leader of the City of Auburn Civil Service Commission.)

[Left to Right] Chief Joe Morabito, Auburn Fire Department, Jack Hardy, Chair, Auburn Civil Service Commission, Deputy Chief, Roger Anthony, Auburn Police Department, and Lieutenant, James Slayton, Auburn Police Department. Photo taken at the “Conne…

[Left to Right] Chief Joe Morabito, Auburn Fire Department, Jack Hardy, Chair, Auburn Civil Service Commission, Deputy Chief, Roger Anthony, Auburn Police Department, and Lieutenant, James Slayton, Auburn Police Department. Photo taken at the “Connecting Bridges” second of three public forums held on December 3, 2019 at the Booker T. Washington Community Center in Auburn, NY.

        Partnering with the City’s Civil Service Commission and in collaboration with the Auburn/Cayuga branch of the NAACP and the City of Auburn’s Human Rights Commission (HRC,) a long range, measurable strategic and assessment oriented plan was developed to position the community, law enforcement and uniform services as one community with shared values, respect and the willingness to be partners at a time where many communities were becoming or continuing to be disjointed. This Auburn effort was initiated in a national limelight when efforts to tear down separateness and obstacles between residents and officers sworn to protect and serve were locked in a Sisyphusian dilemma. 

          The Auburn approach was simple in its goal but complex and arduous in its execution.

Building Bridges flyer 2019 2020.jpg

          Build community where different opinions could be heard, valued, and respected; where everyone recognizes that compromise is a stance to achieve in order to reach an agreed upon end game of true partnership and cooperation. To embrace a person beyond the artificiality of a uniform, job title, or social standing in the community. To see a person beyond the perceived confines of race, class, culture, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. To value and empower the unique features that make each person who s/he is. To cease, whenever possible, pre-determining a person’s worth. To tackle the difficult task of appreciating commonalities, shared goals, common dreams of living a life worth living, of preparing a better future for one’s children and grands.

Connecting Bridges.jpg

          “Connecting Bridges,” a 2019 collaborative initiative between social justice agencies spearheaded by the HTCJP, city and county law enforcement, propelled leaders to sit down, listen to and engage community residents in frank discussions that were sometimes difficult. While community attendance at these three forums were low, there was the shared realization that change cannot be manifested without sowing the seeds for such change. And often that is a learning process, an objective cemented in trial and error… Missteps became needed learning lessons. Adaptation and evolution were critical to keep one’s eyes on the end goal.

          Operational changes were made in how the community bridges would continue in 2020. With a focus on audience specific forums that would pinpoint residents in housing complexes, students in educational institutions, and the membership of other organizations, HTCJP and uniformed services recognized that “captivated” audiences were better suited to the investment of social justice time instead of the open to all public forums that kicked started the initiative.

          And then Covid-19 reared its nefarious shadow; hidden; invisible; deadly, and still relentless in its pursuit of rampant world-wide sickness and untimely death.

          The “connecting bridges” concept had to adapt, to mutate towards another route that could serve the community during the restrictions developed to combat “19.”

On August 10, 2020 the Auburn, N.Y. Police Department (APD) executive team provided a community presentation to the leadership of Auburn’s social justice organizations. Led by Chief Butler, the goal of this gathering was to enhance understanding of …

On August 10, 2020 the Auburn, N.Y. Police Department (APD) executive team provided a community presentation to the leadership of Auburn’s social justice organizations. Led by Chief Butler, the goal of this gathering was to enhance understanding of APD’s policies, protocols, operational procedures, and other issues. This event was co-sponsored by the following partner organizations: the Harriet Tubman Center for Justice & Peace, Inc. ; the Auburn Cayuga Branch NAACP; and, the City of Auburn Human Rights Commission.

        The resultant thinking centered around presenting statistical and current data, as well as protocols and policies that govern law enforcement by each policing agency in a transparent and informative manner. The rationale was driven by the community’s need to better understand what law enforcement did and how. With this approach, community folks could better define and articulate their opinions based on facts. Collaborative partners wanted the community to take law enforcement to task based on its data sets; recognize achievements and outstanding service based on departmental policies and hard data. Hot button issues regarding use of deadly force, as well as  arrest records by race and gender, training issues, the philosophy behind the departmental mission statement, programs designed for community engagement and officer wellness, governmental funding and the rationale behind the operational budget, and other issues.

        The Auburn Police Department (APD) via its entire leadership command presented a live streamed and recorded session in the City Council chambers at Auburn Memorial City Hall. (And it should be mentioned that through all initiatives, some that I have not mentioned, were routinely communicated to governmental leaders and encouraged their participation to listen, learn and be engaged.) The “Auburn Cayuga Approach” continued to move forward.          

The Cayuga County Sheriff’s Office will host and present its live streamed presentation on September 14 in the auditorium of Cayuga Community College. The HTCJP will also live stream this event via its Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/htcjpauburn

LIVE STREAM SHERIFF Community EVENT 9 14 2020.jpg

        And while these events enable the larger community to grasp the intricacies of public safety and policing, the partners (law enforcement and social justice organizations) recognized this was not enough. We had to start to tackle who we are as people While the data driven information and protocols would help frame the more difficult conversations to come as we started to focus on the actuality experienced by community members, a piece was missing.

          We needed to know each other as people.

HTCJP August 28 cover.jpg
view of the garden taken from upstairs window.JPG

“Getting To Know You” was a private event for leadership of law enforcement and local social justice agencies to engage each other in a fun, social way similar to speed dating over lunch with timed conversations. Eight distinct physical distancing tables with two chairs enabled participants to focus on a simple goal. Get to know something about the person you were talking to and not get into what the person did for a living. The photo montage (below) gives you a glimpse that personal group conversations between individuals who really need to start to know one another is possible even with the regulations related to keeping everyone safe during the pandemic.

Enjoy the Slide Show below of the “Getting to Know You” event held on August 28, 2020:

DSC_6074.JPG

         Hosted by the chair of the Harriet Tubman Center for Peace and Justice with members of that organization involved, the leadership of the Auburn/Cayuga branch of the NAACP, Auburns’ Human Rights Commission, Auburn Police Department and the Cayuga County Sheriff’s Office rounded out the participants.

          The bottom line take-away or what I routinely refer to as “aftershock” is restively simple and not that complex.

          If you are able, with minimal organization and time allotment, identify a small group of neighbors or co-workers who want to move past the artificiality of  knowing who our public safety officers are and are ready to get to know them as people. I am confident there will be officers who would welcome (depending on assignment and schedule) to get to know residents as long as there is no discussion of what someone does career-wise so perceptions and long held beliefs are not part of the person to person engagement.

I stand ready to advise such grass root initiatives and share with you what was learned from the first “Getting to Know You” initiative. At its essence, the “Auburn Cayuga Approach”  attempts to identify and build a viable and specific platform to be the action plan when community  demonstrations, marches, speeches, signs and other efforts to sway public policy start to recede in the public’s mind and folks look to figure out what is next. In a small way, all collaborating partners involved in the social justice milieu will continue to chart a plausible path. The community’s ideas and concerns are welcome.  

~ bill berry, jr. 

bill berry, jr. is the CEO of aaduna, Inc. and publishes the Auburn-based global literary and visual arts journal called aaduna. He serves as chair of the HTCJP and from his perspective, this essay is a profoundly personal assessment of where he feels social justice in Auburn is headed, evolving and its need for further community engagement.

 
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JOIN US! Monday, September 14th @2PM for a LIVE STREAM Event presented by the Cayuga County Sheriff's Office

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JOIN US Via LIVE STREAM

Click here

You may also JOIN US Via Facebook: @htcjpauburn

Due to NYS pandemic regulations and County guidance, the event will not be open to the public, and those attending in person will be present by invitation only.

Letter: History shows we can make social justice progress

“My View,” Gilda Brower, Letter to the Editor, The Citizen Newspaper, published August 21, 2020

Gilda Brower, HTCJP Vice-Chair & Founding Member, speaks at the Harriet Tubman Center for Justice & Peace, Inc. sponsored Town Hall Community Meeting held on June 27, 2020 at the NYS Equal Rights Heritage Center in Auburn, NY (Photo credit: …

Gilda Brower, HTCJP Vice-Chair & Founding Member, speaks at the Harriet Tubman Center for Justice & Peace, Inc. sponsored Town Hall Community Meeting held on June 27, 2020 at the NYS Equal Rights Heritage Center in Auburn, NY (Photo credit: Lisa Brennan, HTCJP Board Secretary)

I trust each one of us can agree that societal changes have happened during our lives and our grandparents’ lives. Cars, televisions, computers, as well as world wars and the atom bomb, which was dropped on Hiroshima when I was  1 month old, are dynamic situations that prompted profound changes in human society. What is “normal” today was not normal at all in my grandmother’s day, or during most of my life. Consider the following facts to understand the “universality” of social justice changes that benefit every one of us today.

1. In 1900, when my grandmother was born, 80% of the world population was serf, peasant or slave and did not have the right to vote or legal protection.

2. Though voting rights were expanding throughout the world at that time, to a large extent only white men who owned land could vote. Most men and women were “owned” by their traditions, such as “share crop,” in which peasants, serfs and former slaves gave a portion of their crops to the “lords” who owned the land.

3. Peasants, serfs and slaves did not have legal “rights” to life and liberty.

4. It was legal to own humans for more than 40 centuries. Bias, such as white supremacy, inferiority of women and dehumanizing blacks and all nonwhites, was legal, and existed for centuries and throughout my own grandmother’s life (1900–1953).

5. Women were “purchased” for marriage and their person and their belongings became the legal possessions of their husbands.

6. Every kind of bias was legal, even unjust and abusive behaviors were condoned. Domestic violence was legal and condoned! Child abuse and sexual exploitation was condoned. “Victims” were ostracized and punished by the “system” which blamed the victims.

7. The 13th Amendment “freeing” all citizens of the United States was passed just 30 years before my grandmother was born.

8. “Civil Rights” legislation was passed in 1963, when I was in college, which allowed education and jobs to be available to blacks, women and other minorities.

9. Before “Civil Rights” legislation it was legal to deny education and jobs to women and people of color. Housing and jobs could legally be denied on the basis of race and sex. After "Civil Rights" legislation, jobs, housing and education started the long road of seeking equality for all; however, there continued to be obstacles, both covert and overt.

10. Prior to 1963 and throughout my life up to that time, it was legal to deny housing, deny jobs and physically abuse minorities, wives and children. (Remember the old saying, “spare the rod, spoil the child”?) It was legal to hang a sign saying, “Blacks need not apply” (for jobs or housing).

11. Since 1963, the long hard road of pushing against long-established norms and biases has been challenged legally. We now, thanks to civil rights legislation, openly address domestic violence, which is no longer condoned. We now openly address child abuse, and priests are no longer allowed to sexually abuse children, which was quietly condoned and overlooked all over the world. Workplace sexual harassment is no longer condoned, as evidenced by celebrities who have lost their “privilege” and their careers due to sexual harassment of employees. African-Americans and women are now able to study medicine and law. Blacks are more able to live wherever they would like, rather than finding absolute restrictions confining them to one (often rundown) neighborhood.

Therefore, we all agree that ...

12. There are many good reasons why we all feel biases for our political parties, sports teams and churches. Most of our biases are helpful and good. Only biases removing personal safety and liberty of others are both unconstitutional and, thankfully now, unlawful.

13. Every citizen, Republican, Democrat, woman, man, Baptist, Catholic, Jewish, or Muslim, are benefiting from equal opportunity, freedom from sexual harassment and freedom from violence (domestic and institutional).

14. Violence, which law enforcement addresses every day, is the product of neglect, mental illness, poverty, systemic racism and ignorance. We are all united in our commitment to address violence and the victims trapped in abusive and toxic lives.

15. It now feels normal to have African Americans and women become doctors, lawyers and successful businessmen and women, and for diverse candidates and politicians to routinely seek the votes of women and minorities. None of that was normal in my grandmother’s day. The vote was given to women when she was 20 years old. And in my lifetime prejudice and legally condoned injustices did not start to be addressed until I turned 20! Not that long ago!

Auburn resident Gilda Brower is a founding member of the Harriet Tubman Center for Justice and Peace and also a member of the Auburn Human Rights Commission.

Letter to Editor Gilda Brower.jpg

“My View,” Gilda Brower, Letter to the Editor, The Citizen Newspaper, published August 21, 2020

View Letter As Published
 
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Participate and Learn...pathways to understanding the Cayuga County Sheriff's Office 

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(left to right) Undersheriff Steve Smith, HTCJP Chair, bill berry, jr., and Sheriff Brian Schenck (photo credit Lisa Brennan) August 19, 2020

(left to right) Undersheriff Steve Smith, HTCJP Chair, bill berry, jr., and Sheriff Brian Schenck (photo credit Lisa Brennan) August 19, 2020

bill berry, jr. (chair, Harriet Tubman Center for Justice and Peace, Inc.) and Lisa Brennan (secretary, HTCJP) participated or more pointedly observed the Cayuga County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) "Active Shooter" training on Wednesday, August 19, 2020. There were two training exercises that they witnessed. Afterwards, they had an enhanced understanding of the split second decisions that must be made by officers when there is an active shooter in a facility whether it is a school, hospital, office building, movie theater, another venue, and especially where there have been innocent people wounded or killed in the facility.

After firing a few rounds of the ammunition training gun – not real, the HTCJP chair inadvertently pointed the gun towards the Sheriff and Undersheriff (also where Lisa was standing supposedly out of harms way) and panic quickly spread with multiple shouts of "point the gun downwards." Embarrassed, the voices still rung in bill's ears well after he left the county's vacant nursing home located adjacent to the Cayuga County Sheriff's Office, currently being utilized as a CCSO training facility. So, bill did NOT shoot the sheriff or even the "deputy." Bob Marley is now further embedded in berry's consciousness.

Many thanks to the graciousness of Sheriff Schenck and Undersheriff Smith, as well as the officers in training and the training officer for their time and answering a variety of questions. Their answers and subsequent discussion increased the understanding of what law enforcement does in dire situations that we hope will never be manifested in Cayuga County. 

For those who may be interested in experiencing this exercise or other aspects of public safety training, please send an e-mail to  bschenck@cayugacounty.us

 
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Letter: Education leaders must do their part

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“My View,” bill berry, jr., Letter to the Editor, The Citizen Newspaper, published August 16, 2020

bill berry, jr. speaks at the Harriet Tubman Center for Justice & Peace, Inc. sponsored Town Hall Community Meeting held on June 27, 2020 at the NYS Equal Rights Heritage Center in Auburn, NY (Photo credit: Lisa Brennan, HTCJP Board Secretary)

bill berry, jr. speaks at the Harriet Tubman Center for Justice & Peace, Inc. sponsored Town Hall Community Meeting held on June 27, 2020 at the NYS Equal Rights Heritage Center in Auburn, NY (Photo credit: Lisa Brennan, HTCJP Board Secretary)

The community continues to move forward with pertinent conversations and actions with local law enforcement to enhance equity and better understanding between the two cohorts. Based on the recent presentation and transparency driven by statistical information to social justice organizations by the Auburn Police Department and a pending mid-September presentation from the Cayuga County Sheriff’s Office, it is time for social justice organizations to challenge the diversity intentions of those institutions that educate our young people.

The Auburn Enlarged City School District and Cayuga Community College’s executive leadership have been absent in articulating or discussing how their institutions are manifesting administrative/executive leadership that recruits, appoints, recognizes and values leaders of color. Now this observation may be misplaced. However, the community has not been advised of such written and measurable institutional plans. Those leaders and their boards are now on notice and challenged to provide to the community their written plans to diversify their administrative and teaching ranks to better prepare students for a diverse and multicultural world of employment and societal participation.

Law enforcement has the appropriate hurdle of a civil service exam, and multiple subsequent tests that extend over a year to finally identify candidates who are qualified to be hired. As social justice organizations work with Auburn police and the county sheriff’s office, our proactive vision must not overlook those institutions that play a major and significant involvement in the life of our children. And if the institutional leaders of our children’s education are not capable of making diversity a real initiative, I suspect the elected and appointed boards need to take on that task. At that point, board members’ responsibility is to guide and task educational leaders with their vision to conscientiously move forward the overall best interests of the community, as well as hold those leaders accountable for inactivity, lack of vision, or failure to comprehend the tenors of the times and the mood of this community.

William Berry Jr.

Auburn

William Berry Jr. is chair of the Harriet Tubman Center for Justice and Peace and publisher of aaduna.

 
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Letter: Free speech means sometimes disagreeing

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“My View,” Dr. Lucien Lombardo, Letter to the Editor, The Citizen Newspaper, published August 14, 2020

Dr. Lucien Lombardo speaks at the Harriet Tubman Center for Justice & Peace, Inc. sponsored Town Hall Community Meeting held on June 27, 2020 at the NYS Equal Rights Heritage Center in Auburn, NY (Photo credit: Lisa Brennan, HTCJP Board Secretar…

Dr. Lucien Lombardo speaks at the Harriet Tubman Center for Justice & Peace, Inc. sponsored Town Hall Community Meeting held on June 27, 2020 at the NYS Equal Rights Heritage Center in Auburn, NY (Photo credit: Lisa Brennan, HTCJP Board Secretary)

In a letter published July 30, 2020, Andrew Dennison asks: “Where was my free-speech last month?” Legislator Dennison should look in the June 26 edition of the newspaper. His free speech rights were recognized and his views about racism were published for all to read.

Once his First Amendment rights were respected, Mr. Dennison must have understood that people would react to his words. Given his position as a county legislator (or as a private citizen) this must be why he wrote. We believe what rankled Mr. Dennison was that those who responded to his words (many whose voices were not heard in the past because they did not look like Mr. Dennison, i.e., people who experience lives as Black people) were able to make their voices heard in the legislative meeting and in the newspaper.

Many who responded to Mr. Dennison’s words in a critical way did look like Mr. Dennison (were white) but these Mr. Dennison dismisses as "left-leaning,"  "Democrats" (not people like him).

In essence, people (whether Black or white) speaking up against what they perceive as "racist" statements (rather than tacitly accepting them) is the problem Mr. Dennison is really addressing — not First Amendment rights.

Mr. Dennison should recognize by now that voices of people who do not look like him will be speaking their truths whether he likes it or not! Their voices will matter! He can listen and learn, just as those who disagree with him should listen to and learn from him. They did this when the Cayuga County Legislature (or "Democrats" as Mr. Dennison says) “pushed a diversity resolution” in July of 2019.

The First Amendment says, “Congress shall Congress shall make no law… abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

Mr. Dennison’s right to free speech was not restricted in any way. In fact, Mr. Dennison seeks to restrict free speech by his veiled threats to sue The Citizen and two prominent people of color in the community, whom he singles out by name (even though a wide range of people, Black and white, spoke out against his previous letter).

Listening to and learning from diverse voices and experiences can make us uncomfortable and make life more complicated, but it is what makes our community fairer and more just for all.

Lucien Lombardo

Auburn

Lucien Lombardo is a board member and past chair of Harriet Tubman Center for Justice and Peace.

 
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Together We Move Forward

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On Monday, August 10th in Auburn Memorial City Hall Council’s chambers, the Auburn Police Department executive team provided a formal presentation to the leadership of Auburn’s social justice organizations. Led by Chief Shawn Butler, this gathering sought to enhance understanding as to APD’s policies, protocols, operational procedures, and other issues that the leadership of social justice organizations need to know especially as these organizations move forward initiatives to create a more inclusive, respectful community in partnership with law enforcement.

In collaboration with the Auburn/Cayuga branch of the NAACP and the City of Auburn’s Human Rights Commission, the Harriet Tubman Center for Justice and Peace worked with and helped to facilitate the Auburn Police Department’s presentation.  

These photographs follow the agenda and order of presentations by APD officers.

(Photo credit for all images: bill berry, jr.) 

Please click the play button below to view the LIVE STREAM

https://www.auburnny.gov/home/news/auburn-police-department-community-forum-policing-our-community-august-10-2020

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Check out Positive Parenting News Feed ~ A project of the Child Trends News Service, supported by the National Science Foundation. The website provides helpful information and resources for parents to support their children during these unprecedented times.

Past research finds that students in under-resourced communities often lose more skills during summer break than their well-off peers. Due to the pandemic, the interruption to traditional learning may result in significant losses in math and reading skills that experts are calling the “COVID slump.” While it is difficult to know exactly how much learning will be lost, new research suggests that some students will lose the equivalent of a full year’s worth of academic gains by the start of the next school year.

Researchers interviewed parents of children with learning disabilities to better understand their online learning experiences. Parents reported that online education requires a significant time commitment and that parent-teacher communication is critical for success. Experts say parents should be proactive about reaching out to their child’s teachers and service providers, ask for help to put a remote education and therapy plan place in place, and set realistic daily goals.