SAGE’s Pride in Place Campaign Commemorates Resilient Spirit of Black LGBT Pioneers at First Pride Protests

LGBT elders and their allies reflect on their place in LGBT history and how the fight against injustice continues

  SAGE, the world's largest and oldest organization dedicated to improving the lives of LGBT elders, announced its Pride in Place campaign to commemorate the 50^th anniversary of the first Pride marches in the country, which took place one year after the Stonewall uprising. In the week leading up to this anniversary, Pride in Place will use virtual storytelling and community building opportunities to showcase how the most significant moments of LGBT history were led with the same resilience, strength, and knowledge that is currently leading protests against hate, violence and systemic racism. Similarly to recent protests, the first Pride marches opposed police violence, called for liberation for communities, and were bravely led by people of color. Pride in Place is a way for LGBT pioneers and their allies to honor the defiance and resilience that were driving forces at historical protests like Stonewall, the spirit of which is still alive today.

Price in Place serves as a platform for SAGE’s fierce LGBT elders who participated in the Stonewall uprising and similar activism in other parts of the country to amplify the very core of Pride Month – by honoring the leaders who have been fighting on the front lines for decades, the progress their passionate efforts have achieved over the years, and the work that is still being done today to combat injustice in the LGBT community. Many of the original Stonewall veterans were transgender and gender nonconforming people of color, who worked tirelessly to own their place in the LGBT movement.

Pride in Place affirms that these leaders and their allies will continue to show up for justice and make their voices heard against all odds. With the same vigor that sparked the modern movement for LGBT equality and justice, Pride in Place lifts up these voices and recalls the moments in LGBT history that are just as relevant today, centering the voices of black voices, people of color voices, and the voices of all marginalized people.   

“As we celebrate Pride and the decades of struggle of our LGBT elder pioneers, it’s important to remember how Stonewall and Black Lives Matter and other struggles for equity and justice are fundamentally linked,” said SAGE CEO Michael Adams. “We’re able to celebrate Pride because black and brown TGNC folks were on the front lines opposing police brutality against our community 50 years ago.  The same fight still exists today, and Pride in Place is dedicated to those who have been speaking out against, and overcoming, injustice for decades.”

Community support is essential for continuing the work our LGBT pioneers started at Stonewall, which is why SAGE is grateful to be one of the beneficiaries of Procter & Gamble and iHeartMedia’s live fundraising event Can’t Cancel Pride, which will be broadcast June 25 at 9:00 p.m. EST. SAGE is also providing resources for fellow LGBT organizations, long-term care facilities, and all supporters to provide quality, age-friendly virtual Pride experiences for LGBT elders across the country to honor their community.

To learn more about SAGE's upcoming Pride events, visit sageusa.org/prideinplace.

NYC Small Business Services - Reminder: Updated Phase Two Guidance

Dear small business partner, As a reminder, Governor Cuomo amended Executive Order 202.43 (EO) to include updated guidance for food and beverage establishments effective immediately. You can also watch the announcement here.   Under this EO, businesses selling or serving alcohol to be consumed at the business or elsewhere must ensure that everyone within 100 feet of their business is:  In compliance with open-container, social-distancing, and face-covering rules; and  Following all existing rules, regulations, and laws.  Businesses that cannot follow these guidelines must stop selling alcohol until they can.    Violations could result in having a license suspended or revoked, with fines up to $10,000 per violation.   Patrons can also be fined for breaking open container or social distancing rules.

Need more information about reopening in Phase One or Two?  We can help! Call our hotline at 888-SBS4NYC (888-727-4692) or visit nyc.gov/business to review State guidance for businesses that reopened in Phase One and are reopening in Phase Two. In Phase Two, which begins today (6/22), the following industries are allowed to resume:     Commercial Building Management  Hair Salons & Barbershops  Outdoor and Take-Out/Delivery Food Services  Offices  Real Estate Services  In-Store Retail  Vehicle Sales  Retail Rental, Repair & Cleaning  If you own a business in one of these industries, you must affirm that you have read and understand the State-issued guidelines.   These guidelines and requirements may change, so please check the New York Forward site regularly.     If you are unclear if your business is allowed to reopen, you can use this tool to check.  Additional Resources These guidelines and requirements may change, so please check the New York Forward site regularly.

Read the Plain Language  Industry Guides Read the NYC Restaurant  Reopening Guide

For additional general guidance and information, please visit nyc.gov/coronavirus. For additional guidance for business owners, please visit nyc.gov/business.

Again the Bronx Ranks Last, This Time In Percentage of Absentee Ballots Issued to Requested

 Below is a chart of the number of Absentee Ballots requested, the number issued by the Board of Elections, and we don't know just how many will make it back to the Board of Elections in time. The BOE has said it can not be held responsible if the USPS can not deliver the mail on time.

Thanks to Mr. David Cruz and Gothamist/WNYC,

Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez is a Spiteful Hypocrite, and Here Is Why

As for the request of just ten people in the room by Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez for the Parkchester Times Debate, this reporter calls AOC is a hypocrite and here is why. If you watched News 12 they covered AOC voting. The camera person was filming inside the poll site, and there were over 20 people in the room when AOC voted. AOC did not request that all but a total of ten people be in the room as she did for the Parkchester Times debate. In the interview after voting she said the poll workers were socially distanced, something the Parkchester Times wanted to have done, but was not allowed by AOC. The few reporters were to be socially distanced more than 20 feet away from the stage area in the large banquet hall almost the same size as the poll site where AOC voted.

Since Governor Cuomo had reporters less than ten feet away from him, and over 25 people in the room when he gave his live updates he took questions from reporters who were in the room with him. The Parkchester Times wanted no more than twenty people in the room with reporters more than twenty feet from the stage area. However AOC said no, she said ten people only in the room or I won't take part in the debate. That was probably because this reporter called out AOC in a 2020 Facebook ad for not wearing a face mask in the ad while campaigning. We were told the photo was from 2018, false advertising. This reporter also picked up a poster of AOC from her campaign telling the campaign on the way out that the poster would be placed on the chair for AOC if she did not show up for the Parkchester Debate.

As I walked inside the poll site where AOC had voted I was wearing my face mask. The second person I encountered inside the poll site was not wearing a face mask, and put it on upon knowing that I was from the media. I noticed of the eighteen other poll workers inside two also did not have face masks on and they put them on as the person I met, went around the room to make sure all the poll workers had their face masks on. Even though News 12 was able to film inside the poll site, I was told I could not take any photos inside the poll site. I did take some photos as I went out the door, one of which shows ten people all whom were not socially distanced from each other. With a celebrity like AOC in the room there could be no way that social distancing occurred, and that was proven by how many people were filmed around AOC while she voted.

Here there are seven poll workers for three voters, and a total of ten people in just this area who are not socially distanced inside the poll site AOC voted.

Second Anniversary of Lesandro 'Junior' Guzman Feliz's Killing

  It was a warm sunny afternoon as family and friends of Lesandro 'Junior Guzman Feliz gathered by his grave site to remember him on the second anniversary of his killing, and the day after he was to have graduated from the Dr. Richard Izquierdo Health and Science Charter High School. Balloons were let go by the students to rise to the heavens where Junior now is. 

Prayers were said as more and more people came to remember Junior. A small police detail was on hand since Lesandro was in the Explorers program at his police precinct, and he had hopes of joining the police force as soon as he was old enough. 

Only five of the thirteen gang members involved in the killing of Lesandro have been tried and convicted, and there is another twist to this story. Former Army Sergeant John Perez has joined with City Councilman Fernando Cabrera to move the process to have the NYPD posthumously make Lesandro 'Junior' Guzman Feliz a police officer. This was his goal in life, and his life was cut short before he could become a police officer. That would also make it much harder for the five already convicted to make parole, and charges on the other eight defendants could be upgraded to murder of a police officer. 

Above - Sergeant John Perez stands with the immediate family in front of the grave of Lesandro 'Junior' Guzman Feliz.
Below - Prayers are said as more mourners arrive, including several officers from the NYPD in the background.

Sergeant John Perez is interviewed about the push to make Lesandro 'Junior' Guzman Feliz a police officer posthumously. 

Michael Blake - Families of Victims: Do Not Vote for Ritchie Torres

  Friends,

Several family members who have lost loved ones to police murder have courageously written an open letter with a simple message: “DO NOT VOTE FOR RITCHIE TORRES.”

I am humbled by the bravery of Iris Baez and the others who have signed this letter. I see your strength, your resilience, and your honesty.

They wrote: “At a time when the whole country is focused on police violence against Black and Latino communities, the last thing we need is to promote an elected official like Ritchie Torres who has lied to us as families and betrayed the anti-police brutality movement.”

They’re absolutely right.

I ask you, consider sharing this article on Facebook and on Twitter.

Ritchie Torres has proven that, when it really comes down to it, he will not do what is needed to protect our community. Ritchie Torres does what’s best for Ritchie Torres – and that leaves a whole lot of people out. That’s not representation. That’s not what we want for The Bronx in Congress.

Ritchie Torres made an effort to betray this moment, where we stand together, fists raised against police brutality. He gutted legislation that would increase police accountability and would help make our communities safer.

These families took the brave step to come forward, to let people know what is really going on. “We’ve been through too much to let lying and opportunistic politicians like Ritchie Torres betray us and then seek higher political office.”

ASSEMBLYMAN DINOWITZ OFFERS RECOMMENDATION TO VOTERS WAITING FOR ABSENTEE BALLOTS

A significant number of constituents have said they are still waiting to receive their absentee ballots for the June 23 Democratic Primary election despite having submitted an application weeks ago.

  Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, New York State temporarily authorized all eligible voters to apply for an absentee ballot for the June 23 primary and special elections based on “temporary illness” and instructed Boards of Election to automatically mail an absentee ballot application to all eligible voters. There have been numerous reports of voters saying they have not received their absentee ballots in the mail yet, even though they applied weeks ago. Only registered Democrats are eligible to vote in the June 23 primary for the 81^st Assembly District because no other party is holding a primary election within this district.

Democrats are asked to choose candidates for President, Presidential Delegate, Congress, and New York State Assembly, as well as elect Male and Female District Leaders, Female State Committee member, and Civil Court Judge. Some Democrats in the 81^st Assembly District will also be asked to choose candidates for New York State Senate (34^th District only). 

There are three ways for registered Democrats in the 81^st Assembly District to cast their vote in the June 23 primary election:

1. Absentee – Ballots must be postmarked by June 23, 2020 in order to be considered valid. They can also be delivered to the Board of Elections in person. Absentee ballots can still be applied for in person at the Bronx Board of Elections until June 22.
2. Early – In person early voting is available until Sunday, June 21, 2020. Voters are assigned to a specific early voting location based on their Election District, which is most likely different from their traditional local polling site. People should confirm their assigned early voting location before going to vote, which can be done online at nyc.pollsitelocator.com.
3. Voters can cast their ballot in person on June 23 at their local poll site between 6am and 9pm. Some poll sites have changed based on building closures and public health guidance. People should confirm their assigned local voting location before going, which can be done online at nyc.pollsitelocator.com.

Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz also issued the following statement and recommendations for people concerned about their delayed absentee ballots:

“Every single person who is eligible to vote in the elections on June 23 deserves to have their vote counted, whether they vote early or absentee or at their local poll site. If people do not receive their ballot by Monday, June 22 then they should expect and plan to vote in person at their local poll site on Tuesday.

I have been in frequent contact with the Board of Elections and they continue to say that ballots have been mailed to eligible voters. I have been in contact with the United States Postal Service and they have said that they are not experiencing any backlogs of absentee ballots in their facilities. There will be time to figure out what went wrong after Tuesday, but the most important thing right now is to make sure eligible voters who wish to cast a ballot have created a specific plan to vote in the June 23 Democratic primary election.”

EDITOR's NOTE:

When candidates complained of getting late mail from the Board of Elections such as hearing notices after the hearings, The NYCBOE Law Department head clerk said that the BOE can't be held liable if the USPS can't deliver the mail on time. 

Governor Cuomo Announces New York City Cleared by Global Public Health Experts to Begin Phase Two of Reopening Monday

Governor Cuomo: "Today, we have done a full 180, from worst to first. We are controlling the virus better than any state in the country and any nation on the globe. Even more, by reducing the infection rate, we saved over 100,000 people from being hospitalized and possibly dying, just think about that. It is an unimaginable achievement. I'm so incredibly proud of what we all did together, and as a community. We reopened the economy and we saved lives. Because it was never a choice between one or the other, it was always right to do both."

Cuomo: "I ask myself and today I ask you: Why did it take a crisis to bring us together? Why does government usually appeal to the worst in us rather than the best? Why do our politics today play to our fears and weaknesses rather than appeal to our strengths? Why doesn't government challenge us to reach higher and speak to our better angels? Why can't it motivate us by love rather than hate? Why doesn't government urge us to realize we are members of the same community, the same family? That we all benefit when we work together. Isn't that what we really showed over the past 111 days? That working together works. That the only way forward is if I protect you and you protect me. I wear a mask for you and you wear a mask for me."

Cuomo: "If you care for me and I care for you, we showed that in the end love does win. Love does conquer all. That no matter how dark the day, love brings the light. That is what I will take from the past 111 days. It inspires me and energizes me and excites me. If we could accomplish together what we did here, this impossible task, of beating back this deadly virus then there is nothing we can't do. We will be better and we will be stronger for what we have gone through. It shows us how capable we are when we are at our best. It shows us that we have great potential to do even more and we will."

  Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced global public health experts have cleared New York City to enter Phase Two of reopening on Monday. Business guidance for Phase Two of the state's reopening plan is available here.

"I am so incredibly proud of what we all did together and as a community. We reopened the economy and saved lives, because it was never a choice between one or the other, it was always right to do both," Governor Cuomo said. "We showed that works in New York. We owe thanks to so many people, to our heroes, the healthcare and essential workers, to our legislature, our colleagues in New Jersey, Connecticut and neighboring states, local governments, the Army Corps of Engineers and most of all, to the great people of the state who rose to the occasion and did what they had to do."