Politics
Son Rallies for Mom Killed by Cop
By Marian Caballo Spectrum staff The first time he heard a protester shout his murdered mother’s name, Andrew Ocasio broke down. “I was balling, with tears. It really hit me that day,” he said, remembering what happened after he spoke at a June Black Lives Matter rally. He’d started showing up at those rallies to […]
How to Diversify NYC’s Elite Schools
By Rainier Harris Spectrum staff At Manhattan’s elite Stuyvesant High School, only 10 out of the 766 admitted students in the 2020-21 freshman class were Black. At Staten Island Technical, another of New York City’s eight competitive, specialized high schools, this year, only a single black student — in a freshman class of roughly 1,320 […]
A Push to Disarm Auxiliary Police
By Maya Mitchell Spectrum staff Pushed by local teen and young adult activists who want to disarm the Maplewood Police Department Police Auxiliary, made up of volunteers, the Maplewood Town Council voted in late July to suspend the force for 90 days. By a 3-to-2 vote, the town’s Public Safety Committee, which includes the chief of police, […]
Doctors Protest ICE Detention Centers
By Swathi Kella Staff writer “Migration is a human right.” “We see cruelty.” “Deportations are taking our neighborhoods away.” That’s how signs read during a mid-July protest in Foley Square over the deaths of seven children at Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities on the nation’s southern border. Critics have condemned the facilities as unsanitary and […]
Should Food Trucks Have a Grade?
With summer in session, food trucks are working long days with long lines. While food trucks provide food in a quick and affordable manner, the safety of of their food has come into question. The issue of whether or not food trucks should be governed under the same letter-grading system as restaurants or not has […]
Some LGBT New Yorkers Feel Detached From Marriage Equality Success
The director of a local LGBT homeless relief organization, who advocates for LGBT rights, found herself unimpressed by the Supreme Court’s marriage equality ruling in June. Although many Americans are celebrating the decision that allows same-sex couples to marry across the United States, there are some who believe there is still a lot of work […]
Protesters Mark One Year Since Eric Garner’s Death
On Friday, July 17, 2015 about two dozen family, friends, and supporters gathered in Staten Island to mark the one-year anniversary of Eric Garner’s controversial death and to rally against police brutality. Although Eric Garner was black, most of those who gathered at the scene of his death were not black and voiced support for […]
Against the Trend, Some Young NYers Get Political
Back when he was a 14-year-old Stuyvesant High School freshman, Gabriel Rosen accompanied members of his synagogue to a political conference in Washington D.C. That trip was Rosen’s first stop on his path to political involvement. When he was 15, Rosen interned for New York City Councilwoman Christine Quinn‘s failed mayoral campaign. At 17, Rosen […]