January 25. 2007 - WestchesterGuardian.com

Transcription

VOL. I NO. XXV
Westchester’s Most Influential Weekly
THURSDAY, JANUARY 25, 2007
The Ripple Effect
Community Hospital at Dobbs Ferry
Inside...
Jeffrey Deskovic: Doing Hard Time,
Part Three, pg. 3
Cover Story: The Ripple Effect,
In Our Opinion, pg. 4
The Advocate - The Curtain
Falls on Cavallo, pg. 5
Marriage & Family:
Life After Divorce:
“Can I Handle It?”, pg. 19
Mount Vernon Mayor Ernie Davis’ Press Conference
PAGE THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
Guardian Warned Of Potential Ineffectiveness
of New Castle Police Four Months Ago
By Renée Smith
The Westchester Guardian first broke the story of the Pension Fraud
scandal in the New Castle Police Department August 24, 2006, and since
that article covered the story at least 3 other times. To this point, the parties involved in the Pension Fraud remain on the job. Chief Robert Breen,
fully aware of the facts, still has not fired Lt. John Vize, who engaged in a
criminal enterprise to defraud the State of New York Pension System of
some $180,000, along with his fellow police officer Dennis Mahoney. The
New York State Attorney General’s Office is seeking to recover damages of
$100,000 in addition to the $180,000, in a lawsuit.
al’s Office and was advised, “The case is in the discovery phase and a court
date has yet to be determined.” The Office indicated that they will keep us
updated as the case progresses.
Attempting to get a response from New Castle Town Supervisor Jan
Wells, we were put off with, “I cannot comment on the matter.”
Although the fraudulent scheme was originally reported to District
Attorney Jeanine Pirro, it was never acted upon by her office. And, most
recently, current District Attorney Janet DiFiore’s spokesperson, Lucien
Chalfen, told The Guardian, “The matter was sent to the New York State
Comptroller’s Office, because we didn’t find anything criminal about the
case.” Lt. Vize is charged with paying other police officers, “under the table,”
funds not reported to the IRS, to cover Mahoney’s hours which he did not
Lt. Vize is also involved in another case, a civil case, where he is bework. In fact, the other police officers who took part in the scheme are also ing charged with “creating and perpetrating a hostile work environment”
still on the force. against Steve Kaufman, a former New Castle police officer, who is Jewish. Mr
The Guardian placed several phone calls to Chief Breen seeking a state- Kaufman informed The Guardian that there were a series of Anti-Semitic,
ment on the matter. However, those calls were not returned. We were seekContinued on page 12
ing answers to the following:
1. Why was John Vize permitted to set up a criminal enterprise to defraud the State Pension Fund?
2. Inasmuch as the State Attorney General’s Office has deemed the
scheme to be a “felony fraud,” why is John Vize still on the job?
The Guardian also placed a call to the New York State Attorney Gener-
Index
The Advocate:
Curtain Comes Down on Cavallo................................................................ 5
Classified. ......................................................................................................................26
Clip-Out Community Calendar. ..................................................................22, 23
Design Inspirations:
How’s Your Sense of Design?.......................................................................9
Freedom Isn’t Free:
Hail Caesar, Augustus, Tiberius, Drusus, Claudius, Nero, and Bush.......... 6
Great Chefs of Westchester: Great Chef Ricardo Santana.................10
Horoscope: Shimmering Stars Jan. 25 - Jan. 31.....................................14
In Our Opinion:
The Ripple Effect........................................................................................ 4
Living Latino in Westchester:
Assemblyman Peter Rivera Introduces Law................................................ 8
Marriage and Family in Westchester:
Life After Divorce: “Can I Manage?”.......................................................... 19
Our Readers Respond........................................................................... 4
On The National Scene: A-Wreck is A-Wreck is Iraq............................ 11
Taking Judicial Notice:
My Career As A Criminal Investigator........................................................ 20
The Court Report:
Jeffrey Deskovic: Doing Hard Time, Part Three.......................................... 3
The World Traveler:
Eco-Tourism: The New “E” in Travel, Part Two........................................... 7
This Week in History: Jan. 25 - Jan. 31................................................26
Correction
Ed. Note: In last week’s edition we incorrectly captioned this photo which appeared
in our World Traveler column.
The caption should have read, “Teddy
Roosevelt, President and Naturalist, accompanied by a Native American, greets visitors
to the American Museum of Natural History
in NYC.”
THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
PAGE 3
Doing Hard Time
Part Three
By Jeffrey Deskovic
Two weeks ago I began to describe my 16-year prison ordeal, having been
wrongfully imprisoned at 17 years of age. While it is not a blow-by-blow account
it is, nevertheless, of such length that it has been necessary to present it in three
parts.
Visitors/Outside Contact
mind, evaluating the arguments raised. I always came away with the sense that
good work had been done on my behalf and that the law and the facts required
a ruling in my favor. Then time would drag on during the long delays of filing
paperwork and waiting for court dates, opposition papers, etc. I would get excited
once again when the case would be heard, but then the crash that would come
every time I lost a decision was hard and loud.
My mother was the only person who consistently came to visit me. But often
I had also became a wrongful conviction buff, reading about wrongful convicin the course of phone calls and visits what dominated the conversation was looktions, exonerations, and ongoing injustices, with the hope of finding something,
ing for different ways and means of getting out. I had sporadic contact with aunts
anything, that was done successfully in someone else’s case that I too could emuand uncles, often going years without seeing them. At times, though certainly not
late. Whenever I would read about someone being cleared it would give me hope,
all of the time, one Aunt and Uncle had medical problems, and in addition they
I’d get euphoric, imagine how they must feel at the mohad their own lives to live. When I did have visits from
ment of release with their friends and family waiting at
anyone, the conversation was always of the surface level
the prison gate, and I would vicariously celebrate with
variety. This did not meet my emotional or communicathem. Then, later after the euphoria wore off I would get
tion needs. With many family members I had no contact
upset and also feel frustrated because many were cleared
at all. As a result of all of the above my family became
based upon DNA, and there I was sitting in prison destrangers to me. The only childhood friend who came to
spite my DNA Test being negative. I felt that I should be
see me was my friend Martin, whom I lost contact with
out too, that my case should not be an exception. It also
after 1994-1995, and one other man who saw me once. As
caused me to get down and depressed.
a result of that I became very lonely and isolated. Once
Once my appeals ran out in 1999-2000, my “legal
every few years I would hear news from the community.
work” consisted of sending out SOS letters, searching
I tried to meet pen pals through a variety of means,
for anybody at all who could possibly be of any help. I
reasoning that I could get some meaningful human conneeded to get legal help to try to find some new evidence
tact that way, but almost all of my efforts went in vain.
to further establish my innocence or that which, at the
I think the fact that I was imprisoned for a sex offense
very least, would create another legal issue, for which I
played a big part in most people’s decision not to respond
might file the paperwork afterwards. I sent out many letto my ads. I was, of course, seeking not only some genJeffrey Deskovic
ters to lawyers, legal groups, various faith-based orgaeral contact with people but also hoping that I could find
nizations, reporters, anyone and everyone who, in one
someone who could effectively champion my cause and
way or another, could possibly be of any assistance, even
Editor’s Note: In an effort to help our
lead to my getting legal help which could help me to get
if only indirectly. Almost all of the time I received no rereaders fully comprehend the terrible incleared, as I had read many other people had successfully
sponses. When, rarely, I did receive them from lawyers,
justice that was worked against 16-yeardone.
they would tell me that they had no time to take my case
old
Jeff
rey
Deskovic
of
Peekskill,
resultDespite many years of trying I was not successful.
pro-bono, for free, although invariably they would coning in his imprisonment, for the next 16
However, in 2005, I met one woman from Washington
clude their letter with “good luck”, as if somehow I would
years of his life, for a rape and murder
who I managed to correspond with, and who tried to
be alright without their even trying to help me a little bit.
that Peekskill Police and Assistant DA
help, but who despite her good intentions was in over her
They would inform me how much money it would cost
George Bolen were well aware he was
head. She wasn’t able to accomplish much despite my best
should I be able to pay.
not guilty of, The Westchester Guardefforts at explaining what I wanted done and how to go
After a while it became difficult even to think of
ian, once again, turns over the pages of
about it. I also corresponded with a man who believed in
someone or someplace to write that I hadn’t tried already
The Court Report to Mr. Deskovic in ormy innocence and who helped me, during some really
der that he might describe the ordeal in
and, of course, simply obtaining addresses was hard and
difficult times, keep it together mentally and emotionally
his own words.
could not be taken for granted. This was the most difas I wrestled with many issues connected with my wrongficult period of time as I would often battle feelings of
– RB
ful incarceration.
depression, and wanting to give up.
Being Cleared
Writing letters seeking help fortified me by making me feel that I was still
As the years went on, it actually became harder and harder to cope with. In fighting. Whereas when I could not think of where else to write or what to do,
my mind I was not serving a 15-year-to Life sentence. I was simply doing a year feelings of despair would emerge and I would have to fight hard not to quit.
or two until my next appeal was heard, at which time I was sure that justice would
In 2005 I read the book Chicken Soup For the Prisoners Soul, which was an
be done. I lived from appeal to appeal. I would always get happy when I received anthology of 1 or 2 chapters of a variety of different books from different authors.
copies of legal papers filed on my behalf. I would go to the law library and read the In the back of the book there was information about the authors, including, in
cases which were cited by my lawyers, in order to understand the law better and some cases, contact information. Out of desperation I combed over those pages,
to assess how good the arguments were; kind of like becoming a judge in my own
Continued on page 17
PAGE THE WESTCHESTER GUARDIAN
In Our Opinion...
“Why would we be concerned about Community Hospital in Dobbs Ferry?”
asked Mount Vernon’s unique, and somewhat theatrical, Mayor Ernie Davis,
who quickly answered his own query, “Because we are inextricably intertwined.”
With those opening words the Mayor greeted more than fifty community leaders, city officials, and media who had been summoned to a midmorning press conference in his chambers last Wednesday. The specific, pressing, concern of Mount Vernon officials involved the Archway
Substance Abuse Treatment Facility located at 20 East First Street.
The facility, that has been operated since 1991, originally by Yonkers General Hospital, and, in recent years by Saint John’s Riverside Hospital, is in very real jeopardy of closure because of the State Commission on Healthcare Facilities in the
Twenty First Century’s report calling for the closing of Community Hospital in
Dobbs Ferry, and other institutions blindly perceived as wasteful and duplicative.
Quite simply, the fate of a number of community initiatives throughout the urbanized areas of southern Westchester, underwritten by Saint John’s Riverside
Healthcare, hang in the balance, should Community Hospital at Dobbs Ferry, their
only financially profitable operation, be compelled to shut down. Archway, servicing adjudicated adolescents, homeless persons, individuals under parole, and
probation supervision, as well as persons with psychiatric disorders complicated
by substance abuse, gave treatment to more than 750 Mount Vernon residents
in 2006. Loss of those services would cause a tremendous additional burden to
be placed upon police, judicial, healthcare, and other public agencies in the city.
Mayor Davis, obviously distressed by the implications, for his city, of the Berger
Commission’s Report, as it has come to be known, declared, “Sometimes when we let
bureaucrats make decisions they are not looking at the reverberative implications.”
Clearly, it has become increasingly obvious that closure of Community Hospital in Dobbs Ferry would create a catastrophic hardship in Mount Vernon,
Yonkers, New Rochelle, Greenburgh, and other areas of southern Westchester.
Recognizing the clear, and present danger The Westchester Guardian, spoke out
twice in The Advocate feature, once in the December 7th issue, and, again three
weeks later on December 28th. We are heartened by Mayor Davis’ words, because,
as we previously applauded, they demonstrate, from still another quarter of our
greater Westchester Community, a coming together of forces, and an acknowledgement that, ultimately, we are all in this life, for better or worse, together.
It is our opinion that no municipality, no village, no town, indeed, no
city, however, large, or small, can truly isolate itself from the concerns of
the rest of the County. Whatever may do serious harm to one community, will ultimately impact all that surround it. It’s called “The Ripple Effect.”
Our Readers Respond...
Spano Loses Election, Community Grants Withdrawn
Dear Editor: My office received a disturbing call from Kim
Conklin of the Department of State. Last year Senator Nick
Spano awarded the town $126,000 for a generator and a music
lab at the Theodore Young Community Center. In November
the Senator lost his re-election campaign. What happened?
We were advised that all grants that were awarded in 2006 by
the Senator’s office prior to the election were withdrawn.
The town relied on receiving this grant to fund both
programs. Two years ago – immediately after the Senate election was disputed – I received a call from a non profit organization in Ardsley that had received a substantial pre-election
day grant from the Senator. The grant was in jeopardy. After
the election was certified the grant was awarded.
This is politics at its worst. This highlights the need to reform the way Albany does business. I am hopeful that Senator Andrea Stewart Cousins office will be able to help. I am
confident that she will be an important voice for government
reform.
Paul Feiner
Greenburgh Town Supervisor
More On Judicial Steering
Dear Editor: Did you know about the Melvyn Kaufman
v. Judith S. Kaye and A. Gail Prudent case, which is currently
before the U.S. Supreme Court? What a shock; the original
problem started in the Westchester County assignment of his
case. Also, I understand that the Lopez case is now also before
the U.S. Supreme Court.
All New Yorkers, and especially Westchester residents,
should be quite proud that our corrupt ways of the selection
of judicial candidates and the biased judicial assignment of the
cases themselves are before our nation’s highest court.
Kevin McKeown
Kudos For Schwartz Story
Dear Editor: Your story on Schwartz was very accurate.
I have advice for you: a good reporter will find LOTS more
– including on his buddy Tolchin.
A Concerned Westchester Resident
Reader Applauds Judge Crater Story
Dear Editor: I just wanted to say that I picked up your
January 11th issue last week at the Fleetwood A&P and enjoyed it very much. I particularly liked the Judge Crater story.. While familiar with the name, I never knew the story. I liked
the way it was tied into present day politics. Keep up the good
work.
Jim Wrightsman
Bronxville
We invite our readers’ comments.
Letters should be no more than 300 words in length, and may
be edited for length and clarity. Please email your letters to
editor@Westchester Guardian.com. For verification purposes
we ask you include your address and a daytime phone number.
PAGE Curtain Comes Down on Cavallo
Corrupt Politico A “No-Show” for 500 Guests
The long, and sleazy operations of Westchester’s most corrupt political power broker, Giulio Cavallo, have been brought
to a halt as the result of the determined efforts of members of
The Westchester Independence
Party’s Integrity Committee,
and The Citizens Against Injustice, as well as the wide-spread
public exposure of his scandalous activities by The Westchester Guardian. Last Wednesday
night Cavallo was scheduled to
be the guest speaker at a fundraising event at New Rochelle’s
Surf Club. The function, which
drew some 500 guests, was organized and sponsored by Boss of
Bosses, Nick Spano, long associated with Cavallo.
Reliable sources informed
The Guardian that the fundraiser was originally conceived
by Spano, for the purpose of raising money for Cavallo’s legal defense for, soon-to-be-revealed
action by the federal government
against him. Those same sources
indicated that the Spano Organization was experiencing difficulty
selling seats because Cavallo was
the listed guest speaker. Apparently, many public figures wished
to avoid contact with, or any association with, Cavallo since his
recent bad press.
For the benefit of readers who are unfamiliar with Giulio
Cavallo, it should be pointed out that for many years, as Chair-
man of the Westchester Independence Party, he has engaged in
the corrupt, and self-enriching, practice of selling his party’s
cross-endorsement of both Republican, and Democratic Party
candidates for as much as $15$20,000 a pop. New York State,
to our profound shame, is one of
only five states, out of fifty, that
permits the practice of cross-endorsement.
What has been particularly
shameful, and egregious, are the
huge numbers of candidates for
public office, here in Westchester,
as well as the entire Ninth Judicial District, in the case of State
Supreme Court Judgeships, who
have been willing, over many
years, to fill Cavallo’s pockets, in
order to get the Independence
Party Line on the ballot. Conspiring with the likes of Larry
Schwartz, and Nick Spano, and
with the cooperation, and protection of Jeanine Pirro, Cavallo
has operated a criminal enterprise calculated to control and
subvert the electoral process.
Now that the operation has
been exposed to the light of day,
in all of its ugliness, politicians,
and office holders throughout
Westchester are fleeing from Cavallo for fear of being caught up
in the ongoing investigations, by the United States Attorney’s
Office, into violations of public integrity. Guilio Cavallo has become a pariah! Amen.
PAGE 6
Freedom Isn’t Free
Vicki Mayfield
Hail Caesar, Augustus, Tiberius,
Drusus, Claudius, Nero, and Bush
My father was my first African-American
History teacher. He was a member of the Nation of Islam, when Elijah Muhammad was the
religious leader, but agreed with Malcolm X, and
left when he did. I think that long segregated bus
ride to Charleston from Washington, DC after his
term of service in Korea, standing up, did it. He’d
tell the bus ride story with such hate and venom,
the same feelings that were shown to him, even
though he was in military uniform. My father
was not a fan of Martin Luther King either and
the whole Non-violence Movement.
Besides the threat of his foot placement in a
certain area of his children’s body, he had his own
form, like his mother, of mouth torture. It was
usually to take a smile off your face because the
“White” man, seeing us laughing, would conclude
that all Black people are just shuffling, no-count,
low-life, stupid, dummies. Upon hearing a laugh
from my two half-sisters and brothers or me, he
would remark that we were like our enslaved ancestors who laughed and sang through slavery,
making the world think they
liked it. We learned to laugh
into our hands.
As an adult speaking
to him about America and
slavery, he proceeded to tell
me the history of it. Backtracking to the Landlords
of England, who would be
the first to mate with the
grooms’ bride. If she became
pregnant by the Lord that
child was privileged and better than its siblings. My Dad
would say that when the
Romans civilized Britannia
that was one of the Roman
citizens’ tricks of controlling the people in the countries where they ruled. That’s
why he concluded the European slave masters used the
same principal when mating
with their female African
slaves. I’d just listen and add
my piece here and there, and
sometimes I’d even make him laugh, which was
followed by him saying, “Be careful I may not be
laughing with you.” He was still an eraser, wiping
the smiley face off the black board, but I learned
to keep smiling and change the subject.
I think of our conversations now because in
our discussion of race discrimination he’d always
say that one day “White” Americans, from being
so focused on hating “Black” as a race, will find
that it will be their undoing. He would add that
“White” people have forgotten why their ancestors
came to America, which was to escape poverty and
tyranny in Europe, and that they were now sidetracked and manipulated by the government and
wealthy capitalist by the propaganda of racism. It
wasn’t until the true Americans came together, to
wake America up to the fact that discrimination
against one meant discrimination against all, that
we were able to change and control government.
Americans discriminated and ignored the
rights of African-Americans for some time. Following the Civil Rights Movement Blacks were able
to put their representatives in place to stop discrimination against them. The physically-challenged
elected representatives who passed laws for them.
And, women, ooh, women got laws put in place
and representatives to pass and sustains them.
During the Civil Rights Movement, working
together the generations of Spaniards, English men
and women, the French, Germans, Polish, Irish,
Chinese, Korean, East Asian, Scandinavian, and
people of West, North and East Africa and Asia, all,
the true lovers of the American way of life were able
to change things, so they’d never live here like they
did in the land they had recently, or long ago left.
The marchers for America’s birth rights for African-American, who were people from lands of
Europe, didn’t let the government’s tricks and spin
machines, stop progress for all Americans. The government and the rich didn’t forget what the EuroContinued on page 16
PAGE Eco-Tourism:
The New ‘E’ In Travel
Part Two
Last week I wrote about eco-tourism, or environmental tourism, as perhaps an inevitable outgrowth of
the environmental movement that began a century ago
here in the US. I also paid some attention to the Sierra
Club as they have a rich offering of trips of all kinds for
all types that will certainly deepen your appreciation
of, and perhaps inspire you to get involved with, the
preservation of our natural heritage.
I also encouraged readers to visit Adventures in
Travel Expo last weekend (“The world’s leading active
and adventure travel show.”). I inquired at almost every kiosk about their respective eco or environmental
concept and/or approach to tourism. Responses varied
from the embracing (Venezuela) to the run-around (Jamaica). I left the expo armed with bags of literature,
freebies and my notes. I intend to digest and summarize that for next week, along with my own recommendations.
•••
I also said I would spend some time on another
fine organization, The Nature Conservancy. Though
neither the Sierra Club nor the Conservancy was
present at the expo, they deserve some attention
here. This organization does one thing, in particular,
extremely well, for which it has been recognized perennially. That is; it raises money to research
and identify the most ecologically important
undeveloped places left on the planet, and buys
them before Donald Trump.
So far, they have helped protect over 117
million acres and more than 5,000 miles of
rivers in 32 countries. Charity Navigator,
America’s premier charity evaluator, gives its
highest rating
of four stars
to the Conservancy. (The
Sierra
Club
has a three
star rating by
contrast). The
C onser vanc y
is also recognized by the
Better Business Bureau
Wise Giving
Alliance.
Machupichu
Though it
doesn’t leap out at you on their homepage, they do
have an extensive Travel and Trips page (see Web
Resources). It is broken down into Nature Travel,
Ecotourism, Nature Lodging and Natural Events. Nature Travel adventures take you to places that the
Conservancy is already protecting, that they call The
“Tourism is arguably the world’s largest
industry. It generates about 10% of total world
GDP and employs over 10% of the global workforce,
and it’s on the verge of tremendous growth.
In 2005, there were 808 million international
tourism arrivals, a figure that the World Tourism
Organization expects to reach one billion by
2010.”
From Sustainable Travel International.org
Last Great Places*. Ecotourism for the Conservancy
involves generating income from tourism for conservation, reducing threats to wildlife, and natural communities, and supporting community-based ecotourism. Nature Lodging is a
way to stay within one of
their ‘Last Great Places’.
*By the way, The
Bruce Museum off of exit
3 on I-95 in Connecticut
is highlighting the Nature Conservancy’s legacy
with a photographic exhibit entitled In Response
to Place: Photographs from
The Nature Conservancy’s Last Great Places.
This exhibit will
end its run after January 28.
(10-5 Monday
through Saturday, Sundays 1-5
pm. Last admissions at 4:30).
The exact
definition of the term ‘environmental tourism’ is as yet amorphous,
and I will try to flesh that out next
week. Your best bet is to read for
yourself each travel organization’s
philosophy and approach to see if
it is a sincere effort or just some
“greenwashing” in order to attract
tourists. The host country’s own
take on what eco-tourism means
to them and how they address it,
or not, is also important to check
out, as in some places off-roading is listed under
environmentally fit activities (I guess it does get
you outdoors). On the other hand, the Galapagos
Islands are one example of a completely protected
and controlled destination due to its long recognized critical role as habitat for a number of vulnerable species.
According to some, eco-tourism is an oxymoron
itself, as you do considerable damage to the environment simply by flying in an airplane, or even in a taxi
for that matter. Heck, you’re guilty for just being born
in the minds of the extreme fringe, and since you’ve
sinned already by being here, “don’t you dare lay a
hand on those cute deer or multitudes of goose-stepping defecating geese.”
While I’m at it, I don’t have much to say to the
knee-jerk PETA types who convulse at terms like
‘Fishkill’, not realizing it’s not about the promotion
or suggestion of killing fish, but a proper place name
with Dutch origins, ‘kill’ meaning stream or creek, as
in ‘Fresh Kills’ landfill, which does not mean ‘recently slaughtered’. Yeah, there
used to be good fishing in the
streams of all five boroughs.
The Sierra Club trips certainly include adventure and
I do hope you’ll give them a
gander**. Along with the Nature Conservancy, you will be
traveling with and learning
from the experts, not to mention benefiting from their fine
organizations. There was one
grass roots organization in attendance at the expo, Earth
Watch Institute, which I will
introduce in next week’s column, along with the term
voluntourism.
**If you’re not on the internet, check out the January/February issue of Sierra magazine at your library,
which lists all of the trips for this year under Great
Escapes for 2007. WT
Web Resources
The Nature Conservancy: www.nature.org
The Nature Conservancy Travel and
Trips: www.nature.org/aboutus/travel/
The Bruce Museum: www.brucemuseum.org
•••
For the fun of it
Be A Tourist In Your Own Town, by Gina Salamone,
in the Daily News (Sunday, Jan. 14), is worth checking
out. It lists ten things you can do in New York City,
assuming you’ve already done most things the elsefolk
come to the city to do the first time, including such
things as “attending night court in Chinatown” and
“learning how to produce a TV show.” Come to think
of it, put those two together and you may well have the
next “reality” show. Just go to their website and search
the article’s title under ‘archive’ or the writer’s name.
•••
Travel quote of the week
He who would travel happily must travel light.
– Antoine de Saint-Exupery (1900 - 1944)
PAGE 8
Living Latino in Westchester
Eridania Camacho
Assemblyman Peter Rivera Introduces
Law Banning At-Large Elections in NYS
Assemblyman Peter Rivera, Chair of the Puerto
Rican/Hispanic Task Force, State Assembly, held a
press conference on Monday, January 15, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, in front of the courthouse
in White Plains. Assemblyman Rivera used the opportunity to introduce his legislative proposal which
would ban at-large elections throughout New York
State, instituting a district-designated election system
everywhere. The proposal is expected to be introduced before month’s end.
The law that Mr. Rivera is proposing will compel
communities to adopt a district, or ward, election system by the fall of 2009. According to Assemblyman,
this legislation will enhance minority community access to the ballot, both as candidates and as voters. The
proposed law mandates the New York Department of
State to assist the 932 village subdivisions that would
come under this legislation by offering technical assistance in drawing up new political boundaries.
/Week
914.738.8300
914.738.9600
When asked whether he foresees any opposition
from his colleagues and or from those communities
that will be affected, By way of illustration, he said,
“For instance, you may have a community that is completely homogeneous with just a couple of hundred
people and three elected officials. District elections
may not be necessary in such communities. These
communities may be able to have an appeal process.”
Mr. Rivera believes that the legislation will pass the
Assembly. We need to look at statewide legislation
instead of doing this peacemeal. The Department of
Justice has only been able to address this issue in only
11 municipalities since the 1940s.
Rivera wants to hold public hearings on the issue “so
that those having their voting rights violated should not
have to wait decades for courts reviews of elections.”
He further stated that the federal lawsuit filed
against the Village of Port Chester for voter disfranchisement of thousands of Latinos in that community
has prompted community leaders, state lawmakers, civil rights activists and advocates to pressure for changes
to be made to the current system. He went on to say
that States such as Florida and California have already
done this. “It’s time New York State follows suit.”
The United States Department of Justice Civil
Rights Division filed a voting rights lawsuit on December 15, 2006 in White Plains federal court, charging, “the Village of Port Chester’s system of electing
members of its Board of Trustees violates the Voting
Rights Act of 1965.”
At the press conference, Rivera introduced several speakers, including Cesar Ruiz, who ran for Port
Village Trustee in 2001 and lost, prompting him to
submit a complaint to the US Department of Justice.
Ruiz stated, “We are gathered here today to honor Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. in his quest for civil rights. His
dream has not been forgotten. As generations change,
new civil rights advocates carry his dream for equality; to end racial discrimination, to end segregation
and to secure voting rights.” Ruiz is Chair of the Vot-
ing Rights Funds, a group that advocates for election
system changes.
Other advocates, Angelo Falcon, Director of the
National Latino Policy Institute based in New York City,
said, “For Port Chester officials to say that “the problem
with the Latino community in Port Chester is apathy is
an insult to our very community. The nation is watching
to see what happens with this case because it is going to
have an impact on the rest of the country. This is a real
issue in this country,” continued Mr. Falcon.
Falcon added that while the Voting Rights Act
of 1965 has provided some relief to women and political minorities, they remain under represented in
state and local elections. Falcon went on, “States can
strengthen the Voting Rights Act by enacting measures like the one introduced by Mr. Rivera.”
Samuel Spady, President of the National Association
for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) who
had joined the press conference straight from a breakfast in New Rochelle where he was awarded the Drum
Major for Righteousness, Peace and Justice Award supports the efforts in Port Chester. Spady, referring to Port
Chester, declared, “Dr. King talked about justice for all.
He was talking about all people.” The question is, “will
they embrace the Latino community.”
Other speakers at the press conference included
Patrick Welsch of the Working Family’s Party. Welsch
remarked, “The Working Family’s Party is in full support of the lawsuit. The voting rights act was passed
in 1965 and Port Chester is now disenfranchising the
Latino community.”
The first hearing of the Port Chester lawsuit is
scheduled for February 6th. This particular hearing is
for the purpose of asking the judge for an injunction to
stop the March 2007 election until redistricting takes
place. The hearings are, of course, open to the public.
In an effort to appear more inclusive, Village of
Port Chester Republican Party has endorsed a Latino
to run for Village Trustee, Rev. Ariel Acosta. He will
be one of three candidates running for election in
March of 2007. Many feel that its no coincidence that
Port Chester political committees are now scrambling
around to find Latino candidates.
According to Assemblyman Rivera his legislation
would “put an end to back-room political dealings
that run slates of good-old buddies for elections that
make a mockery of our democratic system.”
As one who has experienced the same type of exclusion within my own committee, I felt particularly
empathetic about the effort. ■
PAGE 9
Design Inspirations
Veronica Imperatrice
How’s Your Sense of Design?
Self-discovery is a very powerful experience.
In today’s column I pose some thought-provoking
questions that, when answered, will reveal to you a
little more about your taste, your sense of style, and
how you perceive
things.
We all make observations and
judgments, and
tend to critique
things we don’t
fully
understand. But, how
we
interpret
these thoughts
and apply them
to decorating
will be the focus of this feature. Lets begin:
1. Upon entering a fine restaurant, do your eyes
wander, and admire the interior and the décor? Are
you impressed by the chandeliers, the carpeting, the
artwork, and, of course, the table itself? Or, are you
just anxious to sit down and look at the menu?
There is no right or wrong reply, but how you answer, indicates how you think, and how your artistic
eye works. For those of you who are taking in all of
the ambiance, and not rushing
to sit down and order, it’s obvious that you have a natural
appreciation of what surrounds
you, and perhaps, how you
might apply some of these features in your own home.
2. When entering someone else’s home, are you admiring some of the decorating
and considering how this could work for you? Recognizing another person’s ability, and then feeling
comfortable enough to recreate their achievement
in your setting, is a true example of self confidence.
We all learn from example, so make a mental note
of what you admire, and then proceed to make it
work for you.
3. When planning a layout for any room, is it
important to you that there be both balance and
symmetry throughout the room, or are you inclined to place items where they look best, and can
stand alone?
Many of you, I know, will not be happy if your furniture layout is not symmetrical. Table, and lamp on
each side of your sofa must match identically; nightstand with matching lamps, next to your bed. You
prefer to have collections of furniture, rather than collectables. This is what I describe as the ‘better safe than
sorry’ attitude when decorating.
4. How do you feel about the mixture of old
and new, of casual and formal?
If you have been mixing and creating an eclectic feel throughout your house, then your sense of
design is very obvious. If you would like to develop
a better feeling for
how one goes about
accomplishing this,
then take the time
to visit a better furniture showroom,
and see how they
place and mix their
items.
5. Are you an
impulsive shopper
with the need for
immediate gratification?
This is how one can overspend, and then have
what is known as buyers remorse There are those who
morse!
can window shop, and those
who just plain shop. Things
that seem relatively inexpensive, become the monster on
the credit card. Having to
have is so dangerous, and on
top of that is so wasteful. Usually no rhyme or reason goes
into these purchases. It’s far better to stash some
cash away, for when you have the need to decorate,
with an item in mind. This plan will develop not
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only your design sense, but your sense of appreciation and satisfaction in your accomplishment.
6. Do you have a good understanding of the
various furniture styles that are available to you?
My best recommendation is to frequent many
stores, discover the possibilities and take notes if
it will help. Don’t be concerned about price, prices
will vary, and will also change. Just focus on what
impresses you, and how, one day, they could work
in your home.
7. Are you your own person? Do you decorate
for yourself, or for how others might perceive what
you have done?
This is, in my opinion, the most important
I’ve question asked. How and what we do should
always be done with respect for how we see
ourselves. Decorating one’s home is as personal as
it gets. So be sure your efforts are being made for
the right reason, and the right person, YOU! ■
PAGE 10
at home with... The Great Chefs of Westchester
Favorite Recipe
Great Chef Ricardo Santana
Bobo de Camarao
“Brazilian food incorporates foods and spices from
Spain, Portugal, Africa and the native South American culture,” says Chef Ricardo Santana, of Samba
Na’Brasa, in Mount Vernon. The predominant ingredients are basil, rosemary, freshly grated ginger,
cilantro, coconut milk and tropical fruits, which are
combined to make uniquely Brazilian dishes like
“Feijoada: black beans, beets, pork sausages and bacon stew; Mocqueca: a seafood stew with coconut
milk and and dende oil (a type of nut); and Bobo de
Camaro: a shrimp stew with coconut milk and dende
oil. Rodizio (Barbeque) is a traditional method of
preparing all kinds of meat: beef is sprinkled with
salt; other meats are marinated before roasting over
wood charcoal. “It scents the meat,” says Chef Santana,
“although, we use an electric grill at Samba Na’Brasa.”
Chef Santana grew up in Salvador, a coastal Brazilian town noted for Carnival parties and he learned
to cook from his mother, who catered desserts, locally. “I started helping her make cookies and candies,
like Cocada, a traditional Brazilian candy, made with
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1 1/2 lb Yuca or Manioc Root
2 Cups Onion, chopped
3 Cloves Garlic, Chopped
1 Cup Olive Oil
8 Medium Tomatoes, peeled and seeded (or a
large can of whole tomatoes)
1 Cup Cilantro, chopped
2 Cups Coconut Milk
1/2 Cup Dendê or Palm Oil
6 Tbsp Ginger, grated
4 Red Bell Peppers, chopped
salt and pepper
freshly grated coconut, coconut milk, cinnamon sticks,
and sugar. I grew to like cooking more and more,” he
says. “When I was eighteen, I entered the Senac cooking school, and later, the Senai, in Salvador. After finishing my courses, I worked at a local hospital and at
the Salvador Marriott.” Cooking for a crowd is no
problem for Chef Santana (Samba Na’Brasa seats approximately 245). The Marriott was responsible for
preparing food for 12,000 persons a day: hotel guests
and in-flight meals for all departing airlines at the local airport, with a kitchen staff of about 250. In a typical day, Chef Santana would make dessert for 2,000
people, just for the restaurant. With that experience
behind him, “nothing is impossible or difficult, when it
comes to running a restaurant!” he laughs.
Peel and cut the manioc; put in a pan with cold
water and salt. Cook until tender, drain and reserve
both the cooked manioc and the liquid. Discard any
manioc fiber. Using a fork, mash the manioc while
still hot, using some of the liquid to help in the process. Do not use a blender or food processor.
Peel and de-vein the shrimp; reserve the shells
and make a broth to be used in the Bobó. Sauté the
onion and garlic in the olive oil until wilted. Add the
pepper, 1/2 of the chopped cilantro and the tomatoes,
stirring well. Add the shrimp and the mashed manioc. Check the amount of liquid and add more shrimp
broth to thin the mixture, if necessary. Add the coconut milk, the remaining cilantro and the palm oil.
Check for salt and pepper. Serve over white rice.
Chef ’s Tips:
Chef Santana found America was more than he
had expected when he came here to work at a Brazilian
restaurant in New Jersey, but that he is growing professionally, and culturally, as a result. Chef Santana has
also worked at Plataforma, Rice and Beans, Caviar and
Banaba in Manhattan, and came to Samba Na’Brasa,
upon the recommendation of a friend. “I wanted to create a menu that has a little of everything, so that everyone can enjoy it. We have 15 different meat entrees and
foods for different ethnicities here, -Japanese, Spanish,
American and Portuguese, as well as Brazilian.
Most Important Influences:
“My mother and the dedication she put into
her cooking and one of my instructors, Chef Divaldo at Senac, for the presentation of plates and
foods, as well as the way he used seasonings.”
Samba Na” Brasa Restaurant
The Chef says....
“The best seasoning is to cook with love! When
you do anything with anger, the food will come out
bad. When you do it with love, everything will come
out good. That’s the secret of cooking!”
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PAGE 11
On the National Scene
Fred Polvere
A-Wreck is A-Wreck is Iraq
Ken Adelman, one of the leading neoconservative intellectuals on defense, wrote in the Washington
Post on February 13th, 2002: “liberating Iraq would be
a cakewalk.” This statement shocked almost all nonpartisan Middle East experts and experienced foreign
service officers who warned that sectarian animosity
dating back over a thousand years would be hard to
overcome.
On April 16, 2003, archconservative Cal Thomas
derided critics of the “cakewalk” in Iraq and wrote:
“All of the printed and voiced prophecies should be
saved in an archive. When these false prophets again
appear, they can be reminded of the error of their
previous ways and at least be offered an opportunity
to recant and repent. Otherwise, they will return to
us in another situation where their expertise will be
acknowledged, or taken for granted, but their credibility will be lacking.”
The vast right wing echo chamber, made up almost entirely of armchair warriors, took up Adelman’s
clarion call for the United States to start an unprecedented preemptive war and then presumptuously
heralded victory over and over.
Bill O’Reilly (1/29/03): “I will bet you the best
dinner in the gaslight district of San Diego that military action will not last more than a week. Are you
willing to take that wager?”
Chris Matthews (4/9/03): “What’s he [Howard
Dean] going to talk about a year from now, the fact
that the war went too well and it’s over? I mean, don’t
these things sort of lose their--Isn’t there a fresh date
on some of these debate points?”
Dick Morris (4/9/03): “Over the next couple of
weeks when we find the chemical weapons this guy
was amassing, the fact that this war was attacked by
the left and so the right was so vindicated, I think,
really means that the left is going to have to hang its
head for three or four more years.”
William Safire (4/10/03): “Where are the supplies of germs and poison gas and plans for nukes to
justify pre-emption? Freed scientists will lead us to
caches no inspectors could find.”
Fred Barnes (4/10/03): “And it gets easier. I mean,
setting up a democracy is hard, but it is not as hard as
winning a war.”
Tony Snow (4/27/03): The three-week swing
through Iraq has utterly shattered skeptics’ complaints.”
William Kristol (4/28/03): “The battles of Afghanistan and Iraq have been won decisively and
honorably.”
Brit Hume (1/01/04): “The Iraqi forces and the
U.S. forces are winning. Iraq is moving forward.”
President Bush (1/17/04): “We’re winning.”
Max Boot (3/04/04): “Iraq already has confounded many Western progressives who doubted that the
Arab world could ever make progress. The bus may
be rickety and it may have lost some passengers, but
-- guess what? -- it’s on schedule toward its final destination: democracy.”
Newt Gingrich (9/27/04): “They want to complain that we’re not winning fast enough, and they
want to complain if we take any casualties. You can’t
have it both ways.”
President Bush finally admitted what everyone can see - we are not winning in Iraq. Too bad
he doesn’t have the courage to make a real change of
course and not simply assuage his bruised ego.
I wonder when Cal Thomas will admit that the
“false prophets,” who can be “reminded of the error
of their ways” and whose “credibility will be lacking,”
are all from his right wing cabal? n
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Charles Krauthammer (3/07/05): “In Iraq and
Lebanon, the Arab street finally got to speak, and mirabile dictu, it speaks of freedom and dignity. It does
not bay for American blood.”
Vice President Cheney (5/31/05): “The level of
activity that we see today from a military standpoint,
I think, will clearly decline. I think they’re in the last
throes, if you will, of the insurgency.”
David Brooks (11/20/05): “Most important, the
training of Iraqi troops has been going well. Authoritative investigators like Jack Keane, the retired Army
general, report that the Iraqi troops are becoming effective fighters and their morale is high.”
Sean Hannity (11/21/05): “We’re close to being
finished [in Iraq].”
Rich Lowry (12/09/05): “It is time to say it unequivocally: We are winning in Iraq.”
Rush Limbaugh (3/14/06): “… these insurgents
who are probably in their last gasp over there [Iraq]
or close to it?”
President Bush (10/25/06): “Absolutely, we’re
winning.”
President Bush (12/19/06): “We’re not winning,
we’re not losing.”
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PAGE 12
New Castle Police Potential Ineffectiveness, continued from page 2
Anti-Italian and Anti-Black incidents and comments involving Lt. Vize and another New Castle
police officer, Gary Beaumont.
Chief Breen was made aware of the incidents, but
no action was taken against either officer.
that may involve up to 25 percent of the town’s
40-member force.”
When confronted with this information,
The Guardian was further advised that an Town Supervisor Wells responded, “I know senAfrican-American, former New Castle Police Of- sitivity classes were given.” Calls placed to Chief
ficer, George Lowry was the subject of frequent Breen regarding the matter, as well as Gerry Fairacial taunting and harassment by Lt. Vize and ella, the Town Administrator, have gone unanOfficer Beaumont. In one incident, brought to the swered.
attention of Chief Breen, it is alleged that a series
Last summer the New Castle Police were
of harassing, racially-tinged, telephone calls were called to a residence in response to a teenage parmade to Lowry by Vize and Beaumont. Investi- ty, where two young men were taken into custody.
gation later revealed that those calls were made Although beer was consumed at the party neither
from the Millwood Fire House on their “emer- young man was inebriated or violent. They were
gency line,” a line intended to receive emergency interrogated without an attorney present having
calls from local residents. It’s further alleged that been told they didn’t need to have one. They were
In Giglio v. United States, the United States
Supreme Court extended the obligation to share
exculpatory information with criminal defendants to include information concerning the
credibility of government witnesses, a fact first
pointed out with respect to the acknowledged
unlawful activities of the New Castle Police Department by reporter Maureen Keating Tsuchiya, of The Westchester Guardian, in the Sept. 21,
2006 edition.
told to sign statements, which would have been
an admission of guilt.
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Tsuchiya further revealed that an article entitled, Disclosing Officer Untruthfulness to the
Defense: Is A Liar Squad Coming To Your Town?,
by Lisa A. Judge in Police Chief Magazine stated,
“The reality is that prosecutors must rely on law
enforcement agencies to inform them of a hidden witness credibility problem, including, for
example, evidence of an officer’s prior untruthfulness in official matters.”
Although parents came to the police station
to pick up their sons they were never told what
charges had been lodged against them. They were
interrogated for more than 2 hours, and when an
attorney arrived, the police refused to release the
Tsuchiya went on to indicate that 10 years
two young men to him. ago, in 1996, “Attorney General Janet Reno estabIn another incident, on November 18, Peggy lished the Giglio Policy that requires federal law
Perez-Olivo was shot and killed by an as-yet- enforcement agencies to inform federal prosecuunidentified assailant while riding in a car with tors about potential impeachment information,
her husband, Carlos Perez-Olivo. The incident including prior misconduct information.” Spegained a lot of notoriety because the couple, resi- cifically referring to the potential incapability of
dents of Chappaqua, happened to be neighbors the New Castle Police to be effective in criminal
of Bill and Hillary Clinton. The crime is still un- investigations, Tsuchiya quoted Judge, who statder investigation and one of the officers involved ed, “Many state and local agencies have begun to
disclose to prosecutors any conclusive informain that investigation is Lt. John Vize.
tion regarding untruthfulness, bias, and crimes
Last week, New York Post writer Leonard committed by an officer who is to be a material
Greene, in an article entitled, Police Farce with witness in a criminal prosecution.”
regard to the investigation of the murder of PegTsuchiya further quoted Judge, “As the trend
gy Perez-Olivo, pointed out the fact that the New
Castle Police Department faces, “a major obstacle grows, agencies will be required to deal more
in their quest to bring a killer to justice, their own forcefully with officers who lie. Departments may
Police Department, ..” The Post was referring to choose to adopt strict policies regarding truthwhat they described as, “an alleged pension scam fulness, and rigorously adhere to those policies.
Without taking steps, agencies set themselves
up to employ a portion of their commissioned
workforce as administrative employees unable
to investigate crimes, and testify regarding their
investigations.” n
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PAGE 13
PAGE 14
Horoscope
© Shelley Ackerman 2007. The author is a New York-based
astrologer, journalist and broadcaster.
Visit her online at www.karmicrelief.com
Shelley L. Ackerman
Photo/Kate Lacey
Jan. 25 - Jan. 31
Aries: A secret admirer may lurk in the
background, or a love affair kept under wraps
could bloom and deliciously
distract in a way that complicates other parts of your existence. And while it feels great to
be so alive again, Mars in your
10th house of career demands
Edwin Newman
respect and urges you not to do
Jan. 25
anything self-destructive. Take
heed because others in your sphere are paying
close attention and talking amongst themselves.
Cancer: Like a gentle but insistent wave
luring you to distant shores with dreams of love
and romance, the travel bug has
hit and you just can’t shake it.
And while a vacation would be
lovely, this sudden longing can
be interpreted as a metaphor
for a timely expansion regardPaul Newman
ing your nesting requirements
Jan 26
and your overall beliefs. An investigation into your religious past and/or ancestral roots would soothe your soul. Genealogists
Taurus: Ever the rock-steady and practi- are standing by and ready for your call.
cal influence when people need it, this week you
Leo: At the risk of sounding like Debbie
uncharacteristically ask, “why
Downer, your skeptical response to something
not?” when presented with a
flakey presented to you is warranted and useful
financial hypothetical. And
while it’s healthy for you to
bend, stretch, and flex those intellectual-imaginative muscles
Alicia Keys
Jan. 25
of yours, thinking is one thing
and acting is another. Successful businessmen usually don’t say ‘no’ until they
have to. In this case, you don’t need to say ‘yes’ in
By Shelley L. Ackerman
Talk to me, baby, tell me lies,
that quickly either.
so do speak up. If something or someone sounds
too good to be true, it probably is. We must all be
the voice of reason from time to time, this weekit’s your turn. Exercise caution when negotiating
or when dealing with partners. Their vagueness
is not necessarily intentional but it’s a factor just
the same.
Virgo: Thanks to your
sensitivity and high strung nervous system, there are many
things that bug you. But miscommunication and sloppiness
at work irks you the most. This
week, it’s as if everyone on the
job is suffering from A.D.D.
Mikhail Baryshnikov
Jan. 27
Continued on the next page
Dream Big- But Keep it Real:
Mercury Conjoins Neptune in Aquarius,
Venus Enters Pisces
Gemini: With Venus at the top of your
chart you’re looking just marvelous and people
are noticing and responding. Take the kudos
to heart and spiff up your image some. Mercury/Neptune in your 9th house of long journeys
tempts you to take the next
flight out, but the thought may
be more exciting than the actual
trip: Saturn insists that tending
to responsibilities close to home
Ellen DeGeneris
takes precedence. A comproJan. 26
mise could be a 4-day rejuvenation weekend (within a 200 mile range). Women
further you professionally from Jan 27-Feb 20.
Tell me lies as sweet as apple pie.
Whisper you tremble with a wild desire
To light the fire in my eyes.
-Lyrics by Johnny Mercer
hough Valentine’s Day is three weeks away,
this week’s planets wax poetic while hinting at love and romance.
And on January 26 when Mercury (planet of
communication/transportation) conjoins Neptune,
(idealistic planet of dreams, deception, romance,
escapism) it presents a climate in which flowery
speech, artistic vision, lies, miscommunication, intrigue, and exaggeration can thrive all too well. But
the up side is so sweet and lyrical that it’s hard not
to be taken in and seduced in a way that feels wonderful –at least for the moment.
For writers, singers, composers, and expressive
T
types from all walks, this is truly a beautiful aspect
laced with magnificent inspiration. But for serious
matters of import (i.e. legal, political, or medical)
for which clarity, honesty, precision, and dependability is required, the Mercury/Neptune combo
presents a challenge. Though the initials may vary
from culture to culture, ‘B.S.’ is an international problem: Who among us doesn’t
struggle with our ability to discern fact
from fiction, especially while in the throws of an
eloquent but seductive spiel? Luckily, no-nonsense
Saturn in Leo is on hand (opposite Mercury/Neptune) policing the situation and making sure one
doesn’t get too carried away, while steadying the
creative energy into something very tangible
On January 27th, sweet Venus enters Pisces (the
sign of its exaltation) permeating the atmosphere
with divine compassion, romantic and universal
love. Open your heart, dream big, and enjoy.
PAGE 15
Shimmering Stars, continued from the previous page
But rather than blow up again and again at
something you can’t control, buffer yourself with
headphones and anything that helps to create a
sense of privacy. Relief comes on the 27th when
Venus enters your 7th house of relationship and
provides a gentle boost to your social life.
Libra: Don’t postpone
acting on a potentially lucrative
idea any longer. Your creativity
and inspiration is peaking and
you have help standing by in
Turturro
the form of an expert willing to Nicholas
Jan. 29
assist you in shaping it up further and delivering to exquisite completion. Venus in your 6th house adds grace and a nudge to
a new health regime while pleasantly changing
your work schedule for the better. These are good
and productive times.
you to say is “There’s no place like home.” But
that’s your mantra for about the next 3 weeks,
and it puts you exactly where you need to be. Venus in your 4th house entices you to turn within
and create your own private Idaho as it were, or
at the very least, a little sanctuary (be sure to get
a fountain!) in your primary residence. This is a
fertile time in which a lot of key personal things
can be accomplished. You’re prolific and writing
projects can be very rewarding. Seek out and accept intelligent criticism gracefully.
you’re talking about will be met with a viable
challenge. Do your homework. Your financial
life takes a turn for the better when Venus enters
your 2nd house on the 27th and
brings a new-found sense of
self worth.
Pisces: Your intuition is
sharper than ever so keep a pen
and paper handy lest your rapOprah Winfrey
id thoughts evaporate into the
Jan. 31
ozone as quickly as they came.
Capricorn: Creative writing is one thing Venus adds charm to your presence so make use
and creative bookkeeping is another. You’ve nev- of it and the abundance of good will in the career
er been one to ignore potential consequences for department. A new and better self image is being
negligence. So while you’re enformed, bask in the glow and make it last. ■
couraged to indulge and enjoy
your gift of gab this week and to
even tell a few whoppers, don’t
Scorpio: Conversations at home may not confuse that fun exercise with
Minnie Driver
the
business
at
hand.
Dot
every
Jan. 31
be heard correctly and could be misleading. And
while it’s possible that kids and/or friends have ‘I’ and cross all ‘tees’. A very pleasant diversion or
conspired to cook something up behind your day trip is in the offing.
back, it’s not necessarily a negative so chill and
Aquarius: If you can’t dazzle ‘em with
please keep a lid on your paranoid self. Haven’t your brilliance, baffle
you ever planned a surprise party? On a practical ‘em with your --- ---level, check to make sure vents are clean and that won’t cut it this week.
there are no allergens about. Love is in the air.
Talking a blue streak
Sagittarius: The last thing anyone expects without knowing what
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PAGE 16
Hail Caesar, from page 6
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Don’t you worry about a thing
pean Caucasians did in the Sixties, not only with
Civil Rights but also with getting us out of Vietnam.
It took some time, but they had to wait, and in this
infant millennium, they have struck against the
people, just like the international enemies, losers to
our ancestors are striking back.
A friend sent me an email, and wrote that I
must read it. The email was about how we African-Americans are still enslaved by the “White”
man. I read it, and deleted it, extinguished it like I
needed a water hose to extinguish the fire, hotter
than fish grease, which was burning me up. Then,
it came to me that what this author was writing,
about African-Americans, was that it’s the same
thing that’s happening to all Americans, by an
out of control government, and heads of State.
The author, Dee Lee, a Caucasian of European
descendant said that we African-Americans are being enslave through IGNORANCE, GREED, and
SELFISHNESS. Her description of our Ignorance is
that we don’t read, and she repeats the joke about
hiding money in a book because a thief of African
ancestry would never look there and that we don’t
buy books. But from where I sit, there are Caucasians in Mount Vernon who aren’t saying and doing
anything about the faltering library. And, most African-Americans can’t afford all the video games and
surround sound systems that other groups can and
do, knowing that the rush children get while playing video games are equal to a COCAINE RUSH. I
don’t think she’s just talking about African-Americans I think she’s talking to all Americans.
Ignorance, greed and selfishness are what got
Rome’s Caesars, the kings, queens and lords of England, czars, and the like, of Central Europe. It’s also
what got England and King George kicked out of
North America. It’s time for us to toss the Tea in the
harbor, put the king in the tower. “We the (Free)
people” of America, all of us, are saying our help in
Iraq is no longer needed, Caesar, August, Tiberius,
Druses, Claudius, Nero, Bush, the masses have rel-
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, OCTOB
THURS
VOL
. I NO.
XI
ER 19,
2006
I NO.
V
If
jackal it was the
Osama
intenti
of Kool-A
Bin
on
id-imb Laden, and of Saudi
indelib
ibing
gutter- his band
history ly stain the
snipes
fabric
lamic with the
, to
heelpr of our Nation
violen
int
they
surely ce on Septem of radica ’s
succee
cident
ber 11, l Iss,
ded.
2001,
The series
mercia involving
of inlives l airliners, four hijack
of
nocen more than instantly ed comt
took
at the people, manythree thousa
the
World
gon, and
Trade from Westc nd inCenter
a field
hester,
vania,
in Shank , the
more
PentaHarbo
lives
than sville, Penns
r.
were
Those
lost at ylPearl
of
contin
ue to us in New
found
experi
York,
sense
ence
perhap
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of loss
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that 1,725
and despaimost pro-s
there
days
is still
a huge after that r. Yes, deand South
cavity
Black
Tower
Center
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where
s
the
That once stood of the World North
hole
for twenty
Trade
to a lack in the ground
-five
years.
and city of leader
bears
testam
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recent government in federa
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l, state,
unprec
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edente
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. And,
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likes
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e Bush,
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have
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Inside
...
Exp. 2/28/07
VOL.
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Exp. 2/28/07
egated totalitarian rulers and political parties to the
past before, and they will do it again.
No more troops, no more money, no military
control of this Nation for the people and by the
people. We will not eat cake, run, or disgrace the
memory of ancestors, enslaved, indentured, refugeed, nor their dreams, nor will we diminish the
honor of the warriors who sought refugee in this
land of freedom and were proud and grateful to
protect it, because it was better than what they
had left behind. I’m told that back in the early
days as a sign of honor, and to have the taste of
freedom forever on their tongue, for which they
paid a hefty price for passage, the newly immigrated Europeans kissed America’s ground, but
I feel to those Europeans the act was a vow to
fight for the continuation of this country’s citizens rights, and to never let it become like the
place they fled from. Our armed forces are needed back here to regroup and to be ready for the
other enemies laying in wait.
Sometime after 9/11, I happened to be in
Grand Central Station, which was full of military
personnel; machine guns and all. Now until I saw
our protection walking around armed did I stop
being afraid of being blown up, and become afraid
of being shot by a trigger-happy or grudge-filled
armed service person. Then the freedom against
military control in the Constitution comforted
me, knowing that they’d soon be gone, but the
thought of our armed forces controlling people
of other countries like the riders going and coming through Grand Central Station made me feel
worse. I don’t want it for them or us. No longer
is America’s military might in Grand Central Station or patrolling the streets, the states are back in
control of that. Our heroes and warriors must not
be turned into Caesar’s imperial guards, in this
country or any other. We must become aware that
freedom is a constant sacrifice to protect us and to
protect others from us. It isn’t free. ■
o...
THURS
DAY
, SEPTEM
BER
We have a weekly circulation of 45,000 and growing.
The Westchester Guardian can now be found at
7, 2006
have
to show
Bush
into his, for having
How
many and Dick followed
stock
Mr.
Ameri
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in the
cans,
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valued contributionl nation and any
really
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uas many ing 9/11
ided
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eed freedoour Conwe pour
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ment, any democ ever being show- becomtyrannical, war agains
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Contin
to
ued on
page
13
MORE THAN 800 locations throughout Westchester.
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ver
ty’s Oent of Pirro
e Part-Up Resentm
BER
2, 2006
, NOVEM
DAY
THURS
VOL.
I NO.
Court
Kidn
II
Order
Jing K s Judge
To R
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Arra ly And
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e
By DA Son
apping
THURS
DAY
, A
Jing Kelly,
T 17,
2006
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“Joe
. I NO.
VOL
XIII
Ths Express Pen
Cop
UGUS
Jeanin
e Pirr
o
Inside
...
...
Inside
The Westchester Guardian - Westchester’s Most Influential Weekly
PAGE 17
Doing Hard Time, Part III, continued from page 3
looking for anyone who, through some angle, could
help me. One of the authors that stuck out was Tekla
Miller, who had written a book entitled, The Warden
Wore Pink. It was about her experiences as a warden
of a men’s Maximum Security Prison. I wrote her a
letter the gist of which was explaining my situation
and asking her if she came across anyone throughout
her career that could possibly be of any assistance to
me, I asked if she could please forward my contact
info to them or send me theirs.
I sent my letter to her book publishing company.
But she never got the letter. The publishing company
opened the letter and forwarded it to Claudia Whitman, who was involved in an organization that works
to abolish the death penalty on a federal level, called
National Death Row Assistance Network of CURE.
We began corresponding for the purpose of brainstorming. She tried to help me with the networking
and finding someone to take my case. This went on
for almost a year. Somewhere in the course of that
she had recommended that I write to The Innocence
Project again. I had written them previously in 19931994. Back then DNA was not as advanced as it is
now and there was no such thing as a DNA databank.
DNA exonerations were based strictly upon DNA being used as newly discovered evidence. In my case,
they told me, “the DNA was not newly discovered;
it was known at the time of trial by the jury,” which
nonetheless convicted me. Therefore, there was nothing they could do.
Mrs. Whitman told me to write to them again.
She said my writing them previously was irrelevant
in light of the databank. I knew of the databank and
of it’s potential to clear me, I just had thought that if I
wrote again that I would get the same response, and I
would not have written them again on my own.
I wrote to the Innocence Project and, this time,
they sent me the questionnaire to fill out. I filled it
out and sent it back to them, and forgot about it. I
did it just to do it, with no expectation that anything
positive might come of it. By this point in time, with
every letter I wrote, I had conditioned myself not to
get my hopes up. I was afraid to, because of the hurt
that would follow when I was let down. I continued
to brainstorm with Claudia and continued to write to
different people and places, just as if I had not written
to the Innocence Project. It was better not to have to
wait on just one place, having a lot of time go by, and
then being denied. By that method I only got to try
three or four places a years. Rather, I decided to use
the ‘gangplank’ approach, whereby the more irons in
the fire the better.
Six months later, out of the blue, the Innocence
Project wrote to me and told me that they were taking my case. After researching and putting together
legal documents, they approached Westchester District Attorney Janet Difiore to see if she would agree
to do the more advanced DNA testing that Jeanine
Pirro had previously opposed. She agreed. Had she
decided to fight against it we would have had to litigate the matter in court which would have resulted in
the usual delays. She spared me and her office having
to go down that road by agreeing to have the testing
done.
The first time I saw my primary lawyer, Nina
Morrison, was also the only time I saw her in person
in prison. Prior to that we communicated through
the mail and by telephone. I was in my cell talking
to my neighbor when my cell door opened. I stepped
out of it to see what the guard who opened it wanted
from me. He informed me that I had a visitor. I was
surprised because I was not expecting a visit. I got
dressed and hurried up to the visiting room, wondering along the way who could be visiting me. When
I entered the room I looked around, looking for
someone that I might recognized. A woman who I
had never seen before waved her fingers to me. I then
asked the guards at the desk where my visitor was.
They indicated that it was the woman.
The Innocence Project uses law students as clerks
to research case law, put together briefs etc. which are
then reviewed by the lawyers. As I walked towards
her I thought that maybe she was the law student who
had been working on my case. She informed me that
she was attorney Nina Morrison.
I was really surprised and thrown for a loop. She
told me that the test results had come back. I was
mostly surprised because we were not expecting the
results for another month. She repeated that the results were in. Then, really quickly, before I could say
anything she said that they matched someone else
and that I was going home tomorrow.
I said, “No I am not, I am not going home.” We
went back and forth three times, with her telling me
that I was going home and my insisting that I was
not. After the third time she yielded and said, “Okay.”
She had to literally sit there and hold my hand for 3
½ hours before I was psychologically ready to hear
about what would happen the following day.
My mind would simply not accept it. She kept
talking to me, trying to help me mentally work
through the shock. Then, as she began going over the
details of the next day, getting my clothing sizes etc., I
began to fear that something would happen, that the
D.A. would change her mind between that day and
the next, and that they would do what they always
did, oppose me and win.
As I left the visiting room my mind was swirling
around. On a intellectual level I had accepted it, yet
it had not fully hit me. I went to recreation that night
and spoke with a law student that they had left at the
office to give me someone to talk to.
Even though Sing Sing had been informed that I
was going to court and going to be released the next
day, the guards still put the handcuffs on me along
with a waist chain, as well as the leg irons. As I was
driven into White Plains, I looked out the windows
and looked on amazed and happy with society; seeing
roads and cars with people in them, grass, businesses,
people walking around, familiar and not so familiar
buildings, and all the while feeling the sun shining on
me. It felt good to be moving around in the free world
even though I was not yet free.
When I was in the holding area of the court waiting to be called up, I prayed a couple of times that nothing would go wrong, that nothing unanticipated would
happen. My stomach felt a twinge in response to the
irrational fear that something would. I was given a suit
which the Innocence Project had bought for me. I put
it on, and this made things a little bit more real. When
it was time to go upstairs to court, they put handcuffs
on me. I thought, “Was that really necessary?”
When I entered the court room, I stopped to look
around at the people, to see if I knew any of them. I
smiled, knowing that what I had been saying all along,
that I was innocent, was now known by all. As this
thought went through my mind, I, as one newspaper
put it, puffed my chest out slightly, triumphantly; I
had finally overcome the system.
I sat down at the defendant’s table. Nina Morrison looked at me and introduced Barry Scheck, who
told me that I was definitely going home that day. The
judge came out quickly.
Following the brief proceedings, as I got up and
turned to leave, I took a couple of steps and suddenly
the enormity hit me, I was going home. It froze my
mind. I sat back down, with my shoulders slumped. I
was unready to leave. My mind drifted into a fog. My
lawyers began speaking to me, they wanted to know
what was wrong. But, I was unable to talk momentarily. My mind almost shut down.
There reached a point in time where the court officers cleared the courtroom of everybody other than
family. After about 10 minutes I got up and walked
out. With each step I took I realized more and more
that it was really happening. I received a standing
ovation from the crowd of law students. Then after
about fifteen minutes of taking it in, I thanked all the
students and staff who had helped, and went to give a
press conference in which I spoke for 2, 2 ½ hours of
everything I had ever wanted to say. n
PAGE 18
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PAGE 19
Marriage and Family in Westchester
Dr. Maria Munoz Kantha
Life After Divorce: “Can I Manage?”
When most women and men think about divorce, they have no idea how stressful the times
ahead will be. No matter who made the choice
to divorce, both members of the relationship will
encounter problems with the ability to think and
negotiate in an effective fashion. Their thought
process will be skewed for quite some time. Make
sure to carry a calendar to remember important
dates, details to assist you in making reasonable
choices, especially if there are children involved
in the divorce.
Remember it is easy for each of you to be distrustful of the other. Do not let stress defeat you.
To be effective you must be organized, busy, and
coherent. Under stress, being organized is challenging; if you do not understand the process, it
is nearly impossible.
other, but they do not divorce their children. A
majority of former spouses are able to establish
a relatively conflict-free parenting relationship
for the benefit of their children. However, about
a third have difficulty in establishing a workable
parenting relationship, even years after the divorce. It is important to avoid being part of this
group, because it can have a detrimental effect on
a child’s development. There will be lots of tension, and if there is more than one child involved
the stress may multiply, so therefore it is important to be sensitive to all your children’s needs.
As time goes on and anger dissipates, parents
may develop some version of “cooperative parenting.” In this arrangement, parents communicate directly and in a business-like manner regarding the children and co-parenting schedules.
Be aware that a divorce can cause tremendous Marriage and family therapists can be helpful to
stress and emotional reactions from you and your families as they formulate their post-divorce parchildren, especially if you are not in agreement enting relationships.
with the divorce and financial arrangements.
Many parents that I have counseled express
Your children may express this directly or indi- concerns and the belief that having children can
rectly. It can cause an emotional tug of war and have a negative impact on dating. They, especially
triangulation amongst the children and the par- women, often feel that prospective dates will not
ents. As I have mentioned in previous columns, it want to see them if there are children involved.
is important to reassure children that you are not If a man or woman cannot handle your children
divorcing them and, do not plan to replace them. from a previous relationship, any possible relaThis will help alleviate much stress and conflict. tionship with that person is doomed from the
Dating too soon can create problems; the par- start. Always put your chilent who decides to date should not introduce their dren first.
dates to their children until there is some stability
and adjustment to the divorce. The dating parent
should be made aware that introducing children
too soon after the divorce may create issues and
have a serious impact on a child’s development,
especially if the new relationship falls apart. Your
children do not need to be involved in your dating
encounters, and one should wait until there is stability in their new relationship and some discussion of reconstituted or blended family are held
and understood.
Divorce elicits certain
emotions such as anger,
anxiety, denial, depression,
loneliness, and resentment.
When these feelings emerge,
it is important to seek help,
possibly from a marriage
and divorce counselor. These
feelings may sneak up on you
in unexpected situations. It
can be a simple thing like
Once again, I stress that spouses divorce each watching television and re-
membering the programs you both enjoyed, or
perhaps listening to music you both liked.
So how do you cope? Firstly, you need to acknowledge that you are sad and lonely. You can
probably survive loneliness without acknowledging it, but it will take longer and hurt more.
So why beat yourself up? Go ahead and say it to
yourself: “I’m lonely. I feel alone.” You can also
call on a friend or a family member close to you
that is empathetic and caring. Remember there
are also support groups for divorced people.
Once you acknowledge your feelings of loneliness, you can use three basic strategies to deal
with it. 1. Be patient and process 2. Deal with it
and 3. Welcome your feelings.
Life after divorce is manageable only if you
deal with the reality of what it means to you.
Only then will you be able to manage your life
after divorce. n
Law Ofﬁces of
RICHARD A. ROBERTS, ESQ.
www.richardaroberts.com
Real Estate
Business
Family
105 Stevens Ave., Suite 401
Mount Vernon, NY 10550
Bankruptcy
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Criminal
(914) 668-6622
Fax (914) 668-7763
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Call (201) 805-5550
PAGE 20
Taking Judicial Notice
Judge Kenneth Lange
My Career as a Criminal Investigator
I had never planned on becoming a criminal
investigator. Having recently graduated from law
school, I was in my first full-time job as a lawyer,
working for a federal judge. In addition to doing
some legal research and clipping the judge’s decisions from the New York Law Journal, I had other duties more suited to my actual skills. I drove
the judge (who had been partially disabled in a
horseback-riding accident years earlier) to and
from the courthouse each day, and accompanied
him to the courtroom. I assisted him in getting
into his robe, and banged on the door from the
robing room, announcing, in a very authoritative voice, “All rise!” I also sat at a desk in the
judge’s outer office, screening all who entered,
being ready (I assumed) to throw my unarmed
self in the path of any would-be assassins. I had
the title of “Bailiff-Law Clerk,” and had promised
the judge I would stay with him for a year. The
job paid $7500 a year, close to the going rate for
new hires at downtown law firms in 1959.
The judge was a good lawyer, if somewhat
abrupt, and even bullying, with inept lawyers in
the courtroom. The best, like Louis Nizer, were
always prepared, and had his respect. He read all
the legal papers on a case in advance, and was
always primed and ready to go. He kept his own
trial notes in a looseleaf binder, and had them
typed by his secretary at the end of the day. When
he needed to make a ruling, he would almost
never reserve decision, immediately dictating his
decision to the court reporter, with detailed findings of fact, from his notes. I vowed that, if ever I
became a judge, I would do things that way. I also
vowed to be gentler with inept lawyers, recognizing that there are very few Louis Nizers.
Judge Kenneth Lange is retired from the Westchester County Court, where he served for 20 years.
He is now of counsel to the law firm of Banks, Shapiro, Gettinger and Waldinger, LLP in Mt. Kisco.
After being in court with the judge every day
for six months, the mystique of trying real cases
(instead of those in moot courts in law school),
vanished. “I can do that,” I told myself. It was at
about his time that I found out that I had passed
the bar examination, an event that would result
in a small salary increase. The day that the names
of those who had passed the test appeared in the
New York Law Journal, I got a telephone call at
work from Joseph F. Gagliardi, then District Attorney of Westchester County. We knew each
other, because I had worked for him as a summer intern, in what was then a small D.A.’s office (eight Assistant D.A.s). He congratulated me
on passing the bar exam, and said that he had a
job for me, as an Assistant D.A. I told him of the
commitment I had made to the judge, and he replied that he didn’t think the opening would be
there in another six months. I really wanted that
job; after three years of law school at Columbia,
and six months of working in Manhattan, I had
decided I would be happier working and living
in Westchester. I spoke to the judge, and he was
very understanding: his only condition was that
I find a replacement, satisfactory to him. I contacted a classmate, who had worked for the FCC
in Washington for six months, and wanted to return to New York. The judge, an old Columbia
man, approved the replacement.
It normally took several months, after you
passed the examination, to collect and file “character affidavits” (from all employers and from
non-family members who had visited you at every
residence, going back five years), have an interview
with the Committee on Character and Fitness,
and then be sworn in at a ceremony in the Appellate Division. Joe Gagliardi made it clear that he
could not wait that long, and I went into a frantic
full-court press to get the affidavits. It wasn’t easy
to get the affiants together with a notary. When it
came time for the interview, Gagliardi interceded
with the Committee, so that I could be interviewed
separately by a majority of the members of the
Committee, instead of waiting for a meeting when
all would all be present. This meant my driving all
over the Ninth Judicial District, usually at night,
when the Committee members would be available
to see me. One member had his suitcases standing
in the hallway of his home, awaiting a taxi to the
airport, when I arrived for my interview. In what
I am sure was record time (about three weeks), I
completed all the paper work and the interviews,
and was told to report to the Appellate Division
in Brooklyn. On February 29th 1960, I was sworn
in, all by myself, in the robing room, by the Presiding Justice, Gerald Nolan. Much to my embarrassment, the story of District Attorney Gagliardi’s
urgent need for this callow youth on his staff, had
preceded me. Justice Nolan made some wisecrack
about how special I must feel, and how singleminded Gagliardi was.
Another matter I had discussed on the telephone with the District Attorney, during those
frantic weeks, was my place of residence. I had
lived all my life in Yonkers (except for a brief period when I sublet an apartment near law school),
and my parents’ home was still my legal address.
I was startled when he said to me, “Do me (and
yourself) a favor. Get the Hell out of Yonkers!” Of
course I wanted to know why. He explained that
he was really thinking of my future, and that it
was his belief that there were too many lawyers,
and too many crooked politicians in Yonkers,
for a young lawyer to get ahead. I asked, “Where
should I go?” and his short answer was, “Anywhere north of White Plains.” Like most South
Yonkers natives, with family ties to the Bronx, I
thought that Westchester ended, and “Upstate”
began, at the Hawthorne Circle! I was completely ignorant of Northern Westchester. With
no small effort, we (my wife, young baby and I)
found an apartment in Mount Kisco, a Village I
had never been to before. We bought furniture,
Continued on the next page
Criminal Investigator, continued from the previous page
and pots and pans, since we were coming from a
furnished apartment.
My new mentor also suggested that I introduce myself to the Republican leader in Bedford
(my new apartment was then in the Bedford half
of the Village), and I did so. He lived in a beautiful old house, surrounded by horse pastures.
“You’re not in Yonkers anymore,” I told myself!
The day after being sworn in as a new lawyer, I reported for work at the D.A.’s office on the
sixth floor of the old courthouse in White Plains.
As I sat before Joe Gagliardi at his big desk, he
told me that there had been some “complications.” He acknowledged urging me to move out
of Yonkers, but since I was so new in Bedford, the
“political people” had told him to “clear” the appointment with the Yonkers Republican Chairman, since that is where my “roots” were.
With obvious embarrassment, he told me of
what had happened: he had assumed this was going to be a pro-forma approval of his choice, but
was taken aback when the Yonkers Chairman reported that my ward leader would not “sign off ”
on the appointment. I was surprised, since my
parents were staunch Republicans, I was enrolled
as a Republican, and had even carried nominating petitions for the Republican candidates in the
last local election. “He wants the job for himself,”
replied Gagliardi, “…but I’ll never appoint him.”
“Where does that leave me?” I asked incredulously. “I still want you,” he said. The problem
with forcing the issue, he explained, was that no
one in memory had been appointed an Assistant
District Attorney in Westchester, immediately
after being admitted to practice, and since I was
the first intern to have worked there, there was
no precedent for crediting that as “experience.”
As my spirits plummeted, he said he had figured
out a way to do it. He would appoint me temporarily as a Criminal Investigator in his office (a college
degree was an acceptable alternative to prior experience in law enforcement), and in three months,
he would make me an Assistant District Attorney!
“Trust me,” he insisted. I had no choice.
My first assignment in my new job came that
afternoon. I was to “keep an eye on” a reluctant
witness, who was needed to identify voices on
wiretap recordings, at a trial then going on in
County Court. The witness was a former lowlevel employee of a major bookmaking operation
in Yonkers, operated by Frank “Congo” Poplees,
and his brother Milton. The witness had failed
to respond to earlier subpoenas, and, on this day
Sheriff ’s Investigators picked him up at his new
job (driving a Good Humor truck), provided him
with immediate transportation to the courthouse
in their car, while an Investigator muted the jingling bells and followed behind. I was told not to
let him out of my sight, as he sullenly ate a bologna sandwich in an anteroom, waiting to testify.
I still was unarmed, and missed the little silver
badge I had in the Federal Court, that read “Bailiff.” Hopefully the scruffy witness didn’t know I
was nothing but a day-old lawyer!
The District Attorney had determined, against
all odds, to prosecute the Poplees brothers, and a
handful of their associates. At that time the highest
State crime for illegal gambling was a misdemeanor,
usually prosecuted in the local court, by someone
from the Yonkers Corporation Counsel’s office. Instead, Gagliardi took the unusual course of presenting the cases to a grand jury, and prosecuting them
by indictment in the County Court. He was a firm
believer in the maxim that illegal gambling was “the
treasury of the underworld.” He also saw bookmakers as serious contributors to the corruption of the
police. Since the Congo syndicate (which was affiliated with one of the major crime “families”), operated without interference by the Yonkers police
for many years, Gagliardi reasonably assumed that
neither the police, nor the political establishment in
Yonkers, were on his side in this case. I wondered if
his dogged pursuit of this case had anything to do
with the lack of deference shown to him in connection with my aborted appointment.
When the witness was finally called into the
courtroom, I followed at a discreet distance. The
courtroom, and this section of the courthouse,
had been built in 1858. There was a ten-foothigh wooden partition behind the jury box, and
a narrow passageway behind it, permitting the
lawyers access to the judge’s robing room for
conferences with the judge. I seized on this passageway as the perfect spot to keep an eye on my
charge, to block the path of anyone who might
try to “get” him, and to be
out of sight of the jury. I assumed a military “at ease”
position, and continued to
perform my duties. After the
witness had testified for few
minutes, I was approached
by a silver-haired man in a
double-breasted suit. I recognized him from pictures
as Sheriff Hoy. I smiled at
my fellow law-enforcement
colleague, but was met by
a glower, and a demand to
know who I was, and what I
PAGE 21
was doing there. I responded that I was a new
investigator in the D.A.’s office. He demanded to
see my credentials, but I had not been given any
yet. I told him that Arthur Spring, the A.D.A.
trying the case, could vouch for me. He seemed
to relax. He went and checked with Spring and
returned, but politely asked me to watch the witness for the rest of his testimony from a seat in
the spectator gallery!
The next day I had my I.D. card as a criminal
investigator, but thereafter I did mostly legal work.
I told my law school friends I was “working in the
D.A.’s office.” My wife questioned whether I could
rely on the D.A.’s promise. Several feet of snow in
Mount Kisco, no movie theater, and no Chinese
restaurant in town didn’t help with morale at
home. Actually the investigator’s job paid about
the same as I had been getting at Foley Square,
but was substantially less than I had anticipated
when I moved to Northern Westchester. I literally
counted the days.
All members of the Congo syndicate were convicted, and Frank Poplees actually served time at
the County Penitentiary. Frank changed his name
and went straight; he opened a travel agency. Just
before Joe Gagliardi left the D.A.’s office to become
a judge, the investigators presented him with what
he wanted most as a going-away present: they took
down another bookmaking operation in Yonkers!
On June 1st, 1960, the three months was up.
I was again called into the boss’s office, told that
this was the day that I was to sign the oath of office, as an Assistant D.A.
I carefully read the words in the old, bound
book in the County Clerk’s office (to make sure it
had the correct job title), raised my hand, vowed
to uphold the Constitution and laws of the State
of New York, and signed the book, That night we
drove to Peekskill to celebrate my appointment,
over dinner in a Chinese restaurant. n
PAGE 22
community calendar
CLIP AND SAVE
On-Going Exhibitions:
Through Jan. 31:
• A solo exhibition of water
color paintings featuring a
unique expression of light,
shadow and color by Jack
Goldberg are on display in the
Atrium at Riverfront Library,
One Larkin Center, Yonkers.
Free and open to the public
during regular library hours:
Mon.-Thurs. 9am-8pm; Fri.
10am-5pm; Sat. 9am-5pm; Sun.
12-5pm. Riverfront Library is
located across from the Yonkers
Metro North Railway Station,
and is handicapped accessible.
Three-hour free parking is
available for three hours in
the Buena Vista Garage. Info:
914.337.1500.
Chris Burns is a multi-media
exhibit using historical music,
photographs, film footage and
memorabilia, particularly shoes,
to tell the story of the civil
rights movement in America.
Museum of Arts & Culture, New
Rochelle High School, North and
Braemer Aves., New Rochelle.
Hrs: Mon.-Fri. 8am-3pm, Tues.
& Thurs. eves. 7-9pm. Info:
914.576.4524.
Through Feb. 23
• Paintings by Barbara
Kleinman. Mixed media. The
Manor Club, 1023 Esplanade,
Pelham Manor. Hrs: 10am3pm, Mon.-Fri. Opening
reception Jan. 21 2-4pm. Info:
914.738.1528.
Through Feb. 16
Soles of the Movement.
This ongoing exhibition by
Expanded Library Hours
• Beginning February 5, The New Rochelle Public Library and
the Huguenot Children’s Library, 794 Main St., New Rochelle,
will remain open during lunch hours each day of operation
and until 8pm on Wednesday evenings. The winter hours for
both libraries are as follows:
Huguenot Children’s Library:
Mon. - 10am-6pm, Tues. - 10am-5pm, Wed. - 10am-8pm,
Thurs. - 10am-6pm, Fri - 10am-5pm, Sat - 9am-5pm
Main Library:
Mon. - 9am-8pm, Tues. - 9am-8pm, Wed. - 10am-6pm,
Thurs. - 9am-8pm, Fri. - 9am-5pm, Sat. - 9am-5pm,
Sun. - 1pm-5pm
Fri., Jan 26
• Menus in the Movies: How
Hollywood Handles Drinking
in the Social Setting. Discussion
led by Carol Durst, food author
and film buff. Homemade
desserts to follow. Sponsored by
the Friends of the Chappaqua
Library. This week: On The Town
(1954). Free and open to the
public. 7pm, Chappaqua Library,
195 S. Greeley, Chappaqua.
Info: 914.238.4779, www.
chappaqualibrary.org.
• Well Spouse Support Group
Meetings. Support group
for helping and taking care
of yourself when a spouse
is ill. Free. 1-3pm, Billings
Building #4, Room 204, Burke
Rehabilitation Hospital, 785
Mamaroneck Ave., White Plains.
Info: 914.948.4778, www.
wellspouse.org.
Sat., Jan. 27
• Wild Tea Party. Come
taste wild teas brewed from
sweetgum, sassafras, white
Up and Coming:
Feb. 1, 15 & 22
• The New Rochelle Public
Library, One Library Plaza,
New Rochelle, will present
three films in their Focus on
African-American Films series
throughout February. They
will be shown at 7pm in the
library’s Ossie Davis Theater,
and are free to the general
public. The films are: Feb.
1: Stormy Weather; Feb. 15:
Let’s Do It Again; and, Feb.
22: A Soldier’s Story. Info:
914.632.7878 x34
Feb. 1 - April 17
• TCE, Tax Counseling
for the Elderly, and VITA,
Volunteer Income Tax
Assistance, will be offered
by trained AARP volunteer
counselors every Tuesday
and Thursday. Participants
will be assisted on a firstcome, first-served basis,
and interested persons are
advised to bring whatever
tax-related materials are
needed to complete their
returns, provided by the
counselors. 10am-3pm in
the Community Gallery on
the first floor of the New
Rochelle Public Library, One
Library Plaza, New Rochelle.
Info: 914.632.7878 x34.
Fri., Feb. 2
• Reel Justice: Great Courtroom
Dramas. Sponsored by the
Friends of the Chappaqua
Library. Tonight: Inherit the
Wind. Free and open to
the general public. 7:30pm,
Chappaqua Public Library, 195
S. Greeley, Chappaqua. Info:
914.238.4779.
PAGE 23
jan. 25 - jan. 31
pine, goldenrod, mullein and
more. Additionally, we’ll learn
some of the culinary, medicinal
and ceremonial uses of the
plants we taste. Adults; preregistration by Jan. 20 required.
Admission free; parking $4 with
park pass, $8 without. 1pm,
Trailside Nature Museum, Ward
Pound Ridge Reservation, Rts.
35 & 121 South, Cross River.
Info: 914.864.7322.
• Cancer From a Man’s
Perspective, by Cindy
Teeple,APRN,BC,MSN,AOCN.
Has the man in your life
recently been diagnosed with
cancer? Come to Gilda’s for an
open discussion and brunch.
Free. 11am-1pm, Gilda’s Club
of Westchester, 80 Maple Ave.
(entrance on Chester), White
Plains. Info: 914.644.8844,
info@gildasclubwestchester.
org.
• Forestry Adventures on the
Point. Learn how to measure
tree height, determine tree age
and even remove a small sapling
tree. Join the park naturalist
and learn the importance of
this practice in a sustainable
manner. All ages welcome.
Free. 2pm, Croton Point Nature
Center, Croton Point Park,
Croton Point Ave., Croton. Info:
914.862.5297
• Winter Ecology. Join naturalist
Jeff Main to see how creatures
adapt for the cold conditions
along with those protected in
their wait for spring. Free. 1pm,
the lodge at the Blue Mountain
Reservation, Welcher Ave.,
Peekskill. Info: 914.862.5275.
Events for inclusion in our clip and save Community Calendar must
be free and open to all. Items are published, subject to the discretion of the Editor, and space availability. Calendar listings should be
submitted no later than two weeks prior to event. Email listings to:
[email protected]
• Where do they go in winter?
This program, designed for
children, will discuss how local
flora and fauna deal with cold
temperatures and short daylight
hours. There will be also be a
craft project in which children
will create their own creatures
with over-wintering techniques.
Free. Read Sanctuary, Playland
Park, Playland Parkway, Rye.
Info: 914.967.8720.
camps will be available at the
Westchester County Center
to describe their facilities
and programs to parents and
their children. Free admission;
parking $4. Westchester County
Center, 198 Central Ave., White
Plains. Info: 914.995.4050.
Sun., Jan 28
Mon-Thurs
• The New Rochelle Public
Library, One Library Plaza, New
Rochelle, will present a slide
presentation on the history of
the Jewish Community in New
Rochelle. The program will
be narrated by Barbara Davis,
acting City Historian and Stanley
Batkin, a longtime resident
who has been researching the
community’s Jewish heritage
for many years. Free. 2pm in
the Ossie Davis Theater. Info:
914.632.7878 x34.
• Not the Dead of Winter.
Come take a walk with the
Marshlands Conservancy
curator and see how very much
alive the animals are during
winter. Free. 2pm, Marshlands
Conservancy, Rt. 1, Rye. Info:
914.835.4466.
• Camp Fair. Representatives
from sleep-away, day special
interest (i.e. sports, computers),
teen travel and special needs
(handicapped, disabled)
• Homework Helper. After-school
homework help with a certified
teacher when Yonkers schools
are in session. Grades 1-6. Free. 46pm, Grinton I. Will Library, 1500
Central Park Ave., Yonkers. Info:
914.337-1500 x306.
• Homework Help. The New
Rochelle Public Library offers
free homework help, grades 16. 3:30-5pm. Info: 914.632.7878.
Tues., Jan. 30
• Family Law Lectures. The
Pace Women’s Justice Center
sponsors monthly Family
Law Lectures which provide
information on divorce, child
custody and child support
matters. The lectures are free
of charge and conducted by
experienced matrimonial
attorneys. The next lecture is
scheduled for Tues., Jan. 30
from 7-9pm at the YWCA, 515
North St., White Plains. Info:
914.287.0739.
• How To Talk to Kids About
Cancer, by Grace H. Christ,MA.
D.S.W. Columbia University
School of Social Work. Learn
how to talk to your children
about the loved one in your
life living with cancer. Lecture
followed by a question &
answer session. Free. 6:30-8pm,
Gilda’s Club of Westchester,
80 Maple Ave. (entrance
on Chester), White Plains.
Info: 914.644.8844, www.
gildasclubwestchester.org.
Wed., Jan. 31
• Carol Evans, author of This
is How We Do It: The Working
Mother’s Manifesto, will be at
Chappaqua Library to discuss
specific, innovative, tried-andtrue solutions of how mothers
balance family and career.
Free and open to the public.
7:30pm, Chappaqua Library, 195
S. Greeley, Chappaqua. Info:
914.238.4779.
• Downtown Music at Grace’s
Noonday Getaway Concert.
Winter Cheers, with Nancy
Hambleton-Torrente, cello,
and Joy Plaisted, Harp. Free.
12:10-12:40pm, Grace Church,
Mamaroneck Ave. @ Main St.,
White Plains. Info: 914.949.0384.
PAGE 24
THE CITIZENS AGAINST INJUSTICE SEEK TO CLEANSE
WESTCHESTER COUNTY POLITICS OF CORRUPTION
Unfortunately when people speak of Westchester politics they speak of corruption,
injustice, bribes, betrayal, deception and greed.
One by one the Citizens Against Injustice will tackle those corrupt individuals
who have perverted our political and judicial process.
One such individual on the radar is the leader of the Independence Party, Giulio Cavallo. Under
his leadership, the party and our entire political process in our County has been plagued
with bribery, selling of endorsements, intimidation and the misleading of voters.
The time has come for change, not to go backward, but to move forward with new leadership.
The Westchester Independence Party members deserve leadership with morality that cannot be bought,
who will use its power to endorse the most qualified candidates for public office and judicial seats,
and not leaders we sell to the highest bidder. The current leadership’s only agenda is personal gain. How
safe is our system, when a man like Giulio Cavallo can intimidate our Judiciary and get away with it?
Giulio Cavallo has committed treason by selling out every member of the Independence Party and also
every person living and working in Westchester County, by aiding and abetting in the corruption and
perversion of our political and judicial process.
A lesson must be taught, that if you are not loyal to the people you represent, you will no longer represent
the people you have betrayed.
Let’s send a clear message to Giulio Cavallo and his corrupt political backers. If you support corruption,
you are knee-deep in it and you must GO!!!
The CITIZENS AGAINST INJUSTICE’S ONLY MISSION IS TO CLEANSE WESTCHESTER OF ITS
CORRUPT POLITICS AND BRING BACK MORALITY, RESPECT, AND STATESMANSHIP TO A
PROCESS THAT WAS ORIGINALLY MEANT TO BE FAIR AND JUST FOR ALL.
Let’s put Giulio Cavallo and his Thugs onto the unemployment line, NOW!!!
Paid for by the CITIZENS AGAINST INJUSTICE
The Westchester Guardian...
Westchester’s Most Influential Weekly
...We are there for you every week:
• Keeping you current with what’s going on in and around Westchester, and
how it might impact your lives.
• Dedicating ourselves to bringing you the whole in-depth story, not only
part of it.
Look for us every Thursday - you’ll be glad you did!
The Westchester Guardian
Mission Statement
OUR MISSION: The Westchester
Guardian is a weekly newspaper devoted to the unbiased reporting of
events and developments that are
newsworthy and significant to readers living in, and/or employed in,
Westchester County. The Guardian
will strive to report fairly, and objectively, reliable information without
favor or compromise. Our first duty
will be to the PEOPLE’S RIGHT TO
KNOW, by the exposure of truth,
without fear or hesitation, no matter
where the pursuit may lead, in the finest tradition of FREEDOM OF THE
PRESS.
The Guardian will cover news and
events relevant to residents and businesses all over Westchester County. As a weekly, rather
than focusing on the immediacy of delivery more associated
with daily journals, we will instead seek to provide the broader,
more comprehensive, chronological step-by-step accounting
of events, enlightened with analysis, where appropriate.
From amongst journalism’s classic key-words: who, what,
when, where, why, and how, the why and how will drive our pursuit. We will use our more abundant time, and our resources, to
get past the initial ‘spin’ and ‘damage control’ often characteristic
of immediate news releases, to reach the very heart of the matter: the truth. We will take our readers to a point of understanding and insight which cannot be obtained elsewhere.
To succeed, we must recognize from the outset that bigger is
not necessarily better. And, furthermore, we will acknowledge
that we cannot be all things to all readers. We must carefully balance the presentation of relevant, hard-hitting, Westchester news
and commentary, with features and columns useful in daily living and employment in, and around, the county. We must stay
trim and flexible if we are to succeed.
SAVE!
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PAGE 25
SAVE!
#2, 4 & 6 Oils
24-Hour
Service Calls
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Bronx, NY 10461
Tel. 718-931-1200 • Fax 718-931-9086
Serving Bronx, Manhattan, Westchester
GUARANTEED LOWEST PRICES!
PAGE 26
CLASSIFIED
help wanted
Bartenders Wanted
Westchester County night
club. Very busy location.
Experience a must, and
over 21. Call Maria
914-636-0018
Licensed Security Wanted
Westchester County night
club. Busy location. Experience a must. Fri and Sat
night. Call Maria
914-636-0018
Street Promoters Wanted
Early morning hours. Westchester County location.
$10-12/hr. Call Anthony
914-325-7323
INVESTMENT PROPERTY
Mount Vernon - Five story
w/up with 18 apts. Very
nice building. Many Sec 8,
good tenency. RR. $202k.
Asking 7.5 x RR 1,550,000.
Ask for Sam
914-576-1481
legal services
WE
STOP
FORECLOSURES
914-668-6622
real estate
FOR RENT
Mount Vernon - 1-bdr apt in
a building. Sec 8 ok. $950.
Avail immed. Call Maribel
914-632-1230
FOR RENT
Mount Vernon - 2-bdr apt in
a building. Sec 8 ok. $1250.
Avail immed. Call Maribel.
FOR RENT
Yonkers East - 3-bdr apt,
two floors, 1.5 baths, very
nice kitchen. Wood floors,
1 parking spot. Tenant
pays utilities. $1750. Call
Maribel.
914-632-1230
Are you looking
for a job? A place to
live? Do you have
something you want
to sell?
To place an ad call
us at 914.576.1481
914-632-1230
The Westchester Guardian reserves the right to edit, re-classify, reject or cancel any classified ad.
Additionally, The Westchester Guardian will not accept any advertising which willingly violates Section 296 of the Human Rights Law which
makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation or discrimination
based upon race, color, creed, national origin, disability, marital status,
sex, age, or arrest conviction record, or an intention to make any such
preference, limitation or discrimination.
Errors: All ads placed by phone are read back for verification of copy
content. Please check your ad the first time it runs. We are responsible
ONLY for the first incorrect insertion.
To place a classified ad please call us at 914.576.1481. The deadline is
12 noon Monday one week prior to publication.
THIS WEEK
IN HISTORY
Jan. 25 - Jan. 31
This Week’s Highlight
Jan. 28, 1986 - Seventy-three seconds
after lifting off from Cape Canaveral, the
space shuttle Challenger exploded, killing
all crew members on board, including
Christa McAuliffe, who was on her way
to becoming the first civilian in space.
The launch had originally been scheduled
for Jan. 23, but was repeatedly delayed because of weather
and technical problems. An investigation found that the O-ring
seal of one of the two rocket boosters had failed owing to cold
temperatures at launch time.
Jan 25
1961 - President John F.
Kennedy became the first
President to hold a live
televised news conference
when he read a prepared
statement concerning the
famine in the Congo from the
State Department auditorium’s
podium. After reading the
statement he opened the
floor to questions, answering
queries ranging from relations
with Cuba to voting rights
and food aid to impoverished
Americans.
1995 - A Norwegian missile
carrying instruments for
scientific measurement set
off Russia’s early-warning
defense radar. Believing it to
be a surprise nuclear strike
the Russian military command,
under orders from President
Boris Yeltsin, activated the
missile launch system. Norway
had notified 35 countries
about the impending launch
nine days earlier but the
Russian Defense Ministry failed
to notify on-duty personnel
at the early warning center of
that morning’s launch.
Jan. 26
1950 - The Republic of India
was born when its new
Constitution took effect,
making it the most populous
democracy in the world.
Self-rule had been promised
during World War II, but
negotiations after the war
ended stalled negotiations. In
1947 a compromise was drawn
up: the former Mogul Empire
was divided into the nations of
India and Pakistan.
Jan 27
1888 - The National Geographic
Society was founded for “the
increase and diffusion of
geographical knowledge.”
It was formed by a diverse
group of geographers,
explorers, teachers, lawyers,
cartographers, military officers
and financiers who all shared
an interest in scientific and
geographical knowledge.
1967 - During simulation
tests of the Apollo 1 launch
scheduled for the following
month, three astronauts, Virgil
“Gus” Grissom, Edward H.
White II and Roger B. Chafee
were killed when fire broke
out in the closed Apollo
spacecraft. While the exact
cause is not clear, evidence
pointed faulty wiring igniting
the oxygen atmosphere inside
the spacecraft.
Continued onthe next page
PAGE 27
History, continued from the previous page
1973 - The United States,
South Vietnam, Viet Cong,
and North Vietnam formally
signed “An Agreement Ending
the War and Restoring Peace
in Vietnam” in Paris. The
settlement included a ceasefire throughout Vietnam as
well as an agreement by the
United States to withdraw all
U.S. troops and advisors and
dismantle all U.S. bases within
a 60-days period.
Jan 28
1916 - President Woodrow
Wilson nominated Louis
Brandeis to the Supreme
Court and, following a bitterly
contested confirmation,
he became the first Jewish
judge on the Supreme Court.
Brandeis was a graduate of
Harvard Law School and had
a reputation in Boston as “the
people’s attorney” for taking
cases pro bono. He advocated
progressive legal reform to
fight the social and economic
ills caused in America by
industrialization.
Stephanie Mallarme and
Dostoyevsky.
Jan 29
Jan 30
1834 - President Andrew
Jackson became the first
president to use federal
troops to quell labor unrest
after workers building the
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
rebelled because of poor
working conditions and low
pay. Construction teams of
multi-ethnic workers, using
primitive tools, were forced
to work long hours for low
wages in dangerous conditions.
Their rebellion was quickly
put down by the troops. The
canal project was ultimately
abandoned in 1850.
1845 - The Raven, by Edgar
Allan Poe, was published in the
New York Evening Mirror. It is
said his dark and macabre work
reflected his own tumultuous
and difficult life, and was a
significant influence on writers
such as Charles Baudelaire,
1781 - Maryland became the
13th and final state to ratify
the Articles of Confederation,
three years after the official
deadline given by Congress.
The Articles finally took effect
on March 1, 1781, remaining
as law for eight years after
which time the Constitutional
Convention rejected them
and crafted the current U.S.
Constitution, giving the federal
government greater authority
over the states.
1933 - German President Paul
von Hindenburg named Adolf
Hitler Chancellor of Germany. It
marked a crucial turning point
for Germany; Hitler’s plan was
to do away with politics and
make Germany a powerful,
unified, one-party state.
1948 - Mohandas Karamchand
(Mahatma) Gandhi, the
political and spiritual leader
of the Indian independence
movement, was assassinated in
New Delhi by a Hindu fanatic.
Jan 31
1865 - The 13th Amendment
to the Constitution, which
abolished slavery, was
passed by the U.S. House
of Representatives, passing
119-56. Ratification came in
December 1865.
1917 - Germany announced the
renewal of unlimited submarine
warfare in the Atlantic in an
attempt to win the war of
attrition against the Allies.
All ships located in war-zone
waters would be attacked
and sunk, including civilian
passenger ships. Three days later
the American liner Housatonic
was sunk by a U-boat; hours
later America broke diplomatic
relations with Germany. None
of the 25 Americans on the liner
were killed.
PAGE 28
Photo: Richard Blassberg

January 25. 2007 - WestchesterGuardian.com

Transcription

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