Public Comment Caller Speaks Derogatory About Transgender People; Council Member Amber Grant Shut It Down

During Monday night’s City Council Meeting, which was a combo Workshop/Regular Meeting, a person called in during the Public Comment session to speak his mind about how the City of Beacon should handle kids in school with progressing transgender acceptance in bathrooms and school sports. The caller, Stosh Yankowski, wanted the City of Beacon to be a Sanctuary City for females, thereby making transgender people invisible. Stosh stated: “I have nothing against transgender people. I don't think it's fair for a biological male to compete. I don't know if Beacon can make a Sancutary City for females. If it can be done or not, I wanted to propose that.” In 2017, Beacon became a “Welcoming City” for people moving here from other countries. The City was seeking to become a Sanctuary City for but wanted to avoid financial threats from the federal level during the 45th administration.

Normally during this period, the public can speak for up to 3 minutes each, and the Councilmembers don’t respond, they just listen. However, Stosh’s comments were so harmful, hateful and rude, they won’t be repeated in this article. Councilmember Amber Grant stepped out of the silence to interrupt Stosh and stop him from causing further verbal harm. “Where is the boundary on this?…This is wildly innapropriate.” Unlike during a Zoom call, when text appears on the screen that is a racial insult or harmful, moderators shut the intruder down. This is commonly referred to as “Zoom Bombing.” In terms of free speech, it is the equivelent to fake-calling “Fire!” in a crowd. There has not been a precedent set yet for live City Council calls.

During Councilperson Grant’s verbal objection, Mayor Kayriacou interrupted Councilmember Grant in favor of allowing Stosh to continue, which Stosh did, and addressed Councilmember Grant to encourage her to continue debating him. Normally, the procedure during a meeting like this is that the public can speak on anything they want, and the Councilmembers sit silent. Later in the meeting, the Councilmembers have a designated time called “Reports” where they can speak on anything they want. Usually this time is used to report on issues from their Wards (aka areas of the city they represent) or to give a PSA, and they usually do not respond to callers. This year, however, they have started to.

At the beginning of the Reports section, Mayor Kyriacou apologized for “cutting off any members,” stating the situation was “difficult.” He then decided which order of Councilmembers to start with to give their Reports (he often plays alphabet games to decide which order to go in). He selected Councilperson Terry Nelson to go first, who responded: “I would like to defer my time to Amber Grant.” To which Mayor Kyriacou responded: “I should have started at the other end.”

Air Nonken Rhodes was next, who passed on their time, stating: “I am going to pass this call. I have too much to say. Thanks.” The rest of the Councilmembers reported on previously planned items, such as a business update from Councilperson George Mansfield to encourage businesses on Main Street to apply for (free) parklets, and Dan Amar-Blair who alluded to wanting more discussion on Order 203 (the Police Reform order for municipalities) as well as voicing his support for fellow Councilmember Nelson’s call for opting into the Emergency Tenants Protection Act (ETPA), a form of rent regulation available in New York State.

The caller, Stosh Yankowski, is a regular Public Commenter, calling in almost every every other week during the Public Comment portion of the meeting, usually to protest and educate about 5G technology. He delights in delivering comical, sarcastic speeches. At times, he calls to apologize for previous statements he has made. It is unknown on if he has been reprimanded by the City for previous offensive remarks.

When Councilperson Grant responded during her Report, she stressed the danger in rhetoric like that being heard. She stated: “Obviously I reacted very strongly to that public comment. I think it's important that poeple take the time to understand situations, and the speaker doesn't undersrand that gender is a social construct…I don't need to be protected in a sports arena. Trans people are simply poeple just like the rest of us. If there is something you find scary, then you should look at resources... I think that comments like that are very dangerous, where we are seeing people being violently attacked and hurt, and I don't want to see that.”

Mayor Kyriacou made note to comment that this issue resides with the Beacon City School District, stating: “I have a lot of faith in our school districts. It's not a City issue, and I have faith in our school district.” Last June, during Pride Month, the Mayor designated June to be Pride Month, alongside the national designation, and personally bought a pride flag and had it fly from City Hall’s flag pole during the month.

As a female writer, bathroom user, and former basketball player, I will agree with Councilperson Grant, about not needing protection in sports or in bathrooms. I welcome playing with any person on the court, even in a scholastic competition. The best game is when you play with people who are really into it, and make you shine. My best year of high school basketball was when I spent the summer playing in camp with all boys. Inhibition was lost, and the aggression was fabulous. I won Best Defense that year.

People looking to think about men and women, or males and females, or all people playing sports together, could consider two things in their explorations:

• Lusia Harris, the first female drafted by the NBA in 1977. My 9-year old son found this for me as we started discussing it weeks ago, to see how he felt about it.

• That bodies are made differently. If you were born with brothers, and you watch those brothers grow up - one brother may be built very differently than the other. One might be a Hulk, and one might be a Spiderman. Has nothing to do with gender or body parts. I have just described my two sons. Girls I played sports with were all designed differently than me. Some with naturally stronger muscles than mine. We all had spirit, and drive, and smarts, and a love for the game and the team.

The Beacon Democrat's Executive Committee "Condemns President Trump And The Insurrection He Incited On 1-6-2021"

The Executive Committee of the Beacon Democratic Committee issued a statement to the media, announcing their position on Wednesday’s insurrection and attempted blocking of the electoral college certification. As a group, they have not had the opportunity yet to meet to get the vote of all of their committee members on this statement.

The Beacon Democrats are representatives of the Democratic party in Dutchess County. Their local Beacon meetings are open to the public on the second Saturday of the month at 9:30 a.m., previously at Beahive and now via Zoom.

Their statement is below:

The Executive Committee of the Beacon Democratic Committee condemns President Trump and the insurrection he incited on January 6, 2021. Mob violence has no place in our democracy. We support the Constitution and the rule of law.

We also condemn the unequal, unfair, and un-American practices of law enforcement agencies, who allowed acts of violence and destruction to unfold in our nation's capital. This was white supremacy taken to its logical conclusion and was particularly shameful in light of the extreme tactics regularly used against protesters in support of Black lives.

We call on elected officials of all parties to also condemn the President and his accomplices, and we urge all appointed officials to uphold the rule of law and defend against any attempt to subvert peaceful self-governance.

Beacon Democrat’s Executive Committee:
Chair: Lisa Jessup
First Vice Chair: Pam Wetherbee
Second Vice Chair: Peggy Ross
Treasurer: James Cotter
Corresponding Secretary: Amber Grant (current City Councilmember At Large)
Recording Secretary: Adam McKible

The Story Behind The Bench - The Memorial To Dustin James - A Beaconite, An Officer, and A Son

Former mayor Randy Casale, sitting on the bench that was made for his stepson, Dustin James.
Photo Credit: Randy Casale

There is a black bench with a thin blue line through it that is a memorial to a fallen police officer in front of Beacon’s City Hall. The bench is in memory of former Beacon Mayor Randy Casale’s stepson, Dustin James, who died in a motorcycle accident while off-duty. At some point, there has been a call for and a decision to remove the bench. This article is the exploration of what has transpired so far.

To give context: we are in a time of a revolution. A time of an awakened civil rights movement for black lives that gained strides, but got quiet and complacent for white people. Until police videos of violence came along. The pandemic gave everyone time to think and re-evaluate. We have been through the beginning of the #MeToo movement, where women’s voices began to be heard and believed. We are in the Black Lives movement, where black and brown and mixed-race voices are being heard and believed. Monuments all around us are toppling. Monuments of white men who conquered and defined this country. Toppled by regular white and black and brown people who have wanted these personified statues of oppression down for years, but nothing happened (well, in New Orleans, they were removed), and common people have taken it into their own hands, literally, by seizing the monuments and pulling them down, or voting them down (the City Council for Charleston, S.C. just unanimously voted to remove Calhoun’s statue and construction of removal has begun).

Imagery is also in question. Flags, logos, colors. What means what, and what did it used to mean? Three weeks ago, the American stars and stripes black flag decals with a blue line through them that had been placed onto police vehicles in Cold Spring were called into question by residents of Cold Spring. This black stars and stripes flag with a thin blue line decal was used to represent the Blue Lives Matter campaign, a movement started as a counter-response to the Black Lives movement. The decals were placed onto Cold Spring’s police cars one year ago, which is past the time when proud white supremacists used the black stars and stripes flag symbol to protest in Charlottesville, VA and run over people with a van. For an article covering the vehicle decals at A Little Beacon Blog, we reached out twice to Beacon’s Mayor Lee Kyriacou, City Administrator Anthony Ruggiero and then Police Chief Kevin Junjulas for comment as to their opinions of the black stars and stripes flag, but received no response.

This black stars and stripes flag imagery however, is separate from the decades honored symbol of a fallen police officer, which is a solid black rectangle with a thin blue line. The black stars and stripes flag design is also a possible obstruction of United States flag code, which states that the flag cannot be altered in its design. The discussion for this article is on the traditional marking for the fallen officer, which is a solid black rectangle with a thin blue line running through it. This design has been inspired onto a bench which sits outside of City Hall in Beacon, with these words on it: “In Loving Memory Of Police Officer Dustin James.”

Today, there is a call to move the bench. The memorial to Dustin James. Who is Dustin James, and why is there a call to remove, or move, the memorial? As we do with many little details, A Little Beacon Blog looked into it. We were already pursuing the history of the years past federal investigation by the Department of Justice into the Beacon Police Department, when suddenly, Beacon’s former mayor, Randy Casale, broke his silence after losing the mayoral election to Mayor Lee Kyriacou, a self-imposed silence Randy enacted to give the new mayor a fresh platform.

A Little Beacon Blog has been working on starting a new podcast with known podcaster Brandon Lillard. While we were recording practice episodes and finding our voices, Randy fired up his Facebook to suddenly announce his disapproval of removing the memorialized bench in front of City Hall, the decision of which had otherwise not been in the public domain. We reached out to Randy for an interview, which he granted. The recording of our discussion will be published shortly on our new podcast so that you can hear his voice, but as local debates swirl around Dustin’s memorial, we wanted to share what of the story we knew.

Who Is Dustin James?

Dustin James is the son of Etha Grogen and Bryon James. Dustin is the stepson of Beacon’s former mayor Randy Casale, who was the life partner of Etha. Before being Beacon’s mayor for 2 terms, Randy served on the City Council for years. Randy served as Beacon’s Highway Superintendent, coached high school basketball and was involved in numerous community initiatives in Beacon.

Dustin James grew up in Beacon and had many friends. He and Etha came into Randy’s life while Dustin was 8 years old. Randy recalls bouncing him on his knee as they watched the show “Cops” together at night. “Etha would come down and want him to go to bed, and I told her it was alright, we’d stay up and watch together.” Dustin grew up wanting to be a police officer. Randy helped him pursue the police academy, and to make good choices while being a police officer.

According to Dustin’s obituary: “Dustin was a Police Officer with the Walden Police Department where he started his career 10 years ago as a dispatcher and was recently promoted to Investigator. He was also a part-time police officer with the Village of Montgomery. Dustin started his career dispatching in the Town of Fishkill. Throughout his career, he received numerous awards for his achievements. He was the President of the Walden PBA and a member of the Warthogs. Dustin also organized Walden's National Night Out for several years.”

Dustin was a motorcycle rider, and while off-duty when a woman ran a stop sign, ending Dustin’s life on Tuesday, April 17, 2017. Dustin was 31 years old and married to Maryellen James. The Highlands Current wrote about it at the time.

“I always told Dustin to be a good cop, and to not turn into one of them,” Randy recalled during our interview. “I never knew if he was until his funeral. When I saw how many people were at his funeral.” According to friends of Dustin, and confirmed by Randy, some people who Dustin arrested were even at his funeral.

Dustin’s friends took to creating a bench to memorialize him. They built the bench that sits in front of City Hall today that is black with a blue line running through it. The traditional symbol of a fallen officer, and a symbol of support for the family the officer leaves behind.

“I’ve Never Seen Or Heard Of This Bench Before”

Right. Neither had we. When interviewing Terry Nelson 3 weeks ago for his story about attending the first big Black Lives Matter protest in Beacon as an African American, he mentioned this bench with the blue line through it. Being new to this symbol entirely, and fresh off reporting about the consideration of the removal of the black flag decal (different symbol) from the police cars in Cold Spring (the black flag stickers have since been removed), a knee jerk reaction could be to feel negative emotions about the blue line. Three weeks ago, Terry said that the City Council had been discussing removing the bench for a period of time, and that no one had brought it up to Randy yet.

There was no ceremony or public discussion in City Council for the installation of the memorial, which according to Randy, is normal for memorialized benches. “It was placed like every other bench was placed. Someone calls and asks can we donate a bench in honor of someone, and the administration usually says yes.”

So What Is Happening Now?

Randy first learned of proposed removal of the bench from his friends who are police officers across the river. Mayor Kryiacou texted (or emailed) Randy to tell him that the bench was being moved. There was no discussion in any public City Council meeting or police related community workshop.

To date, according to Randy, the only person who has spoken to him in person about the memorial is Councilperson George Mansfield.

After Randy published his disapproval of the removal of the bench on his Facebook on June 18th, his Facebook friends went back and forth in Comments, with a majority in strong support of leaving the memorial in place. For those friends who did not know who Dustin was or why the memorial was placed there, or why the bench was being removed, things got confusing. Beacon, and politics in general, has been a place where names aren’t always mentioned, but topics are alluded to. It can get confusing to cover and figure things out.

On June 22, 2020, A well known community leader, Brooke Simmons, who is from a mixed-race family, wrote an open letter to the administration, protesting the move of the memorial, advocating for it to stay in place. Brooke is on the board of I Am Beacon and was on the founding committee for Beacon Speaks Out, a coalition that Randy formed after the killings of Eric Garner (2014) and Freddie Gray in 2015. While the City of Beacon’s police department was under federal investigation (which closed in 2016 under Randy’s administration), Randy wanted to get ahead of the racial divide and bring the community together at the local level - to an actual table in a room - to discuss. He brought together the then Police Chief Doug Solomon (Beacon’s recently retired Chief Kevin Junjulas was the Captain at the time), religious leaders, the City Administrator Anthony, and others. Not all parties were eager to come to the table. Randy strong-armed them. Brooke and her brother Reuben Simmons were part of the organization of that group.

Brooke started a Change.org petition to keep the memorial in place, and emailed her open letter all City Council members: Air Nonken Rhodes, Amber Grant, Jodi McCredo, George Mansfield, Terry Nelson, Dan Aymar-Blair, and Mayor Kyriacou. She also CCed media publications, including A Little Beacon Blog. The letter read:

City Administrator, Mayor, and City Council,

It is my understanding there has been discussion regarding the memorial bench dedicated to Dustin James. I believe in having all voices heard, especially in matters that question the values of our city.

With that, I began a petition on Change.org in support of keeping the bench in place and here is the response in less than 48hrs:

Signatures: 2,530
Shares: 783 (this metric speaks to further engagement, care, concern)
Comments:
- "The outpouring of love for Dustin across the Hudson Valley shows that he made a positive difference for all who knew him as a boy, as a man, and as a police officer. He exemplified the character we need more of in this world!"
- Theresa Yanerella
- "Dustin was a fine, upstanding Young man. He comes from a wonderful family. His death was so unfair and tragic. The thought of anyone having a problem with how he is honored sickens me. I hurt for his family. I can’t believe that this is even being considered."
- Shelley Piccone
- "I can’t believe this is even an option. Dustin was an amazing human and an even more amazing police officer. This has gotten way out of hand do remove a MEMORIAL of someone who had such an amazing impact on this city. This man who is no longer with us to be under attack is truly disgraceful."
- Colleen Carey
- "So much of the community knew Dustin and were inspired by him, which is the reason the bench was put there in the 1st place."
-Jessica Lubben
Petition Site: https://www.change.org/standfordustin

On behalf of 2,530 signatures and counting, I ask that you stand for the values of this city, stand for the many voices represented on this petition, stand for Dustin. Stand for Dustin's contribution to the city of Beacon and the legacy his bench represents.

In this moment, as the leaders of this city, it is critical to act with integrity - that means being willing to stand for what is right over what is convenient.

We ask that you leave the memorial bench for Dustin James in place.

Thank you for your time.

-Brooke Simmons

Note: As of 6/23/2020, the petition has 3,034 signatures.

---

City Of Beacon’s Response

The morning Brooke sent her letter, A Little Beacon Blog responded with a series questions directed to the Mayor, but CCed to all of the City Council and Administrator, at about 11am Monday. The questions went unanswered. On Tuesday, the questions were sent again. At 6pm on Tuesday, the City Administrator Anthony responded. Here are the questions and responses from Anthony:

“I am responding for the Mayor who is away.”

ALBB: When was the bench placed there?
”Summer of 2019.”

ALBB: Why was the bench placed there?
”It was donated to the City, and placed there by former Mayor Casale to honor Police Officer Dustin James who grew up in Beacon.”

ALBB: When did consideration begin for the bench to be removed?
”Residents raised concerns to individual council members.”

ALBB: What has been the discussion regarding the treatment of the bench?
”This has not been raised or discussed at a City Council meeting.”

ALBB: When was this topic brought up and proposed? To whom was it proposed to, and in what format?
”Residents raised concerns to individual Council Members.”

A Little Beacon Blog followed up with this question: “Can you provide when residents raised concern?”

If this clarification on time is provided, this question will be updated.

Symbols and Flags and Who Owns What Meaning

During our podcast interview, Brandon and I explored the meaning of a symbol, and what happens when a symbol takes new meaning, or gets hijacked by a different group. Is it possible, we wondered, if the thin blue line has gotten weaponized by the white supremacists, and suppressed its true meaning? Or, do people want to dismantle police theory 100% and change colors and symbols?

Brandon and I admitted that the red, white and blue American Flag has gotten caught in the middle for us. We are openly non-Trump people, and the tendency for Trump supporters to wave the American flag and attach it to their cars, the American flag has come to lean towards Trump. A couple years ago, fashion magazines were even advocating not to wear red, white and blue at 4th of July events, as doing so would be unpatriotic. This made me uncomfortable, as the American flag is mine also. If I have it flying outside my house, does that mean I am a Trump supporter? My instinct has become to take the American flag back.

Brandon admitted to questioning his favorite face mask - which has red, white and blue American flag on it. Also not a Trump-supporter, he wanted to wear his American flag face mask into the grocery store, but hesitated.

Randy, a straight shooter, understood the analogy, but saw no problem with the American flag or the thin blue line. “The only way the family got through was with the support of the officers. They were there at the time of the accident, at the funeral, and after. That is what the thin blue line means.”

In Middletown, CN, a divided debate is in progress after residents wanted a flag removed from flying outside their police department (unclear if it is the black stars and stripes flag, or the solid black flag). Their police chief provided an explanation in a video of his position on the flag before removing it for now, in an effort to “give some release to the ‘us versus them’ mentality.” Their mayor also contributed to a TV interview on the topic.

In the podcast, Brandon and I discuss with Randy what the blue line stands for, and the value in speaking about that meaning. We discuss how logos like the NHL logo have been co-opted by Antifa, and the difficulty in reclaiming a visual symbol. That podcast to hear Randy’s answers will be posted in the next few days, as well as more of Randy’s thoughts on police reform and where that reform is needed.

As for the fate of Dustin’s memorial, we do not have the final status as of now.

Beacon Police Chief, Lieutenant, and Captain Participate In City Council Meeting To Answer Questions About Policy - But Avoids Racism

After receiving inquiries from the public about police policy, the City of Beacon’s City Council hosted the Beacon Police Department during their weekly Monday night City Council Meeting this week. The meeting happened to be a Workshop, which means that by rule, members of the public cannot speak or submit comments, as they can during the other type of City Council Meeting, which is when members of the public can speak within one of two Public Comment sessions.

Attending and participating were Chief Kevin Junjulas, Lieutenant Figlia and Captain Fredericks. The video of the meeting has been published here in this article. Scroll down and press Play.

Brief Recap Of The Presentation

Mayor Kyriacou started the meeting by reminding the council and video viewers about the Department of Justice’s investigation into the Beacon Police Department that started at least in 2010, and concluded in the summer of 2016. The City’s attorney recalled that the Beacon Police Department went through an audit of the department, and a review of policy. It was not stated if there were personnel changes after the audit, or what was learned from the audit.

The Chief read a statement about training the police department receives, and acknowledged that he was open to “perhaps identify some things that we can seek to improve in the future, to offer the best level of service possible.”

Speaking To #8Can’tWait - Which Does Not Address Systemic Racism

Mayor Kyriacou asked the officers to go speak to their methods as they compare to “8 Can’t Wait,” which is a campaign from Campaign Zero to reduce police violence. However, that campaign does not address systemic racism, and focuses on physical actions of law enforcement. Additionally, Campaign Zero issued a statement and apology, which they published on their “8 Can’t Wait” website: “And while we are proud of the impact we were able to make, we at Campaign Zero acknowledge that, even with the best of intentions, the #8CANTWAIT campaign unintentionally detracted from efforts of fellow organizers invested in paradigmatic shifts that are newly possible in this moment. For this we apologize wholeheartedly, and without reservation.”

Racism was not discussed in this meeting. Some nitty-gritty types of violence were, like that a choke hold is not “banned” because it may be needed if nothing else is available, or that pointing a weapon is considered a “use of force.”

Complaints Against An Officer

The Council wanted to know about how complaints come in. The Chief answered that for 2019, of the 13,000 calls made for service, 5 personnel complaints came in. In 2020, so far 4,000 calls for service have come in, and 3 personnel complaints have been generated.

When asked about how to complain, the Chief answered that during the federal investigation, the Department of Justice required that the Beacon Police make a complaint system available. The Chief said: “People can do it through a number of ways….I don’t have them right in front of me, but they are on the website I believe.”

One complaint link is on the City’s website in the Police Department section, which is here. The form to file a complaint is here. However, there are no directions on the form or the website as to how to file the form. There also does not seem to be a list of police officer’s names on the website. During the meeting, it was stated the complaint makes its way to the Captain who conducts an investigation. The Captain conducts an interview with the officer and the person who made the complaint. The Captain then makes a decision as to if the complaint is Unfounded or not.

Requirement Of 60 College Credits

One item that the Captain wanted changed was to open up the qualifications to be a police officer in Dutchess County, which currently requires 60 college credits. This is not the same for every county. The Captain did not feel that attending college “in an un-related police subject” was useful to hiring a police officer. He also doesn’t think it fair to kids who can’t afford to go to college. On another hand, sometimes employers pay for an employee’s continuing education while they are working, like in the Army or in the corporate world.

Diversity In The Police Department

When asked about how many white officers were in the Beacon Police Department, the Captain did not know how many “off the top of my head, I’d have to go out there and count.” The Chief responded that out of 36 officers, he thinks that 5 officers are Hispanic, 2 Black and 2 Female White officers. The female officers, he said, are white, so they would “need to subtract from that.”

In Conclusion: Community

The meeting concluded with Councilperson Amber Grant suggesting that more issues be raised and that the conversation continue about the community relationship with the Police Department. Councilperson Terry Nelson suggested conducing community forums. Councilperson Jodi Grant recalled the “Coffee and a Cop” concept, and liked that.

Dan Aymar-Blair noted that he heard “powerful and painful” stories at the protest last Saturday, and had 50 and 60 emails about policing in Beacon, with very few having to do with #8CantWait. He mentioned that “training wasn’t the problem with George Floyd’s or Eric Garner’s murders.” He wished to garner the conversation from the 3rd protest in Beacon last Saturday.

A discussion continued about how a community forum could be put together. The Mayor suggested that Beacon’s Human Relations Commission “be leveraged’ to do this, and serve as an anonymous destination to talk. Dan disagreed, saying that there were 1,000 people at the protest, and that he wanted the City Council to take the lead on it. Jodi recalled her time serving on the Human Relations Commission, and said that the commission had been unprepared to handle the scope of what was required when it was handed something the first time. From the meeting, it was unclear which instance in time she was referring to. A Little Beacon Blog can follow up.

A community forum did get put together towards the end of the Department of Justice investigation of Beacon’s Police Department in 2015/2016, which you can read about in depth here.

The 2015 Community Response To Federally Investigated Beacon Police Was "Beacon Speaks Out" (Now Dormant) - City of Beacon Silent About Reopening It - Seeks New Initiative

In 2015, when Beacon’s police department was under an investigation by the Justice Department that started in or before 2010, and ended in 2016, Beacon community members got together to form a community-based line of communications with Beacon’s Police Department called “Beacon Speaks Out.”

To describe the police investigation, a press release was issued on December 21, 2010 by the United States Department of Justice: “The Justice Department announced today an agreement with the Beacon, N.Y., Police Department (BPD) to resolve the department’s investigation of the BPD, in accordance with the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994. That law authorizes the attorney general to file suit to reform police departments that may be engaging in a pattern or practice of violating citizens’ federal rights.”

Who Was Behind “Beacon Speaks Out?”

The group “Beacon Speaks Out” met more than once and conducted a process that was co-facilitated by Rabbi Brent Spodek of Better Together: The Beacon Interfaith Clergy Association, and Brooke Simmons of I Am Beacon, and citizens of Beacon, including my former building landlord, Deborah Bigelow, who first made me aware of the group. A Little Beacon Blog later wrote about an upcoming meeting they were having back in 2016.

For context, Brooke Simmons is the sister of Reuben Simmons, the Founder and President of I Am Beacon, and a one-time Highway Superintendent for the City of Beacon. After holding that position for a year in a half, Reuben was changed to Working Supervisor for just over a year and a half, and is currently a Maintenance Worker for the City of Beacon. If that job title timeline looks backwards to you, it is. This professional descension was confusing when I went to quote Reuben for an article about the event he created to raise awareness for mental health: Rock Out For Mental Health. I served on the Planning Committee with him and other agency heads for this awareness effort.

Reuben was also the Union President of the City of Beacon’s Unit of CSEA Local 1000, where he dealt with contract negations, representing employees in grievances and disciplinary matters, campaign planning, among other responsibilities.

The original agenda of Beacon Speaks Out is below. But first, a question:

“Beacon Speaks Out” Sounds Like A Good Idea. Should It Be Reignited?

Groups and committees are formed all of the time in Beacon. Many of them do work that you didn’t know was happening around you, but feel the effects of. This was one such group. Not many people knew about it. Eventually, it stopped meeting. The Chief of Police, Doug Solomon, who participated in the group, abruptly left Beacon’s force to take the Chief job in Newburgh (which he also just resigned from after a riot incident in March, 2020). He was succeeded in Beacon by current Chief Kevin Junjulas, who was promoted from his position of Captain.

When the protests against police brutality and institutional, systemic racism started in Minneapolis after George Floyd’s murder, and the protests spread to New York, A Little Beacon Blog reached out to Beacon’s new Mayor Lee Kyriacou, for comment as to whether he thought the band of “Beacon Speaks Out” should be brought back together, to start communications between the community and the police. Mayor Kyriacou is a new mayor to Beacon, but has served on the City Council for 9 terms beginning in the 1990s.

Mayor Kyriacou has not answered A Little Beacon Blog’s question about if Beacon Speaks Out should be called upon again. We have asked him twice, and received no response.

Since that time, Beacon’s Police Department and City Council have received numerous questions about the policies of the Beacon Police. The City Council invited the Chief of Police to attend last week’s public Workshop meeting to give an overview of what their textbook says. During this meeting, it was suggested that a forum with a moderator be created to hear from the public, and the council agreed. They were going to think about who the moderator would be, and the setting for the forum in this social distanced time. Watch the hour-long sit-down with the police and get a recap here.

The Mayor suggested that the Human Relations committee take responsibility for this. Currently there are 5 members of the Human Relations Committee. The City’s web page says that there can be 15 members, but the city Committee Vacancy page lists that 1 position is vacant. Current Councilmembers including Dan Aymar-Blair and Amber Grant disagreed with that delegation, stating that the committee was over-worked and inexperienced to deal with this issue.

The Original Community-Based Agenda Of “Beacon Speaks Out”

A Little Beacon Blog reached out to Brooke Simmons, original member of “Beacon Speaks Out,” to revisit the history on how the group started and what it wanted. This is what she provided:

“The city was involved and in fact, the “Beacon Speaks Out” initiative was born out of a meeting called on and facilitated by Mayor Randy Casale. [Then] Mayor Casale, City Administrator Anthony Ruggerio, and former Police Chief Soloman attended numerous meetings providing insight, dialogue and updates to the committee. “Beacon Speaks Out” presented the outlined initiatives to City Council (see below).

Broad Ambitions for Police/Community Relations in Beacon, NY

Through the beginning of 2015, residents of Beacon, NY had been meeting to discuss their hopes and ambitions for police/community relations in their city. What emerged was a clear desire for closer ties between the police and the community they serve and protect.

As the result of Beacon Speaks Out a process co-facilitated by Rabbi Brent Spodek of Better Together: The Beacon Interfaith Clergy Association and Brooke Simmons of I Am Beacon, the citizens of Beacon can articulate the following 8 broad ambitions for policing in our community. Following each ambition is a composite quote based on approximately 150 community conversations.

Strengthen Connections to the Broader Community

1. We’d like the police/community relationship to move from a place of intimidation, suspicion, and superiority to a place of kindness, calm and respect.
Conversation Example: The police don’t seem to practice restraint in heightened situations.... we’d love for them to have training on how to de-escalate incidents rather than intensifying them.

2. We’d like for the police to develop positive relations with the youth of Beacon.
Conversation Example: I would like to see some sort of program that allows the cops to interact with or even mentor the at-risk youth in Beacon so officers can be seen by young people as helpers, not adversaries.

3. We’d like for the police to have more face-to-face contact with the community.
Conversation Example: I want to know my police force... I miss our Main St. bike cop! When they are always in cars, they don’t get to know community members. I want the officers to KNOW and care about the community they serve.

Adopt best practices to improve community safety

4. We’d like for the police to be better equipped to deal with Beacon’s diverse populations.
Conversation Example: The police need to be able to deal with people who have mental health issues, who are not the same race or gender or sexuality as the cops, they need to be able to deal with senior and elderly issues.

5. We’d like a more diverse police force.
Conversation Example: We need a force that looks like Beacon to serve Beacon. We need more women, more people of color.

6. We’d like for the police to work together with the community to develop a progressive strategy for dealing with Beacon’s drug problem, especially heroin.
Conversation Example: I found needles and drug paraphernalia by my home. I took it to Police Station but got no response or follow up. Something needs to be done about the Heroin epidemic.

More and better community communication

7. We’d like data on crimes reported, arrests, and convictions to be publicized, as well as police policies and procedures.
Conversation Example: We need more information and more transparency about what the police are doing.

8. We’d like for the Human Relations Committee to be publicized and strengthened.
Conversation Example: I didn’t even know there was a civilian complaint hotline. It should be plastered everywhere. Do they have the power to do anything?

Details on what this new community forum will look like, who will attend, and who will moderate will come as the City Council decides what it wants to do.

New City Council Ward Members and Dutchess County Legislators Sworn In for 2018

Photo Credit: Screenshot of swearing-in ceremony from video produced by Peter Skorewicz.
Graphic Art Credit: A Little Beacon Blog

On the first day of the new year of 2018, Beacon held a swearing-in ceremony for the brand new City Council ward members and two Dutchess County Legislators - all Democrats - who swept local elections after a tumultuous year in politics nationally. As reported by Jeff Simms for the Highlands Current, all citizens running were "first-time candidates, each [winning] by wide margins." The two at-large council members were old hands at this: Lee Kyriacou has served nine terms, and George Mansfield has served five terms so far.

Former City Council member Pam Wetherbee presided over the ceremony. Several notable people attended, including Kenya Gadsden, board member for the Beacon City School District Board of Education, and former Beacon Mayor Steve Gold, who is currently the Chief of Staff for New York State Assemblyman Frank Skartados.

Kicking off the ceremony were Cub Scout Pack 1, Boy Scout Troop 1, and Boy Scout Troop 141 of Beacon. Next, the Beacon High School Chorus, led by teacher Susan Wright, sang "This Land Is Your Land" by Woody Guthrie, which was a "song special to Pete Seeger, who was someone important to Beacon," Susan stated. (See this stellar New Yorker profile on Pete Seeger by Beacon local David Rees).

The Swearing In

Terry Nelson, representing Ward 1, was sworn in by his daughter and wife, promising: "I will do the best job I possibly can to represent everyone in the City of Beacon." Terry is also a founder of the Beacon Independent Film Festival, and a board member for BeaconArts.

John Rembert, representing Ward 2, was sworn in by his wife, showing gratitude: "I thank the citizens of Ward 2 and the citizens of Beacon, NY, and I will do my best for the citizens of Beacon, NY."

Jodi McCredo, representing Ward 3, was sworn in by her children. Jodi was also one of the founders of the Advocates for Beacon Schools, a group of parents and community members who pushed for change and awareness of the politics and policies in public schools. They were active during the time of a resignation of a Beacon superintendent in 2016 and in the election of three new board members to the Board of Education. That group built a website for publishing information, advocates12508.com, and a similar website has been created for disseminating information about building development projects in Beacon, development12508.com. Said Jodi: "I'm looking forward to what we can do together for Beacon and for Dutchess County."

Photo Credit: Screenshot of Swearing In Ceremony from video produced by Peter Skorewicz.

For her swearing-in, Amber Grant, representing Ward 4, placed the Constitution on her small niece, who was held by Amber's sister. Amber said: "I look forward to getting to work. Hopefully I'll see a lot of you here tomorrow as well (for the next City Council meeting)."

After George Mansfield was sworn in for his at-large position, he reflected: "I was first here eight years ago, when I first ran for office, and it never gets any less exciting. The burden of responsibility is great."

Lee Kyriacou, the City Council's other at-large member, selected The Constitution as his object to be sworn in on. He thanked his family, "my spouse, my two lovely daughters who indulge my passion to indulge in community service., and to the voters who turned out in amazing numbers. Please keep doing that." Lee continued, reflecting on what he called Beacon's journey of renewal. "Beacon has probably done the biggest turnaround of the Hudson Valley, if not, almost anywhere. It's been a pretty important set of roles for us to undertake. I've said from Day 1 - my first Day 1 was 1994 - that Zoning and Enforcement are the most important things that we do." He added, "We aren't going downhill - which is where we were heading in those days. We are headed uphill, but we have to chart a journey that works for our entire community. I look forward to my colleagues on the Council and the County Legislature in charting that journey together."

Frits Zernike for Dutchess County Legislator, District 16. Frits stated: "District 16 extends into Fishkill. It was Beacon's energy that won us this election. I hope to take the energy we have in southern Dutchess County and infuse the entire county legislature with it... Democracy is not a spectator sport. It's nice to be participating this way. I hope and I trust that you all will continue to participate, show up, pester us, and get done what we need done."

Nick Page for Dutchess County Legislator, District 18, was eager to get started, stating: "The election effort in Beacon was truly astonishing."

The event concluded with a benediction by Reverend Perry from the Springfield Baptist Church.

The local paparazzi (aka friends and families showing support).
Photo Credit: Screenshot of Swearing In Ceremony from video produced by Peter Skorewicz.