Fire Truck That Was In Sunday's 2nd Truck Caravan Was Privately Owned - Says Beacon's City Administrator

Word spread quickly on A Little Beacon Blog’s Instagram as we published photo and video of truck caravan developments - about how everything went down. It was a telephone game of who saw what and when. Several dots connected, so we were able to follow up on several leads.

One such lead was a fire truck that drove with the caravan, that made several onlookers uncomfortable, as they thought it belonged to a municipality. Said @harperlangston, who saw it and asked: “How is it legal for a fire engine to be in a pro-any-candidate parade?” Some even wondered if it was a Beacon fire truck.

A Little Beacon Blog reached out to the Mayor, City Administrator, Fire Chief and Chief of Police this morning with a series of questions regarding the caravan at large, one of which was the identification detail of the fire truck.

This afternoon, City Administrator Anthony Ruggiero sent out a notice to several media outlets to put the questions to rest:

“We have received a number of inquiries regarding the Fire Truck in the Truck Caravan on Sunday. The Fire Truck that was in Sunday’s Truck Caravan was not a City Fire Truck. The City fire department did not participate in the caravan. The truck was a privately owned Fire Truck. It was an E-ONE brand pumper, which the City does not and has not owned. There were no lettering and no red lights on the apparatus, as well as license plates. City Fire Trucks do not by law have licenses plates.”

A Little Beacon Blog followed up to ask how they know for sure that the truck is privately owned, and not operated by another municipality. Anthony answered: “We know definitively that it is not ours. But, the Fire Chief knows it is privately owned for all the reasons stated [above].”

You may have noticed yards along 9D or other locations, where vehicle collectors have school buses, fire trucks, and other interesting collectibles that sometimes are on display during car shows.

Village Of Wappingers Mayor Resigns; Town Of Wappingers Faces Racial Discrimination Lawsuit Of Highway Department

On Monday, October 26, 2020, the Village of Wappingers Falls Mayor, Matt Alexander, announced to residents via letter that he was resigning, effective December 2020. He has been the Mayor of the Village of Wappingers Falls for almost 14 years. In his letter, he stated: “Over this extraordinary past year, in enforced solitude and decreased mobility, I reflected on my own needs. With great sadness, I am announcing that I will be stepping down as mayor in December to pursue other opportunities.” His full letter is published below.

The announcement broke into the news cycle on Tuesday morning, followed by a press release from County Executive Marcus Molinaro wishing him well, and concluding with a discovery that the Mayor had accepted a job of Comptroller in Peekskill. He is a graduate of Notre Dame and is a certified public accountant.

The Mayor told MidHudson News of his new job: “I’m really looking forward to a community like Wappingers Falls urban and diverse and full of opportunity,” he said. “They just got the Downtown Revitalization initiative – a very prestigious award in New York State – and I am very excited about working on that with them.”

The soon to be former Mayor had run for New York’s 19th Congressional Seat in 2012 against Nan Hayworth, and owned a 19th Century building that was destroyed in a large fire in 2017, which prompted the #WappingersRises movement. Matt owned the shop, Stone Bridge Antiques, which he re-opened in a nearby location, according to Hudson Valley Magazine.

Village Of Wappingers Falls And Mandated Police Reform

All municipalities in New York State are under obligation from a Governor’s Order to supply a police reform plan that works with their unique communities. Mayor Alexander is no stranger to police reform. In 2018, the Village of Wappingers Falls had voted twice to dissolve their Police Department, preferring to use Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office instead, according to a Poughkeepsie Journal article. On August 30, 2018 the Board voted to disband the police force to begin on Jan. 1, 2019.

A judge ruled that the votes were unauthorized, and required a public vote. The judged ruled that the Village of Wappingers Falls did not conduct an environmental review, as required under the State Environmental Quality Review Act, according to the article.

The public vote, after the Village’s 2 rounds of voting to disband were denied, was spearheaded by 2 lawsuits, according to Deming Headlight, resulting in the people of the Village Wappingers Falls voting to keep their Police Department. After that vote to keep the Police Department, Mayor Alexander proposed creating a Citizens Board. ALBB has not reached out to confirm if such a Board was created.

The Police Commissioner of the Village of Wappingers Falls, Carl Calabrese, resigned after 11 years of service, on April 8th, 2020. The Mayor and the Village Board of Trustees honored the Commissioner’s service in the Resolution accepting his resignation. Police Commissioner Walter Burke is currently in the position.

Some legal cases are listed in connection with former Police Commissioner, Carl Calabrese, including NOVICK v. VILLAGE OF WAPPINGERS FALLS, NEW YORK, which revolved around the Police Benevolent Association (PBA), retaliation against the Police Union rules or advocacy of rules, bladder cancer of Officer Novick, reporting correctly or incorrectly into the job for health issues, “Disciplinary” actions, a demotion of Officer Novick, and other details.

Another lawsuit in 2011, PISTOLESI v. CALABRESE, centered around the removal of a towing company used by the Village of Wappingers, as directed by then Police Commissioner Calabrese. The lawsuit named Officer Novick and Commissioner Calabrese, among others, including a then Board Trustee, for harassment. Years later, Officer Novick filed a lawsuit against Commissioner Calabrese and the Village of Wappingers in the lawsuit named above. The newspaper clippings below can be clicked to be enlarged.

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Meanwhile, In The Town Of Wappingers…

A racial discrimination lawsuit was brought against the Town of Wappingers (different from the Village with different departments, and the Mayor does not preside here, as it is managed by the Town Supervisor, Richard L. Thurston) in 2019 by Troy Swain, who was 4 months into the job of Highway Superintendent when he was fired by a unanimous vote by the Town Council of the Town of Wappingers, due to allegations that he did personal tasks while on the job.

Troy was the first and only African American to serve as Highway Superintendent. Troy now works for the City of Beacon as a Heavy Equipment Operator, where he is 1 of 3 Black people working in that department in Beacon. Another worker, Reuben Simmons, had also served as Highway Superintendent for the City of Beacon, before also being unanimously voted out by Beacon’s City Council when they deemed that the job title did not exist in Beacon, and required a Civil Service exam he was not entitled to take (see ALBB’s article and podcast about this).

According to an article in the Poughkeepsie Journal, The Town of Wappingers also thought that the job title did not exist when Troy Swain held it. “Some members of the town board disputed the existence of the position and said Swain was ‘erroneously’ promoted. The union believed the position should've gone to someone with seniority, according to the documents.”

The same logic was used in Beacon in Reuben’s case in an unsigned mystery letter delivered to a Councilmember’s front porch, even though Reuben had been working for the City of Beacon for as long as his replacement, Michael Manzi.

In the Town of Wappingers, according to Swain’s attorney, Masai Lord of Lord & Schewel, he believes Troy’s termination was retaliation for filing an earlier racial harassment complaint. “Swain claims while on the job he was addressed with racial slurs. He said he had spoken about the harassment to his supervisor and a union representative, but wasn't provided a remedy,” he told the Poughkeepsie Journal.

In a lawsuit against the Town, Troy alleges he was discriminated against and denied due process before being fired, among other claims. He's seeking punitive damages. The trial is set for March 2021, due to a delay with COVID.

The goal of the trial, Masai told A Little Beacon Blog, is that “Mr. Swain needs to be compensated for what he went through. Not just the years of racial harassment, gratuitous use of the N-word, and wrongful termination and retaliation, but violation of collective bargaining agreement, and denied his constitutional due process rights.”

The Town of Wappingers voted unanimously via Resolution to terminate Troy on June 13, 2016. He received his termination notice on June 14, 2016. The lawsuit was filed in 2019, and named individual Board Members instead of the Town as a whole. The Board members tried to reverse by filing an appeal for qualified immunity in May 2020, according to the Poughkeepsie Journal article. That appeal of dismissal was denied in the U.S. Court of Appeals Second Circuit in mid-June 2020.

“The Southern District Court of New York also denied the Town's motion for summary judgement on the claims of discrimination, retaliation and retaliation based on the town's opposition to Swain getting unemployment compensation, meaning those claims will be moving forward to trial,” the article stated.

The Letter From The Mayor Of The Village Of Wappingers Falls Reads As Follows:

For ease of reading, Mayor Matt Alexander’s letter of resignation has been republished here:

Dear fellow residents,

It has been the privilege and honor of my life to enjoy the reward and fulfillment of service to my neighbors as mayor. However, all things must come to an end and my service to you has come to that point.

For over eighteen years, I served the people of the Village of Wappingers Faslls, with almost fourteen, as mayor. Over this extraordinary past year, in enforced solitude and decreased mobility, I reflected on my own needs. With great sadness, I am announcing that I will be stepping down as mayor in December to pursue other opportunities.

Our time together has been full of success and failure, joy and grief as well as growth and decline. But from the past fourteen years, I hop you see mostly good. I will do just that. I see how we have made great changes in our community over time. Though, I have some regrets, my belief is that, together, we have left the Village in a much better place than it was.

The best of our Village is its people and I have gotten to know o many of you in a special way that has made me better for it. I will miss this job more than any other. It was a very difficult decision, but I am confident that wonderful things lie ahead for all of us.

Godspeed and be well my fair Village. I will see you next as a fellow private citizen and hope to enjoy the future with you here for many years.

Patriot Rally Where Guns Were Encouraged On First Day Of Early Voting In Montgomery, NY Judged Too Close To Polling Site - Mayor Steve Brescia Didn't See A Problem

The rally in Montgomery, NY in Orange County from the The American Patriot Council billed as a “freedom march” in support of gun rights for hunters, despite any push for gun rights being taken away from hunters, was held in the small town of Montgomery yesterday that was originally supposed to happen within 100 feet of an early voting location - a senior center.

Originally, the location was approved by the Village Board earlier this month. Last minute, after pushback from residents, it was moved to a location further away. A parents group from Valley Central School District issued a press release on Friday to urge Mayor Steve Brescia to cancel or move the rally, saying no public events should be allowed near that poll site during the early-voting period.

The American Patriot Council is known for its "armed protest against coronavirus restrictions inside the Michigan state capitol and were accused of having ties to the foiled plot to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, but have disavowed any connection,” according to the article.

Montgomery's Mayor Steve Brescia, a Republican who is running for state Senate, and police Chief William Herlihy told the Times Herald-Record on Friday that "the rally's proximity to a polling station at the start of voting was purely coincidental, and that the organizers originally proposed a march at another location until it was suggested they gather at the park instead," the article stated.

The original invitation to the rally included encouragement to bring guns. The invitation was removed from Eventbrite. Chief Herlihy said village police couldn't prevent any rally participants from carrying handguns if licensed to do so, and. Steve told the newspaper: "We'll be talking to the organizers, and it will definitely be discouraged." The American Patriot Council is promoting rallies to take place at the same time on Saturday to “demand emancipation from the bondage of tyranny.”

Mayor Steve Brecia, who is also the Orange County Legislature chairman, said that 2 Black Lives Matter marches took place in Montgomery earlier this year, and that the village had no reason to refuse a rally billed as a celebration of patriotism. He did not see why voters would feel intimidated, with that many people decorated in flags standing so close by, giving speeches. "Why should there be any voter suppression here?" he is quoted as saying in the article.

According to the article, Montgomery Town Supervisor Brian Maher said he offered the town's Benedict Memorial Park, which is about two miles down Route 17K from the village, as an alternate site. He said village Mayor Steve Brescia accepted the offer and alerted participants of the change.

According to the article, concerns were raised about the prospect of voter intimidation, as well as the practical matter rally attendees taking parking spots from potential voters.

Initially, the the event for Saturday's rally in Montgomery, which was posted in Eventbrite but was taken down, had encouraged participants to carry guns. According to the article, “none were visible during the 30-minute rally. It also invoked the upcoming election, but made no mention of the voting taking place locally.”

New Candidate Applies For Beacon's BOE Member Seat, Stating "All lives matter, Black and white"

During the next Board of Education meeting following September’s meeting, where the Board was faced with confronting the process of creating a process to appoint 2 people to 2 vacated Board seats (see previous article, “What Shook The Room At Beacon’s BOE Meeting; 2 Open Seats But 1 Was Filled”), the Board heard from one new candidate, Joseph Puliafito. The candidate has been a resident of Beacon since the 1950s, owns 9 parcels in Beacon, and has teaching experience in educational technology and special education. A second candidate had applied in addition to Joseph, but withdrew before this meeting where the Board could interview candidates in a public format.

Of the 4 original candidates who applied previously, Jasmine Johnson was appointed to the Board, and John Galloway Jr. opted to have his application roll over for reconsideration to this second appointment process. Both Jasmine and John are Black. The other two candidates - Barb Fisher and Travis Fisher - a married couple who are white - withdrew their applications (read their letters of withdraw here) shortly after that meeting, both stating that the Board seemed to have a candidate who would fit the Board’s needs (this was prior to Joseph applying).

Interview With Candidate Joseph Puliafito

In their public interview with Joseph, where he stated that John Galloway Jr. “seems to be a great, nice guy” with a lot of people supporting him, Joseph asked the Board how they felt they were doing with their goals, stating: “It's a very trying time, in terms of economics and racial unrest. I do hope we see change as soon as possible and that everybody would be on the same page because all lives matter, Black and white.”

Joseph’s experience includes orphanages and public schools, stating: “I have a lot of experience since I was a teenager, in orphanages, for many different types of social problems in the family. I've worked since 1970 in colleges, with public school teachers in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens. And I've seen the problems there. It's not easy as you said to solve problems. And it's slow in some cases.”

Joseph continued to express how he roots success in happiness and selflessness: “Everyone has to be on the same page, and not think about themselves, but each other. And their lives. And to make everybody else's life better. Economically, socially. People should be happy. People are not happy now. Everyone has to be served.”

When Board president Meredith Heuer asked if he had considered applying to the Board in the past, Joseph exclaimed: “I've always paid my taxes, and they have been exorbitant. I have 9 parcels in Beacon. I did want to see where the money was going. I started to think: ‘Well maybe I should be part of it.’"

Interview With Candidate John Galloway Jr.

With most of his appeals made during the first meeting on 9/14/2020, where John focused on his young age and current connection with youth in Beacon, which would help him be a bridge between the Board and the students, John focused this speaking opportunity on how his supporters were behaving. Most of the supporters calling in to the voice support for the meeting were adults who felt passionately about voicing their opinions about what was said at the prior meeting. Some of those vocal supporters stated professional experiences with Boards of Education in general, run a business, or run a local organization. A handful of vocal supporters were current students.

John addressed that by saying: “Thank you for the opportunity again for allowing my application to roll over. I want to make a point to everybody who is calling in and doing a lot of things on social media. I appreciate the support, it is really outstanding, it is really appreciated. But also to remember to do your best to respect the Board and respect the process of the Board. This is an appointment process, this isn't an election. Some stuff that's going on is a bit, I would say it's ...supportive but also unnecessary. It is an appointment process, we just have to stick to the process, and hopefully that will be the result. We just have to hope for the best. Just respect the Board if possible. Because it is still not getting anything done, raising what I would call havoc - coming at board members - and making daily posts about it. Just try your best to support me, and if you would like to call in, that's fine, but there is no need to come at the board. If you want me on it so bad, I would just think that counter-productive.”

The Board will finish their appointment process during their October 26, 2020 meeting. You can watch recorded Board of Education meetings here at YouTube. The Zoom link to the live meeting is usually posted at the District’s website.

Sister Women's March Rally/March-In-Place Scheduled For October 17 In Beacon At Pohill Park

A reader wrote in to alert us to a rally happening in Beacon that they wanted to attend, and were surprised to learn was happening. The reader stated: “I will be a new resident of Beacon in October, and I've been following your blog to get to know the community. Thank you for providing such a fantastic resource! I don't know if you promote events like this but I wanted to call it to your attention. I went to sign up for the Women's March on Oct 17 to protest the confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett for SCOTUS & was planning to march in Manhattan. But, I was pleasantly surprised to find that out of the 2 marches planned in the state of NY, the other happens to be planned for Beacon, NY.”

According to Forbes.com, additional marches supporting the main Women’s March in Washington, D.C., include over 100 satellite marches happening in 39 states, with more than 70,000 people who have pledged to participate.

The march-in-place event in Beacon is hosted by Southern Dutchess Resist, a group who organizes many rallies, including the first Black Lives Matter that happened on the sidewalk in Beacon, which was followed by the next, and larger march down Main Street by a group of young people who united to become by Beacon4Black Lives. The two organizations have since worked together to plan education and protest events, along with other organizations in the region, including 854Unity, Label Foundation, Next Step Hudson Valley, and others, to bring awareness to different issues.

How The March-In-Place Rally Will Work

Location: Pohill Park, on the corner of 9D (Wolcott) and Main Street.
Day: Saturday, October 17, 2020,
Time: 2-4pm
No walking. A rally. Marching-in-place.

This rally is in support of, and in defense of, Women’s Rights. Participants can bring signs that express different messages. Parking is available in free municipal lots, which include City Hall, but not the fire station. Regarding behavior, the organizers say: “This is a peaceful rally in community. Profanity and the like is not condoned - verbally nor written.”

Social distancing will be encouraged, with masks. Bring your hand sanitizer.

Please do not ask shops to use their bathrooms. You can go shopping, however! So bring your wallet as well. Need a face mask from a boutique in Beacon? Visit A Little Beacon Blog’s Shopping Guide, where we indicate which shops sell face masks.

Details about Beacon’s rally can be found here.

"John Lewis: Good Trouble" Playing On Wednesday At 4 Hanna Lane In Beacon

From the people who brought you many of the protest Marches down Main Street in Beacon this summer, Beacon4Black Lives, is staying committed to educating about Black lives by starting new projects, like by establishing a free WIFI hub in Memorial Park, and outdoor movie viewing experiences.

On Wednesday evening, in partnership with Miz Hattie’s Southern BBQ, LNJ Tech, Beahive, and Storyscreen Beacon, you can watch this movie for $7, the proceeds of which go to Beacon4Black Lives to help them continue their work, stating via Instagram: “As we continue to work with our community to create a better tomorrow, we collaborate to educate and fund new and necessary projects for our community.”

For tickets, visit www.beaconfilmsociety.org

As the weather looks stormy, you should keep tabs on a rain or shine status by visiting @beacon4blacklives on Instagram.

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Editorial Transparency Note: Miz Hattie’s an advertiser with A Little Beacon Blog. This did not influence the reporting, or the how or why this article was produced.

Board Of Education Opens Application Process For 1 Board Seat Appointment - And Do The Qualifications Need A Refresh?

Two Board member seats on Beacon’s Board of Education were open as of last week. One seat was filled with the appointment of Jasmine Johnson, and the second seat is open for applications, the deadline for which is October 9, 2020. Click here to apply to it.

The creation of that process was made during the evening of the September 29, 2020 meeting, at which Board President, Meredith Heuer confirmed via email: “We decided to restart the appointment process for the newly open seat. Applications for that will be due 10/9. Applications that we already received will be automatically rolled over if the applicant wants. Applicants will be invited to make a public statement at the 10/13 meeting and we will finish the process at the 10/26 meeting.”

At the September 29th meeting, Board member Elissa Betterbid added that she thought that the applicant who was appointed that evening “should be part of the decision to appoint for the second seat.” You can watch live and past Board meetings here.

As of the September 29th meeting, there were 4 applicants: Jasmine Johnson (a mother who is Black and went through the Beacon school system), John Galloway Jr. (a young adult who is Black without children who went through the Beacon School system) and Barb Fisher and Travis Fisher (a young couple who are married to each other with children in the Beacon school system).

Regarding The 3 Remaining Candidates

Jasmine has since been sworn onto the Board, and John confirmed via email to ALBB that his application is still active. He said he intends to be a candidate for the appointment again, and would run in a public election if necessary, stating to ALBB via email: “I plan to make any kind of impact I can within the community regardless of if I get a seat or not! I love doing community work and giving children someone to look up to. I clearly have a better chance if I go the election route which is very strange to me but that’s just the circumstances to the situation right now. With a seat on a school board, I can possibly make real changes surrounding youth development. Our city hasn’t focused on it in almost 15 years as far as I’m concerned and it’s time to make it a priority.”

Travis withdrew his candidacy the day after the meeting, stating to the Board via email to them, which he shared with ALBB via email: “It seems clear you will have at least one energetic candidate who brings diversity and much-needed community connections. If I would stay in the running it would be mostly to make sure again you have a choice of candidates with different strengths. But at this point I think it is clear that the strengths I offer are not what the Board most needs in the current moment.”

Barb also withdrew her candidacy the Saturday after the meeting, stating to the Board via email to them, which she shared with ALBB via email: “With regards to the new vacancy, I believe there are other people who are well qualified and willing to serve. So, I respectfully request that my application be removed from consideration.”

During the first appointment meeting on September 29, 2020, members of the Board alluded to another person who intended to apply, and that they wanted to give them a chance. ALBB does not know the name of that person, or if they have since applied.

How To Apply

Links to the application have been posted to the Beacon City School District’s website.

Basic qualifications of a member of the Board of Education are listed in the packet and include:

• must be able to read and write;

• must be a qualified voter of the district; that is, a citizen of the United States, at least 18 years of age or older, and not adjudged to be an incompetent; (Note: a convicted felon is barred from running for a seat on a board of education if his or her maximum prison sentence has not expired or if he or she has not been pardoned or discharged from parole)

• must be and have been a resident of the school district for at least one year prior to election;

• may not have been removed from any school district office within the preceding year;

• may not reside with another member of the same school board as a member of the same family;

• may not be a current employee of the school district; and

• may not simultaneously hold another incompatible public office, including, but not limited to Superintendent, clerk, tax collector, treasurer or librarian, or an employee of the Board. Board members may not hold any city office other than that of police officer or firefighter.

A few readers have asked about the relevance of people who are married and living in the same house running for Board seats at the same time. People asked this prior to the reading this list of qualifications. So, we reached out to the Board Presdient, Meredith Heuer, for clarification. She answered: “We would not have been able to appoint both Barbara and Travis but it is not illegal for them to both apply.”

As for the rest of the applicant requirements, the first one regarding reading and writing is surprising that it is still here. Language requirements were part of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that John Lewis (of “good trouble”) fought to remove, as a barrier to voting. It is also not clear if a Beacon parent were to apply who is fluent in Spanish, but not English. Is there an English literacy test they would take? And if so, would a person who is fluent in English even pass it? Or for parents who are deaf, is there an interpreter provided?

According to Wikipedia:

“The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of federal legislation in the United States that prohibits racial discrimination in voting.[7][8] It was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson during the height of the civil rights movement on August 6, 1965, and Congress later amended the act five times to expand its protections.[7] Designed to enforce the voting rights guaranteed by the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution, the act secured the right to vote for racial minorities throughout the country, especially in the South. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the act is considered to be the most effective piece of federal civil rights legislation ever enacted in the country.[9]

”The act contains numerous provisions that regulate elections. The act's "general provisions" provide nationwide protections for voting rights. Section 2 is a general provision that prohibits every state and local government from imposing any voting law that results in discrimination against racial or language minorities. Other general provisions specifically outlaw literacy tests and similar devices that were historically used to disenfranchise racial minorities.”

It is also noteworthy that no person serving in a government position can also serve on the Board of Education, except for police officer or fire fighter.

Is it time for a refresh of these qualifications?

Click here to find the application links.

Click here to find the Board of Education videos at YouTube, where you can subscribe to watch them live, and watch past meetings.

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Editorial Transparency Note: Barb Fisher is the owner of Barb’s Butchery, which has been an advertiser with A Little Beacon Blog in the past. The business is a website design client of our parent company, Katie James, Inc. This did not influence the reporting, or the how or why this article was produced.

Second Beacon Board Of Education Member Resigns - James Case-Leal - Citing Desire For Persons Of Color To Fill The 2 Seats

On September 22, 2020, Beacon Board of Education Member James Case-Leal resigned from the Board of Education, stating that he wished to contribute his seat to give an opportunity to a person of color to fill it.

James was the most outspoken board member in favor of the Black Lives Matter movement, with his participation in the Marches that happened down Main Street over the summer, culminating in story-hour sessions in which many people participated. Read A Little Beacon Blog’s interview with him here after the Back the Beacon PD rally.

In his letter of resignation, which is republished in full below, James stated: “It is with great optimism that I am resigning my seat on the Beacon Board of Education in order to open an additional space for John Galloway Jr. and Jasmine Johnson, two well-qualified candidates of color, to both be appointed.” He went on to say: “In this moment we must strongly acknowledge that the voices missing in our leadership are voices from the communities most affected by these inequities.”

This makes 2 seats open on the Board of Education, who will decide how they want to proceed with filling the seats, said Board President, Meredith Heur. “Our board started the process for the appointment of one board member, so we will have to regroup and come to a consensus on how we want to move forward. Our choices for this remain the same:

• Leave the seat open until the next election,

• Go through an appointment process to fill the seat,

• Hold a special election to fill the seat

• Ask the BOCES superintendent to appoint for us.”

Meredith stated that the BOCES Superintendent option is almost never used but is by law an option, and that holding a special election does involve a cost. She also said that the board was not given advance notice of James’ resignation.

James Case-Leal’s Letter of Resignation

Dear Beacon City School District community stakeholders,

It is with great optimism that I am resigning my seat on the Beacon Board of Education in order to open an additional space for John Galloway Jr. and Jasmine Johnson, two well-qualified candidates of color, to both be appointed.

I make this decision with the best interests of Beacon schools at heart. I carry the hope that this will alleviate a difficult decision for the board and help our district heal from a history of lost trust in order to move forward with broader representation from the diverse communities within the City of Beacon.

It is a reality that the Covid19 crisis has exacerbated existing fissures of inequity, creating compound crises around racial justice, economic justice, and disability rights. I have deep admiration for our faculty on the front line as well as our administrators who I have witnessed laboring tirelessly to reinvent a new model of education.

During my time on the BoE, the Beacon School District has made bold steps to correct historical inequities that plague so many districts in our country. We spent countless hours modernizing our Code of Conduct, instituting restorative practices, and reviewing nearly every district policy through an equity framework. We have pioneered a robust program of equity training for our faculty. We are engaging in an overhaul of our curriculum and developing programs to elevate the cultural diversity in our student body. And we’ve maintained a culture of care, removing gender and racial bias from our dress code as well as strengthening the prohibition of hate speech and symbols of hate in our schools.

Though we celebrate these accomplishments, we recognize that there is still so much work to do, work that can not be completed without all communities owning seats at the table.

While we have made great progress in recent years, our most recently published assessment reveals that non- white students are five times as likely to be suspended, half as likely to be enrolled in honors or advanced courses, and 20% less likely to graduate compared to our students who identify as white. In this moment we must strongly acknowledge that the voices missing in our leadership are voices from the communities most affected by these inequities.

After meeting the candidates, it is obvious that we must take this opportunity to diversify the perspectives represented on the Board of Education. John and Jasmine are both excellent candidates, with roots in Beacon schools, and are deeply connected to different aspects of Beacon’s diverse community.

It has been an honor to serve our district to help support our educators provide the greatest possible education for all our students. I believe at this moment the best way to lead is to step aside.

I want thank our school community, PTOs, the voters who elected me, the members of the Board of Education who have taught me so much in our time together, and I want to thank the young local leaders who have shown us all how to live with faith and optimism that we can come together to create the world we want to see.

With love and optimism,

James Case-Leal

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Interview With James Case-Leal

James has been an organizer in Beacon for some time for various issues, including gun violence. He has worked closely with the most frequent organizers of the Marches, Beacon4Black Lives (B4BL), in various forms, including their Defund Campaign by providing research from ImagineSafety.com. James was the organizer of the sign making project called “100 Signs of Solidarity” that was highlighted in last B4BL rally on Labor Day at Memorial Park called 'Art in the Park'. Some of those signs have been placed throughout Beacon. He also worked closely with the group on the design of their new website.

ALBB: How did you feel about the Board of Education’s letter statement at the beginning of this racial revolution a few months ago?
I wrote it and personally believe every word of it.

ALBB: Have they done anything since issuing that letter? If so, what?
The schools have been consumed with the transition to hybrid and remote schooling due to the Covid19 crisis. The only progress in regards to equity during that period that I can recall is that the BoE banned the confederate flag.
[Editor’s Note: In an interview with A Little Beacon Blog, Beacon Superintendent Dr. Landahl identified moves the district had taken with regard to directives he issued. Read them here.]

ALBB: Were you asked directly to resign by any people outside of the BOE?
Not at all.

ALBB: Were you thinking of resigning prior to this?
The thought did cross my mind when I first realized there were two candidates who could diversify the board, but it was a decision that culminated after hearing many people in the community rally around wanting to diversify the board when talking to them in person (when installing signs), when we received numerous emails sent to the board (emails matter!), and most recently in heated social media discussions. I've heard some peole advocating for John, some for Jasmine, some for both. The members of the board have often talked about wanting more diverse input and recognizing the barriers to running and serving. Once I made the decision, it seemed like the obvious right choice.

ALBB: You have been very active with the racial revolution here in Beacon. Why do you think that the removal of your voice and vote at the table will keep the place of your views?
I'm trying to focus on the opportunity to bring new voices. Lots of people have great ideas! The advantage of having such a large 9 person board is that there is an abundance of expertise in various areas. I believe the experience of both John and Jasmine are the kinds of experience no one on the board currently has including myself.

ALBB: Can you tell us more about Jasmine Johnson? We are familiar with John Galloway Jr. when he spoke at two open mic events after Marches (to be published on A Little Beacon Blog). Who is Jasmine, and why do you feel she is a fit?
I encourage you to watch the last board meeting where John and Jasmine both spoke about their candidacy. I haven’t had the chance to speak to Jasmine outside of that meeting, but I have spoken to people who know her who I respect who have relayed that she is intelligent, thoughtful, and very invested in making our schools better for all of our children. I believe her experiences in our schools will be a valuable resource.

Her child attends a predominantly Black learning community called New Covenant School. I am always interested in having a better understanding why parents choose local private schools. In her case, I heard her speak about having negative experiences in our schools. I want to be careful about making assumptions, but when I connect the stories of discrimination that I have heard from many of our students of color, I could understand why a parent would choose a school that feels safer.

ALBB: Why do you feel John Galloway Jr. is a fit?
I only met John recently, but have been very impressed with his passion, clarity of vision, and commitment to serving in his community. He brings an experience that does not exist on the board, he has spent time attending Beacon Schools, and he has deep roots in communities unrepresented on the BoE. He has a drive that I admire. I think he would a valuable contribution to the discussions happening in our schools.

About The Other Candidates For The Board Of Education

Two other candidates were being considered for one seat before James resigned: Barbara Fisher and Travis Fisher, who are married. School board beat reporter Jeff Simms reported on the candidates for the Highlands Current, and you should read his write-up here for more details on all candidates.

Barbara Fisher: Barb is the owner of Barb’s Butchery in Beacon, and a former math teacher. “I’ve watched this community pull together since March in ways that I would bet people wouldn’t have considered possible,” Barb told the Highlands Current. After she spent years building a solid staff for her butchery, she said: ”I found myself drawn to the school board as a way to interject myself.”

With a solid staff of employees at the butchery, Fischer said, “I actually have time to sit back and ask myself, ‘What else can I participate in?’ and this got me excited.”

Travis Fisher: Travis builds mathematical models for Barclays Bank and has been following the BOE since 2015. He told the Highlands Current that he thinks that the district has improved, but “there’s still some things flashing a bit of a warning sign, particularly that Black students are not getting the same level of progress as white students. I worry that there is something the district should still be doing to improve that.”

John Galloway Jr.: John is a 2015 Beacon High School graduate, and founder of the Label Foundation, a youth development nonprofit. He told the Highlands Current that he would “bring community involvement…You have to connect with the community. You have to connect with parents. You can’t go making decisions for the entire district without consulting the community,” he said. “I see myself being that bridge.” John feels that students need to see more of themselves on the board: “There’s people like me who want to get involved but they don’t have the confidence, because they think you guys do not care.”

Jasmine Johnson: Jasmine graduated from Beacon High School in 2006 and worked last year as a teacher’s assistant at Hudson Hills Academy, a private Montessori school located in Beacon. Connecting private schools and public schools to work togeter and be less isolated from each other is one of her main goals. Additionally, she is committed to “fighting cyberbullying and promoting health and wellness, as well as trying to better connect the private and public schools in the city, ‘so they all can know each other and operate on the same level,’” as reported by the Highlands Current. Jasmine was impacted by a personal experience in school, where she said she was “‘nudged’ by a teacher from Advanced Placement into a lower level math course while at Beacon High School, which has led her to seek ‘compassion-led teaching’ for her daughter,” the Highlands Current reported.

Big Brand Digital Producer Opens In Beacon - Lauren Johnson Of The Hyacinth Group Highlighted From ALBB's Black Owned Business Directory

Lauren Johnson, who lives in Beacon, is a big deal in the digital space, where she has produced social media and branding campaigns for major fashion brands including Victoria’s Secret and Steve Madden, as well as other big name companies. She first came onto A Little Beacon Blog’s radar when we were developing our Black Owned Businesses category for our Business Directory, and needed to commission a logo designer for it.

We wanted to work with a designer of color, as they would know the entrepreneurial world intimately for Black and Brown people and people of color. Lauren was the first to answer the call, and matched the assignment with her Creative Director, Perry G. Crosson.

“ As of March 2020, African American women make up just 3% of computing-related jobs. Tired of trying to make it in the 3%, I choose to start my own digital company.”

— Lauren Johnson, Founder Of The Hyacinth Group

Right around this time, Lauren was hosting a launch party for her breakout digital agency, The Hyacinth Group, which is her own digital agency, after she hung her own shingle after working in the corporate world.

The Hyacinth Group celebrates its 1-year anniversary this month on September 27, 2020, and we are celebrating that with Lauren by also highlighting her on National American Business Woman Day.

Lauren Johnson, Founder of The Hyacinth Group
Photo Credit: The Hyacinth Group

Interview With Lauren Johnson, Founder Of The Hyacinth Group

In this interview, we get to know Lauren, what makes her tick, and what a few of her favorite projects are.

ALBB: Lauren: Thank you for giving us your time today. When we started the Black Owned Business category of our Business Directory, right away, we learned that Black is a label in America and can refer to many different types of people from different countries and family combinations. So before we dive in, how do you identify yourself?

I would identify myself as either Caribbean American or Jamaican American.

Our name, The Hyacinth Group, pays homage to my Jamaican roots. Born in New York City to Jamaican parents, I was named Lauren Rose-Marie Hyacinth Johnson. The name ‘Hyacinth’ comes from my Jamaican grandmother who also shares the name.

I am a first-generation American, as both my parents were born in Jamaica. I am living the American dream!

ALBB: What does it mean to you to launch your business not only during a pandemic, but during the Black Lives Matter movement?

They say life is all about timing. Although we are dealing with serious issues like a worldwide pandemic and BLM, in many ways it has been a blessing in disguise for The Hyacinth Group.

I get to create digital solutions for consumers as billions of digital buyers shop online. As COVID-19 continues to sweep the globe, most people have been forced to shop online due to store closures. There were more than 1.92 billion digital buyers in 2019 alone.

That number has only increased since the pandemic. We essentially turned into a digital, paperless society overnight. I have a digital agency that helps companies increase online sales and conversion. That puts me in a really great position.

Our digital team can quickly create a responsive website to engage customers. We can also improve your existing website to keep up with the rapid demand of your client’s needs through optimization. In addition we provide digital marketing services such as SEO (search engine optimization) copywriting, graphic design, social media and email marketing. The Hyacinth Group can take your sales to the next level.

In light of the Black Lives Matter movement, companies are giving back to the Black community. More opportunities are available to me now than there were just a few weeks ago. I feel blessed to be a Black female tech entrepreneur at this time. It feels like the sky's the limit!

ALBB: As a Black woman, how do you feel about the protests in Beacon that happened over the summer? And about the continuing protests nationwide?

I fully support the national protests, as well as local protests in Beacon.

Although I was not in the streets protesting, I know that by building The Hyacinth Group as a Black female tech entrepreneur, owning a digital agency is a protest in itself. As of March 2020, African American women make up just 3% of computing-related jobs. Tired of trying to make it in the 3%, I choose to start my own digital company. Protests of any kind are a key component in creating impactful change.

So, I strongly support the protest and BLM movement, but my main way of fighting back against a broken system is being determined to succeed as a Black woman in business, and continuing my Jamaican family’s legacy despite the obstacles.

ALBB: What did you do before launching this business?

I started my digital career as an Assistant Internet Merchant at Victoria’s Secret. Wanting to take my career to the next level and gain more senior experience, I went on to receive my MBA from LIM College with a major in Entrepreneurship. Upon graduation, I got recruited to work as an Internet Manager at Steve Madden. Focusing on customer retention and website engagement, I launched the company's social media integration program.

Soon after, I began consulting for major B2C brands like SK-II and Aerosoles, where I brought innovation to their digital programs by creating responsive sites and 360 marketing campaigns. Most recently, I began using my digital expertise to help small businesses engage online consumers. Last year, I started The Hyacinth Group, which creates digital solutions that work for both the client and consumer. This is both my passion and current full-time job.

ALBB: What makes your combination of people on your team special and different from other design agencies who also work with these talented people? Clients may see work produced by artists like Perry, Meghan, Josh, through other agencies as well. What kind of magic happens when they come together at The Hyacinth Group?

Diversity drives innovation, and that's a big part of our team’s success at The Hyacinth Group. When we come together, it creates a different kind of magic fueled by passion. Above all, we keep your unique ROI (return on investment) goals in mind, focusing on revenue-producing opportunities across the digital landscape.

The Hyacinth Group converts browsers into buyers by helping brands connect to their customers’ buying motivations and enhancing the online experience with a combination of creativity and data analytics.

Our team specializes in conversion rate optimization and online engagement. The key to providing excellent CRO (conversion rate optimization) is inspiring customers to focus, make a choice, and rejoice.

ALBB: What is your favorite type of branding project? If you have one. I know lots of components of digital branding can be favorites.

In particular, I love working with high-end companies in beauty and fashion, as well as food brands such as Karibu365 and Farm2ChefsTable. It’s easier to target an audience when you are in that audience yourself!

After I officially formed my company The Hyacinth Group, my boyfriend Nicholas Leiss was my first client. I created his blog Farm2ChefsTable, which is a favorite project, because it allows both of us to shine!
[Editor’s Note: OMG please don’t miss this recipe for “Chanterelles on Toast with Corn Pudding & Goat Cheese”]

Nicholas is my biggest supporter and I am his. But not only that, the blog's layout beautifully showcases Meghan Spiro's photography and Nick's amazing food!

A favorite client project, for the website design and food photography for Farm2ChefTable.
Photo Credit: The Hyacinth Group

Beauty Brand, Karibu365

Karibu365 , is one of my favorite projects because of my passion for beauty. Back in my corporate days, I worked for a luxury skincare company SK-II and was able to transform their digital program increasing sales by 41%. I brought my knowledge and expertise from that experience to assist a family friend take her organic skincare brand to the next level digitally. As a Black female entrepreneur who also shares the same heritage, I am glad that I was a part of her leveling up!

Here is what the founder of Karibu365, Sandra Mullings, said about working with us: at The Hyacinth Group: “It was a pleasure and a joy to work with Lauren at The Hyacinth Group. She drew on her previous experience with website development for luxury skincare brands to guide me through the process. I relied on her eCommerce expertise heavily since I had a concept of what I wanted my brand’s online presence to look like, but wasn’t sure how to achieve it. She made graphic design and copywriting resources available for me to use on demand, which came in very handy when I needed my logo colors changed to match the branding on my website. Her attention to detail is unsurpassed, and she will be my go-to for my next project (in the works). I would HIGHLY recommend Lauren and the team at The Hyacinth Group for all your eCommerce needs.”

Photo Credit: The Hyacinth Group

Yellow Bananas Part 2

Yellow Bananas is a grocery app I designed for my class at The Product School this summer. But what makes this app so special, is that this is the second version. The first, I designed 3 years ago in my User Experience Design class at General Assembly. It shows my progression in User Experience Design and my passion for not only the perfect "yellow bananas" but creating an in-store experience online.

Photo Credit: The Hyacinth Group

Thank you, Lauren, for sharing your digital branding experience with us! So lucky to have you in Beacon, NY. Contact Lauren any time right here: https://www.thehyacinthgroup.com/contact

Interview With Nicky Allen, Mother Of Juneteenth Art Creators - What Inspired Them To Participate?

Way back during the week of Juneteenth (June 19, 2020), when most white people including me were learning about Juneteenth and its significance (we wrote about it here), we needed artwork to represent it in an article. So we held a fast and furious contest of sorts, and got response from different creators. The “winner” got to be featured here at A Little Beacon Blog, as well as a $50 cash prize.

Nickeya (Nicky) Allen, a writer for Medium, and a return student at the School of Business at Mount Saint Mary College, submitted the artwork of her two children. We wanted to know more, and interviewed Nicky for the backstory of the art production.

ALBB: Was this your first time celebrating Juneteenth?

Yes, this was our first time celebrating Juneteenth.

ALBB: What inspired you to celebrate?

We were pretty active in our community on Staten Island. We're always looking for opportunities to connect and uplift Black voices. During the same year Eric Gardner was killed by police in plain-clothes in broad daylight, we came together to celebrate the 5th Annual Black Heritage Family Day Festival.

Visualize walking into a spacious park, Black families spread out on the lawn; some were just there relaxing and reading; some were reciting poetry; some were dancing; and some were there growing their brands. Articles later reported there had been more than 60 black owned vendors/businesses and nearly 2,500 people in attendance. Every year it grows. We wrote the book on unity, it's what we do to remind ourselves and others of our power. This energy is only heightened under stressful times. So, I didn't feel inspired per se, I felt obligated this year.

This year was the first year for [my family], but it's important to me to share that it is in no way a new celebration for Black races and our communities. I had always known of Juneteenth festivals happening in Irvington, NJ, Brownsville and Flatbush Brooklyn. Juneteenth is more about our desire to unite, show love and support for one another despite some of the hard realities we endure as a whole during our time spent on earth. It's spiritual and faith-filled, the belief in our ability to rise stems from our power together as one. It's least celebrated with discussions on slavery.

ALBB: How did you speak about it to your kids, and what made you all start this art project?

My babies are 7 and 4, I showed them photos of the many Umoja-type events we attended when they were younger. Umoja is a term I learned one year while celebrating Kwanzaa. It means unity, to strive for and to maintain unity in the family, community, nation and race. I talked to them about honoring our ancestors in this way and by doing so, they'd make them proud.

We're still early risers although school is out [at the time of this writing in June 2020], we usually start our mornings off with some kind of art or reading. Friday, June 19, 2020 we took the Twister game place mat, cut it in half to make the banner. We paint a lot, we were low on supplies. My 4 year old and I came up with the color scheme: Everest green, red, blue glitter, white and brown. My son researched Juneteenth on his school provided Chromebook and discovered the flag you see in the top left side of the banner.

We were all happy to learn we had been featured on your platform. The cash payment was significant. They feel supported and that's a beautiful experience in itself. I love the work ya’ll are doing, keep it up.

Reuben Simmons Speech In Reaction To Behavior At Support The Beacon PD Rally In July

During the 8th March to support Black lives mattering more, many speakers spoke at a soundstage down at Pete and Toshi Seeger Riverfront Park on July 25, 2020. This protest was organized by Next Step Hudson Valley and Ali T. Muhammad, a former council member in Beacon for Ward 2, and a local community organizer that has been working to bring the sister-cities of Dutchess and Orange Counties together for this movement and improved way of life.

Both of their speeches are below. Transcription by Yvonne DeMoss.

INTRODUCTION: Ali T. Muhammad’s Introduction for Reuben Simmons

Ali T. Muhammad
Photo Credit: Ali T. Muhammad

“You're hearing it. You're hearing it from our people, from around the county, from the area that are involved, that are involved in so many different facets that are needed.

”Something that Matty and his family and Club Draw were working on, based off of a lot of discussions that we've had. Based off of experience. Experiences in these communities. Things that we got to think about with, why Black lives matter.

”American music is Black music. Privilege is thinking something is not a problem when it's not a problem to you, personally. Systemic racism is real. Teach your child early what you learned late. Racism is a public health crisis. Racial justice is a feminist issue. Black trans lives matter. Decolonize education. Decolonize health care.

”I heard “Decolonize wellness.” That was fire. I never heard that before. That's a good one. Uproot systemic racism. Uproot white supremacy from your personal life. Uproot white supremacy from your personal life.

”Systemic oppression is not broke, a broken system. You cannot fix a system that works exactly as it was intended. We need to rebuild our systems to serve the people. Standing up for your fellow Americans is the act of a true patriot.

”Amplify Black voices. Racism is so American that when you protest it, people think you are protesting America. “Radical means grasping at the root.” Angela Davis. “Walls turned sideways are bridges.” Angela Davis. “I can't believe what you say because I see what you do.” James Baldwin, Newburgh native. Freedom is not a state. It is an act.” John Lewis.

”I say this to say we need to create opportunities like this so that way we could educate more. I mean with memes and social media, there's ways to reach more people. These are these ideas are not solely to one person like Anusha said. “Decolonize wellness.” There's so many areas that we need to work in and again that's why we're here.

”The next person that I'm going to call up is Reuben Simmons, Someone I've been working with and I've been close with for years. He works for the City of Beacon and he has a story to share, but most importantly solutions for what's next. Reuben.

”Again, we have water straight ahead. We've got some snacks if somebody needs food or needs something, please reach out. We can get you something delivered or ordered because I don't know if everybody likes pizza or not. But if you do need something, really come over, okay. Reuben Simmons.”

SPEECH: Reuben Simmons

Reuben Simmons
Photo Credit: Reuben Simmons

“Good afternoon, like Ali said, my name is Reuben Simmons but I'm also known in this community as Coach Yogi. I work in the city. I work in the city of Beacon Highway Department. I was born and raised in the city [of Beacon]. I was born in the hospital before it closed in ’84, Highland Hospital off of Delavan Avenue. I lived in the city my whole time.

”Anybody from Beacon here? Make some noise if you're from Beacon, if you live in Beacon, if you do anything in Beacon, if you came to support Beacon, you came from out of town, you make some noise! I'm gonna touch on the importance of both of those reasons, I will be remiss if I don't thank the organizers of Beacon 4 Black Lives.

”I want to publicly thank Ciarda Hall, Stefon Stewart, Xavier Mayo, Cedric Parksdale, and Justice McCray. If it wasn't for the momentum that they built with the Black lives movement and the protests that they've been doing in the city, I'll tell you right now. I wouldn't be standing here, today.

”People call me a community leader. My response? Leader? I'm no leader. ‘I do what I have to do and sometimes people follow.’ Edgar Friendly. Those young adults motivated me and I seen something in em’ that I seen when I was younger and people identified me as a leader so I thank them.

”This is the 8th protest in this city. No looting, no rioting, and nothing negative. All peaceful. Give them a round of applause. Anybody there last Sunday and Beacon up on 9D? Well, we're going to talk about that because we're going to talk about why it's so important.

”Last Sunday, there was a Support the Police campaign rally. We're seeing all over the nation all over the country that these rallies are dividing communities. We brought our stance to their rally. They haven't hijacked or counter protested any of our protests. The goal wasn't to counter protest them. The goal was to let them know we got issues here and we want to make sure that we come to the table and you hear our issues. Word spread out.

”There's people from Beacon and support just like you guys here from out of town so automatically we cannot, we cannot control the social media. (train whistle blows) That's one reason Beacon’s so popular, the train to the city, we cannot control the narratives that are going to be written all over Facebook. But what I saw on Saturday, last Saturday in Pleasant Valley. Did you guys see that? That is ugly for any community. That will not help move things forward.

”Sunday, I participated in a demonstration that showed you can support the police. You can counter protest and support Black Lives Matter and the demonstration can be done peacefully because that is your constitutional right to stand for what you believe in and we demonstrated it last Sunday here in the city of Beacon. For some people may not know some good things came out of that.

”I'm gonna tell you right now, people, that I've seen that seen me grow up in the city as a child, some white people they're uncomfortable right now. They're upset, they're confused, they're saying "Yogi we know you. What were you doing on the other side?" My reply is there is no other side. This is one Beacon and subconsciously you don't understand what we said, what we mean when we say Black lives matter and you need to know and if we have to go to war, know where I'll be if you try to divide this community.”

“I’m gonna tell you right now, people, that I’ve seen that seen me grow up in the city as a child, some white people they’re uncomfortable right now. They’re upset, they’re confused, they’re saying “Yogi we know you. What were you doing on the other side?” My reply is there is no other side. This is one Beacon.”

— Reuben Simmons

[Editor’s Note: For reference, back during the moving of the bench controversy, former Mayor Randy Casale spoke out for the first time since his term as mayor. He was emotional during discussions of moving the bench that was a dedication to his stepson. In voicing his disagreement, he used language like “I will divide this city if they move the bench,” in his social media, and in the original 3hr recording of a podcast on “Wait, What Is That?”]

”There's going to be another shout out I want to give. We went from one end of the city all the way to the river side of the city. You've seen all the police officers out there. The police department's union has told me, has confirmed with me that they want to sit at the table with us to address the issues moving forward. So I want to applaud them for helping us protest peacefully and I want to applaud them for being the big people to understand that they want to sit with us and hear what we have to say, and that is done by Justice McCray.

”Pleasant Valley is-was very ugly. It was very dangerous. What I didn't know last Sunday, where some people went to Pleasant Valley Saturday, those same people came to support us in Beacon on Sunday and I want to apologize to them, because yes I do move militant like Malcolm. My goal is to, to increase peace like Martin, so sometimes I come off with no compassion. So if there's anybody that felt disrespected by me on Sunday, I apologize.

”But at no time did I ever felt you were in danger in my city cause I'm gonna tell you right now: My mother was out there. My sisters were out there. My uncle was out there standing on the other side of the street. He came over across the street for conversation. So if my family's out there, I wanna make sure nothing happens to them. So please believe nothing's gonna happen to you.

”The police were out there. You seen the way the police respect what we're doing here. That's what we need in every community. Pleasant Valley, I don't even know if they have a police department. They're patrolled by state troopers. They're patrolled by county sheriffs. And yes, you could give a boo to the county sheriffs. That's a big reason why I believe we need to start in cities, because cities have their own police department.

”The City of Newburgh has a police department. The City of Poughkeepsie has a police department, and we see them at our community events. When you guys are out there, the people at the counter protest last Saturday, last Sunday in Beacon. The police that you see, I see them all the time. When you guys are in your community, you guys see these people all the time. Let's make sure we're having that conversation and we're bridging the gap. That was a goal of ours last Sunday when we went up for the counter protest.

”Yes I know, that's what it looks like on the optics. I'm not trying to control optics, I'm trying to move this city forward and if we could create a blueprint I would be happy. I would be honored to stand with you guys in your community and see how we could address things forward because you need your local elected leadership which right now, did you see any of them here? I want to give a shout out to them, that's why I want to make sure.

”You need your local elected officials, you need police representation and if they're in a union you need that union representation and you need the Black community. You need to support the police community, and that's a table that we're currently building right now in the city of Beacon. And I'm proud of everyone who's doing the work and I just want to applaud them and I just want to let you guys know, thank you for the support and I think what we're doing here, we could do in many other communities, but it's going to take you as the individual.

”I'm going to wrap it up because I know we're going to move into breakout sessions. Aliyah that has asked me to stand in for, uh, on, on employment. I work in the city of Beacon. I work in the Highway Department. I work my way up. I share the story with anybody who wants to come to the area I'll be at, I'll probably be over here, um, we'll talk about Civil Service Law. We'll talk about application processes. We're talking about how people get hired, how people don't get hired. School districts. Public, um, police departments, things like, things of that nature.

”Once again I just want to thank everybody. I think we're doing good work to move things forward and I want to thank you guys for allowing me to speak. Once again, my name is Ruben Simmons, they call me Coach Yogi.”

Watch The Speech In The Video

This speech has been transcribed from the video below. Hear it in Ali’s and Reuben’s words by pressing Play.

[EXTENDED Sept. 15] Last Day To Submit Feedback For Beacon Police Chief Qualities

UPDATE: The last day to submit feedback on what you want in the new police chief has been extended to September 15th, 2020.

September 4, 2020 is the last day to submit feedback on what you are looking for in a Police Chief for Beacon.

The survey has been created by the City of Beacon, and the search firm they hired to find the new chief.

Survey in English >

Survey en Español >

City Of Beacon Hires Police Chief Search Firm For $24K And Appoints Citizen Committee

On July 20, 2020, the City of Beacon City Council voted in favor of hiring the search firm Public Sector Search to conduct the search for a new Chief of Police for the City Of Beacon after Chief Kevin Junjulas announced his retirement effective July 7, 2020.

In response, Mayor Kyriacou appointed a formerly retired officer, William Cornett, to serve as Acting Police Chief for 90 days, a decision that was met with controversy between citizens and the police union. Chief Cornett stepped down after 40 days in the position, and currently, Lieutenant Frost from the Beacon Police Department has been appointed Acting Chief.

The search firm will be paid $24,000, with additional expenses not to exceed $6,000 according to the firm's proposal. Included in the proposal are 2 Facebook Live Community Forums (60 minutes) and 2 community focus group meetings (60 minutes each). Additional forums and group meetings can be billed at $200/hr plus expenses.

For an additional $1,500, the firm was hired to put together a survey of the public, to provide input into what they want in a Police Chief. The survey has been open for a bit and concludes on September 4, 2020. Mayor Kyriacou released a robo-call two weeks ago informing the public of the survey, and it has been mentioned at City Council meetings. For an additional $1,500, a survey can be put together to survey the Police Department itself.

How The Search Firm Will Work

Details of how the search process will work are included in the firm’s proposal which can be found here. The timeline is a projection of 4 months (resulting in a November selection time).

The first month focusing on project management setup and interviews with local government leaders, key personnel, department heads, and other internal or external stakeholders to get a feel for the city’s culture and structure. The next phase is a community engagement report from the survey and any community forums held. The firm will then design a brochure and website landing page to display the job posting.

The firm will then advertise it at recommended locations it made like New York State Association of Chiefs of Police, National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, Hispanic American Police Command Officers Association, International Association of Chiefs of Police, Police Executive Research Forum, National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives, National Black Police Officers Association, and FBI National Academy Associates. Qualified candidates will then be collected, and the firm stated that it will also rely on its own relationships and outreach to find a candidate.

The candidates will be presented to the Mayor and search committee, after going through a screening process. The Mayor and City Administrator will be given access to a background check report, and Mayor Kyriacou suggested that the search committee head, Terry Nelson, also have access to that background check. Terry accepted. Once finalists are selected, “the search committee work is completed,” according to the proposal.

Appointment Of Citizen-Based Police Chief Search Committee

The creation and announcement of the search committee was fast and not widely publicized. The announcement was made via press release on July 29, 2020, and was initially criticized by members of the public during the Public Comment portion of the meeting on August 3, 2020. Thirteen people were selected, 7 of whom are citizens only and not with any government appointed commission.

Community participants included clergy and school employees, as well as the locally based Beacon4Black Lives organization, which came together at the start of the racial protest nation-wide in response to police brutality and the call to make Black lives matter more.

One of the lead organizers for Beacon4Black Lives, Justice McCray, has been vocal about how the city should proceed with the selection of new leadership, and was not asked to be on the committee. However, one of his fellow leaders, Stefon Seward, was asked by Mayor Kyriacou, but Stefon voiced confusion during the City Council meeting, stating: “I think Justice Would have been a way better fit than me, and I don't know why he's not there.”

A Little Beacon Blog reached out to Justice for comment: "I was on the City Council call when they were voting to spend $24,000 to hire the police chief search firm. I called in and said they shouldn't. A lot of people did. The council voted to do so anyway."

Further communication ensued in social media around a miscommunication between the parties. A Little Beacon Blog reached out to Mayor Kyriacou to clarify what resulted in a misunderstanding about his feelings towards the protests in Beacon ending if a police chief was hired. His response to A Little Beacon Blog was: “No of course not. The call from Terry and me was about soliciting participants for the Chief selection committee. What I said was that selecting a Chief was incredibly important, because if we find the right one who shares the same goals for change, then change becomes easier. As I recall, Stefon put an interpretation on what I said, and I immediately corrected that interpretation. No one person, chief or otherwise, will address all the concerns, protests and need for change that have arisen.”

Mayor Kyriacou went on to say, in response to A Little Beacon Blog seeking clarification on his misunderstood statement: “Private comment not for any publication:  it’s incredibly important for any reporter to rely on the speaker making a statement, and not on hearsay, which is what someone else says that someone said. Hearsay just encourages miscommunication.”

A Little Beacon Blog does not grant blanket “off the record” situations by email or phone. We must agree to it first, before the speaker speaks. A definition of hearsay, spoken in response to the act of researching such hearsay, is on the record.

The committee members are as follows:

Chair:
1. Terry Nelson – Councilmember Ward 1

Community Participants:
2. Deborah Felder – school guidance counselor; involved in local NAACP chapter
3. Deacon Marty Mayeski – Saint John’s the Evangelist; Lewis Tompkins Hose Chaplain
4. Pastor John Perez – Faith Temple Church of God in Christ
5. John Rembert – former City Councilmember; retired U.S. Army veteran; ordained clergyman
6. Molly Rhodes – director, Teach for America
7. Stefon Seward – Beacon High School graduate; co-founder Beacon for Black Lives

Community Participants:
2. Deborah Felder – school guidance counselor; involved in local NAACP chapter
3. Deacon Marty Mayeski – Saint John’s the Evangelist; Lewis Tompkins Hose Chaplain
4. Pastor John Perez – Faith Temple Church of God in Christ
5. John Rembert – former City Councilmember; retired U.S. Army veteran; ordained clergyman
6. Molly Rhodes – director, Teach for America
7. Stefon Seward – Beacon High School graduate; co-founder Beacon for Black Lives

City Participants:
8. Air Rhodes – Councilmember Ward 2
9. Michael Deane – Chair, Human Relations Commission
10. Sands Frost – Beacon Police Lieutenant (currently the Acting Chief)
11. William Cornett – Beacon Acting Chief of Police (no longer the Acting Chief)
12. Anthony Ruggiero – City Administrator
13. Gina Basile – Human Resources Director

Chair Person Terry Nelson’s Vision For The Police Chief Selection

Terry has been outspoken in his goals for the selection of the new chief, which can include a promotion from within, but seems to be weighted for a broader search. In response to questions from A Little Beacon Blog, Terry explained: “I want the committee to look at the civil service definition of chief, which just lists the minimum requirements and then think about what are some other important characteristics they would want to see in a police chief. Together I want us to come up with a description of what we want to see in a chief.”

Terry expressed during this week’s 8/31/2020 City Council Meeting that one of the biggest problems he intends to solve, or get closer to solving, is helping Black and Brown people and people of color not be afraid to call the police.

Terry further explained in an interview with the Highlands Current: “I’ve had people ask me, ‘Why are they protesting? Why are they bringing this stuff up again?’ But this stuff is my daily life. This stuff is me getting in my car and getting on the highway and being conscious of the speed limit, or having my headlights on, or, am I doing everything right? What if I get stopped? What do I do? It’s a conversation that is long overdue.”

Nation-wide, but in New York State in Rochester, another example of police brutality that happened in March has been revealed this week: Daniel Prude, who was asphyxiated while unarmed and not wearing clothes, after police put a bag on his head, according to this local news report at 13WHAM. “Monroe County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled Prude’s death a homicide. Under the cause of death was listed ‘complications of asphyxia in the setting of physical restraint,’ excited delirium and acute phencyclidine (PCP) intoxication,” according to 13WHAM.

Police were responding to a mental health call that Daniel’s brother had made. During a press conference held today with Free The People, Daniel’s brother, Joe Prude, was quoted to have said that “he called first responders to get help his brother in the midst of his mental health crisis. In retrospect, Prude says he wishes he’d never made that call. ‘All I was trying to do was get him some help,’ said Prude.

Back in Beacon, the community, like all communities across the country, look to each other for examples of how to reform training, hiring, and cultural mindset, that currently, is playing out quite visually in the form of police violence, which speaks to underlying cultural issues which foster that violence, and normalizing it.

Might it be time for police officers themselves to speak up against other officers, even in other states, as a way to signal cultural awareness, acceptance, and protection? As a way to demonstrate anti-racism? Not just saying “I’m not racist,” but by showing it? Showing the solidarity to the Black and Brown community who watches their own get treated so badly? And therefore lives with a fear that a white person does not know?

What if police officers in Beacon marched in plain clothes in a local march?

Reader Question: Do Protests Need Permits?

A reader submitted a Comment on the “How To Submit A FOIL Request” article, where he mentioned he was looking to, or had submitted FOIL requests for, permits issued for marches made for Black Lives Matter and the Back The Beacon PD rally.

We checked with Council Member Dan Aymar-Blair, who studies protesting and knows the rules and guidelines very well, had this to say about if permits are needed: "Permits are required for marches and rallies in Beacon's public spaces; however, the spirit of our permitting process is for the city to facilitate protest, for example providing police protection from counter-protests. While mobilizing police and other city resources for a peaceful assembly costs money, it is a cost we must live with to ensure the safe practice of our constitutionally protected freedoms.

"Free assembly is a human right, not a state-sanctioned privilege.​ That's why I'd rather we do away with the permitting process in most cases, and allow prior notification to be at the discretion of protest organizers."

We followed up with an organizer with Beacon4Black Lives, Justice McCray, to see if that organization has asked for or been granted permits for the approximately 9 protests marches they held. This was his response:

“We do not get permits for any of our protests. City Council member Dan Aymar-Blair stated in a council meeting on 8/3/2020, in response to Theresa Kraft's complaint about the protests during the Public Comment portion of the call, that our protests don't need permits.

”Usually (now Acting Chief, formerly Lieutenant) Frost or Lieutenant Figlia will contact me for details of our protest if I don't contact them. We're looking into training citizen marshals to help lead the protests and temporarily close off streets as we march. We don't ask the police to close the streets down and we'll gladly protest without them.”

5 New Job Positions In Public Health Available From Dutchess County

Dutchess County Department of Behavioral & Community Health (DBCH) has job openings for 5 Public Health Advisors, including a senior supervisory position, for up to 18 months. The positions are being funded by a grant of $917,000 awarded to Dutchess County from the New York State Department of Health to further build capacity for COVD-19 case investigation and contact tracing coordination. The grant funding will enable DBCH to hire Recruitment is now open and interested applicants can review job description and apply online at the County’s website at www.dutchessny.gov/jobs.

As the jobs are temporary, they do not require a Civil Service exam from the county. Additionally, there is not box to check for a criminal background check, as Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro participated in a “Ban The Box” movement years ago to remove that box from county job applications. This is often a hurdle for people with records - even for minor issues - to be considered for jobs.

Marc Molinaro said, “This grant enables us to bolster our public health team and ensure we can continue to deal with case investigation and contact tracing quickly to prevent spread. This is critically important as the reopening process continues, - particularly school reopenings - and greater interaction leads to case increases, we need to have the capacity to respond rapidly.”

About The Grant From New York State Department Of Health

The grant is intended to increase local health department staffing to conduct rapid and complete case investigations, including ensuing that once contacts are identified, they are reached within 48 hours and have access to testing. The additional staffing will also be available for daily monitoring of cases and contacts and ensure any social supports needs are being met and for effective isolation/quarantine.

DBCH Responsibilities Have Increased With Reopening Monitoring

The grant funding comes at a critical time as local health departments must take on an ever-increasing workload and the annual flu season approaches. Local health departments have seen their role greatly expanded beyond their normal areas of jurisdiction, particularly as the reopening process has continued.

For example, health departments were tasked with conducting gym inspections by the state as a requirement of reopening of gyms and fitness studios, though these businesses are not under the authority of local health departments. Locally, DBCH has been providing support and assistance to nursing homes, assisted living centers and developmentally disabled group homes, all of which normally work directly with NYS DOH.

Additionally, DBCH has been coordinating closely with colleges and school districts for their reopening planning. All of this goes beyond the normal workload of DBCH, which still continues and includes other disease and virus surveillance, such as Lyme disease and other tick-borne illness, as well as annual flu monitoring.

“Our public health team has been working non-stop for more than six months responding to the coronavirus pandemic, and I am exceptionally grateful to all of the extraordinary members of our team whose professionalism and dedication has been inspiring,” said DBCH Commissioner Dr. Anil Vaidian. “These additional Public Health Advisors will be welcome additions to our team and enable us to continue our fight against COVID-19, while ensuring we are also addressing other critical health concerns in our community including overdose prevention, tick-borne disease awareness, and much more.”

Rolls Of The New Public Health Advisors

The grant-funded Public Health Advisors will be responsible for performing investigations and advising on all phases of coronavirus pandemic control efforts. These individuals will be part of DBCH’s Rapid Response Team and take part in case investigation activities including index case and contacts interviews, provide education and public information, assist with data collection and creation of reports and analysis; and stay abreast of new techniques and information that can be locally adapted in the fight against COVID-19.

Interested candidates should have strong knowledge of public health communicable disease investigation as well as current trends relating to emerging techniques and treatment and must have strong interview and communications skills, with positive interpersonal skills to successfully inform and educate individuals and the public at large. Candidates should have the ability to prepare complete and concise reports. Candidates should have education and/or experience in nursing, social work, health education or a health-related field.

For full job descriptions and application information, visit www.dutchessny.gov/jobs. Application deadline is September 11th