Last June, the Amsterdam News reported initial findings by the John Jay College’s Data Collaborative that 85 percent of NYPD-issued summons in 2022 disproportionately went to Black and brown residents. The full report was published last March, expanding on the  disparities with low-level offense enforcement.  Such findings stem from the city’s official police reform plan, which the department implemented in 2021 in compliance with then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s statewide executive order.   “There were explicit goals in the police reform plan and they were to have lighter-touch e ..read more

LOS ANGELES—There is nothing like the spotlight of New York, especially when you’re a showman like Marcus Stroman. The Stro Show is off to a sizzling launch in 2024. He’s started three games, including the Yankees home opener, and has a 2.12 ERA. His first two starts were simply dominant: He gave up zero earned runs and seven hits on 12 combined innings, with 10 total strikeouts.  “He’s been terrific, I mean, he’s right in line with how he’s been [building up] the last couple of months, execution’s been excellent,” manager Aaron Boone said about Stroman’s buildup from spring training to ..read more

After nearly two months, talks between the staff at Mobilization for Justice (MFJ), an organization that provides free housing legal assistance to low-income New Yorkers, and its management have made little to no progress. A small crowd of workers showed up at 100 William Street on Friday, April 12 to picket in front of MFJ’s Manhattan offices. MFJ’s legal service workers––its attorneys, paralegals, support staff, receptionists, and front desk workers––have been striking since February 23. All are members of the MFJ Union, which is under the Legal Services Staff Association (LSA Local 2320) a ..read more

Candice Hill knew she would be attending the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Next Generation Institute, a program for assistant coaches aspiring to become head coaches, held in conjunction with the Final Four. Just prior to departing, Hill got some excellent news—she was selected as the new head coach at University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). While her position was squared away, Hill still listened intently to all the information during the program. “I took away some great nuggets about…accepting that everybody goes through ups and downs. It’s really about the resilien ..read more

This Saturday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, WBC super lightweight world champion Devin Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) will defend his title against Ryan Garcia (24-1, 20 KOs). The fight will be broadcast and streamed live on DAZN PPV. The two fighters have a lot of history, as they matched up six times as amateurs, with each winning three of the bouts before starting their respective professional careers. “I’m feeling good. I’m on track to make weight,” said the 25-year-old Garcia last week after his media workout. Garcia lost his first professional fight a year ago to Gervonta Davis and bl ..read more

It has been a remarkable season for the Knicks. Through a season ending shoulder injury to their two-time All-NBA power forward Julius Randle,  which occurred on January 27, not only did they persevere, the Knicks excelled. Their regular season schedule culminated on Sunday at Madison Square Garden fittingly with a dramatic and hard-fought 120-119 overtime victory over the Chicago Bulls to secure an unlikely No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. It also produced the 50-32 Knicks’ first 50-plus win season since they went 54-28 in the 2012-13 campaign. “It’s a goal to be the best team we c ..read more

As his team has climbed out of an 0-5 start to rise above .500 at 9-8 after a 3-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates at Citi Field on Tuesday night, Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor has been trying to break out of an early season slump. He was batting just .145 in 69 at-bats with only one home run and two RBI and a meager .477 OPS entering the final game of a three-game series versus the Pirates yesterday afternoon in Queens. Lindor’s statistics are well below his career marks of a .272 batting average and .810 OPS. History suggests the rough patch the 30-year-old, 10-year veteran is going throug ..read more

Arthur Sumpter paid a visit to Dive 75 on March 12, 2019 as a triumphant man. By then, he had clocked two decades of working in data analytics, which paid the bills. But his true passion was stand-up comedy. Earlier that night, Sumpter performed a “particularly amazing” five-minute set at Carolines on Broadway— no easy task for a beginner. He started his celebration with five friends with wine immediately after the set. When his buddies started to bicker, Sumpter decided to round out the night alone by grabbing a drink in a calmer environment and enjoy his success peacefully. He headed to Div ..read more

Members of the group Cross-union Retirees Organizing Committee (CROC) showed up at Manhattan’s 26 Federal Plaza on April 12 to deliver a letter addressed to President Joe Biden to bring attention to the concerning direction they see Medicare going in.  CROC members are mostly New York City municipal retirees who said they wanted to deliver a letter to Medicare and Medicaid Services representatives about something they call a “(Dis)Advantage” plan, a play on Medcare’s Advantage plan terminology.  “We are mostly New York City retirees, and the city has been trying for three years to t ..read more

Arts education and creative programs are struggling to stay afloat amid major citywide budget cuts. ArtsConnection, an organization dedicated to bringing the arts to NYC youth through in-school, after-school, and community programming, faces its third round of cuts in the last three years.  “Our budgets are shrinking,” said Dionne Thornton, director of teen programs and community engagement for ArtsConnection. “You add increasing student numbers with shrinking budgets, and then the increase in the cost of everything from food to tickets. We are put between a rock and a very hard place in ..read more