Deadly stabbing of gay man condemned by local electeds

The fatal stabbing of a gay Black man outside a Mobil Gas station in Brooklyn has caused an outpouring of tributes from community members and legislators.

O’Shae Sibley, a professional choreographer, was “vogueing” to music with a group of friends when another group approached, making anti-Black statements and homophobic slurs. After an argument one boy stabbed Sibley in the torso and he was later pronounced dead.

U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres was aghast at the “senseless stabbing.”

“Sibley was murdered because of who he was,” Torres said. “As an openly gay Black man myself, I feel deeply in my heart that ours should be a city and a country where we are free to be who we are without fear of intimidation, harassment, violence, and murder. An attack on the LGBTQI+ community is an attack on all of us as free people.”

City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams also commented on the murder, saying “no one should have to live in fear of violent attacks for merely being themselves.”

Mayor Eric Adams spoke out against attacks on those who are gay.

“O’Shae Sibley’s life and beautiful spirit were cut short by homophobia,” Adams said. “Bigotry can never take root in our city. Being a New Yorker means knowing and loving people of all backgrounds.”

A 17-year-old boy suspect was arrested and charged with murder as a hate crime.

Legacy admissions
resolution passes city council

A resolution calling to bar the preference of legacy admissions at undergraduate institutions in New York State has been approved  by the City Council. The Fair College Admissions Act, spearheaded by Councilman Eric Dinowitz, was introduced in June 2022 with the goal of leveling the playing field for students without family connections at a college.

“We must address this issue head-on and ensure educational, economic, and social equity for all New Yorkers who seek access to a college education,” Dinowitz said in a statement. “Legacy admissions is a relic of the past that has long favored white and wealthy families at the cost of applicants of color and other disadvantaged groups.”

With affirmative action having been recently dissolved by the U.S. Supreme Court, State Sen. Andrew Gounardes says this is the time to get rid of admissions. He said that at legacy admissions core, “it is just affirmative action for the privileged.” Because of that, he has introduced it to the state Senate.

Assemblywoman Latrice Walker, a sponsor of the legislation, has said this bill would benefit low-income and working-class families who want to send their children to college.

Credible fear interviews assailed

Several Democratic legislators have called upon the Biden Administration to cease credible fear interviews from being conducted at customs and border protection facilities. A letter was written by U.S. Rep Adriano Espaillat, vice-chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and several others and was signed by 66 members, including U.S. Rep Ritchie Torres.

“Requiring asylum seekers to undergo their Credible Fear Interviews while in CBP (customs and border protection) custody and articulate their traumatic experiences within as little as one day of arrival into the U.S. is inherently problematic because of the recency of the trauma many are fleeing and the carceral nature of CBP custody,” the letter said.

The letter said that since April the administration has implemented an expedited screening process at the border where asylum seekers have to undergo CFI within as little as 24 hours while in the customs facility.

According to the letter, this mirrors a program that President Biden ended when he assumed office.

Espaillat called the CFI process traumatizing and harmful to the due process.

“Asylum seekers’ access to counsel and overall understanding of the U.S. asylum process while they are confined in CBP detention is severely limited, which results in the swift and unjust rejection of asylum claims which should be deemed valid,” Espaillat said in a statement. “As such, our letter calls on the Biden Administration to change this harmful policy.”