Ari Melber has to be the only news anchor that regularly quotes Hi-Hop lyrics. Taking his obvious love of Hip-Hop music and culture to another level he recently did an awesome piece on Harlem icon Dapper Dan. Check it out below ASAP.
UC Must-Reads: Am I an American?
Posted on July 19, 2019
(Photo: Briana E. Heard)
Ibram X. Kendi is brilliant. The scholar, activist and author recently penned a must-read piece in The Atlantic that goes to the heart of the patently racist comments made by Tyrant Trump about the four tenacious Congresswomen known as The Squad. Entitled Am I an American?, the piece does a masterful job of explaining the reasons Trump and so many of his supporters think America is only for white people. Make America Great Again is shorthand for Make America White Again. Check it out and share it ASAP. We have crossed the Rubicon and we are in uncharted territory. This will not end well.
Check out: UC Must-Reads: Am I an American?
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Uptown Video: Mayor Pete Buttigieg Gets Uptown Certified
Posted on July 19, 2019Presidential hopeful Mayor Pete Buttigieg came Uptown to Dyckman to chop it up with the Bodega Boys. There are hookahs, brown-bagged whiskey bottles and a sushi roll called La Chapiadora involved. Believe us folks it is downright hilarious. Check it out and let us know what you think.
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New Yorkers call for justice in Garner death | Manhattan Times
Posted on July 19, 2019By Gregg McQueen
“I am going to stand outside, and I am going to scream it.”
Emerald Garner’s voice then rose sharply.
“Pantaleo needs to be fired! Pantaleo needs to be fired!”
Garner, daughter of Eric Garner, was blunt as she spoke directly after learning of the Department of Justice’s decision on Tues., July 16th that, upon concluding its five-year investigation, it would not bring civil rights or criminal charges against New York Police Officer Daniel Pantaleo.
“There is insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the police officers who arrested Eric Garner acted in violation of the federal criminal civil rights act,” said Richard P. Donoghue, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, during a press conference held after the announcement.
But protestors echoed Emerald Garner’s call as they gathered in Lower Manhattan on Wednesday, demanding justice in the 2014 death of her father, who was killed by a police chokehold.
Held on the fifth anniversary of Garner’s death, the rally drew several hundred people to Foley Square, who then marched past City Hall despite scorching temperatures.
Read more: New Yorkers call for justice in Garner death | Manhattan Times
Related: Op-Led: I Still Can’t Breathe
The Uptown Tweet of the Week: #RickyVeteYa🇵🇷
Posted on July 17, 2019This is not a moment, it’s a movement.
Never seen coraje (anger) turn so quickly into coraje (courage).
Can’t get to 🇵🇷 in time.
But I’ll be at the protests in Union Square today at 5pm.
In solidarity with 🇵🇷 en las buenas y en las malas.
❤️❤️❤️#RickyVeteYa https://t.co/PbTnQhGbLM— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) July 17, 2019
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Op-Led: I Still Can’t Breathe
Posted on July 17, 2019BY Led Black (@Led_Black)
5 years ago today, Eric Garner, a 43-year-old father of six and a grandfather of three, was murdered by the NYPD on the streets of Staten Island for allegedly selling loose cigarettes. The whole disgusting episode was captured on camera but once again justice was not served.
Even though Garner’s death was ruled a homicide by the NYC Medical Examiner and even the NYPD’s own internal affairs inquiry determined that officer Daniel Pantaleo used an illegal chokehold, officer Pantaleo was not indicted.
Officer Pantaleo, who essentially choked Eric Garner to death on camera, is still on the force and makes over 100 K per year. In fact, the only person that has seen a jail cell in this whole sordid incident is Ramsey Orta, the young man who filmed the searing video that captured the last moments of Eric Garner’s life. His recording of the execution resulted in non-stop police harassment and eventually imprisonment. Mr. Orta has been incarcerated since October 2016 and according to Democracy Now is now in solitary confinement.
08/03/19: The Sweet Spot Festival Presents Saturday Fish Fry
Posted on July 16, 2019
Save the date familia. The Sweet Spot Festival returns on Saturday, August 3 from 2 to 9 pm for a good old-fashioned Saturday Fish Fry at the West Harlem Pier. This time around, they are celebrating 100 years of Harlem’s history, culture & artistry. So pack a blanket, pre-order your fish plate, bring your solo cups & come out for a celebration of African American culture and the riches of Harlem.
Featuring : ✨The Sweet Spot Pop-Up Market ✨Food, artist & craft vendors ✨ Kids Art Workshop ✨Live Arts ✨& of course music by NYC’s finest Legendary DJ Marley Marl (stay tuned for additional guest DJs).
The best part is – it’s all FREE!! Tell a friend and bring a friend…
For more info: http://sweetspotfestival.com/
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#TheGramUptown: Spread Love It’s The Uptown Way
Posted on July 12, 2019
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Mood Music: Juan Luis Guerra – Literal
Posted on July 12, 2019BY Led Black (@Led_Black)
Juan Luis Guerra is arguably the greatest musician the Dominican Republic has ever produced. He is also one of the greatest songwriters of all time, bar none. He is part of a rarefied class of iconic songwriters that include Bob Marley, Bob Dylan and Sting. Over his almost 4 decades long career he has sold over 70 millions records worldwide and has won 3 Grammy Awards and 21 Latin Grammy Awards.
Besides being immensely prolific, Juan Luis Guerra has made a career of being a trendsetter and a musician that can do justice to almost any genre of music whether it be merengue, perico ripiao, salsa, jazz, rock, bossa-nova, bolero or bachata. In fact, he is correctly credited with being one of the artists that have made bachata the global phenomenon that it has become.
Not one to rest on his laurels, Juan Luis Guerra dropped his latest opus, Literal, earlier this year. The album lives up to the legacy and continues in the tradition of excellence and innovation.
Deportation raids reported | Manhattan Times
Posted on July 12, 2019
On alert.
President Donald Trump has ordered deportation raids to begin on Sunday in at least 10 major cities, according to published reports.
On Thursday, the New York Times reported that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents will begin arresting undocumented immigrants in raids to be conducted over a number of days.
The raids would principally target about 2,000 immigrants and include “collateral” deportations, in which agents will arrest migrants on the scene who are not on their target list.
Arrested families will be housed together in Texas or Pennsylvania, but could also be kept in hotel rooms awaiting deportations, the report said.
Raids were expected to begin in New York City, Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, and San Francisco.
The report was based on information from current and former Homeland Security officials.
In June, the Trump administration threatened deportation raids targeting about 2,000 immigrant families, but opted to hold off.
Trump stated on Twitter that he wanted Congress to “get together to work out a solution to the Asylum and Loophole problems at the Southern Border.”
Speaking at the White House on Wednesday, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Acting Director Ken Cuccinelli stressed that raids were definitely forthcoming.
“They’re absolutely going to happen,” he said, noting that there were approximately a million people in the U.S. with removal orders.
Read more: Deportation raids reported | Manhattan Times