washingtontimes--2020-06-14--Forgotten cemetery may be under Miccosukee Greenway trail

TALLAHASSEE , Fla. ( AP ) - After trained dogs found unmarked graves , 72-year-old Gloria Jefferson Anderson went home and looked into the eyes of a photograph of her dad .
Then she began to cry .
Her dad once had told her that their ancestors were buried at the now-forgotten New Hope Cemetery , but he passed away when she was a teen .
Her mom had died earlier .
For more than 50 years , no one has been able to tell her just where New Hope Cemetery was located .
( It ’ s not to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Church Cemetery , ” also in Leon County . )
What she knew was that her great-grandmother was a Creek Indian named Suwannee Cruel , married to Abram .
Together they had 16 children , one named Maryanne , Anderson ’ s grandmother .
She thinks they ’ re buried under a section of what is now the Miccosukee Greenway .
The possible find comes at a time when there ’ s interest in locating and memorializing abandoned cemeteries where former slaves and sharecroppers now lay .
A 1998 Task Force on Abandoned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suggested there were at least 1,750 in the state .
That report came long before last December ’ s announcement that archaeologists , using ground-penetrating radar , think they located 40 graves under the golf course at the Capital City Country Club , site of the former Houston Plantation .
Last August , the Tampa Housing Authority said it may have located the city ’ s first African-American cemetery under an apartment complex .
Zion Cemetery was established in 1901 but disappeared from city maps in 1929 .
Archeologists used ground-penetrating radar and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ caskets beneath Housing Authority land .
And this past spring , lawmakers advanced a bill to establish a new task force to identify and memorialize the sites , the “ covered-up graves that have been built upon , or destroyed , or obliterated from history , ” said state Sen. Darryl Rouson , D-St. Petersburg , one of the bill ’ s co-sponsor .
The bill cleared the Senate but the House did not take it up .
The affairs of slaves and sharecroppers were considered unimportant by historians .
Events like their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contributions unrecognized .
When the findings of the country club graves were announced , Jonathan Lammers , the historian whose research convinced the club to allow further investigation of the site , said there are probably thousands of unmarked graves of slaves in the area , given the number of plantations in Leon County .
Guided by oral histories , Anderson searched through census , plantation and court records for some mention of her relatives .
She traced her ancestors ’ journey from the slave markets of North Carolina , to a Jefferson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plantation along Centerville Road .
And she found after Emancipation , Abram signed a sharecropper ’ s contract for a plot of land that eventually became part of the Welaunee hunting plantation .
And he and his family joined the St. Peter Church .
Some members of that congregation in the late 19th century were buried at a New Hope Cemetery , Anderson said .
New Hope is behind a small white church on Miccosukee Road that borders the Miccosukee Greenway , two miles east of Fleischmann Road .
When her research led @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she recruited an older brother in the quest .
In Orange County , his job was to survey for placement of water and sewer lines .
He came to Leon County and inspected a wooded area atop a hill , along the greenway trail .
He saw depressions that he said would require a developer to notify local archeological and cultural officials before they dug .
Then a friend ’ s two cadaver dogs , independent of each other , signaled that there was something in the ground .
The dogs , Shiraz @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the greenway Jan. 30 and about 125 feet on both sides in a loose grid pattern .
Trainer Suzie Goodhope has assisted law enforcement in forensic work and the U.S. Park Service in efforts to identify historic sites and volunteered their time for the investigation .
The dogs gave two “ responses ” on the trail west of the church and six where the footpath turns south .
“ I cried because I found his people , and that ’ s my family , ” Anderson said .
“ Now that I know @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t be completed until we get the county and state to verify it.
” Anderson said the New Hope Cemetery extends west from the church onto the county ’ s greenway and possibly into city property marked for the Welaunee development .
The site is just two miles up the trail from the Hickory Hill sharecropper cemetery near Dempsey Mayo Road .
It may foreshadow the discovery of other forgotten slave cemeteries as the city of Tallahassee ’ s boundaries edge northward into the county ’ s former cotton belt .
The Welaunee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s biggest subdivision and an eventual home to 50,000 people , is on land where once were four antebellum plantations .
Two of the plantations were owned by the county ’ s biggest slaveholders .
“ When black people were on the plantation and they died , they were buried right there on the plantation , ” Anderson said about the rolling red-clay hills of northeast Leon County .
According to an 1860s county agriculture survey , some 620 enslaved workers were on the four plantations bordered by today ’ s Fleischmann @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the state line with Georgia .
J.J. Williams ’ La Grange Plantation held 232 enslaved people , while another 180 worked the James Kirksey Plantation .
Workers on the four plantations produced 1,989 bales of cotton ( worth $ 145 a bale in today ’ s dollars ) and at least 17,500 bushels of corn ( $ 8 a bushel ) the year before the Civil War broke out .
Anderson ’ s family story is that her ancestors were sold in North Carolina to a Jefferson County plantation in 1828 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ working the House Place Plantation , owned by R.A. Whitfield and along Centerfield Road .
Other than that , all Anderson knew was that her great-grandparents and their children lived in the St. Peter community along Pablo Avenue , off Olson Road near the Fleischmann and Centerville intersection .
They too were buried at New Hope .
In the 1870 census records , she found a Suwannee and Abram and 16 children .
One was named Maryanne .
Then , about this time last year , she found an 1869 sharecropper contract between @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Florida Plantation Records .
“ You have to know how to connect the dots , ” said Lonnie Mann , a retired state employee and armchair historian who is helping Anderson research her family ’ s history .
“ Not much was written down because African-Americans were not allowed to read and write .
“ But these contracts list a few place names , and New Hope is written in there , and the oldest record we found places it in the area between Miccosukee and Centerville.
” Many former slaves clustered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ These enclaves had evolved from “ brush arbors , ” campsites where people worshiped away from their overseers .
Many of the brush arbors had aspirational names , like “ New Hope.
” According to the U.S. Geographical Census , there are at least 60 such places in Florida , including one along the Florida-Georgia border .
That complicated Anderson and Mann ’ s search for her ancestors ’ resting place .
“ What a morass that I just wallowed in , let me tell you , ” Mann said .
“ There @ @ @ @ @ @ @ went down .
But it ’ s a theological concept , like the Second Coming .
There are more than 600 New Hope churches and cemeteries in the U.S. ” Attending services at St. Peter Church last fall , Anderson struck up a conversation with a church elder , a man in his mid-90s .
He told her he remembered congregants talking about New Hope when he was a child .
He told her he believed it was near Testerina .
The site inspection , cadaver dogs , government documents and oral history @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lost cemetery .
Anderson thinks up to 12 Tallahassee families have relatives buried there .
In addition to the Cruels , she suspects there are also members of the Austin , James , Dennis and Porter families .
And she ’ s trying to identify others .
Mann is preparing to register the site with the Secretary of State ’ s Division of Historical Resources Master Site file .
The submission will document the area as a cultural and historic resource .
State verification will provide access to more research tools to further @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has been supportive of the citizen-led effort to survey the New Hope location and learn more about the area ’ s history , ” county spokesman Matheiu Cavell said .
“ We also know that local history has deep roots for generations of nearby residents , so we hope future research keeps everyone engaged.
” Anderson fears the race is on to get the site verified , marked and protected from development .
Its western edge could possibly extend close to the proposed route for the Welaunee Boulevard extension , being built partly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wants the state to commission a ground-penetrating radar survey of the area : “ It ’ s abandoned and forgotten .
Nobody thought about it until I started to inquire where are my people buried.
” A spokeswoman for Blueprint said it doesn ’ t appear that the Welaunee extension will affect the area Anderson has identified .
Blueprint is developing an archaeological and cultural resource survey to identify any cemeteries or other historically significant parcels in the route ’ s path .
That survey should be completed in September .

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - After trained dogs found unmarked graves, 72-year-old Gloria Jefferson Anderson went home and looked into the eyes of a photograph of her dad. Then she began to cry.
Her dad once had told her that their ancestors were buried at the now-forgotten New Hope Cemetery, but he passed away when she was a teen. Her mom had died earlier.
For more than 50 years, no one has been able to tell her just where New Hope Cemetery was located. (It’s not to be confused with the “New Hope Church Cemetery,” also in Leon County.)
What she knew was that her great-grandmother was a Creek Indian named Suwannee Cruel, married to Abram. Together they had 16 children, one named Maryanne, Anderson’s grandmother.
She thinks they’re buried under a section of what is now the Miccosukee Greenway.
The possible find comes at a time when there’s interest in locating and memorializing abandoned cemeteries where former slaves and sharecroppers now lay. A 1998 Task Force on Abandoned and Neglected Cemeteries funded by the Legislature suggested there were at least 1,750 in the state.
That report came long before last December’s announcement that archaeologists, using ground-penetrating radar, think they located 40 graves under the golf course at the Capital City Country Club, site of the former Houston Plantation.
Last August, the Tampa Housing Authority said it may have located the city’s first African-American cemetery under an apartment complex. Zion Cemetery was established in 1901 but disappeared from city maps in 1929.
Archeologists used ground-penetrating radar and discovered what they believe to be 126 caskets beneath Housing Authority land.
And this past spring, lawmakers advanced a bill to establish a new task force to identify and memorialize the sites, the “covered-up graves that have been built upon, or destroyed, or obliterated from history,” said state Sen. Darryl Rouson, D-St. Petersburg, one of the bill’s co-sponsor. The bill cleared the Senate but the House did not take it up.
DOCUMENTING A LOST PAST
The affairs of slaves and sharecroppers were considered unimportant by historians. Events like their births and deaths went unrecorded and their contributions unrecognized.
When the findings of the country club graves were announced, Jonathan Lammers, the historian whose research convinced the club to allow further investigation of the site, said there are probably thousands of unmarked graves of slaves in the area, given the number of plantations in Leon County.
Guided by oral histories, Anderson searched through census, plantation and court records for some mention of her relatives. She traced her ancestors’ journey from the slave markets of North Carolina, to a Jefferson County plantation, to a Leon County plantation along Centerville Road.
And she found after Emancipation, Abram signed a sharecropper’s contract for a plot of land that eventually became part of the Welaunee hunting plantation. And he and his family joined the St. Peter Church.
Some members of that congregation in the late 19th century were buried at a New Hope Cemetery, Anderson said. New Hope is behind a small white church on Miccosukee Road that borders the Miccosukee Greenway, two miles east of Fleischmann Road.
When her research led to the Testerina Primitive Baptist Church, she recruited an older brother in the quest.
In Orange County, his job was to survey for placement of water and sewer lines. He came to Leon County and inspected a wooded area atop a hill, along the greenway trail. He saw depressions that he said would require a developer to notify local archeological and cultural officials before they dug.
Then a friend’s two cadaver dogs, independent of each other, signaled that there was something in the ground.
The dogs, Shiraz and Fletch, explored the width of the greenway Jan. 30 and about 125 feet on both sides in a loose grid pattern. Trainer Suzie Goodhope has assisted law enforcement in forensic work and the U.S. Park Service in efforts to identify historic sites and volunteered their time for the investigation.
The dogs gave two “responses” on the trail west of the church and six where the footpath turns south.
“I cried because I found his people, and that’s my family,” Anderson said. “Now that I know where they are, this won’t be completed until we get the county and state to verify it.”
Anderson said the New Hope Cemetery extends west from the church onto the county’s greenway and possibly into city property marked for the Welaunee development.
PROGRESS MAY CONFLICT WITH HIDDEN HISTORY
The site is just two miles up the trail from the Hickory Hill sharecropper cemetery near Dempsey Mayo Road. It may foreshadow the discovery of other forgotten slave cemeteries as the city of Tallahassee’s boundaries edge northward into the county’s former cotton belt.
The Welaunee development, which may become the city’s biggest subdivision and an eventual home to 50,000 people, is on land where once were four antebellum plantations. Two of the plantations were owned by the county’s biggest slaveholders.
“When black people were on the plantation and they died, they were buried right there on the plantation,” Anderson said about the rolling red-clay hills of northeast Leon County.
According to an 1860s county agriculture survey, some 620 enslaved workers were on the four plantations bordered by today’s Fleischmann, Centerville and Miccosukee roads, north to the state line with Georgia. J.J. Williams’ La Grange Plantation held 232 enslaved people, while another 180 worked the James Kirksey Plantation.
Workers on the four plantations produced 1,989 bales of cotton (worth $145 a bale in today’s dollars) and at least 17,500 bushels of corn ($8 a bushel) the year before the Civil War broke out.
Anderson’s family story is that her ancestors were sold in North Carolina to a Jefferson County plantation in 1828. When Emancipation came, her great-grandparents were working the House Place Plantation, owned by R.A. Whitfield and along Centerfield Road.
Other than that, all Anderson knew was that her great-grandparents and their children lived in the St. Peter community along Pablo Avenue, off Olson Road near the Fleischmann and Centerville intersection. They too were buried at New Hope.
In the 1870 census records, she found a Suwannee and Abram and 16 children. One was named Maryanne.
Then, about this time last year, she found an 1869 sharecropper contract between Cruel and Whitfield in a file of the Florida Plantation Records.
CONNECTING THE HISTORICAL DOTS
“You have to know how to connect the dots,” said Lonnie Mann, a retired state employee and armchair historian who is helping Anderson research her family’s history. “Not much was written down because African-Americans were not allowed to read and write.
“But these contracts list a few place names, and New Hope is written in there, and the oldest record we found places it in the area between Miccosukee and Centerville.”
Many former slaves clustered in small enclaves, like Frenchtown. These enclaves had evolved from “brush arbors,” campsites where people worshiped away from their overseers.
Many of the brush arbors had aspirational names, like “New Hope.” According to the U.S. Geographical Census, there are at least 60 such places in Florida, including one along the Florida-Georgia border.
That complicated Anderson and Mann’s search for her ancestors’ resting place.
“What a morass that I just wallowed in, let me tell you,” Mann said. “There were all sort of blind alleys I went down. But it’s a theological concept, like the Second Coming. There are more than 600 New Hope churches and cemeteries in the U.S.”
Attending services at St. Peter Church last fall, Anderson struck up a conversation with a church elder, a man in his mid-90s. He told her he remembered congregants talking about New Hope when he was a child. He told her he believed it was near Testerina.
The site inspection, cadaver dogs, government documents and oral history gives her confidence she has located the lost cemetery.
LOST BODIES, REMEMBERED SOULS
Anderson thinks up to 12 Tallahassee families have relatives buried there. In addition to the Cruels, she suspects there are also members of the Austin, James, Dennis and Porter families. And she’s trying to identify others.
Mann is preparing to register the site with the Secretary of State’s Division of Historical Resources Master Site file. The submission will document the area as a cultural and historic resource. State verification will provide access to more research tools to further examine the findings.
“Leon County has been supportive of the citizen-led effort to survey the New Hope location and learn more about the area’s history,” county spokesman Matheiu Cavell said. “We also know that local history has deep roots for generations of nearby residents, so we hope future research keeps everyone engaged.”
Anderson fears the race is on to get the site verified, marked and protected from development. Its western edge could possibly extend close to the proposed route for the Welaunee Boulevard extension, being built partly with Blueprint 2000 tax dollars.
She wants the state to commission a ground-penetrating radar survey of the area: “It’s abandoned and forgotten. Nobody thought about it until I started to inquire where are my people buried.”
A spokeswoman for Blueprint said it doesn’t appear that the Welaunee extension will affect the area Anderson has identified.
Blueprint is developing an archaeological and cultural resource survey to identify any cemeteries or other historically significant parcels in the route’s path. That survey should be completed in September.


washingtontimes--2020-06-14--In Tampa, the pigeon men flock to a beloved sport

TAMPA , Fla. ( AP ) - It begins on a driveway in Tampa , where 10 cages are scattered around .
One by one , male pigeons are given a minute to strut around and puff out their chests , hoping to impress the lone female .
The birds ’ owners watch carefully , some live streaming the flirtation .
They are all Cuban men from across the island .
Then Jose Pupo removes the female from the last cage .
“ Hola mi gente , cojan sus palomas , ” he says .
Pick up the birds .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ blocks down from Pupo ’ s house , to an empty intersection .
After a brief countdown , the animals take off , the males all chasing after the same female .
The men below whistle and holler .
They each hope to win the day ’ s competition by having their male lead the female back home .
These are the palomeros of Tampa , the pigeon men .
Their birds - las palomas ladronas ( the thieving pigeons ) - steal the hearts of impressionable birds and capture the love of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the friends tease each other , claiming some males are underperforming mid-flight , Pupo keeps his eyes trained skyward , confident in his bird , nicknamed the Custodian .
Pupo had brought all the men together on this Sunday for the pluma loca , or crazy feather competition , a variation of their regular routine .
But he aimed to win .
“ It ’ s a sit and wait game , ” he says , as the Custodian circles overhead .
On any given day , even during the pandemic , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ‘ n ’ Country neighborhoods are full of pigeons .
Each afternoon , players launch their birds and hope they ’ ll return home leading someone else ’ s bird into a specially designed cage , marking a capture .
The birds attract rivals with distinct feather colors , or by alerting them to food back at their place , or the classic method : straight-up seduction .
The victor can choose to keep the captured bird , sell it , give it back or trade it for supplies , Pupo said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ birds rack up the most captures .
More captures mean less out-of-pocket costs and , of course , the most coveted prize : bragging rights .
“ Instead of saying my dog is better than yours , you can say my pigeon is better than yours , because my pigeon caught your pigeon , ” Pupo said .
Pupo , 25 , learned the sport of thieving pigeons from his grandfather Vicente Carrillo in Cuba .
Last year marked his first full year competing in the United States , during which he caught @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pigeons he bought at local pet stores , which cater to the growing palomero community .
Through friends , he was able to get more birds to breed and raise as his own , at times even stepping in to help the parents with baby bird formula .
That dedication helps in training the birds to always come home , Pupo said .
Regardless , he knows there ’ s always a risk whenever he lets his pigeons loose .
They can end up blindsided by love or dead at the claws of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , palomeros are especially cautious , because chicken hawks and peregrine falcons are on the hunt .
But when Pupo hosts his Sunday competitions , the men arrive ready to play and spectate .
After all , who would want to miss the pigeon version of The Bachelorette ?
Back at the pluma loca , held before the pandemic , the Custodian , named after the custodios or men who guard places at night in Cuba , shows off the moves that earned him his moniker .
While the other males fly too @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their pursuit , the Custodian keeps a comfortable distance .
He doesn ’ t fight with the other males and doesn ’ t pressure the female to follow a certain path .
He just stays in her line of sight , playing it cool .
The crowd of players and spectators convenes back at Pupo ’ s driveway .
By now , most of the male pigeons have given up , hoping for better luck with other birds flying about or going home to rest .
Some men catch up on how the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cubano , and others check phones for posts in their group ’ s Facebook page .
Cries of “ mira , mira ” ring out .
Look !
Look !
The Custodian swoops in for a landing on a nearby roof .
His painted wings - bright red and blue - make him instantly recognizable .
The female follows , perching a few feet away .
The men applaud , some patting Pupo on the back .
“ Custodian is a loyal bird , ” Pupo says , beaming with pride .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Custodian may have been the last eligible bachelor , but he still has to seal the deal .
The female has to enter his cage to count as captured .
The men creep closer to Pupo ’ s house , careful not to make too much of a ruckus , ready for the final move .
Ask the palomeros where this whole thing started , and they ’ ll point to Spanish conquistadors who brought the sport to Cuba .
Over time , Cubans made it their own , mixing the imported @ @ @ @ @ @ @ create what ’ s now known as the Cuban pigeon .
Its bulging neck sets it apart from the everyday pigeon you might see flapping around in the United States .
“ This is not a New York pigeon , ” Pupo said .
The sport took off in Cuba , in part , because it doesn ’ t take much to get started , said Leyner Diaz , a top breeder in Tampa .
Diaz , 37 , started raising palomas ladronas , also known as palomas deportivas or sporty pigeons , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Boys weren ’ t allowed on rooftops but released their birds from the streets .
The sport continues to thrive on the island , but Diaz and other local palomeros are pleased to see this part of their culture flourishing in Florida .
The palomeros de tampa Facebook group boasts more than 5,400 members .
The Palomeros de Miami group is more than 6,700 strong .
There are also groups in Naples , Sarasota and Bradenton .
In 2012 , the city of Hialeah passed regulations on pigeon breeding to minimize nuisances that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in one spot , as reported by the Miami Herald .
Miami-Dade County took a similar path .
There are no such rules in Tampa or Hillsborough County , where Pupo and others hope the sport can grow to include the more formal game play seen in South Florida .
There , judges use a rigorous point system to determine who has the best pigeon .
And Valdes , who moved to the area in 1999 , has always loved the sport .
His prized bird , El Mas Tigre , was known @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who died recently at 5 years old , held a record of 90 captures .
But the old bird is making way for promising upstarts like 1-year-old Custodian , who by Feb. 16 this year had already claimed 19 captures .
And he was set for one more .
“ Ya casi , ya casi , ” says a spectator , clutching his phone as he squints at Pupo ’ s coop .
After a few minutes of showing off around his date , the Custodian makes his intentions clear by flying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ motion-activated .
All the female has to do is step inside , onto the loose bottom panel , and her weight will cause the door to close behind her .
Pupo and the other men fidget as they wait .
The crowd on the street has grown to include neighbors on a Sunday walk , now caught up in the action .
The female lands just outside the cage , pacing back and forth , cooing at the Custodian , taking her sweet time .
Then , a few paces forward , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ men burst into cheers , congratulating Pupo on a game well played .
The Custodian and the female , meanwhile , are not to be disturbed .

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - It begins on a driveway in Tampa, where 10 cages are scattered around. One by one, male pigeons are given a minute to strut around and puff out their chests, hoping to impress the lone female.
The birds’ owners watch carefully, some live streaming the flirtation. They are all Cuban men from across the island.
Then Jose Pupo removes the female from the last cage.
“Hola mi gente, cojan sus palomas,” he says. Pick up the birds.
The men carry their birds a few blocks down from Pupo’s house, to an empty intersection. After a brief countdown, the animals take off, the males all chasing after the same female. The men below whistle and holler. They each hope to win the day’s competition by having their male lead the female back home.
These are the palomeros of Tampa, the pigeon men. Their birds - las palomas ladronas (the thieving pigeons) - steal the hearts of impressionable birds and capture the love of the men who raise them.
As the friends tease each other, claiming some males are underperforming mid-flight, Pupo keeps his eyes trained skyward, confident in his bird, nicknamed the Custodian.
Pupo had brought all the men together on this Sunday for the pluma loca, or crazy feather competition, a variation of their regular routine. But he aimed to win.
“It’s a sit and wait game,” he says, as the Custodian circles overhead.
On any given day, even during the pandemic, the skies over the Egypt Lake-Leto and Town ‘n’ Country neighborhoods are full of pigeons.
Each afternoon, players launch their birds and hope they’ll return home leading someone else’s bird into a specially designed cage, marking a capture.
The birds attract rivals with distinct feather colors, or by alerting them to food back at their place, or the classic method: straight-up seduction.
The victor can choose to keep the captured bird, sell it, give it back or trade it for supplies, Pupo said. The best palomero is the one whose birds rack up the most captures. More captures mean less out-of-pocket costs and, of course, the most coveted prize: bragging rights.
“Instead of saying my dog is better than yours, you can say my pigeon is better than yours, because my pigeon caught your pigeon,” Pupo said.
Pupo, 25, learned the sport of thieving pigeons from his grandfather Vicente Carrillo in Cuba. Last year marked his first full year competing in the United States, during which he caught 75 birds.
He started out with pigeons he bought at local pet stores, which cater to the growing palomero community. Through friends, he was able to get more birds to breed and raise as his own, at times even stepping in to help the parents with baby bird formula.
That dedication helps in training the birds to always come home, Pupo said.
Regardless, he knows there’s always a risk whenever he lets his pigeons loose. They can end up blindsided by love or dead at the claws of a predator.
Between September and March, palomeros are especially cautious, because chicken hawks and peregrine falcons are on the hunt.
But when Pupo hosts his Sunday competitions, the men arrive ready to play and spectate. After all, who would want to miss the pigeon version of The Bachelorette?
Back at the pluma loca, held before the pandemic, the Custodian, named after the custodios or men who guard places at night in Cuba, shows off the moves that earned him his moniker.
While the other males fly too close to the female, aggressive in their pursuit, the Custodian keeps a comfortable distance. He doesn’t fight with the other males and doesn’t pressure the female to follow a certain path. He just stays in her line of sight, playing it cool.
The crowd of players and spectators convenes back at Pupo’s driveway. By now, most of the male pigeons have given up, hoping for better luck with other birds flying about or going home to rest.
Some men catch up on how the weekend is going, some sip cafe Cubano, and others check phones for posts in their group’s Facebook page.
Then, suddenly, someone whistles.
Cries of “mira, mira” ring out. Look! Look!
The Custodian swoops in for a landing on a nearby roof. His painted wings - bright red and blue - make him instantly recognizable. The female follows, perching a few feet away.
The men applaud, some patting Pupo on the back.
“Custodian is a loyal bird,” Pupo says, beaming with pride.
But the game isn’t over.
The Custodian may have been the last eligible bachelor, but he still has to seal the deal. The female has to enter his cage to count as captured.
The men creep closer to Pupo’s house, careful not to make too much of a ruckus, ready for the final move.
Ask the palomeros where this whole thing started, and they’ll point to Spanish conquistadors who brought the sport to Cuba.
Over time, Cubans made it their own, mixing the imported European birds with the local flock to create what’s now known as the Cuban pigeon. Its bulging neck sets it apart from the everyday pigeon you might see flapping around in the United States.
“This is not a New York pigeon,” Pupo said.
The sport took off in Cuba, in part, because it doesn’t take much to get started, said Leyner Diaz, a top breeder in Tampa.
Diaz, 37, started raising palomas ladronas, also known as palomas deportivas or sporty pigeons, in Cuba when he was 6. Boys weren’t allowed on rooftops but released their birds from the streets.
The sport continues to thrive on the island, but Diaz and other local palomeros are pleased to see this part of their culture flourishing in Florida.
The palomeros de tampa Facebook group boasts more than 5,400 members. The Palomeros de Miami group is more than 6,700 strong. There are also groups in Naples, Sarasota and Bradenton.
In 2012, the city of Hialeah passed regulations on pigeon breeding to minimize nuisances that might come with a lot of birds in one spot, as reported by the Miami Herald. Miami-Dade County took a similar path.
There are no such rules in Tampa or Hillsborough County, where Pupo and others hope the sport can grow to include the more formal game play seen in South Florida. There, judges use a rigorous point system to determine who has the best pigeon.
Roberto Valdes, 48, enjoys the camaraderie in Tampa.
And Valdes, who moved to the area in 1999, has always loved the sport.
His prized bird, El Mas Tigre, was known as the local champion. The pigeon, who died recently at 5 years old, held a record of 90 captures.
But the old bird is making way for promising upstarts like 1-year-old Custodian, who by Feb. 16 this year had already claimed 19 captures. And he was set for one more.
“Ya casi, ya casi,” says a spectator, clutching his phone as he squints at Pupo’s coop.
Almost, almost.
After a few minutes of showing off around his date, the Custodian makes his intentions clear by flying straight into his cage.
It is motion-activated. All the female has to do is step inside, onto the loose bottom panel, and her weight will cause the door to close behind her.
Pupo and the other men fidget as they wait. The crowd on the street has grown to include neighbors on a Sunday walk, now caught up in the action.
Then, a collective gasp.
The female lands just outside the cage, pacing back and forth, cooing at the Custodian, taking her sweet time.
Then, a few paces forward, a few more. And snap!
The men burst into cheers, congratulating Pupo on a game well played. The Custodian and the female, meanwhile, are not to be disturbed.


washingtontimes--2020-06-14--Inside the Beltway: Trump's gonna win in 2020, Zogby poll finds

A veteran pollster has some clear numbers suggesting President Trump will be reelected , despite economic uneasiness , public unrest , media hostility and the coronavirus pandemic .
It may not be a blockbuster win , but it is a win nonetheless over Democratic hopeful Joseph R. Biden .
“ Overall , a slim majority ( 51 % ) of likely voters thought , regardless of their political support , that President Trump would win reelection over Democratic nominee Joe Biden ( 43 % ) , while 6 % thought someone else would win the 2020 Presidential Election , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of 1,007 likely voters conducted June 1-2 .
He is one of the few pollsters who breaks down voter preference into some very distinctive demographics .
“ The subgroups most likely to believe the president would win were his base : Born again Christians ( Trump 68 % /Biden 28 % ) , NASCAR fans ( Trump 68 % /Biden 29 % ) , union voters ( Trump 61 % /Biden 35 % ) , and voters who recently lost a job ( Trump 58 % /Biden 34 % ) .
Most other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2020 , regardless of their political ideology or support , ” Mr. Zogby noted in his analysis .
“ Other important subgroups who thought Trump would beat Biden regardless of their political leanings : Both men ( Trump 57 % /Biden 39 % ) and women ( Trump 47 % /Biden 46 % ) said Trump would win , as did voters living in the East ( Trump 49 % /Biden 45 % ) , South ( Trump 53 % /Biden 42 % ) and Central/Great Lakes region ( Trump 56 % /Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( Biden 49 % /Trump 42 % ) felt Biden had the best chance to win in 2020 , ” the analysis said .
There are worrisome spots for Mr. Trump and his strategists , though .
“ Independent voters ( Biden 45 % /Trump 42 % ) were slightly more upbeat that Joe Biden would win , no matter their political support , as were moderates ( Biden 51 % /42 % Trump ) , ” said Mr. Zogby .
Allen West , a former Republican U.S. House member and longtime broadcast @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to destroy or deface historic structures around the nation .
“ The right thing is for everyone to understand — as George Santayana once said — is that those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it .
History is not there for you to like or dislike .
It is there for you to learn from , ” Mr. West tells Fox News .
George P. Bush — Texas land commissioner and son of former presidential hopeful Jeb Bush — has drawn a line in the sand for any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Don ’ t mess with The Alamo , ” Mr. Bush said in a fierce tweet after rumors circulated that protesters were targeting the iconic Alamo in San Antonio — which comes under the care of his office .
“ The Alamo is the shrine of Texas liberty .
And it will be defended .
My office is closely watching the social media posts and rumors from protesters who are threatening to come to the Alamo , ” Mr. Bush said .
“ Rest assured we have already deployed the Alamo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Department , the Department of Public Safety and The National Guard to protect this sacred site , ” Mr. Bush continued .
“ My message to the protesters is simple : Don ’ t mess with The Alamo.
” The current structure in San Antonio — which has three-foot thick limestone walls — was built in 1758 , but originally founded as the Chapel of the Mission San Antonio de Valero in 1718 .
New security fencing was recently installed at the site .
A nearby war memorial has already been tagged with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ counts George W. Bush as his uncle and George H.W .
Bush as his grandfather — recently endorsed President Trump ’ s reelection campaign , declaring that the president “ is the only thing standing between America and socialism.
” It ’ s National Flag Week , and President Trump offers a thought or two .
“ The American flag represents the unity of our country and its people , no matter what may divide us , Old Glory should be revered and cherished , as a symbol of all that makes America @ @ @ @ @ @ @ As we honor our beautiful flag on this day and throughout this week , let us vow never to forget the tremendous sacrifices made by patriots from generation to generation to ensure that the red , white , and blue continues to fly high and free .
Today , and every day , I am proud to join my fellow Americans in standing tall and saluting our great American flag , ” Mr. Trump advises in his official proclamation .
The Trump administration recently finalized a new rule to clarify that the federal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Care Act — Obamacare — does not include abortion .
“ President Trump is the most pro-life president our nation has ever seen , and he has delivered another important victory for conscience in America .
Abortion is not health care and should never be mandated by the government , ” says Marjorie Dannenfelser , president of Susan B. Anthony List , a national pro-life organization .
“ The Obama/Biden administration sought to expand abortion at every turn , even trying to reinterpret federal law to define abortion as a civil right .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Joe Biden ’ s views on abortion have become even more extreme , as he now supports forcing taxpayers to pay for abortion on demand — even brutal late-term abortions .
We thank President Trump and Health and Human Services secretary Alex Azar for standing firmly on the side of the majority of Americans who reject taxpayer funding of abortion — and for the action taken today to roll back the Obama/Biden-era assault on conscience , ” says Mrs. Dannenfelser .
• 75 % of U.S. adults say Abraham Lincoln was a great @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republicans , 72 % of independents and 74 % of Democrats agree • 14 % overall say he was an “ average ” president ; 11 % of Republicans , 16 % of independents and 13 % of Democrats agree • 3 % overall say he was below average ; 1 % of Republicans , 3 % of independents and 1 % of Democrats agree .
• 2 % overall say he was a failure ; 2 % of Republicans , 1 % of independents and 3 % of Democrats agree .
• @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what kind of president he was ; 3 % of Republicans , 7 % of independents and 8 % of Democrats agree

NEWS AND OPINION:
A veteran pollster has some clear numbers suggesting President Trump will be reelected, despite economic uneasiness, public unrest, media hostility and the coronavirus pandemic. It may not be a blockbuster win, but it is a win nonetheless over Democratic hopeful Joseph R. Biden.
“Overall, a slim majority (51%) of likely voters thought, regardless of their political support, that President Trump would win reelection over Democratic nominee Joe Biden (43%), while 6% thought someone else would win the 2020 Presidential Election,” reports John Zogby in a new poll of 1,007 likely voters conducted June 1-2.
He is one of the few pollsters who breaks down voter preference into some very distinctive demographics.
“The subgroups most likely to believe the president would win were his base: Born again Christians (Trump 68%/Biden 28%), NASCAR fans (Trump 68%/Biden 29%), union voters (Trump 61%/Biden 35%), and voters who recently lost a job (Trump 58%/Biden 34%). Most other demographics agreed Trump would beat Biden in 2020, regardless of their political ideology or support,” Mr. Zogby noted in his analysis.
“Other important subgroups who thought Trump would beat Biden regardless of their political leanings: Both men (Trump 57%/Biden 39%) and women (Trump 47%/Biden 46%) said Trump would win, as did voters living in the East (Trump 49%/Biden 45%), South (Trump 53%/Biden 42%) and Central/Great Lakes region(Trump 56%/Biden 38%). The West region (Biden 49%/Trump 42%) felt Biden had the best chance to win in 2020,” the analysis said.
There are worrisome spots for Mr. Trump and his strategists, though.
“Independent voters (Biden 45%/Trump 42%) were slightly more upbeat that Joe Biden would win, no matter their political support, as were moderates (Biden 51%/42% Trump),” said Mr. Zogby.
A MOMENT OF CLARITY
Allen West, a former Republican U.S. House member and longtime broadcast commentator, has advice for those seeking to destroy or deface historic structures around the nation.
“The right thing is for everyone to understand — as George Santayana once said — is that those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. History is not there for you to like or dislike. It is there for you to learn from,” Mr. West tells Fox News.
REMEMBER THE ALAMO, AGAIN
George P. Bush — Texas land commissioner and son of former presidential hopeful Jeb Bush — has drawn a line in the sand for any protesters who aspire to damage the Alamo.
“Don’t mess with The Alamo,” Mr. Bush said in a fierce tweet after rumors circulated that protesters were targeting the iconic Alamo in San Antonio — which comes under the care of his office.
“The Alamo is the shrine of Texas liberty. And it will be defended. My office is closely watching the social media posts and rumors from protesters who are threatening to come to the Alamo,” Mr. Bush said.
“Rest assured we have already deployed the Alamo Rangers in partnership with San Antonio Police Department, the Department of Public Safety and The National Guard to protect this sacred site,” Mr. Bush continued. “My message to the protesters is simple: Don’t mess with The Alamo.”
The current structure in San Antonio — which has three-foot thick limestone walls — was built in 1758, but originally founded as the Chapel of the Mission San Antonio de Valero in 1718. New security fencing was recently installed at the site. A nearby war memorial has already been tagged with red paint.
Mr. Bush — who counts George W. Bush as his uncle and George H.W. Bush as his grandfather — recently endorsed President Trump‘s reelection campaign, declaring that the president “is the only thing standing between America and socialism.”
TRUMP’S SIMPLE REMINDER
It’s National Flag Week, and President Trump offers a thought or two.
“The American flag represents the unity of our country and its people, no matter what may divide us, Old Glory should be revered and cherished, as a symbol of all that makes America the greatest country in the world. As we honor our beautiful flag on this day and throughout this week, let us vow never to forget the tremendous sacrifices made by patriots from generation to generation to ensure that the red, white, and blue continues to fly high and free. Today, and every day, I am proud to join my fellow Americans in standing tall and saluting our great American flag,” Mr. Trump advises in his official proclamation.
NOT OVERLOOKED
The Trump administration recently finalized a new rule to clarify that the federal definition of sex discrimination under the Affordable Care Act — Obamacare — does not include abortion.
“President Trump is the most pro-life president our nation has ever seen, and he has delivered another important victory for conscience in America. Abortion is not health care and should never be mandated by the government,” says Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony List, a national pro-life organization.
“The Obama/Biden administration sought to expand abortion at every turn, even trying to reinterpret federal law to define abortion as a civil right. Since serving in the Obama administration, Joe Biden‘s views on abortion have become even more extreme, as he now supports forcing taxpayers to pay for abortion on demand — even brutal late-term abortions. We thank President Trump and Health and Human Services secretary Alex Azar for standing firmly on the side of the majority of Americans who reject taxpayer funding of abortion — and for the action taken today to roll back the Obama/Biden-era assault on conscience,” says Mrs. Dannenfelser.
POLL DU JOUR
• 75% of U.S. adults say Abraham Lincoln was a great or near-great president; 83% of Republicans, 72% of independents and 74% of Democrats agree
• 14% overall say he was an “average” president; 11% of Republicans, 16% of independents and 13% of Democrats agree
• 3% overall say he was below average; 1% of Republicans, 3% of independents and 1% of Democrats agree.
• 2% overall say he was a failure; 2% of Republicans, 1% of independents and 3% of Democrats agree.
• 7% overall don’t know what kind of president he was; 3% of Republicans, 7% of independents and 8% of Democrats agree
Source: A Yahoo News poll of 1,564 U.S. adults conducted June 9-10.
• Kindly follow Jennifer Harper on Twitter @HarperBulletin.
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.


washingtontimes--2020-06-14--Derek Chauvin eligible for pension after George Floyd death

MINNEAPOLIS — Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin is eligible to receive pension benefits during his retirement years even if he ’ s convicted of killing George Floyd , according to the Minnesota agency that represents retired public workers .
Chauvin is charged with second-degree murder , third-degree murder and manslaughter in the May 25 death of George .
Video of the arrest shows Chauvin , who is white , using his knee to pin down the neck of George , who was black and handcuffed , for several minutes as Floyd pleaded for air and eventually stopped moving .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ around the world .
The Minnesota Public Employees Retirement Association said in a statement that former employees who meet length-of-service requirements qualify for benefits regardless of whether they quit or are fired .
Those payments are not affected by criminal charges or convictions , the agency said , citing state law .
A review of police payroll , salary and contract information obtained by CNN estimates that Chauvin ’ s annual payments would be around $ 50,000 or more if he elected to begin receiving distributions at age 55 .
Chauvin was a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 19 years .
Chauvin ’ s attorney , Eric Nelson , did not immediately return an email request seeking comment .

MINNEAPOLIS — Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin is eligible to receive pension benefits during his retirement years even if he’s convicted of killing George Floyd, according to the Minnesota agency that represents retired public workers.
Chauvin is charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter in the May 25 death of George. Video of the arrest shows Chauvin, who is white, using his knee to pin down the neck of George, who was black and handcuffed, for several minutes as Floyd pleaded for air and eventually stopped moving. George’s death has sparked protests around the world.
The Minnesota Public Employees Retirement Association said in a statement that former employees who meet length-of-service requirements qualify for benefits regardless of whether they quit or are fired. Those payments are not affected by criminal charges or convictions, the agency said, citing state law.
A review of police payroll, salary and contract information obtained by CNN estimates that Chauvin’s annual payments would be around $50,000 or more if he elected to begin receiving distributions at age 55. Chauvin was a member of the Minneapolis police force for 19 years.
Chauvin’s attorney, Eric Nelson, did not immediately return an email request seeking comment.


washingtontimes--2020-06-14--California has recorded more than 5,000 COVID-19 deaths

SAN FRANCISCO ( AP ) - California has recorded more than 5,000 COVID-19 deaths as cases continue to climb in @ @ @ @ @ .
On Sunday , the state Department of Public Health reported 148,855 confirmed cases of @ @ @ @ @ since the beginning of the pandemic .
Last week , nine counties reported a spike @ @ @ @ @ , some from Memorial Day holiday gatherings and others from prisons and nursing homes .
@ @ @ @ @ after Gov .
Gavin Newsom issued a statewide stay-at-home order on March 19 .
Retail @ @ @ @ @ churches and hair salons were allowed to reopen with restrictions .
On Friday , hotels @ @ @ @ @ movie theaters were among the businesses cleared to reopen .

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - California has recorded more than 5,000 COVID-19 deaths as cases continue to climb in several parts of the state.
On Sunday, the state Department of Public Health reported 148,855 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and 5,063 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic.
Last week, nine counties reported a spike in new cases or hospitalizations, some from Memorial Day holiday gatherings and others from prisons and nursing homes.
The state is gradually reopening after Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a statewide stay-at-home order on March 19. Retail stores and restaurants, then churches and hair salons were allowed to reopen with restrictions.
On Friday, hotels, zoos, museums and movie theaters were among the businesses cleared to reopen.


washingtontimes--2020-06-14--Nancy Pelosi targets Robert E. Lee statue, monuments to 'violent bigotry'

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ’ s call to oust from the Capitol collection Robert E. Lee and 10 other statues she says are tainted by the Confederacy is the latest in a long line of attempts to blackball the South ’ s most storied general .
Lee has survived every attempt , but it looks like he may finally have met his match .
Virginia , which put Lee in the Capitol ’ s Statuary Hall collection as one of the two works allotted to each state , is now speeding to get him out through legislation establishing a commission @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have little doubt that the statue of Robert E. Lee will be removed from the U.S. Capitol in 2021 , ” said Delegate Mark Levine , a Democrat from Alexandria who helped lead the push this year in Richmond to withdraw Lee .
It will take that long for the commission to meet , agree on an alternative and have the General Assembly approve the decision , he said .
Mrs. Pelosi , California Democrat , would like the statue to be removed sooner .
Last week , she directed the chair of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Architect of the Capitol remove statues of Lee and 10 others who she said were men of “ violent bigotry ” because of their roles in the Confederacy .
“ The statues in the Capitol should embody our highest ideals as Americans , expressing who we are and who we aspire to be as a nation , ” she wrote .
“ Monuments to men who advocated cruelty and barbarism to achieve such a plainly racist end are a grotesque affront to these ideals.
” The statue of Lee has been controversial from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be one of the state ’ s two entries in the Capitol collection .
The hallowed halls have two spaces for each state and the District of Columbia .
Founding Father George Washington was a given , and he sits in a place of honor in the Rotunda .
Lee topped a surfeit of towering Virginians — Thomas Jefferson , James Madison , James Monroe , John Marshall , George Mason , Patrick Henry — as Richmond ’ s choice , sparking a heated debate in newspapers of the day .
Veterans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the North ’ s troops , adopted resolutions demanding that Congress refuse to accept Virginia ’ s choice .
Their complaints were enhanced by the portrayal of Lee in his general ’ s uniform to lead what had been an enemy army .
Others , including some Union veterans , called it “ unseemly ” to question Virginia ’ s decision .
They saw the statue as a symbol of reconciliation and wondered why Congress could refuse it .
Perhaps curiously , from today ’ s standpoint , there was no talk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the propriety of a onetime enemy earning a place in the symbolic home of heroes of the united nation .
Rep. John F. Lacey , born a Virginian but a congressman from Iowa at the time of the debate , wrote a letter predicting that the country would always wonder why Virginia chose Lee over other luminaries .
“ If Virginia suffered from any poverty of great names and found difficulty filling the place it might be different , ” he said .
The Lee and Washington statues were quietly placed in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t until 1934 that Congress officially accepted the statues into the collection .
Since then , Lee has shown substantial staying power .
While plaques to his honor have been torn down from churches where he worshipped , and statues from Baltimore to New Orleans have been brought down , the version in the Capitol survives despite talk every few years of removing it .
During her first stint as House speaker a decade ago , Mrs. Pelosi moved the statue from the more prominent location in Statuary Hall — the original @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Capitol Crypt .
In 2015 , after a white supremacist attacked a historic black church in Charleston , South Carolina , calls to get rid of the Lee statue were revived .
In 2017 , after violent clashes in Charlottesville , Virginia , over another Lee monument , black lawmakers in Congress announced an effort to oust the Lee statue and other Confederate monuments .
Neither push amounted to more than words .
Mrs. Pelosi backed the 2017 effort , but Democrats were in the minority at the time .
Now as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the oversight board to take steps to remove statues of Lee and 10 others .
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell , Kentucky Republican , said that decision rests with the states that placed the statues .
Sen. Roy Blunt , Missouri Republican and chairman of the board that oversees the Architect of the Capitol , said it would take a change in law to give Congress the power to oust statues .
That appears to push the decision back to Virginia .
Mr. Levine first proposed ousting Lee from the Capitol in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at that time controlled by Republicans , ignored the legislation .
But Democrats won resounding victories in the state ’ s 2019 elections and claimed control of the state ’ s House and Senate .
When they convened this year , Lee was a chief target .
Mr. Levine reintroduced his legislation but later yielded the point position to Delegate Jeion Ward , a Newport News Democrat and a black woman .
Gov .
Ralph Northam , a Democrat , signed her bill into law in April .
The commission must hold at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the General Assembly .
Its charge is to decide whose statue should stand alongside Washington ’ s — meaning it could leave Lee ’ s statue in place .
Mr. Levine said that won ’ t happen because Mr. Northam and Democrats control the commission ’ s members .
“ The majority of Virginians want him down .
I won ’ t say consensus , because some don ’ t , but it ’ s one of the things we ran on as Democrats , is to take down these really ahistorical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Times .
There is one way Lee ’ s statue might remain .
In the 1990s , the Virginia General Assembly retired its state song because a verse was deemed offensive to black residents .
A commission was established to come up with a replacement song , but commissioners gave up after a series of disastrous proceedings .
The state still doesn ’ t have a replacement song .
It ’ s not clear whether the statue commission would choose to replace Lee , and agreeing on a single person from Virginia ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be tricky because there is no dearth of historically significant Virginians .
Four of the nation ’ s first five presidents were from the commonwealth , including Jefferson , the author of the Declaration of Independence ; Madison , dubbed the father of the Constitution ; and Monroe , whose presidency was known as the “ Era of Good Feelings.
” Marshall was perhaps the most influential chief justice ever , and Mason ’ s Virginia Declaration of Rights influenced Jefferson ’ s writing of the Declaration of Independence and served as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rights .
Virginia may also want to move beyond the founding era to someone such as former Gov .
L. Douglas Wilder , who broke the color barrier to become the first black person elected to a governorship in the U.S. Mr. Levine said he thinks the commission will settle on someone , and “ frankly I think it would be nice to see a woman or a person of color .
That Statuary Hall is full of a lot of old white men.
” “ Frankly , I can think of thousands @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that place than Robert E. Lee , ” he said .
“ Do I think the statue is coming down by the end of 2021 ?
Yes , I do .
Do I know who will replace him ?
No.
” Lee ’ s statue isn ’ t the only part of Capitol Hill history to resist change .
Some Democrats have long wanted to remove the name of Richard B. Russell , a committed segregationist Democrat , from the oldest Senate office building .
Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer , New @ @ @ @ @ @ @ introduce legislation to rename the building after the late Sen. John McCain , first in the immediate aftermath of McCain ’ s 2018 death and then last year as a tweak to Mr. Trump , who was complaining about the late senator .
So far , there is no record of Mr. Schumer introducing any such legislation .

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s call to oust from the Capitol collection Robert E. Lee and 10 other statues she says are tainted by the Confederacy is the latest in a long line of attempts to blackball the South’s most storied general.
Lee has survived every attempt, but it looks like he may finally have met his match.
Virginia, which put Lee in the Capitol’s Statuary Hall collection as one of the two works allotted to each state, is now speeding to get him out through legislation establishing a commission to find a replacement.
“I have little doubt that the statue of Robert E. Lee will be removed from the U.S. Capitol in 2021,” said Delegate Mark Levine, a Democrat from Alexandria who helped lead the push this year in Richmond to withdraw Lee.
It will take that long for the commission to meet, agree on an alternative and have the General Assembly approve the decision, he said.
Mrs. Pelosi, California Democrat, would like the statue to be removed sooner.
Last week, she directed the chair of the House Administration Committee to have the Architect of the Capitol remove statues of Lee and 10 others who she said were men of “violent bigotry” because of their roles in the Confederacy.
“The statues in the Capitol should embody our highest ideals as Americans, expressing who we are and who we aspire to be as a nation,” she wrote. “Monuments to men who advocated cruelty and barbarism to achieve such a plainly racist end are a grotesque affront to these ideals.”
The statue of Lee has been controversial from the moment Virginia commissioned it in 1903 to be one of the state’s two entries in the Capitol collection. The hallowed halls have two spaces for each state and the District of Columbia.
Founding Father George Washington was a given, and he sits in a place of honor in the Rotunda. Lee topped a surfeit of towering Virginians — Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, John Marshall, George Mason, Patrick Henry — as Richmond’s choice, sparking a heated debate in newspapers of the day.
Veterans of the Grand Army of the Republic, the North’s troops, adopted resolutions demanding that Congress refuse to accept Virginia’s choice. Their complaints were enhanced by the portrayal of Lee in his general’s uniform to lead what had been an enemy army.
Others, including some Union veterans, called it “unseemly” to question Virginia’s decision. They saw the statue as a symbol of reconciliation and wondered why Congress could refuse it.
Perhaps curiously, from today’s standpoint, there was no talk of race. The debate was over the propriety of a onetime enemy earning a place in the symbolic home of heroes of the united nation.
Rep. John F. Lacey, born a Virginian but a congressman from Iowa at the time of the debate, wrote a letter predicting that the country would always wonder why Virginia chose Lee over other luminaries.
“If Virginia suffered from any poverty of great names and found difficulty filling the place it might be different,” he said.
The Lee and Washington statues were quietly placed in the Capitol in 1909, though it wasn’t until 1934 that Congress officially accepted the statues into the collection.
Since then, Lee has shown substantial staying power.
While plaques to his honor have been torn down from churches where he worshipped, and statues from Baltimore to New Orleans have been brought down, the version in the Capitol survives despite talk every few years of removing it.
During her first stint as House speaker a decade ago, Mrs. Pelosi moved the statue from the more prominent location in Statuary Hall — the original House chamber — down a floor to the Capitol Crypt.
In 2015, after a white supremacist attacked a historic black church in Charleston, South Carolina, calls to get rid of the Lee statue were revived.
In 2017, after violent clashes in Charlottesville, Virginia, over another Lee monument, black lawmakers in Congress announced an effort to oust the Lee statue and other Confederate monuments. Neither push amounted to more than words.
Mrs. Pelosi backed the 2017 effort, but Democrats were in the minority at the time.
Now as speaker, she directed her representative on the oversight board to take steps to remove statues of Lee and 10 others.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Republican, said that decision rests with the states that placed the statues. Sen. Roy Blunt, Missouri Republican and chairman of the board that oversees the Architect of the Capitol, said it would take a change in law to give Congress the power to oust statues.
That appears to push the decision back to Virginia.
Mr. Levine first proposed ousting Lee from the Capitol in a bill in 2018. The assembly, at that time controlled by Republicans, ignored the legislation.
But Democrats won resounding victories in the state’s 2019 elections and claimed control of the state’s House and Senate. When they convened this year, Lee was a chief target.
Mr. Levine reintroduced his legislation but later yielded the point position to Delegate Jeion Ward, a Newport News Democrat and a black woman. Gov. Ralph Northam, a Democrat, signed her bill into law in April.
The commission must hold at least one public meeting and report back to the General Assembly. Its charge is to decide whose statue should stand alongside Washington’s — meaning it could leave Lee’s statue in place. Mr. Levine said that won’t happen because Mr. Northam and Democrats control the commission’s members.
“The majority of Virginians want him down. I won’t say consensus, because some don’t, but it’s one of the things we ran on as Democrats, is to take down these really ahistorical statues,” he told The Washington Times.
There is one way Lee’s statue might remain.
In the 1990s, the Virginia General Assembly retired its state song because a verse was deemed offensive to black residents. A commission was established to come up with a replacement song, but commissioners gave up after a series of disastrous proceedings. The state still doesn’t have a replacement song.
It’s not clear whether the statue commission would choose to replace Lee, and agreeing on a single person from Virginia’s history to stand alongside Washington could be tricky because there is no dearth of historically significant Virginians.
Four of the nation’s first five presidents were from the commonwealth, including Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence; Madison, dubbed the father of the Constitution; and Monroe, whose presidency was known as the “Era of Good Feelings.”
Marshall was perhaps the most influential chief justice ever, and Mason’s Virginia Declaration of Rights influenced Jefferson’s writing of the Declaration of Independence and served as a model for state and federal bills of rights.
Virginia may also want to move beyond the founding era to someone such as former Gov. L. Douglas Wilder, who broke the color barrier to become the first black person elected to a governorship in the U.S.
Mr. Levine said he thinks the commission will settle on someone, and “frankly I think it would be nice to see a woman or a person of color. That Statuary Hall is full of a lot of old white men.”
“Frankly, I can think of thousands of Virginians that would be better in that place than Robert E. Lee,” he said. “Do I think the statue is coming down by the end of 2021? Yes, I do. Do I know who will replace him? No.”
Lee’s statue isn’t the only part of Capitol Hill history to resist change.
Some Democrats have long wanted to remove the name of Richard B. Russell, a committed segregationist Democrat, from the oldest Senate office building.
Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, New York Democrat, has twice promised to introduce legislation to rename the building after the late Sen. John McCain, first in the immediate aftermath of McCain’s 2018 death and then last year as a tweak to Mr. Trump, who was complaining about the late senator.
So far, there is no record of Mr. Schumer introducing any such legislation.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.


washingtontimes--2020-06-14--Pilgrim's Pride CEO takes leave to focus on legal defense

Pilgrim ’ s Pride Corp. said Sunday that Jayson Penn , its president and CEO , is taking a leave @ @ @ @ @ his defense in a price fixing indictment .
Penn is one of four current and @ @ @ @ @ who were indicted earlier this month on charges of price fixing .
A federal grand @ @ @ @ @ executives from Greeley , Colorado-based Pilgrim ’ s Pride and Claxton , Georgia-based Claxton Poultry @ @ @ @ @ and rig bids for broiler chickens from at least 2012 to 2017 .
Penn has @ @ @ @ @ company said Sunday that his leave will begin immediately and that Fabio Sandri , Pilgrim @ @ @ @ @ been appointed as interim president and CEO .
The charges come amid questions about the @ @ @ @ @ the coronavirus pandemic .

Pilgrim’s Pride Corp. said Sunday that Jayson Penn, its president and CEO, is taking a leave of absence to focus on his defense in a price fixing indictment.
Penn is one of four current and former executives at chicken companies who were indicted earlier this month on charges of price fixing.
A federal grand jury in Colorado found that executives from Greeley, Colorado-based Pilgrim’s Pride and Claxton, Georgia-based Claxton Poultry Farms conspired to fix prices and rig bids for broiler chickens from at least 2012 to 2017.
Penn has pleaded not guilty. The company said Sunday that his leave will begin immediately and that Fabio Sandri, Pilgrim’s CFO, has been appointed as interim president and CEO.
The charges come amid questions about the high price of meat during the coronavirus pandemic.


washingtontimes--2020-06-14--Joe Biden gaffes are  Achilles heel, Trump campaign says

President Trump is convinced that Joseph R. Biden has an Achilles heel and it ’ s none other than Joe Biden himself .
The nation ’ s 45th president and his re-election team believe that sunlight is the best disinfectant when it comes to denting Mr. Biden ’ s image among voters on the fence .
The bet is simple : The more attention Mr. Biden gets from the news media , the better the chances the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee will shoot himself in the foot with goofs , gaffes and brainfarts that could give voters pause .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Biden has somewhat benefited by being able to hole up in his basement and very much control how and when he interacts with the media , ” said Mark P. Jones , a political science professor at Rice University .
“ Right now he is just about as old as Ronald Reagan was when [ Reagan ] left office after his second term and I think everyone knows [ Biden ‘ s ] mental acuity is not what it used to be .
“ The other is the belief is that mentally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that another impact of greater media attention would be to reveal memory lapses , the mincing up of words , and any sign that could suggest that he may not be fit to serve as president.
” Last week the Trump campaign called on the television news networks to carry Mr. Biden ’ s campaign events in their entirety after the 77-year-old stumbled through parts of a roundtable event in Philadelphia .
“ The failure to expose the American people to these rambling displays of incoherence , ineptitude , and forgetfulness is depriving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s inability to execute the duties of the office he seeks , ” said Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale .
“ Stop protecting Biden .
Air the events.
” Mr. Biden has started revving his campaign back up after the coronavirus forced him off the campaign trail for most of the last three months .
Over that time , his campaign relied on virtual events and fundraisers from his basement that allowed the candidate to dictate when he engaged with the news media .
It also helped keep the focus squarely on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 and the racial unrest triggered by the death of George Floyd .
Since March , Mr. Biden has extended his lead over the president — who turned 75 himself on Sunday — in national polls and in most battleground states .
Consequently , some Democrats say if it ain ’ t broke , don ’ t fix it .
“ People say all the time , ‘ Oh , we got to get the vice president out of the basement , ’ ” former Virginia Gov .
Terry McAuliffe told Democrats in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ week , according to Fox News .
“ He ’ s fine in the basement .
Two people see him a day : his two body people .
That ’ s it .
Let Trump keep doing what Trump ’ s doing.
” The concerns over Mr. Biden ’ s mental agility have lurked just beneath the surface since he entered the Democratic primary race a year ago .
David McCuan , professor of political science at Sonoma State University , said Democrats have “ long known that if you let Joe out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he ’ ll disappoint many and sabotage his own best work .
“ If Trump is sometimes his own worst enemy , then Biden is that political twin — going too far and losing a bit of zip off the campaign fastball , ” Mr. McCuan said .
“ As the retail politicking of the presidential campaign returns , Trump and his team know that Biden often has two left feet out on the trail.
” The former vice president can appear frail and tired on the stump , and he was clearly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year , even though his rivals for the nomination mostly tip-toed around his age .
The big exception came when former Housing Secretary Julian Castro took a jab .
“ Are you forgetting what you said two minutes ago ?
” Mr. Castro asked Mr. Biden in a remark that seemed to many to call into question the 77-year-old ’ s mental acuity .
“ Are you forgetting already what you said just two minutes ago ?
” Democrats say Mr. Biden could address that lingering skepticism with strong debate showings this fall @ @ @ @ @ @ @ m gon na need three solid hours from Joe Biden in the fall during these debates , ” Democratic strategist Bakari Sellers said last week on “ The Bill Simmons ” podcast .
“ So , I don ’ t know what he ’ s going to need — get that man some of that ginkgo biloba , or whatever they take , give him some ginseng .
I am going to need three hours , one hour in each debate , from him to go out and be as sharp as possible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it is going to be really , realloy , difficult to defeat Donald Trump , and everything has to go right .
”

President Trump is convinced that Joseph R. Biden has an Achilles heel and it’s none other than Joe Biden himself.
The nation’s 45th president and his reelection team believe that sunlight is the best disinfectant when it comes to denting Mr. Biden’s image among voters on the fence.
The bet is simple: The more attention Mr. Biden gets from the news media, the better the chances the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee will shoot himself in the foot with goofs, gaffes and brainfarts that could give voters pause.
“It is a recognition of the fact that Biden has somewhat benefited by being able to hole up in his basement and very much control how and when he interacts with the media,” said Mark P. Jones, a political science professor at Rice University. “Right now he is just about as old as Ronald Reagan was when [Reagan] left office after his second term and I think everyone knows [Biden’s] mental acuity is not what it used to be.
“The other is the belief is that mentally he is not 100% there and that another impact of greater media attention would be to reveal memory lapses, the mincing up of words, and any sign that could suggest that he may not be fit to serve as president.”
Last week the Trump campaign called on the television news networks to carry Mr. Biden’s campaign events in their entirety after the 77-year-old stumbled through parts of a roundtable event in Philadelphia.
“The failure to expose the American people to these rambling displays of incoherence, ineptitude, and forgetfulness is depriving voters of a clear picture of Biden’s inability to execute the duties of the office he seeks,” said Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale. “Stop protecting Biden. Air the events.”
Mr. Biden has started revving his campaign back up after the coronavirus forced him off the campaign trail for most of the last three months.
Over that time, his campaign relied on virtual events and fundraisers from his basement that allowed the candidate to dictate when he engaged with the news media.
It also helped keep the focus squarely on Mr. Trump as the nation reeled from COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, and the racial unrest triggered by the death of George Floyd.
Since March, Mr. Biden has extended his lead over the president — who turned 75 himself on Sunday — in national polls and in most battleground states.
Consequently, some Democrats say if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
“People say all the time, ‘Oh, we got to get the vice president out of the basement,’” former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe told Democrats in a “monthly breakfast” event last week, according to Fox News. “He’s fine in the basement. Two people see him a day: his two body people. That’s it. Let Trump keep doing what Trump’s doing.”
The concerns over Mr. Biden’s mental agility have lurked just beneath the surface since he entered the Democratic primary race a year ago.
David McCuan, professor of political science at Sonoma State University, said Democrats have “long known that if you let Joe out long enough to do retail politics, he’ll disappoint many and sabotage his own best work.
“If Trump is sometimes his own worst enemy, then Biden is that political twin — going too far and losing a bit of zip off the campaign fastball,” Mr. McCuan said. “As the retail politicking of the presidential campaign returns, Trump and his team know that Biden often has two left feet out on the trail.”
The former vice president can appear frail and tired on the stump, and he was clearly outmatched on Democratic debate stages earlier this year, even though his rivals for the nomination mostly tip-toed around his age.
The big exception came when former Housing Secretary Julian Castro took a jab.
“Are you forgetting what you said two minutes ago?” Mr. Castro asked Mr. Biden in a remark that seemed to many to call into question the 77-year-old’s mental acuity. “Are you forgetting already what you said just two minutes ago?”
Democrats say Mr. Biden could address that lingering skepticism with strong debate showings this fall against Mr. Trump.
“I’m gonna need three solid hours from Joe Biden in the fall during these debates,” Democratic strategist Bakari Sellers said last week on “The Bill Simmons” podcast. “So, I don’t know what he’s going to need — get that man some of that ginkgo biloba, or whatever they take, give him some ginseng. I am going to need three hours, one hour in each debate, from him to go out and be as sharp as possible because at the end of the day it is going to be really, really, difficult to defeat Donald Trump, and everything has to go right.”
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.


washingtontimes--2020-06-14--Hundreds ride motorcycles in memory of George Floyd

GARNER , N.C. ( AP ) - More than 300 motorcyclists in North Carolina rode 60 miles Sunday to call @ @ @ @ @ killing of George Floyd .
WRAL-TV reports that the motorcyclists gathered in Garner and rode @ @ @ @ @ protest to show their support for criminal justice reform .
Sedrick Hayes , who organized @ @ @ @ @ ended up much bigger than he expected .
“ I thank God for allowing us @ @ @ @ @ help make change , ” he said .
Leonard Haynes , however , said even @ @ @ @ @ enough .
“ Until we get everybody speaking the same language and looking at us @ @ @ @ @ and seeing the same result , it ’ s not enough , ” he said @ @ @ @ @ the gathering was to encourage people to register to vote .
“ Let ’ s @ @ @ @ @ really making these decisions , ” said Haynes .

GARNER, N.C. (AP) - More than 300 motorcyclists in North Carolina rode 60 miles Sunday to call for change following the police killing of George Floyd.
WRAL-TV reports that the motorcyclists gathered in Garner and rode to Fayetteville in a peaceful protest to show their support for criminal justice reform.
Sedrick Hayes, who organized the event, said it ended up much bigger than he expected.
“I thank God for allowing us to use our stage to help make change,” he said.
Leonard Haynes, however, said even 300 riders weren’t enough.
“Until we get everybody speaking the same language and looking at us as the same eye, and seeing the same result, it’s not enough,” he said.
One primary goal for the gathering was to encourage people to register to vote.
“Let’s start looking at who is really making these decisions,” said Haynes.


washingtontimes--2020-06-14--New Mexico reports 104 new virus cases, 4 new deaths

New Mexico officials on Sunday reported 104 new coronavirus cases and 4 additional deaths .
State officials said testing has now confirmed 9,723 cases .
A total of 435 New Mexico residents have died of the virus .
Five counties - Bernalillo , Dona Ana , Sandoval , McKinley , and San Juan - each had more than 10 new cases .
New cases were also reported at a pair of correctional facilities .
Five were found among federal detainees held at the Torrance County Detention Facility , and 14 state prison inmates being held at the Orero County Detension @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The new deaths included two Bernalillo County residents : A woman in her 60s with underlying health conditions and a man in his 90s who died in a hospital but had lived in an Albuquerque nursing home .
The other two people who died were both McKinley County residents and both had pre-existing health conditions , They were a woman in her 60s who died at a hospital and a man in his 80s living at a Gallup nursing home .
As of Sunday , the state ’ s hospitals were caring for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people , the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms , such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks .
For some , especially older adults and people with existing health problems , it can cause more severe illness , including pneumonia and death .

New Mexico officials on Sunday reported 104 new coronavirus cases and 4 additional deaths.
State officials said testing has now confirmed 9,723 cases. A total of 435 New Mexico residents have died of the virus.
Five counties - Bernalillo, Dona Ana, Sandoval, McKinley, and San Juan - each had more than 10 new cases.
New cases were also reported at a pair of correctional facilities. Five were found among federal detainees held at the Torrance County Detention Facility, and 14 state prison inmates being held at the Orero County Detension Facility were found to be infected.
The new deaths included two Bernalillo County residents: A woman in her 60s with underlying health conditions and a man in his 90s who died in a hospital but had lived in an Albuquerque nursing home. The other two people who died were both McKinley County residents and both had pre-existing health conditions, They were a woman in her 60s who died at a hospital and a man in his 80s living at a Gallup nursing home.
As of Sunday, the state’s hospitals were caring for 162 people with COVID-19.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.


washingtontimes--2020-06-14--Woman apologizes after backlash from confronting homeowner

SAN FRANCISCO ( AP ) - The CEO of a cosmetics company issued an apology Sunday after a video was widely shared online showing her and her husband confronting a man and threatening to call police because he stenciled “ Black Lives Matter ” in chalk on his San Francisco property .
The video , which has been retweeted 155,000 times , has sparked accusations of racism and led a cosmetics distributor to cut ties with Lisa Alexander , founder and CEO of LaFace Skincare .
“ There are not enough words to describe how truly sorry I am for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I made the decision to question him about what he was doing in front of his home , ” Alexander said in a statement .
“ I should have minded my own business.
” The video , which first appeared Tuesday on the Facebook page of James Juanillo , shows a couple asking him whether he lives in the house before asserting that they know he doesn ’ t live there and is therefore breaking the law .
Juanillo doesn ’ t answer the couple , but invites them to call the police @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with Alexander responding : “ Yes , we will do so.
” The video stops short of showing what happens next .
Juanillo summed up the encounter on Twitter : “ A white couple call the police on me , a person of color , for stenciling a # BLM chalk message on my own front retaining wall.
” He added that Alexander “ lies and says she knows that I don ’ t live in my own house , because she knows the person who lives here.
” Juanillo , who is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ couple accused him of defacing private property because they didn ’ t think he belonged in the wealthy Pacific Heights neighborhood .
He said a police officer pulled up several minutes after the encounter and drove away after recognizing Juanillo as a longtime resident .
The social media furor over the video led Birchbox , which distributes beauty products via a subscription service , to announce Saturday that it has cut ties with the company over Alexander ’ s “ racist actions.
” “ When I watch the video I am shocked and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did , ” Alexander ’ s statement said .
She said she was committed to learn from the experience and wants to apologize to Juanillo in person .
Juanillo said Sunday that he would be open to talking with Alexander .
He said in the last several days neighbors have left flowers and notes expressing support , with many adding chalk art to the retaining wall and sidewalk .
“ For me this experience has left me feeling vindicated and validated .
I imagine that she regrets those couple of minutes , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that her life should be destroyed over this ?
No .
I just hope that she realizes that what she did was racist and she can improve from this incident .
”

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The CEO of a cosmetics company issued an apology Sunday after a video was widely shared online showing her and her husband confronting a man and threatening to call police because he stenciled “Black Lives Matter” in chalk on his San Francisco property.
The video, which has been retweeted 155,000 times, has sparked accusations of racism and led a cosmetics distributor to cut ties with Lisa Alexander, founder and CEO of LaFace Skincare.
“There are not enough words to describe how truly sorry I am for being disrespectful to him last Tuesday when I made the decision to question him about what he was doing in front of his home,” Alexander said in a statement. “I should have minded my own business.”
The video, which first appeared Tuesday on the Facebook page of James Juanillo, shows a couple asking him whether he lives in the house before asserting that they know he doesn’t live there and is therefore breaking the law.
Juanillo doesn’t answer the couple, but invites them to call the police. The couple then walk away, with Alexander responding: “Yes, we will do so.”
The video stops short of showing what happens next. Juanillo summed up the encounter on Twitter: “A white couple call the police on me, a person of color, for stenciling a #BLM chalk message on my own front retaining wall.”
He added that Alexander “lies and says she knows that I don’t live in my own house, because she knows the person who lives here.”
Juanillo, who is Filipino, told KGO-TV he believes the couple accused him of defacing private property because they didn’t think he belonged in the wealthy Pacific Heights neighborhood.
He said a police officer pulled up several minutes after the encounter and drove away after recognizing Juanillo as a longtime resident.
The social media furor over the video led Birchbox, which distributes beauty products via a subscription service, to announce Saturday that it has cut ties with the company over Alexander’s “racist actions.”
“When I watch the video I am shocked and sad that I behaved the way I did,” Alexander’s statement said.
She said she was committed to learn from the experience and wants to apologize to Juanillo in person.
Juanillo said Sunday that he would be open to talking with Alexander. He said in the last several days neighbors have left flowers and notes expressing support, with many adding chalk art to the retaining wall and sidewalk.
“For me this experience has left me feeling vindicated and validated. I imagine that she regrets those couple of minutes,” he said. “Do I believe that her life should be destroyed over this? No. I just hope that she realizes that what she did was racist and she can improve from this incident.”
___
AP Photographer Jeff Chiu contributed to this report.


washingtontimes--2020-06-14--Thousands rally in Brooklyn for black transgender people

NEW YORK ( AP ) - Thousands of marchers dressed in white flooded several blocks around the Brooklyn Museum to @ @ @ @ @ transgender people Sunday afternoon .
Organizers included the Marsha P. Johnson Institute , the Okra @ @ @ @ @ in the Arts .
Scheduled speakers included transgender activist Raquel Willis , author Ceyenne Doroshow @ @ @ @ @ Polanco , a transgender woman who died after an epileptic seizure in solitary confinement last @ @ @ @ @ .
The march comes days after the reported deaths of two black transgender women , @ @ @ @ @ ” Fells in Philadelphia and Riah Milton in Liberty Township , Ohio .
Both are @ @ @ @ @ The rally and silent march coincide with Black Lives Matter demonstrations across the country and @ @ @ @ @ Pride Month .
Crowds of protesters also gathered at nearby Grand Army Plaza and at @ @ @ @ @ streamed down Flatbush Avenue and massed for a rally in Fort Greene Park .
Many @ @ @ @ @ and brutality .
There were no reports of arrests .

NEW YORK (AP) - Thousands of marchers dressed in white flooded several blocks around the Brooklyn Museum to support human rights for black transgender people Sunday afternoon.
Organizers included the Marsha P. Johnson Institute, the Okra Project and Black Trans Femmes in the Arts. Scheduled speakers included transgender activist Raquel Willis, author Ceyenne Doroshow and the family of Layleen Polanco, a transgender woman who died after an epileptic seizure in solitary confinement last June at Rikers Island jail.
The march comes days after the reported deaths of two black transgender women, Dominique “Rem’mie” Fells in Philadelphia and Riah Milton in Liberty Township, Ohio. Both are being investigated as homicides.
The rally and silent march coincide with Black Lives Matter demonstrations across the country and comes in the middle of Pride Month.
Crowds of protesters also gathered at nearby Grand Army Plaza and at the Barclays Center. Some streamed down Flatbush Avenue and massed for a rally in Fort Greene Park. Many held signs decrying police misconduct and brutality. There were no reports of arrests.


washingtontimes--2020-06-14--Man charged with driving into crowd of protesters in Memphis

MEMPHIS , Tenn. ( AP ) - A man was charged with driving his vehicle into a group of protesters @ @ @ @ @ in Memphis , Tennessee , police said .
William Day , 57 , was arrested @ @ @ @ @ endangerment and reckless driving , Memphis police spokeswoman Lt. Karen Randolph told The Commercial Appeal @ @ @ @ @ injuries in Saturday ’ s incident at a Midtown Memphis intersection .
After several vehicles @ @ @ @ @ ’ s vehicle continued to move forward into the group , police said .
Police @ @ @ @ @ .
It wasn ’ t immediately known whether Day has an attorney who could comment @ @ @ @ @ is scheduled to appear in court on Monday .
It marked the latest incident involving @ @ @ @ @ of people in Memphis as part of a wave of protests sweeping the nation .
@ @ @ @ @ were charged with recklessly driving in separate incidents at a June 5 protest against police @ @

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - A man was charged with driving his vehicle into a group of protesters who were blocking a road in Memphis, Tennessee, police said.
William Day, 57, was arrested on misdemeanor charges of reckless endangerment and reckless driving, Memphis police spokeswoman Lt. Karen Randolph told The Commercial Appeal.
No one sustained serious injuries in Saturday’s incident at a Midtown Memphis intersection. After several vehicles yielded to protesters, Day’s vehicle continued to move forward into the group, police said.
Police said the investigation is continuing.
It wasn’t immediately known whether Day has an attorney who could comment on the charges. He is scheduled to appear in court on Monday.
It marked the latest incident involving motorists driving into a group of people in Memphis as part of a wave of protests sweeping the nation. Earlier this month two men were charged with recklessly driving in separate incidents at a June 5 protest against police brutality.


washingtontimes--2020-06-14--Virginia museums begin to reopen after coronavirus shutdowns

BLACKSBURG , Va. ( AP ) - Museums in Virginia have started reopening after being shuttered for three months because of the coronavirus pandemic .
Phase 2 of Gov .
Ralph Northam ’ s reopening plan began on June 5 , allowing museums to reopen with restrictions , including the wearing of face masks inside buildings .
The Roanoke Times reports that guides at Historic Smithfield , a re-creation of 18th-century frontier life in Appalachia , added face masks to their Colonial outfits of petticoats and caps for the reopening on Saturday .
“ We ’ re just really excited @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Executive Director Ryan Spencer said .
Blacksburg Museum & Cultural Foundation also reopened its Alexander Black House museum and art gallery Wednesday with social distancing measures in place But not all cultural attractions appear ready for visitors .
According to their websites , both Roanoke ’ s Taubman Museum of Art and Harrison Museum of African American Culture remain closed .
Spencer said volunteers and staff have been preparing for visitors with training , not just in historical interpretation but how to sanitize surfaces , deep clean bathrooms and encourage visitors to comply @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spring has caused the private , nonprofit historic site to lose a significant share of its income .
“ The majority of people assume that museums don ’ t need assistance , ” Spencer said .
“ They think we ’ re supported by state and federal government , but most museums are private.
” The Virginia Museum of Transportation reopened Thursday , but has had to change some of its offerings , Director Don Moser said .
Under the governor ’ s guidelines , hands-on exhibits are prohibited to reduce the risk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be open five days a week initially , instead of the normal seven days .
Spencer said it will take a lot of community support for museums to rebuild their finances .
“ We want to remind people that museums help give perspective , ” he said , “ and it ’ s a place that contributes to the overall health of the community .
”

BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) - Museums in Virginia have started reopening after being shuttered for three months because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Phase 2 of Gov. Ralph Northam’s reopening plan began on June 5, allowing museums to reopen with restrictions, including the wearing of face masks inside buildings.
The Roanoke Times reports that guides at Historic Smithfield, a re-creation of 18th-century frontier life in Appalachia, added face masks to their Colonial outfits of petticoats and caps for the reopening on Saturday.
“We’re just really excited to have people out again,” Executive Director Ryan Spencer said.
Blacksburg Museum & Cultural Foundation also reopened its Alexander Black House museum and art gallery Wednesday with social distancing measures in place
But not all cultural attractions appear ready for visitors. According to their websites, both Roanoke’s Taubman Museum of Art and Harrison Museum of African American Culture remain closed.
Spencer said volunteers and staff have been preparing for visitors with training, not just in historical interpretation but how to sanitize surfaces, deep clean bathrooms and encourage visitors to comply with social distancing.
The closure this spring has caused the private, nonprofit historic site to lose a significant share of its income.
“The majority of people assume that museums don’t need assistance,” Spencer said. “They think we’re supported by state and federal government, but most museums are private.”
The Virginia Museum of Transportation reopened Thursday, but has had to change some of its offerings, Director Don Moser said. Under the governor’s guidelines, hands-on exhibits are prohibited to reduce the risk of coronavirus transmission.
The museum will be open five days a week initially, instead of the normal seven days.
Spencer said it will take a lot of community support for museums to rebuild their finances.
“We want to remind people that museums help give perspective,” he said, “and it’s a place that contributes to the overall health of the community.”