YWCA Jamestown’s Broadscast features members of the local YWCA Jamestown team discussing a variety of issues and topics with various guests from the Jamestown and Chautauqua Region.

As part of the ongoing discussion focusing on Black History Month, this episode features guest Justin Hubbard, who joins Alize to discuss some myths regarding the history of the Civil Rights movement in the US.

The Broadscast program covers a wide range of topics, including Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) issues; racial justice and civil rights; empowerment and economic advancement of women and girls; and health and safety of women and girls. It is provided through funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Justin Hubbard, Missy Paterniti

Jamestown City Council voted down Mayor Eddie Sundquist‘s citizen appointments to the Board of Public Utilities as well as the reappointment of Justin Hubbard to the Human Rights Commission.

City Clerk Jennifer Williams read a letter from the Human Rights Commission advocating for Hubbard’s reappointment, “We feel it is our duty to try to convey to our elected representatives how much we value Mr. Hubbard and the ideas, thoughtfulness, and passion that he brings to our group. As a teacher, he brings a point of view regarding education that helps us better understand and address human rights issues in our schools.”

Resident Missy Paterniti spoke out against Hubbard being reappointed, saying he publicly attacked her at an HRC meeting by calling her a racist and a bigot in response to her creating a petition to the school district to keep the “Red Raiders” name, “I contacted Elliot Raimondo [City Corporation Counsel] and nothing happened. I wrote to the mayor. And I’m just asking you, as the city council, that have the ability to remove this gentleman from the commission, please do so because he doesn’t belong there.”

Hubbard, speaking at privilege of the floor, said he was approached by Mayor Sundquist following rallies he helped organize after George Floyd‘s death in 2020 about serving on a reinstated Human Rights Commission. Hubbard said while on the HRC, he was approached by members of the community regarding issues on discrimination in relation to religion, race, and sexuality, “Even though I knew that some of these complaints were about members of council and that would make some members of this council unhappy with me for bringing them to the table, I knew that it was my duty to do so. I also believe that the passion I brought to this position made it so that people could feel free to contact me when dealing with very stressful issues.”

Council voted 2 to 6 not to reappoint Hubbard with Brent Sheldon, Marie Carrubba, Andrew Faulkner, Kim Ecklund, Randy Daversa, and Jeff Russell voting no.

The appointment of Sean Conner and Sabrina Gustafson to the BPU Board to replace Jim Olson and Greg Rabb failed 4 to 4 with Brent Sheldon, Andrew Faulkner, Kim Ecklund, and Randy Daversa voting no.

Council President Tony Dolce said while he supported the appointments to the BPU board, he doesn’t know why other council members did not but he guessed it may have come down to qualifications, “In the past, there’s always been a kind of.. not going to say controversy but discussion over replacing long time members that have experience with newcomers. And this mayor wanted to put his people in just like the previous mayor did as well. And so I don’t know specifically why those two individuals were voted down by specific council people.”

Jim Olson and Greg Rabb will remain on the BPU board as holdovers until new appointments can be made.

Human Rights Commission member and Jamestown Justice Coalition organizer Justin Hubbard expressed frustration by the lack of response from the school board following a unanimous statement from the city committee recommending the district change both the mascot and the “Red Raider” name. He said in by voting to change the mascot, the board admits that what the district had done for decades was racist, “That is what you’ve admitted by saying that needs to be changed. It’s been changed before. I don’t understand why now we’re still doing half-measures and you refuse to go to the finish line when it comes to this. You cannot disassociate the name ‘Red Raiders’ with the horrible caricature that was there when I was in high school. You cannot do that.”

Autumn Dahlgren said the board needs to do its due diligence to change the name, “It is impossible to separate the name and the imagery and expect this to have a meaningful impact on our relationship with our Seneca neighbors. In one of numerous conversations with representatives of the Seneca Nation over the past year and a half, one person stated that ‘removing the imagery and keeping the name would be as if we stopped turning the knife in their back but never actually pulled it out.'”

Student Ex-Officio School Board Member and JHS Senior Annika Spitzer said Jamestown High School has many beautiful traditions but the name is not one, “I just feel like a student’s voice needs to be heard in this. And I think it would be beautiful for us to take a new step in the right direction. And instead of holding on, or clinging onto something that just doesn’t need to stay, I think this would be an awesome opportunity for us to progress, to set an example for everyone else to finally join the pack of making good change.”

School Board Member Pat Slagle said he thinks a conversation on the issue can continue, “I think as the committee moves forward with deciding what the new logo should be, I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibility that we also continue to discuss the name and what that may look like. Especially if there’s movement at the high school that they no longer feel that that name represents who they are and who they want to be. I think it warrants further discussion.”

Slagle invited the Human Rights Commission and Jamestown Justice Coalition to be part of any of those conversations going forward.

The rally was organized by the Jamestown Justice Coalition and followed the discovery of anti-Semitic and White Supremacy language written on the statues of the Tableau over the 4th of July weekend. Back in May, one of the three statues was stolen. It has not been recovered at this time.

Pastor Chloe Smith opened the rally, talking about the importance of Dow Park given its close proximity to the home of the first Black woman in Jamestown, Katherine Harris as well as being near the home of abolitionist Silas Shearman. Both were instrumental is helping guide slaves to freedom. Smith said our city needs healing, “And we today are saying we want freedom and equality for all people. We have gathered here today to make a declaration over our city, over our county, over our nation that every, every person is able to make a difference.”

Jamestown Justice Coalition leader Justin Hubbard emphasized that the vandalism was not random, “Random acts of vandalism are not White Supremacists symbols. They’re not Nazi swastikas. It’s not white power when it’s random on Underground Railroad statues of all people, of Katherine Harris and Silas Shearman. That’s not random. That’s an act of terror. That’s white supremacy and you do not belong in my city. You do not.”

Hubbard said he kept hearing it was just “some kids,” “Well if it’s ‘just some kids’ then we need to take a look at what we’re teaching our kids! Because when something like that happens, when our statues are stolen, when white supremacist symbols, when racists remarks are put on our statues, that’s an attack on the Black community of Jamestown. That’s exactly what it is. You’re attacking the Black community of Jamestown. But when you attack the Black community of Jamestown, you’re attacking all of Jamestown.”

Hubbard added that the fight for justice needs to be intersectional to include other marginalized voices.

Anyone with information on the vandalism of the statues or the theft of one of them is asked to contact Jamestown Police’s anonymous TIPS line at (716) 483-8477.

Chautauqua County Sheriff Jim Quattrone (left) listens as city resident Derrick Coleman shares his thoughts on the current relationship between law enforcement and people of color within the community.

JAMESTOWN – An estimated 50 people were at the Robert H. Jackson Center Thursday night to attend a free screening of a documentary focusing on building relationships between police and the black community and to also participate in a discussion afterward.

The screening of “Walking While Black: L.O.V.E is the Answer” was made possible through a collaboration between the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office and the County District Attorney’s Office. In addition to being screened on location, the film – along with a subsequent community conversation – was also live streamed over the Internet.

The documentary is an award winning film offering a message of reconciliation. The film focuses on improving relations between police and people of color by reshaping the narrative from conflict to L.O.V.E. – which is an acronym for Learning, Opening, Volunteering and Empowering. According to the documentary producer, who also wrote a book on the subject, the “Learning” part focuses on learning about each other. The “Opening” is to focus on opening our hearts to each other. “Volunteering” means to actively and willingly being part of a solution in each other’s lives. And the “Empowering” focuses on encouraging others to do the same.

Chautauqua County Sheriff Jim Quattrone, who facilitated the community discussion afterward, said he hoped the film would encourage both local police departments and members of the black community to work toward building trust and understanding with one another.

“What I’d like to think about is the LOVE principle and how we can put that to use in our own community. Not just law enforcement but also how can the community put it to use. How can we sustain that. And what will you do, individually, to sustain that and keep it moving. Because it’s really going to take all of us to continue to move in that direction,” Quattrone explained.

The sheriff also said that he also had a recent meeting with over 35 other police administrators across New York State and showed the film, and it was well received by that group as well.

During the discussion afterward, several community members spoke out about the current relationship between police and the black community and called for better education efforts to not only remind police about how to interact and deescalate situations, but to also better inform young people of the rights so they know what police can and can not do during an interaction.

Justin Hubbard from the Jamestown Justice Coalition also requested that more rank and file officers in the community be required to watch the documentary as a learning tool. However, Quattrone said there are likely contractual issues that prevent police departments from requiring officers to do that. However, he did say that it would be added to the curriculum at the local police academy so that incoming officers will likely have seen the film and at least being exposed to the concept of LOVE, prior to joining the police force.

After the screening, Quattrone said he was pleased with the turnout and hopeful the conversation will continue moving forward.

“I think it’s important that we recognize how people are feeling in the community and address that. If they’re feeling that way, it’s real for them. sometimes it’s hard for us to understand. But we have to recognize it and keep on moving forward. I think the biggest thing we hear is that we need to see change and to build that trust,” Quattrone told WRFA afterward. “We talk about this building of police-community relations. I’d like to get to the point where we are able to say that this is a community, not a separation between police and community, but that this is a community.”

Among those who attended the event were representatives of local law enforcement, including those in the Jamestown Police Department.

Several members of the black community were also on hand, as well as the members of the Jamestown Justice Coalition and several local elected officials, including District Attorney Patrick Swanson, County Executive PJ Wendel, Jamestown City Council woman Tamu Graham–Reinhardt, and Assemblyman Andy Goodell.

While the first viewing of this film was last night, Quattrone said he will be able to show the film in various other areas throughout the county and will be working with other areas to locate venues to show the film and have community discussions.

Should you be interested in hosting the film please contact Sheriff Jim Quattrone at 753-4900 or email at quattrone @ sheriff.us.

Rev. Chloe Smith (left) talks with Jamestown Mayor Eddie Sundquist (center) and Jamestown Police Chief Harry Snellings (right) during a Black Lives Matter rally in Dow Park Sunday, May 31, 2020.

JAMESTOWN – There were two rallies that took place in Jamestown on Sunday as part of the series of national protests taking place across the country. The days of protests were triggered by the death of George Floyd, a black man who died when a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes.

Nearly 200 people were at Dow Park at noon to express solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and to also share concerns about how law enforcement deals with minorities in the community. Leading the rally at noon was Rev. Chloe Smith from God and Zion Tabernacle Church, who urged the community to come together and work with public officials to improve the relationship between police and its residents.

“We are demanding a change starts in our city and we are going to be proactive. We are not going wait until something bad happens. We want the change now,” Smith said, speaking to those in attendance. “We’re not going to be reactive, having the protests after something happens. We want the communication with our law enforcement now! We want to conduct with our law enforcement now!”

Other members of the faith community, including Pastor Roy Ferguson of the Busti Church of God, were also on hand to share support.

“All of us who are not a person of color, whether we want to believe it or not, we have privilege. We need to leverage that privilege to love our neighbor as ourselves, and everyone including persons of color are our neighbors.  We need to leverage that privilege. We didn’t ask for it but we were born with it and we need to use it to bless those who God has created equal in his sight,” Ferguson told the crowd.

Jamestown Mayor Eddie Sundquist, Police Chief Harry Snellings and Chautauqua County Sheriff Jim Quattrone all attended the rally, along with some members of the Jamestown City Council. Sundquist, the chief and the sheriff also spent nearly 45 minutes talking to attendees to respond to their questions and concerns.

Sundquist said he felt it was important to be at the event and show support with those who were attending.

“As communities across the country start to protest and start to demand more things, we wanted to let our entire community know that myself and our entire police force are hear to listen actively and to start to make changes to be more inclusive here in the city,” Sundquist said.

A crowd gathers around city of Jamestown Police Chief Harry Snellings and Mayor Eddie Sundquist as the two answer questions during a Black Lives Matter rally on May 31, 2020

Some of those concerns focused on hiring more minority officers in the Jamestown Police Department, along with working to ensure officers who work for the city also live within the city. Others also expressed frustration over feeling like they are being specifically targeted by law enforcement for no other reason than the color of their skin.

When asked how man officers live in Jamestown, Snellings said 25 of of the 62 members of the Jamestown Police Department are residents of Jamestown.

“So 25 out of the 60 officers actually live in the city? That is not community policing. We need community policing. If [an officer] does not live in Jamestown, you are coming in and you are enforcing a law. You are not part of the community. You are an occupying force,” stated Justin Hubbard, a city resident who was in attendance. “I will not be occupied any more. How are you going to fix that?”

Afterward, Mayor Sundquist said the city will be continuing to meet and talk with the community and work toward addressing some of the concerns brought up at the rally, including having more officers who reside within the city.

“It’s very difficult unless its negotiated [into a collective bargaining agreement] or certain local laws are passed. But we’re trying very hard to encourage our residents to apply for those positions and to be part of our community. We’ve talked about incentivizing that for every employee in the city.  It’s a process. I’ve only been on the job for five months so we’re trying very hard to deal with things as they come up,” Sundquist said.

Chief Snellings also said that while he supports hiring more minority officers, it can be difficult when the city receives few, if any, applications In response, one attendee suggested the police department work harder at encouraging young minorities within the community to pursue careers in law enforcement.

When asked if they felt George Floyd was murdered by the Minneapolis Police Officer, Snellings and Quatrone both acknowledged the the restraint being used wasn’t standard procedure and shouldn’t have been used, but both stopped short of saying it was murder, saying there could have been other factors at play that may have resulted in death. Mayor Sundquist did say that it was murder, based only on what he saw and the information he knows about the case.

A second rally took place at City Hall on Sunday night, beginning at 6 p.m. and continuing until just before 11 p.m. While there was a large gathering in front of city hall on East Third Street near the intersection with Spring, it appeared to be a peaceful event with no damages or arrests reported at that location. However, later in the evening, shortly before midnight, city police did say two men were arrested following an altercation with another group in an area near E. Second and Pine Streets.

Police say 32-year-old Jason Burham of Ashville and 31-year-old Michael Burham of Russell, Pa. were taken into custody on charges of disorderly conduct and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon.