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N.J. 5th grade 'slave auction' assignment a worthy lesson | Editorial

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Slavery isn't merely about an ancient Southern subculture. It was founded on Wall Street.

It's a challenging time to teach at South Mountain Elementary. The South Orange school has had incidents of racist graffiti and anti-Semitism in the past year, and against that backdrop, they recently assigned a fifth-grade history project related to America's Colonial period (1600-1740), including its prosperous slave trade.

One assignment was to recreate an advertisement depicting a slave auction, which a few kids spun off as an ad portraying a slave master's reward offer for a runaway slave.

It's an interesting and worthy project, but when parents saw these posters during teacher conferences - parents of all races and ethnic backgrounds, the school affirms - the response was chiefly negative, which we find curious.

There is no law that specifies how our kids are exposed to diversity education, but as Barbara Tuchman said, history is best taught one way: You tell stories. Those who excel at the job - teachers who don't need textbooks to cultivate the faculties of young minds - understand that stories require empathy, an ability to imagine the lives of those imperfect men and women who gave us much of what we have today.

The parents didn't see it that way, though their chief complaint is that a school hallway is too public for such an exhibition. This Facebook post was typical: "It breaks my heart that these will be the images that young black and brown kids see of people with their skin color," a parent wrote, adding that "the medium . . . .is grossly insensitive."

So the school took down the posters and will revisit it at a town hall, but we hope they all heed the advice of Dr. Khalil Gibran Muhammad, the eminent Harvard historian who gave the project the thumbs-up as he helped his own fifth-grade daughter with her poster, which was very compelling.

What Muhammad says about history makes sense to us: The only way to address existing legacies of past atrocities is through an honest lens, and it starts with images.

"Black people didn't make the newspaper. This wasn't the age of photography," he said. "The only depictions of black people in Colonial America were as images in slave auction ads or runaway ads - and they were ubiquitous."

Moreover, Muhammad believes that the educational standard has always been to minimize the horrors of slavery - his daughter's textbook has but two sketches - "and if this kind of assignment doesn't exist, it's standard practice to overlook those horrors," he said.

"The notion that we are doing harm to children," he added, "is a selective critique. These are middle school kids who have borne witness to the trauma of black lives for a sustained number of years in media. If we're going to be honest, kids receive explicit and implicit cues about demonization of black and brown people on a daily basis.

"This should be an invitation to the curriculum to impart an understanding of the world we live in, not to hide from it."

Having said that, the school could have posted an explanatory essay to accompany the project, and perhaps this will mollify some at the town hall.

But an accurate depiction of this period is crucial, because an understanding of the American story must begin with the slavery empire that helped authored it.

This is not about some Southern subculture. The slave trade was founded on Wall Street in 1711. There was a slave market there until 1762. New Jersey abolished slavery in 1804, but because of a system of gradual emancipation, its last 13 slaves weren't freed until the Thirteenth Amendment passed in 1865.

As Muhammad noted, "Colonial America wouldn't make sense without an understanding of the economic, cultural and social realities of slaves of that period."

Like it or not, it's our history. It would be an insult to the American legacy - warts and all - to omit it from our curriculum.

slaveposter2.jpg(via CNN) 

Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook.


N.J.'s oldest St. Patrick's Day parade delayed due to snowstorm

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The snow and ice pushed to the side of the city's streets make it unsafe for spectators

NEWARK -- The city's St. Patrick's Day Parade is on hold for a week after organizers determined the parade route has too much snow and ice from a brutal nor'easter to proceed as planned for Friday.

Organizers have rescheduled the event, New Jersey's oldest Saint Patrick's Day parade, to March 24.

The snow and ice is piled along the sides of streets make it unsafe for spectators, organizers said. Areas along the parade route "are in no condition for anyone to enjoy the event," organizers said on the parade's Facebook page. 

Newark works OT to plow over its bad snow-removal rep

This will be the 82nd year for the parade and will step off at 1 p.m. The day's schedule will be similar, but those details haven't been ironed out yet.  

Last year's parade was held on March 11. It was led by was by Grand Marshal John J. Farmer, special counsel to the president of the Newark campus of Rutgers Law School, where he is also a professor and the Justice Alan B. Handler Scholar.

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 

Teacher convicted in guns-for-terror case stripped of N.J. licenses

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Theophilis Burroughs went by the first name Mike had been a music teacher at Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan.

NEWARK -- In November 2015, Theophilis Burroughs was sentenced to 15 years in prison for arranging the sale of firearms to people in New York City he thought were aiding terrorists. They turned out to be undercover detectives.

Burroughs, a Newark resident who went by the first name Mike, had been a music teacher at Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan.

theo.pngBurroughs 

Though he never taught in New Jersey, Borroughs still had two active teaching licenses issued in the state. In early 2016, the state notified him they knew of the convictions and offered him the chance to fight revocation.

Burroughs, from behind bars, pleaded with the board to keep the teaching certificates, arguing that his crimes had no bearing on his ability to teach. He had a New Jersey teacher of the handicapped certification issued in 1997, and a teacher of music certification issued in 2003.

On March 3, the Department of Education's board of examiners officially revoked both teaching certifications.

In one filing with the department, Burroughs argued that his out-of-state convictions were not "substantially equivalent" to similar crimes in New Jersey, and they were not offenses that would automatically disqualify him to teach.

In another filing, Burroughs said that since he had never taught in New Jersey, revocation did not apply to him and contended that his convictions did not "constitute conduct that is a moral unfitness so extreme it will impair service to the community."

Burroughs had pleaded guilty in the Bronx to criminal sale of a firearm, money laundering, criminal tax fraud and conspiracy, the Bronx District Attorney's Office said.

Burroughs was given the opportunity to appear before the New Jersey teacher certification board to provide testimony, but declined the appearance in a November 2016 letter, saying he would rely on his written arguments, the board's decision says.

Since the facts of his New York case were not in dispute, the New Jersey board only had to decide if they had just cause to revoke them, it wrote.

"Burroughs' claims that his crimes do not warrant action against his certificates because they were not school related and might not be disqualifying are wholly without merit," the board wrote.

The 55-year-old is currently at the Shawangunk Correctional Facility in Ulster County, N.Y. and is first eligible for parole in 2023.

Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@kevintshea. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 

Cops seek theives who stole 4 Range Rovers from Hertz lot near Newark airport

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Two of the luxury SUVs have been recovered

NEWARK -- Two of the four SUVs from the parking lot of a Hertz rental car lot near Newark Liberty International Airport early Thursday have been recovered, authorities said.

17308781_687549614761259_135663510545400596_n.pngTwo of the men Newark police say stole four cars from a Hertz rental lot.  

Four men arrived at the lot on the 900 block of Dormeus Avenue in two stolen cars, a BMW and an Acura TL around 2:15 a.m. and stole four Range Rover Evoque HSE's by driving them over spike strips.

One was left just outside parking lot of the rental facility with all of its tires flat and another was recovered on the 100 block of Ridgewood Avenue with one flat tire, according to police. 

Police are still seeking the men responsible for the thefts

Anyone with information is asked to call Newark police at 1-877-NWK-TIPS (1-877-695-8477) or 1-877-NWK-GUNS (1-877-695-4867). 

 Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 

'Fight isn't over' advocates say despite freeze on Trump's revised travel ban

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Advocates for the immigrant and Muslim communities gathered Thursday at Newark International Airport to vow to continue fighting against any travel bans that they say target certain communities.

NEWARK - Immigrant and refugee advocates Thursday vowed to continue fighting any proposed travel ban by the White House even as President Trump's new order was blocked by two federal judges hours before it was to take effect. 

"The fight isn't over," Johanna Calle, of the Alliance for Immigrant Justice said at Newark International Airport. "We're going to keep coming to this airport we're going to keep gathering."

Calle was joined by interfaith leaders, immigrant advocacy groups and the New Jersey chapter of the ACLU, which has nationally battled Trump's executive orders in court.

More than 30 supporters waved signs and chanted in the international arrivals section of the airport, "no hate, no fear, immigrants are welcome here."

Meanwhile, a group of pro-bono attorneys and volunteers gathered along tables with a sign that read "volunteer lawyers." They said they were ready in case any travelers had trouble entering the country. 

"The ban was struck down again so we don't anticipate that many issues," said Jason Scott Camilo, an immigration attorney in New Brunswick. "We'll be on-call as long as it takes." 

Camilo said a rotating group of volunteer attorneys planned to be there all day and remain on call should someone need help. 

When the president issued his first executive order temporarily banning all refugees and citizens from seven predominantly Muslim countries, a group of attorneys huddled in Terminal B to help travelers. 

Whether the ban - or another iteration of it - takes effect, Camilo said he thinks "there's a higher level of scrutiny people are being subjected to."

A federal appeals court late Wednesday temporarily blocked the imminent deportation of an Afghan national who arrived in Newark Monday on a special visa reserved for those who risk their lives to protect America troops abroad.

The 25-year-old Afghan man, who attorneys declined to name, is being held at the Elizabeth Detention Center as his expedited appeal is heard. U.S. Customs and Border Protection declined to comment on the case but said officers were enforcing existing policy and had discretion to question visa holders.

Trump issued a revised travel ban this month for six predominantly Muslim countries and removing Iraq from the list. It was supposed to take effect on Thursday but a federal judge in Maryland suspended a portion of the ban after a U.S. District judge in Hawaii issued a nationwide halt to the ban.

"If Trump wants to continue to pursue it, so will the ACLU, we'll take it all the way tot he Supreme Court if he will," said Diane Du Brule, interim executive director of the ACLU-NJ. 

Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D-Union) also stopped by the rally and said the ban would be struck down for being unconstitutional. 

"My Muslim neighbors are not just my neighbors, they are my brothers and sisters," he said. 

Karen Yi may be reached at kyi@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @karen_yi or on Facebook

Man sentenced to 15 years for sexually assaulting 11-year-old girl

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The sentence is part of a plea deal reached Thursday, authorities in Essex County said.

NEWARK -- A convicted felon has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl in 2015, acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray said Thursday.

Holifield.jpgCraig Holifield. (Courtesy Essex County Prosecutor's Office)
 

Craig Holifield, 33, of Newark, had pleaded guilty to aggravated sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child after admitting to the July 28, 2015 incident in East Orange.

Holifield was sentence by Judge John Zunic in Newark.

"The victim's older sister spoke at the sentencing hearing and told Judge Zunic this has been a traumatic experience for this young victim, and one that she continues to deal with on a daily basis," Assistant Prosecutor Kathleen Lyons-Boswick, who tried the case, said a statement.

"With the help of her family, she is working to heal. Judge Zunic imposed a substantial sentence which will go a long way toward protecting the community from this sexual predator."

Holifield had previously been convicted of six other felonies, authorities said.

Jessica Mazzola may be reached at jmazzola@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessMazzola. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Driver admitted heroin use in crash that killed pregnant Verona woman: prosecutor

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Judge Alfonse J. Cifelli released Anthony V. Casale Jr. with several conditions, despite the prosecutor's concerns.

Casale.jpgAnthony V. Casale Jr. (Photo: ECPO) 

NEWARK -- A driver whose car struck and killed a pregnant woman in Verona this month admitted being on heroin at the time of the crash, prosecutors said in court Thursday.

Anthony V. Casale Jr. is accused of hitting Megan Villanella, who was seven months pregnant, and her brother, Derek Longo, with his mom's 2006 Mitsubishi on March 3 at Lakeside and Pease avenues. Longo is in stable condition at University Hospital.

Casale, 25, is charged with first-degree death by auto and second-degree assault by auto. 

Casale told staff at Mountainside Hospital after the crash that he didn't recall what happened, Essex County Assistant Prosecutor Tara Creegan said at Casale's detention hearing in state Superior Court before Judge Alfonse J. Cifelli. 

"I don't remember," Creegan said Casale told hospital staff. "I injected heroin." 

After he hit Villanella and Longo, who were standing on the sidewalk, police found Casale at the scene with glassy eyes and a dried, white substance on his lips, Creegan said. He nodded off in the police car as officers drove him away from the site of the crash, Creegan said.

David Bruno, who is representing Casale, described the 41-minute ride differently: His client was not napping, but praying for Villanella after he saw her on the ground with a sheet over her. Casale was muttering "Our Father" and "Hail Mary" prayers under his breath, Bruno said.

Bruno also took issue with Creegan saying hospital staff found opiates in Casale's urine. Heroin can stay in a person's system for two to seven days, Bruno said.

"This certainly doesn't stand for the supposition that this person was under the influence at the time of the incident," he said. 

Casale was driving to Livingston, where he works as a maintenance worker in the police department, before the crash, Bruno said. He lives with his parents and sister at the Bellville home where he grew up. 

Casale has admitted to using heroin and other drugs for three years, and he has multiple prior drug arrests and car crashes, Creegan said. 

"Your honor, that can't be ignored," she told Cifelli, the judge, arguing Casale should be detained before trial. "He's a danger if he gets behind the wheel of a car." 

Bruno said Casale should be released with conditions because he did not flee in the four days between the crash and his arrest, showing he is not a flight risk, and because he received psychiatric treatment after the incident. 

Cifelli agreed to release Casale with several limitations, including giving up his driver's license, wearing a monitoring device, submitting to weekly drug testing and staying at home, with few exceptions. 

"Do you understand these conditions?" Cifelli asked Casale, who stood next to his lawyers in the courtroom.

"Absolutely," Casale said. 

Marisa Iati may be reached at miati@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @Marisa_Iati or on Facebook here. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

2 bullets recovered in fatal carjacking at Short Hills mall, prosecutors say

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Police and prosecutor's detectives testified Thursday in the second day of trial for Basim Henry, charged with murder, carjacking and other offenses in the death of Dustin Friedland.

NEWARK -- The second day of the first trial for the 2013 fatal carjacking at the Short Mills mall opened Thursday with a police officer's grim description of the scene discovered by the first responders to a call of shots fired in the mall's parking structure.

"I observed a male, lying down -- he was not moving -- and a female ... next to him," said Sgt. Robert Kaiser, a Millburn police officer who was working an overtime detail at The Mall at Short Hills the night of Dec. 15, 2013. "There was a pool of blood around his head. And also what appeared to be skull fragments and brain matter."

Basim Henry, 36, of South Orange, is on trial before Superior Court Judge Michael L. Ravin on charges of murder, felony murder, carjacking, conspiracy and weapons offenses in the killing of Dustin Friedland, 30, of Hoboken. Three other men charged in the case -- Karif Ford, Hanif Thompson and Kevin Roberts -- face separate trials.

Henry, the alleged getaway driver, was arrested in Easton, Pa. by a federal fugitive task force less than a week after Friedland's killing. In September 2014, the Essex County Prosecutor's Office announced indictments against all four men.

Friedland's wife, Jamie Schare Friedland, testified Wednesday that the couple had just returned to their Range Rover in the mall's parking garage when Dustin was confronted by two men.

There was a struggle, she said, before one of the men shot Dustin in the head and then ordered her out of the car. The men left with the Range Rover, she testified.

"I took the victim's vitals," Kaiser said. "He had a pulse at the time, and his breathing -- it was labored."

Friedland was later pronounced dead at Morristown Memorial Hospital.

The state medical examiner, Andrew Falzon, testified that a single bullet was recovered during Friedland's autopsy.

"Mr. Friedland died of a gunshot wound of the head," Falzon said. "The manner of death would be classified as a homicide."

Lt. Thomas Sheehan, a detective with the Essex County Prosecutor's Office, testified that he recovered another bullet from the crime scene at the mall's parking deck.

Under a stipulation read to the jury by Ravin, the prosecution and defense agreed that both bullets were fired from the same .38-caliber handgun.

Widow details horrific scene at Short Hills trial

Other evidence collected at the crime scene, including a small vodka bottle and caps, were tested for fingerprints, of which Sheehan said none were found.

The mall's superintendent of facilities, James Felzenberg, testified he was later able to use the mall's surveillance cameras to locate footage of the Range Rover speeding out of the parking structure after the shooting, along with another SUV, a GMC Suburban investigators have said was later recovered in South Orange.

Ravin scheduled the trial to resume at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday.

Thomas Moriarty may be reached at tmoriarty@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ThomasDMoriarty. Find NJ.com on Facebook.


Man charged with robbing 3 TD Bank branches in 8 days

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The suspect is charged with robbing banks in Morris and Essex counties.

A Morris County man has been charged with robbing three TD Bank branches in two counties this month, authorities said.

Gabriel Reyes, 25, held up the TD branch in the 400 block of North Beverwyck Road in Parsippany on March 6, the Morris County Prosecutor's Office said Thursday.

Reyes, of Washington Township in Morris County, is charged with one count of robbery. Police have said a man threatened that he had a gun and fled the area in a vehicle. 

He's also been charged with holding up TD banks in Roseland on March 4 and West Orange on March 11, in Essex County, the Morris prosecutor's office said.

"I have a gun, give me all your money in 50s and 100s," the robber in the West Orange crime demanded in a note to a teller, police have said. The teller handed over $1,300.

Newark man admits he robbed Belleville bank

A note was also used in the Roseland hold-up, police said.

Several police agencies investigated the robberies.

"The joint efforts and coordination of multiple law enforcement agencies in 2 counties led to the swift apprehension of the defendant," Morris County Prosecutor Fredric M. Knapp said in a statement.

The Daily Record, citing court records in the Parsippany case, reported Reyes was linked to the crime by fingerprints left on a note he gave to a teller. 

Reyes, who also has a Hacketstown address, allegedly left that robbery with $1,200, the site reported.

He was being held Thursday in the Morris County Correctional Facility in Morristown.

Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@kevintshea. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 

4 arrested, 3 guns seized in Newark drug investigation

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Essex County Prosecutor's Narcotics Task Force officers were in the Hawthorne Avenue area when they spotted an apparent drug deal.

NEWARK -- Officers arrested four people and seized three handguns after watching a suspected drug deal in the South Ward, police and prosecutors said.

Essex County Prosecutor's Narcotics Task Force officers were in the Hawthorne Avenue area Monday when they spotted an apparent drug deal.

Officers converged on a vehicle and detained two suspects after they saw heroin packaged for distribution, and a silver firearm, officials said.

Officers found the gun loaded with hollow-point bullets, and more searching led to two more guns in the vehicle, as well as cocaine and additional packages of heroin, officials said. Both quantities of drugs were also packaged for distribution, officials said.

The two suspects, Darron Megargel, 30, of Newark and William M. Jones, 37, of East Orange, were each charged with multiple firearm and drug possession charges, including possession of a handgun by a convicted felon.

Newark man admits he robbed Belleville bank

The street value of the heroin is $1,600 and the cocaine $700, officials said.

During the incident, task force detectives arrested two other men, Daquan Duncan, 23, of Newark, who was charged with possessing cocaine and Andre I. Shoulars, 24, also of Newark, for possessing marijuana.

Megargel and Jones were taken to the Essex County Correctional Facility pending detention hearings. Duncan and Shoulars were released on their own recognizance, Chief Assistant Essex County Prosecutor Thomas S. Fennelly said.

Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray and Newark Public Safety Director Anthony F. Ambrose jointly announced the arrests.

Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@kevintshea. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 

A Newark man and his street of 56 years

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Eddie Porter loves Newark and the street where he has lived for 56 years.

Eddie Porter thought he was going to a regular meeting of the South 13th Street Block Association in Newark.

But upon arriving, Porter soon learned that the December meeting was less formal than usual and had nothing to do with block association business.

The social gathering - surprise! - was in honor of Porter to recognize his 56 years as a dedicated association member and homeowner on the same block.

"You never know who is keeping an eye on you and observing you,'' said Porter, who dresses impeccably in a suit and tie, topped by a felt fedora. "It's good to know that people appreciate what you've been doing all of these years.''

MORE: Recent Barry Carter columns  

The resolution Porter received from South Ward Councilman John James described him as a valued community leader and activist.

Porter, 84, said he just tried to be a good neighbor and do the simple things to maintain a neighborhood. 

He keeps his property neat, and still cleans the block, sweeping from Madison Avenue past several houses on his side of the street.  When he knew the young people that lived on the block, Porter said, he would buy sports equipment - tennis balls, bats, footballs - and take them to park on 18th Avenue.

It's a distant memory now, but that's how the community used to be when he purchased his three-family home in 1961. South 13th Street, between Madison and Avon avenues, was filled with families who cared. Everybody was together. They closed the neighbor's gate, swept their stoop and front walk. Litter never had a home.

"Man, you could walk out here, leave your door open and your clothes on the line,'' Porter said. "You didn't have to worry about a thing.''

Then the Newark riots erupted in 1967 and the family-orientated character of the neighborhood changed during the ensuing years. Landlords, who don't live in the neighborhood, bought the houses and began renting.

"Everyone is a stranger now,'' Porter said. "They move in and they move on.''

There are only a few longtime residents left, such as Helen McKnight and Sister Euniece Bey, a former president of the block who said Porter has been an active, staunch supporter of the association.

"He always participated,'' Bey said. "He was just trying to make the neighborhood safe.''

As the demographics of the block changed, Porter, in his own quiet way became a neighborhood anchor.

"He was trying at least to do his part,'' said McKnight, even though she believes newer residents don't appreciate him. "It's like he's fighting a losing battle.''

Porter, however, isn't budging.

He came to Newark in 1953 from Cottondale, Fla, a small town near the Alabama border, where he grew up on a farm with hogs, cows, and a vegetable garden.

But he hasn't abandoned his roots.  A few times a year he returns to vacation in a home he has in Marianna, near Cottondale. He still has an accent, and a down-home, hospitable style of conversation. Many of his sentences are punctuated with the folksy-like phrase - "Ya see'' -  to accentuate a thought.

When he talks about staying healthy as a kid, he says, "We had them roots and herbs in the woods, 'ya see.' '' His grandmother, Henrietta Porter, "knew all about them, 'ya see.' ''

And every spring and fall, Porter said, she made tea from fever grass, which had a yellow root, "ya see,'' that she would boil in hot water.

"She gave us (the family) a couple of doses, and it would clean our system, jack,'' he said, laughing. "It was medicine, 'ya see.''

Porter made his way to Newark by bus when he couldn't afford the $65 tuition to continue his studies in bookkeeping and accounting at Edward Waters College in Jacksonville, Fla.

He found a job in Belleville at Lightolier, a maker of light fixtures for two months, but had to leave the light fixture manufacturing company when the military drafted him in November 1953. After a two-year army stint, Porter, a private first class, returned to Lightolier and stayed with the company 42 years, retiring as a supervisor in the shipping department.

Longevity agrees with this man. The parents of four college educated daughters, Porter and his wife, Ollie, a Newark school teacher for 42 years, have been married 60 years. He's been a member of St. James AME Church in Newark for the same amount of time.

"I'm a church man. I believe in the almighty,'' said Porter, who recalled his religious upbringing.

He was the church superintendent at age 12, and taught Sunday school after ringing the church bell at Henshaw Chapel AME Church in Cottondale.

 MORE CARTER: Newark's West Side HS is a special champ to Morristown-Beard coach who is fighting cancer

"I used to love ringing that bell,'' he said. "It would bring the people out to church.''

His loyalty to God extends to his loyalty for this country. An American flag flies daily from his home, and he still has his army uniform well-preserved under plastic.

"I'm a good citizen,'' he said.  "Everybody should be flying the flag.''

Everybody should be a good neighbor like you, Eddie Porter.

He can't stand walking over debris, so he'll get out there as needed and clean. It keeps him active, gives him a purpose.

"I get out there and get that fresh air and keep my body moving,'' Porter said.

He was out there Tuesday with his snow blower doing a little bit at a time, being that example.

"I love the neighborhood,'' he said. "It's my home.

He didn't say, "ya see,'' that time.

But, yes, I do.

Barry Carter: (973) 836-4925 or bcarter@starledger.com or nj.com barry carter or follow him on Twitter @BarryCarterSL

Pint-sized pit bull mix suffered abuse

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MONTCLAIR -- Zolly is a 3-year-old American Staffordshire terrier mix in the care of Paws Montclair. A small dog, sometimes referred to as a "pocket pittie," she suffered some abuse and neglect in the past. She is being treated for heartworm but is otherwise healthy. Zolly, who loves affection, would do best in a quiet home. She has been spayed...

ex0319pet.jpgZolly 

MONTCLAIR -- Zolly is a 3-year-old American Staffordshire terrier mix in the care of Paws Montclair.

A small dog, sometimes referred to as a "pocket pittie," she suffered some abuse and neglect in the past. She is being treated for heartworm but is otherwise healthy.

Zolly, who loves affection, would do best in a quiet home. She has been spayed and is up-to-date on shots.

For more information on Zolly, call 973-746-5212 or go to pawsmontclair.org. PAWS is a nonprofit rescue group serving the Montclair area, currently caring for more than 100 cats and five dogs.

Shelters interested in placing a pet in the Paw Print adoption column or submitting news should call 973-836-4922 or email essex@starledger.com.

Greg Hatala may be reached at ghatala@starledger.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregHatala. Find Greg Hatala on Facebook.

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Rally for immigrants planned after fake photo caused panic

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Organizers are calling it the "No Hate, No Fear: Immigrants And Refugees Are Welcome Here" rally

MORRISTOWN -- Supporters of immigrants and refugees will be holding a rally Saturday in the wake of a fake border patrol photo that caused some concern.

Organizers are calling it the "No Hate, No Fear: Immigrants And Refugees Are Welcome Here Rally."

Participants will gather at 2 p.m. Saturday at St. Margaret's Church.

From there, they will walk down Speedwell Avenue toward the Morristown Green, and then to Morristown Town Hall, before turning around and returning to the church.

Wind of the Spirit, an immigrant resource center, posted an overview of the rally on its Facebook page.

"This rally will beat to the tune of human rights and sing the song of a diversity that made the United States the beautiful & culturally brilliant country it is today. The present threat is great enough, and the times tumultuous enough, that we can no longer sit back," it read.

Rally organizers are also urging the town to adopt a resolution declaring Morristown a "fair and welcoming community" to immigrants.

At least 11 other municipalities in New Jersey have adopted the resolution, including Madison on Feb. 6.

The fake border patrol picture, which emerged about three weeks ago, appeared to show authorities arresting someone in front of a local business. The image was actually a fake compiled by putting two separate photos from different times and places together.

It was condemned by four town officials -- Mayor Tim Dougherty, Morristown Police Chief Peter Demnitz, Council President Stefan Armington and David Silva, a church pastor and the town's official liaison to the Hispanic community -- at a March 1 press conference.

Dougherty reiterated that town police officers are not, and will not, perform the work of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, under what is known as the the ICE 287(g) program.

According to the 2010 Census, about one-third of the population of Morristown is Hispanic. 

Rob Jennings may be reached at rjennings@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @RobJenningsNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook

 

Boys Basketball Tournament of Champions: Quarterfinal previews and more

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Complete guide to the 2017 T of C

The 2017 Tournament of Champions is set to tip off this Friday. The original starting date was Wednesday, but the tournament was postponed due to Tuesday's snowstorm.


MORE: 10 key factors in the T of C


KEY LINKS:
• Schedule & seeds 
• Bracket 
History of the TOC 
• Met the teams

Quarterfinals
Friday, March 17 at Pine Belt Arena
Preview: Don Bosco Prep vs. Verona; 5:30
Preview: Teaneck vs. West Side, 7:30

Richard Greco may be reached at rgreco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @RichardGrecohs. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Montclair man was selling drugs in Newark, cops say

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The man allegedly had two loaded guns on him when he was arrested.

NEWARK -- Authorities have arrested a Montclair man who they allege was selling drugs in a Newark neighborhood.

Best.jpgRichard S. Best. (Courtesy Newark police)
 

Richard S. Best, 33, had 1,250 envelopes of heroin, 257 vials of cocaine, two loaded handguns, ammunition, and various items used to weigh and distribute drugs, when police arrested him Thursday, Newark Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose said in a release.

The drugs had a street value of more than $9,000, police said.

Undercover officers found Best outside a building at Brunswick and Thomas streets at 10:30 a.m. while investigating residents' complaints of a drug operation being run out of a vacant apartment in the building, Ambrose said.

When officers approached Best, he tried to run back into the apartment, but stopped when they caught up with him, police said. He was arrested on a number of drug and weapons charges, authorities said.

Jessica Mazzola may be reached at jmazzola@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessMazzola. Find NJ.com on Facebook.


Authorities investigating Newark's 3rd fatal shooting this week

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The overnight shooting was on Court Street, authorities said.

NEWARK -- Authorities are investigating a fatal shooting overnight in the city, a spokeswoman for the Essex County Prosecutor's Office confirmed Friday.

Quinzel Ward, 31, of Irvington was fatally shot in the 100 block of Court Street at 3:41 a.m., Acting Essex County Prosecutor and Newark Director of Public Safety Anthony Ambrose announced later Friday. He was pronounced dead at the scene at 4 a.m., authorities said.

By 8 a.m., the area was clear of any signs of police presence or a crime scene. People walking on the street nearby declined to comment on the shooting.

The prosecutor's office is investigating the shooting. As of Friday afternoon, no suspects had been identified, officials said.

The homicide marks the third fatal shooting in Newark this week. A 17-year-old from Irvington was killed in a shooting Sunday, and a 62-year-old woman from Maplewood was killed in an unrelated shooting Monday, authorities have said.

The string of shootings comes after Newark reported in 2016 its lowest crime rates in nearly 50 years. 

Staff photographer Robert Sciarrino contributed to this report.

Jessica Mazzola may be reached at jmazzola@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessMazzola. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 

WATCH: Cops search for clothes-stealing laundromat thieves

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Police say two people walked into the laundromat at 176 12th Avenue last Friday and took people's clothes from the dryer. Watch video

NEWARK -- Police are searching for two people who stole other people's clothes from a laundromat in Newark last week. 

Newark Police said two people walked into the laundromat at 176 12th Avenue around 1:45 p.m. on March 10, purchased bags from the cashier and removed customers' clothes from dryers before leaving.

Authorities said one of the suspects was a woman wearing a pink shirt and blue jacket, the other individual was wearing a brown jacket and hooded red sweatshirt with the word "Eagle" in white letters. 

The duo fled in an SUV that was silver or tan-colored, police said. 

Newark Public Safety Director Anthony F. Ambrose is seeking the public's help to find the alleged thieves, who were both seen on the store's surveillance video.

Ambrose said anyone with information can call Crime Stoppers at 1-877-NWK-TIPS (1-877-695-8477). Any tips will be kept confidential and could come with a reward. 

Karen Yi may be reached at kyi@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @karen_yi or on Facebook

Man who crashed into school bus during chase is convicted drug dealer

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Abdul Williams hit the bus in Elizabeth while trying to evade police and then broke into a home, cops said.

ELIZABETH -- The man accused of crashing into a school bus and a minivan during a police chase Wednesday is a convicted drug dealer with more than a dozen arrests who was released from prison less than a year ago, police said. 

Seven students from the bus were brought to Trinitas Medical Center as a precaution after Wednesday's crash. The minivan driver suffered a sprained ankle.

Abdul WilliamsAbdul Williams (Courtesy of state Department of Corrections)

Abdul Williams, 31, of East Orange, was being pursued by police after he refused to pull over during a drug investigation, Elizabeth Police Capt. Andrew King said. 

After he crashed into the bus and minvan at 3:20 p.m. near Madison and Fairmount avenues, he ran away and broke into a home while trying to escape, police said. 

Williams is charged with eluding police, resisting arrest, burglary, nine counts of aggravated assault, four heroin possession charges and a marijuana possession charge. 

Williams previously served a three-year prison term for distributing cocaine in 2011 and heroin in 2012. He pleaded guilty to both charges, was sentenced in February 2013 and left custody in April 2016, state records show. 

Williams also pleaded guilty to a January 2005 charge of distributing marijuana. He was sentenced in February 2008 to 180 days of incarceration. It was unclear how much of that time he served. 

On Feb. 12, Williams was charged with marijuana possession. The charge is pending. 

Officers said they found drugs in Williams's car after the crash. Williams is scheduled to have a first court appearance Friday afternoon. 

Marisa Iati may be reached at miati@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @Marisa_Iati or on Facebook here. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 

Glimpse of History: A busy block in Montclair

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MONTCLAIR -- This photo of Church Street in Montclair was taken in 1952. The street is still a center of activity featuring restaurants, boutiques, coffee shops and art galleries. If you would like to share a photo that provides a glimpse of history in your community, please call 973-836-4922 or send an email to essex@starledger.com. And, check out more glimpses...

MONTCLAIR -- This photo of Church Street in Montclair was taken in 1952.

The street is still a center of activity featuring restaurants, boutiques, coffee shops and art galleries.

If you would like to share a photo that provides a glimpse of history in your community, please call 973-836-4922 or send an email to essex@starledger.com. And, check out more glimpses of history in our online galleries Thursdays on nj.com.

Greg Hatala may be reached at ghatala@starledger.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregHatala. Find Greg Hatala on Facebook.

Gallery preview 

Newark seeks volunteers for trained, uniformed auxiliary police force

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Newark officials are searching for volunteers who can support the police department during unscheduled events, disasters and to provide additional security.

NEWARK - City officials are seeking community volunteers to help Newark's police force.

Mayor Ras Baraka and Public Safety Director Anthony F. Ambrose announced they are bringing back the Newark Auxiliary Police Program that will train and recruit community members to aid the police department with crowd control, traffic issues and building security.

"Community involvement is an important focus of our work to make Newark safer," Baraka said. "The auxiliary police volunteers represent community involvement at its best: citizens getting directly involved in important police functions."

Newark welcomes largest police class in at least a decade

Members of the auxiliary program will be trained, given uniforms and some equipment. They will not be armed with guns, officials said.

The volunteer force will help police by providing security during disasters, unscheduled events or at government buildings or infrastructure facilities like power stations and transportation facilities.

Volunteer members will be trained on use of force, weapons proficiency, hazardous materials awareness and other areas required of police officers.

"Through their direct involvement, the men and women recruited to serve will be afforded the authority to work alongside police in keeping our city's residents and visitors safe," Ambrose said.

Those interested in the program may apply online at:npd.newarkpublicsafety.org/formsandreports. Applicants will have to go through an interview process.

For more information email: candidateinv@ci.newark.nj.us.

Karen Yi may be reached at kyi@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @karen_yi or on Facebook.

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