Somali community questions surveillance

By Michael Canfield and Jacob Tierney
BengalNews Reporters

 It’s been two months since a leaked document emerged detailing the NYPD’s surveillance of the Somali community in Buffalo, and members of that community are still wondering why they were being watched.

 The document, issued on January 2, 2009, outlined several steps the NYPD had taken in Buffalo, including meeting with then Erie County Undersheriff Richard Donovan and discussed area schools with high populations of Somali students. It’s unclear from the report if or when the NYPD’s Security Intelligence Unit stopped conducting intelligence operations in Buffalo. It’s also unclear whether any arrests had been made as a result of the surveillance.

Lafayette High School was chosen for surveillance because of its large number of immigrant and refugee students.

 Several attempts to contact Mary Murray, the Erie County Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman, went unanswered, as did several phone calls and emails to the NYPD.

  The Somali community in Buffalo has a lot of good, hard working people in it, said Yahye Omar, executive director of H.E.A.L. Internationaland chairman of the Imams Council of WNY. If police know about someone who is involved with illegal activities, they should be pursuing that person. Where the line gets blurry, is when police don’t have a reason.

 “The thing is that, for no reason, they stereotype,” Omar said. “They say, ‘You are Muslims and you come from such and such country, you are a bad guy.’ That’s something wrong.”

 There are three types of people in the Somali community when it comes to the spying, he said. For some, it doesn’t matter. Others are more upset about it.

 “Some say, ‘Why us only?’ and some of them say ‘Why don’t we have the same rights and respect as the others?’” Omar said.

 The Somali community works with local law enforcement when necessary, and has a good rapport  with them. That’s why it was surprising to Omar to find out that the NYPD was watching Somalis in Buffalo. 

Mosques in WNY, like this one on Connecticut Street, were targets of NYPD surveillance.

 “We have local law enforcement here, and they know us, we know them and we work together. To come from another place and become involved, that’s a kind of ridiculousness. It’s important that the rights of those living in the Somali community are upheld, Omar said. "(The NYPD) can’t do anything they want, if the Constitution gives them the right, then they can do it.”

 Since the report was made public, Omar acknowledged that it might lead to people being suspicious of the Somali community. The community, however, has nothing to hide. While it’s not clear whether Somalis in Buffalo are still being watched, there isn’t a lot to watch, Omar said.

 “We go home, we go to the Mosque, we come back from the Mosque, that’s the routine that we do,” he said. “We go to the restaurant, we eat. If this is wrong, that’s another case.”

 Despite the concerns raised by the release of the document, the Somali community is ready to help if the NYPD needs them and has a reason to be there.

 “If they look up certain people, and think they’re bad, it’s up to them,” he said. “They have to do their job. If we have some people that are bad, we have to stop them.” 

Bicycling's popularity grows on West Side

By Elaundress Ballard and Christie Jok
BengalNews Reporters
   The Queen City is riding a phenomenon that is increasing with popularity while positively impacting the West Side: bicycling.
  Second only to motor vehicles, bicycles are one of the leading modes of transportation on the West Side, said Kim DeFlyer, the program director for On The Job Ministries.
  Bicycles are benefitting not only the West Side as a community, but also its residents and the environment. Henry Raess, community outreach coordinator for Green Options Buffalo, said bicycling is a positive form of transportation and exercise.

 Kim DeFlyer of On the Job Ministries talks about opening a bike rehab shop on Grant Street. Henry Raess of Green Options Buffalo talks about giving tips on bike safety on Colvin Avenue:


 “For the environmental reasons, there are no emissions,” Raess said. “It’s a healthy way to get around and burning calories keeps you fit. The cost is pretty obvious, you’re not paying for gas, you’re not paying for a lot of maintenance. If you do pay for repairs it’s very cheap or you can repair them yourself with simple tools.”
 Due to rising gas prices and the impact of motor vehicles on the environment, bicycles are becoming more popular on the West Side and across the country, Raess said.
 “You’re able to see your community more clearer because you’re slowed down. You get to see people on the street and it’s a lot more accessible to get around town,” Raess said.
  Not only can bicycles save you money, but also time, said Jonathan Petzoldt, a Buffalo State student and Green Options volunteer.
  “When I just hop on, I can go place to place and not really worry about the time it takes going place to place,” Petzoldt said.
  As bicycling increases on the West Side, there is an increase in demand for affordable bikes, parts and repair options, DeFlyer said.  Westside Wheels, a micro-company under On The Job Ministries, is a growing business meant to help bicyclers on the West Side purchase revamped and repaired bikes for manageable prices, DeFlyer said.
 “The average price for a bike at Westside Wheels is $40. Tuned up, tubes, everything replaced, ready to go,” DeFlyer said.
 Westside Wheels also offers children’s bikes for a reduced price, $10 to $15 with a free helmet included with purchase, DeFlyer said.
  Westside Wheels isn’t the only company taking part in the recycled bike business. Green Options Buffalo has programs too.  Green Options offers educational information about bikes and teaches people how to fix and maintain their bicycles, Raess said.  Green Options also promotes bicycle safety to children and adults, Raess said.  One program on the West Side sponsored by Green Options is called the Bike Rodeo. The program has an obstacle course and teaches kids how to maneuver on their bikes and practice proper bicycle etiquette on the road, Raess said.
  Children aren’t the only cyclers that need to be informed of safety regulations, here are five bicycle safety tips for riders of all ages on the West Side according to Raess:
 • Wear a helmet  • Get a bell or lights for your bike  • Use the proper hand signals for turning  • Be aware of your surroundings  • Inspect your bike for malfunctions before riding
 Edited by Anna Dinger

Men's stories cast light on W.S. homeless

By Jacob Becker and Edward Mazzu
BengalNews Reporters         

            Jose Calderon was born in the Bronx before his mother sent him to Buffalo to live in foster care when he was just four years old. 
            Jaye Perry was born in Buffalo and was raised by his abusive grandfather before Child Protective Services took him away at the age of 7. 
             Now, both homeless, Calderon and Perry have formed an inseparable bond as they navigate the streets of the West Side pooling any resources  and struggling to find food and shelter every day. 
             “I’m so used to the streets that it’s hard for me to cope with trusting people,” said Calderon, 37, who alluded to being ripped off countless times while looking for a place to stay. “I drift around to wherever I can have a good time and spend the night. I’ve basically been like that my whole life.” 
              Calderon, who is HIV positive, claims he has earned some notoriety on the streets of Buffalo because of his involvement with the HIV Starts With Me campaign that featured him on several billboards throughout Buffalo.

   

 

Jaye Perry and Jose Calderon, while currently struggling on the streets, once lived a better life.  Both men have now bonded together in hopes of one day having a place to call their own.

            “Everybody knows me,” said Calderon who claims he always has options for a place to stay. “I can walk to the corner and I bet you at least 100 people are going to say hi to me.” 
            Until he met up with Calderon about six months ago, Perry, 27, didn’t have that luxury. A former drug dealer on the West Side, Perry spent most of his youth in and out of juvenile facilities before eventually doing some hard time in prison. Both men admitted to having been molested several times as children.

            Most nights the two men walk to Friends of Night People, located at 394 Hudson St., where they are provided a free hot meal and a much-needed respite from a life on the street, even if only for a few hours a day.

            “The Friends of the Night People do provide a place for people who don’t really have much and have come so far,” said an emotional Perry. “There are people out here just like us who had the world and now they’re pushing bottles in a cart to get a cigarette and pay someone to let them spend the night.”

            As the two men layered up on clothing and prepared to head back out to the streets, they still had no idea where they would lay there head down to rest for the night.

            “We won’t know until the sun goes down,” said Perry, “But we make the most out of whatever we do, and try put it to the best use.” 

             He mentioned that the most common form of shelter comes by way of charity from friends and people they meet in their travels.

            Things, however, are starting to look up for the duo. Perry claims he is days away from securing a steady place to stay on Vermont Street and Calderon currently works weekends at a Tim Horton’s doing maintenance. They plan on moving in together and working hard to stay off the streets.

            Calderon, who seemed to be the decision maker of the two, vowed to lead a life that was crime free and where both men can earn an honest living.

            “Maybe one day I would like to live a good life, you know?” said Calderon. “We can pay bills together, go out to dinner or a movie, maybe throw a party or whatever.” Edited by Ann Hendricks

             

Chefs showcase 'dangerous' global tastes

By Katie Anderson and Danielle Wayne
BengalNews Reporters

 Fine dining in Buffalo will have an international transformation when Dinner with Danger joins forces with Journey’s End Refugee Services Inc. in a six-dinner series.
 On May 14, O’Connell’s American Bistro, located at 981 Kenmore Ave., will be inviting refugees in the area to prepare foods from their homeland.
 For the past two years, Dinner With Danger has been a unique way of exploring local talent through off-menu dinners. Organized by Michael Bernhardt, these dinners provide local chefs with the opportunity to be creative by offering unique dishes.
  “I create opportunities for chefs to go off-menu, with minimal risk,” Bernhardt said

Michael Bernhardt, organizer of Dinner with Danger, speaks about O'Connell's American Bistro as a venue for upcoming refugee dinner series:


 Each event in the six-dinner series will feature a buffet-style meal prepared by refugees who will represent their country with the food they cook. Proceeds from each dinner will go to Journey's End Refugee Services Inc.
 Bernhardt organizes the dinners but leaves it up to Journey’s End to select a chef.
 “We ask our clients or former clients who are good cooks or actual chefs to prepare foods that represent their country,” said Brian Brown-Cashdollar, development coordinator at Journey’s End.
 Many refugees participate in a culinary program at Journey’s End that helps establish both cooking and communication skills. Many refugees start out in the culinary field because it does not require much vocabulary, Brown-Cashdollar said.
 “To work in the restaurant industry, you need about 500 words of English,” Brown-Cashdollar said. “So, it’s one of the easiest industries for someone who’s just learning the language to get started in.”
 Congolese, Cuban, Ethiopian/Eritrean, Bhutanese, Sudanese, and Persian dishes will be presented to culture-craving foodies. Tickets can be purchased for $40 online at dinnerwithdanger.com.
 Some patrons of past Dinner with Danger events said it is a good way to meet new people and try new things.
 “You sit down, sharing a table with complete strangers and end up with a new group of friends,” said Rudy Witkins, faithful participant in the Dinner with Danger events.
 Witkins said that he is looking forward to the refugee dinner series and that it will be a good opportunity to learn about another culture.
 “It’s a win-win,” he said. “The refugee agency gets exposure to a new group of folks and gets a sizable donation. We get delicious food and the opportunity to meet people in our community.”
  The dinner series will also help spread awareness of refugees in the community, said Brown-Cashdollar.
 “The goal of this is to make people aware of the impact that refugees have on the West Side and throughout Buffalo,” he said.
 Bernhardt also said the fundraisers that were held to gather food and money donations for the series will benefit the refugees and help create awareness.
  “Many people are not aware of the extent of refugees in Buffalo,” he said. “It’s an opportunity to create new food experiences and raise money for a good cause.”
 he first dinner, on May 14, will be Ethiopian/Eritrean. The following dinners will be held June 11, July 16, August 13, September 17, and November 19. Edited by Jacob Tierney

Beekeeping on Urban Roots, city agenda

By Michael Hargrave and Shayna McKie
BengalNews Reporters

  Beekeeping on the West Side is going forward as the Common Council considers its legality.

  “So far there’s been a couple meetings (about beekeeping),” said Patti Jablonski-Dopkin, general manager at Urban Roots on Rhode Island Street. “But, no resolution has been passed.”

Catherine Herrick talks about beekeeping at Urban Roots:

  Honeybees play a vital role in pollinating flowers and fruit trees, and some businesses on the West Side, such as Urban Roots, are seeking to improve their urban farming yield by managing their own hives.

  “We have a hive now, it is empty,” said Jablonski-Dopkin. “It’s not warm enough yet.”

  “Urban Roots has tried to keep bees at its gardening center before, but the hive was not successful,” said Jablonski-Dopkin.

 At the moment, the city does not have anything on the books dealing with bees directly. The only reference to bees in any way is as insects, and any insect infestation is considered illegal within the city.

  As the agenda moves forward, the Common Council is considering proposals that would restrict people to keeping up to two small hives. As well as where those hives could be located on a property.

  Concerns with keeping bees near people are that bees do sting, and some people are highly allergic to those stings. Other concerns could be that bees are insects, and other health concerns arise from insects getting on food.

  Rick Thompson, secretary for the Western New York Honey Producers Association, said that honeybees are not inherently aggressive, but that they do present a certain amount of danger to people.

  “If you are walking in grass or clover, you could easily step on them,” said Thompson. “Then they would attack you.”

 Thompson, a 30-year beekeeper, said that the main food source for honeybees comes from flowers. Unless those food sources are in short supply, honeybees don’t usually bother people.

  “Honeybees are mainly after pollen and nectar,” said Thompson. “They aren’t like wasps, they won’t go after meat.”

  Thompson, who lives on a 2-acre plot of land on Grand Island, keeps two hives of his own, and doesn’t like to keep them near his own home, or other people,  in part because he because he wants to limit his liability. 

  “If somebody (in the neighborhood) gets stung, it was your bee,” said Thompson.

  Catherine Herrick, a 25-year beekeeper and board member at Urban Roots, keeps a small hive on her roof. The West Side resident   is one of a handful of Buffalo residents who keeps bees within the city.

  Herrick said her neighbors are understanding of her beekeeping and have told her that they have begun to notice their gardens flourishing.

 Herrick will be leading a class on beekeeping at Urban Roots on April 21.  She hopes to be able to show the people attending, her own hive. Edited by Elaundress Ballard