FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM JULY 23, 2019 • BUZZ • THE QUEENS COURIER 29
Last week I went to One
Police Plaza to renew my
press credentials. I had
parked on Chambers Street at
the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge,
my jaw dropped at what I saw.
Th e desecration of our city
buildings and sidewalks — just
steps away from historic City
Hall and Tweed Courthouse,
home of the Department of
Education — surrounded me. I
had seen photos of the vandalism,
but seeing the words of hate
in person shook me to my core.
Th e majestic municipal building
named aft er David Dinkins
has been defaced, his name covered
with graffi ti. Th e word f***
was written on the pillars of the
building.
Th e people responsible for
the hateful words covering our
monuments do not seem to be
Black Lives Matter protesters nor
police supporters — they appear
to be people who simply hate our
way of life.
Who are these people? What is
their agenda? Why is Tent City
still there? Do we really want
a city with a decimated police
force?
Th is is no time for us to be passive.
Th e best way for us to fi ght
is through our vote.
Victoria’s
DIARY
Victoria
SCHNEPSYUNIS
vschneps@gmail.com
tweet me @vschneps
The ugly desecration of our
city and the loss of an icon
Rest in
peace
We lost a symbol of change this week when U.S. Rep.
John Lewis, an extraordinary force for racial equality,
died aft er a lengthy battle with pancreatic cancer.
I was moved by his courageous life. He started fi ghting injustice
as a young Black man in Alabama. He was told he couldn’t
check out books from the public library and it inspired him to
get an education, which he did.
His front-row seat leading the fi ght for racial equality started
with his push to end the Jim Crow Laws and didn’t end until his
death at the age of 80.
He sat at luncheonette counters that were closed to people of
color. He put his life on the line marching to Selma, Alabama,
over the now infamous Edmund Pettus Bridge.
Th e march became known as “Bloody Sunday” because of the
violence toward the peaceful, unarmed marchers.
Lewis is the last surviving speaker of the March on Washington.
Th ere, he spoke words that are chillingly similar today and asked
the question: “Is the government listening?”
Just days before his death, he was out on the streets of
Washington, fi ghting for racial equality. He never gave up.
His life is an inspirational testimonial that change can happen.
He once said: “We all live in the same house, we all must be part
of the eff ort to hold down our little house. When you see something
that is not right, not fair, not just ... do something about it.
Say something. Have the courage. Have the backbone. Get in the
way. Walk with the wind. It’s all going to work out.”
His words of justice resonate today, louder than ever. He recognized
that no change comes without the demand to make
change.
Th e Black community is continuing its fi ght for equal education,
health care and jobs. Now is the time in history to see it
happen. Th is is America, the greatest place on the planet. We can
right those wrongs. We must do it!
An icon and
activist whose
life changed
the lives of
millions of
people.
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