After the Death of Rayshard Brooks, Atlanta Protesters March for Criminal Justice Reform

Currents News Staff

It was outrage and a demand for justice in Atlanta, Georgia after the death of another black man at the hands of police.

Protesters marched to push criminal justice reform after the death of Rayshard Brooks, who was shot on June 13 by police after a sobriety test.

On the morning of June 15 a march and a rally at the Georgia state capitol were held in support of Brooks, who was shot twice after police found him asleep in his car at a Wendy’s on Friday night.

After a sobriety test, an officer tried to arrest Brooks, saying, “put your hands behind your back.”

Brooks resisted, and there was a scuffle.

Witness video shows Brooks taking a taser from police during the struggle, and surveillance video shows him pointing it toward an officer as he ran away.

The district attorney said his office is still investigating the incident, but those taking the streets are demanding action.

“They should have done something different in that situation because they had several different options,” said Justin Miller, the attorney for the family of Rayshard Brooks.

This incident follows weeks of world-wide protests against police violence, ignited by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Memorial Day.

Floyd’s brother Philonise says the Brooks shooting is another example of what needs to change.

“Enough is enough,” he said. “You constantly see people dying every day, black people dying.”

The officer who shot Brooks has been terminated, and Atlanta’s police chief stepped down over the weekend.

But those who showed up at the capitol say that’s not enough.

“We need to hold them accountable, and we can’t stop fighting,” said protestor Hannah Gebresilassie. “We’re hurt and we’re broken, but we can’t stop fighting.”

Currents News full broadcast for Sat, 6/13/20 (Catholic news)

Currents News reports secular and religious news from the Catholic perspective.

Some of the top stories on this newscast:

It was a rallying cry at protests across the country and now many lawmakers are trying to make it a reality – defund the police.

Those calls come as summer violence flares up in big cities, exploding in Chicago.

George Floyd has been laid to rest, but the spot in Minneapolis where he died is now hallowed ground for many.

And the big apple is reawakening from lockdown, but for some it’s too late. Meet a small business owner who is determined to recover, but he’ll have to go at it alone.

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Should We Get Tested for COVID as Gatherings Resume? We Ask the Doctor

Currents News Staff

As economies reopen, we’re reminded the coronavirus is still here. And so, conditions change and questions remain.

Florida is one state that’s not alone in seeing a spike in new cases. It’s happening in many areas: Arizona, Utah and New Mexico all reported 40-percent more cases during the first week in June than the week before.

Is this because the virus is spreading, or is it because more testing is happening? What numbers should you be looking at to get an understanding of how sick your state is?

Many are now planning outdoor activities with family again, or vacations. Everyone wants to see loved ones again, and some are taking the precaution of getting tested before their vacation or event.

When should a person get tested, and how long does it take to get the results. Should you get it two weeks in advance, in case you’re positive and have to quarantine?

Meanwhile, protests are still happening, and now President Trump has decided to re-launch his campaign rallies. Should we be worried about another wave of coronavirus?

Johnson and Johnson are about to start human trials of a vaccine, but how promising is it, and when can we expect to have a vaccine available to the public?

To offer his insights and answer some of these questions is Dr. Robert Tiballi, an infectious disease expert with the Catholic Medical Association.

Send Currents News your questions about the coronavirus at [email protected]. And tune in on Fridays – the doctor could have an answer.

Currents News full broadcast for Fri, 6/12/20 (Catholic news)

Currents News reports secular and religious news from the Catholic perspective.

Some of the top stories on this newscast:

The nationwide debate over the future of the police is front and center on Capitol Hill.

Controversy swirling around Christopher Columbus and his statues has New York Governor Andrew Cuomo saying ‘hold on.’

A man who’s not afraid to get his hands dirty – he grew up on a farm. But now he’s slated to become a priest in the Diocese of Brooklyn.

People are back on the beaches in Florida – but maybe they shouldn’t be.

Coronavirus upended her family but it didn’t prevent a girl from finishing on top.

How This Student Found Faith in the Classroom & Became St. Peter Catholic Academy’s Valedictorian

By Emily Drooby

Samantha Chan has accomplished something many only dream of: she’s the valedictorian of her Catholic Academy.

“I feel pretty excited because I like school a lot and I feel like studying is a very important part of my life,” she said of her accomplishment.

Like children across the country, the St. Peter student has been dealing with the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. She has had to learn from home and miss out on typical school events.

Samantha was affected more than most. Her mom is a nurse — a hero working the frontlines of the outbreak.

Her principal, Danielle Alfeo, tells Currents News she learned of the family’s extra struggles while on a visit to deliver a graduation sign.

“Mom came out first and said, ‘Samantha hasn’t been out of the house at all.’ She says because she was so afraid that she was already exposed to so many germs,” Danielle explained. “She didn’t want her children to be exposed, either.”

Her mom’s job isn’t the only reason Samantha’s family was extra cautious. They also live with her grandparents.

“Because I don’t want to risk anything, because I live with my grandparents,” she explained, “I’m paranoid something could happen to them.”

But, she didn’t let these additional worries affect her school work.

“She’s such a phenomenal student but very quiet, very reserved, very polite and well mannered,” said Danielle.

The eight grade student says she loves to study, and that has helped her be successful.

Her Catholic faith has also helped during this time. It’s a faith she found while in Danielle’s fourth grade religion class.

“I wanted to become closer and understand more about the faith,” Samantha recalled.

She decided she wanted to be Catholic. Now, Danielle is her godmother and confirmation sponsor

“She always looked out for us in the classroom and she understood our interests, I felt like she was a good candidate for my godmother,” Samantha said.

She has a deep and ever-growing connection with God, and a strong work ethic. Samantha has also dealt with more than many kids her age, but she never let it affect her work. She’s valedictorian, and a role model.

The Road to Priesthood in the Brooklyn Diocese: Deacon Nestor Martinez’s Story

By Jessica Easthope

Deacon Nestor Martinez knows what it’s like to work hard. Anyone coming into Divine Mercy Church in Williamsburg, Brooklyn would say he’s a natural. But, looking back on his days in the seminary that wasn’t always the case.

“There were some moments you want to give up. I went to the seminary and the first three months, oh my goodness, it was so hard for me,” Deacon Nestor told Currents News.

But his work ethic prevailed: he’s now two weeks away from becoming a priest. His perseverance started at a young age while growing up in a rural farm in Colombia.

“You’re growing corn, beans, peas,” he explained. “You work throughout the day until 4 p.m. or 5 p.m.”

He’s the eighth of 10 children. As a kid he lived, worked and did everything with his family. He hasn’t been with them since coming to the states in 2017.

“Whenever they have internet they call me, we keep in touch with each other,” he said. “I keep in touch with my parents too. I try to call them every day,”

His family and dedication to the Church has marked his vocation, but he can also look back on a time when a church was not at his doorstep.

He recalls having “to get up every Sunday like at 4 a.m., and then prepare myself and go to Mass walking like 30, 40 minutes.”

Once Deacon Nestor recognized he was being called by God, he looked to join the seminary at a very early age.

“I wanted to go to the seminary when I was 14 but the problem was it was hard for my dad to send all of us to high school,” he said.

His parents were surprised, but supportive.

“When I told them they were surprised, but they reacted positively,” Deacon Nestor said.

Though each priest serves his community fully, Deacon Nestor’s mission is to bring families back together; he said that’s been a silver lining of the pandemic.

“I think through this pandemic, we are realizing many important things in our lives and one of those is family,” Deacon Nestor said.

He wants people to experience the same family unity he had growing up. So, as many families work on reconnecting with each other, Deacon Nestor will soon be building his new family in the Diocese of Brooklyn.

NET TV Honors The Graduates of 2020 Night 1

Join us as we honor the 2020 graduates of the Brooklyn Diocese’s Catholic Academies with special messages for the graduates from their principals. We all know that 2020 has been a challenging year but our elementary school graduating class has risen to the challenge. Many have faced personal hardship and loss in their families and all of them have needed to adapt to remote learning and distance from their friends. This program salutes their accomplishment and ensures this milestone moment of their graduation is recognized throughout the Diocese.

How COVID-19 Is Impacting the Future of Religious Pilgrimages

Currents News Staff

A religious pilgrimage is often the trip of a lifetime for many Catholics. Amid the pandemic, those dreams were put on hold, but that could be changing.

Now that countries around the world may have different travel restrictions, companies and customers are facing new concerns.

Bob Faucett, who is in charge of religious pilgrimages for the Unitours Company, joins Currents News to share how the pandemic has affected his business.

St. Thomas Aquinas Food Pantry Brings Community Together

By Jessica Easthope

Differences during these divisive times are put aside at St. Thomas Aquinas’ food pantry.

“I think this really helps with working together and bringing the whole community together and this is a small piece of what we can do to support each other as brothers and sisters in Christ,” said Father Dwayne Davis, the pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas in Flatlands, Brooklyn.

Support and food are in no short supply at the pantry. Father Dwayne says months into the pandemic the need is still great.

“We’re at 8,500 people who have been served at the pantry, this is our eighth week and I think this week that number will probably get closer to 9,000,” said Father Dwayne.

The pantry is a product of what can be accomplished when the community comes together.

“Right now, it’s really a community affair, we have the Jewish Center that does not want to be named that gives us the food and volunteers who come from all over to help us,” said Father Dwayne.

Ron Russo, a trustee at St. Thomas Aquinas, pays for the lunch for the pantry’s cache of volunteers – showing how strong the chain of community service can be when everyone plays a part.

“What’s more basic than feeding the hungry? You don’t need to be Catholic to volunteer, you don’t need to be Catholic to get a meal, the whole point of this is different communities joining together to help the people who need the help,” said Russo.

The pantry is one of the many ways the church has been a beacon of hope during both the coronavirus pandemic and a time of national unrest in the wake of George Floyd’s death.

Parishioner and volunteer Jean Odenate says, this work is at the core of community outreach.

“They’re all in line talking to each other, they’re not worrying about color,” Odenate said. “They’re here as a community, talking and enjoying the fact that they can come here and get food to feed their family.”

Currents News full broadcast for Thurs, 6/11/20 (Catholic news)

Currents News reports secular and religious news from the Catholic perspective.

Some of the top stories on this newscast:

Keeping the faith strong for kids in the Brooklyn Diocese, virtually.

A Catholic Church reaching out to people enduring the one-two punch of hunger and social unrest.

California police on high alert after a cop was ambushed and shot in the face.

More statues fall around the country. Now, Nancy Pelosi wants to sweep some out of the U.S. capitol.

President Trump’s next moves over policing practices. He’s getting ready for a new order.