NYPD Judge Says Officer in Eric Garner Case Should be Fired

Currents News Staff

As of August 2, New York police officer Daniel Pantaleo has been suspended for his involvement in the death of Eric Garner.

The incident was caught on video and sparked protests around the country.

And for the family of Eric Garner, it’s been long overdue.

A New York Police Department administrative judge recommended that officer Daniel Pantaleo be fired following his controversial involvement in Garner’s death.

Police Commissioner James O’Neill suspended Pantaleo, and will have the final say on termination.

“Commissioner O’Neil, fire Pantaleo,” asked Emerald Garner, Eric Garner’s daughter.

Her father was confronted by police trying to arrest him in July of 2014. He was allegedly selling illegal cigarettes

The confrontation was caught on video sparking nationwide protests. The chant “I can’t breath” now repeats some of Garner’s final words.

The accusation facing Pantaleo is usage of a chokehold, a tactic prohibited by the NYPD.

“He didn’t use a chokehold, he was merely attempting to gain control of him,” said Stuart London, Pantaleo’s attorney.

The recommendation to fire him results from a disciplinary trial, but the question of whether or not a chokehold was used remains.

“We had a grand jury know that there was no crime, we had the feds say there was no crime. And now we have politics saying that there was,” said Patrick Lynch, President of the New York City Police Benevolent Association.

The Garner family now says they will pursue federal legislation that they hope would make using a chokehold illegal. “We’re asking for the congressional hearings,” said Garner’s daughter.

“There will still be a fight and we are up for that fight,” added civil rights leader Al Sharpton.

The officer’s attorneys will have two weeks to respond to the recommendation made by NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Trials, Rosemarie Maldonado.

After that, Police Commissioner James O’Neill has the final say on Pantaleo’s fate.

Bishop DiMarzio Looks Back at 1986 Immigration Law

By Franca Braatz, Allyson Escobar and Emily Drooby

Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio is committed to immigration reform, dealing with an area that’s been a divisive issue for decades. He and others discussed their views during a panel forum on Aug. 1 that was sponsored by the Center for Migration Studies (CMS), a New York-based think tank.

It was held in the offices of law firm Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson, LLP in lower Manhattan.

Besides Bishop DiMarzio, Donald Kerwin, executive director of CMS; Charles Kamasaki, a senior adviser with UnidosUS, a nonprofit pro-immigration advocacy group; and Sonia Lin, the deputy commissioner of the New York Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) were on the panel.

Panelists discussed the landmark 1986 immigration law as well as Kamasaki’s new book, “Immigration Reform: The Corpse that Will Not Die,” which explores the history of that law.

“IRCA (Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986) was an important law, because it was able to legalize almost 3 million undocumented people,” Bishop DiMarzio said.

At the time, Bishop DiMarzio was serving as executive director of Migration and Refugee Services for the then-U.S. Catholic Conference (now the U.S. Catholic Conference of Catholic Bishops) in 1985.

“It gave them status, and they were already working here,” Bishop DiMarzio said.

“I had just finished my doctoral dissertation on the labor and impact of undocumented people, how they impacted the market, so I was ready to defend that situation.”

Bishop DiMarzio agrees that the legislation “wasn’t perfect — there were a lot of people left out,” he said.

“They were trying to make it restrictive when it wasn’t necessary. The employer sanctions were very debated, but unfortunately, they never really were implemented. If they were, it would have cut down people coming, people could not work. But the business community didn’t enforce it. It had some downsides, but it was a benefit to many people.”

Bishop DiMarzio, who later founded the Catholic Legal Immigration Network. (CLINIC) and served as chairman of the USCCB Committee on Migration, was a key player in the passage of the 1986 law.

“He has served on international commissions where he has been the sole U.S. representative, for example, on migration policy. In terms of his work with the Catholic Church, he’s been one of the leading figures for over 40 years. And in the Diocese of Brooklyn, of course, it’s a great priority for him as well,” Kerwin told The Tablet. “He was a lobbyist and an advocate, leading the church’s work on behalf of the passage of IRCA.”

Bishop DiMarzio said that the current immigration policy is a “broken situation,” and that there has to be an compassionate, humanitarian and “orderly” way to fix the system, especially for those seeking asylum and who have a case in court pending.

“We just don’t want open borders,” Bishop DiMarzio said. “We have to rethink what immigration means for our country, and find the right rules to regulate it. We need a regulated system, because what’s happening now is people coming in an undocumented way, just walking in, which is not good for anybody. It’s not good for them, and not good for the country.”

U.S. Prepares New Missile as Russia Violates Arms Control Treaty

Currents News Staff

The relationship between the U.S. and Russia may turn rocky.

A senior U.S. defense official has said that the U.S. is preparing to test a new non-nuclear mobile-launched cruise missile, developed specifically to challenge Russia in Europe.

The move comes as the U.S. exits the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty that then-presidents Reagan and Gorbachev signed, placing limits on building missiles with a range of 500 to 5,500 kilometers.

“We can no longer be restricted by the treaty while Russia shamelessly violates it,” said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on one of the few topics where the Trump and Obama administrations see eye-to-eye.

“Russia has cheated or is cheating on treaties,” explained Defense Secretary Mark Esper. “Give the Obama administration high marks for calling them out and trying to work this.”

The U.S. has repeatedly claimed that Russia violated the deal. The defense official has said the country has deployed “multiple battalions” on launch vehicles that U.S. intelligence could have trouble tracking.

“The threat is not American withdrawal from the INF treaty, the threat are the Russian missiles already deployed,” said National Security Adviser John Bolton.

If tensions rise enough to start a war, U.S. officials say Russian targets would include European ports and cities.

Currents News for Thursday, August 1, 2019

On the newscast: A deadly new law is now on the books in New Jersey. Top Catholic leaders are condemning assisted suicide; Hazma Bin Laden – the son of terror warlord Osama Bin Laden – is dead. Hear how he was taken out; Sri Lanka’s top cardinal is demanding answers about the masterminds behind the Easter Sunday church bombings; And thousands of scouts are coming to see the Pope.

Watch weeknights at 7:00 pm EST on NET-TV in the New York City area on Spectrum, Optimum, and Fios. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to receive notifications about new content.

Christian Missionary Helps Bring Child to U.S. for Life-Changing Surgery

Currents News Staff

At George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Huston, nearly 120,000 people are flying and out of the country’s fourth largest city each day.

The city is also home to the world’s biggest medical center. On the last day of July, one plane passenger was taking the first steps of a journey that will change her life.

Having been horribly burned as a toddler and then abandoned, four-year-old Elvina Kolevi arrived in Houston for a new chance at life, thanks to the kindness of strangers.

Elvina was burned in an open flame at age two and left in a primitive village in Papua New Guinea. On July 31 she came home to people who love her.

Cletus Dillman, a Christian missionary with Aventist Aviation Services, found Elvina in her wounded state.

“You cannot ignore the pain, especially in a place like Papua. It’s very remote,” he explained.

For more than a year, Cletus has been working to get Elvina treatment for her wounds.

“I knocked on many doors around the world asking for help. The first person that answered my call was Ms. Hashmat from the House of Charity,” Cletus explained.

Hashmat Effendi is of the Muslim faith, and runs a non-profit healing home in Houston where Elvina will live for free for the next six months.

“We will teach her how to take care of a house, how to clean, starting from personal hygiene, then grocery shopping. We will teach her English. We will teach her computers. It is very exciting.”

Elvina will be the 275th child Hashmat has helped.

Texas Children’s Hospital has donated what will be as many as three surgeries needed to transform Elvina.

Still, it was expensive to bring her to Houston.

Dina Simmons came from Arizona for Elvina’s arrival,and is leading the slow fundraising effort meant to pay for Elvina’s flight, that of her caregiver Kuto and for another child still awaiting her chance.

“We’re excited for this life-changing thing, that Elvina is going to get the help that she needs,” said Dina.

First steps are often the most important, and the most critical. Now, Elvina who is half a world away from the only place she’s ever live, is taking her first steps for a second time.

If you would like to help, there is a GoFundMe available to help with Elvina’s travel.

Search “Fly Elvina and Kathy to treatment” on GoFundMe’s webpage.

Biden Faces Presidential Backlash in Second Democratic Debate

Currents News Staff

Coming into the July 31 debate, all eyes were on center stage. Viewers waited to see if front-runner, former Vice President Joe Biden, and Senator Kamala Harris of California would have a rematch of their clash in Miami last month.

The two had also clashed in the first debate of the week on July 30.

According to his aid, Biden came into the second night of debates with more energy, and more prepared with lines of attack against Harris as well as the other person standing center stage with him, Cory Booker.

In the end Biden stood front and center feeling the heat. He took on fire from just about everyone onstage, telling Senator Harris, “Go easy on me, kid.”

Right off the bat, he and Harris sparred on health care.

“Unfortunately, Vice President Biden, you are just simply inaccurate,” Harris told him.

“For a Democrat to be running for President with a plan that does not cover everyone, I think it without excuse,” she added.

Senator Cory Booker also deflected Biden’s attack on his own criminal justice record, saying, “You’re dipping into the Kool-Aid and you don’t even know the flavor.”

“I find it fascinating, everybody is talking about how terrible I am on these issues. Barack Obama knew exactly who I was,” the Vice President responded.

Meanwhile, Representative Tulsi Gabbard had her sights on Harris.

“You were in a position to make a difference and an impact in these people’s lives, you did not,” she told the senator.

The Democrats also debated issues like the climate crisis, racial injustice and immigration, with diversity on full display amongst the candidates.

“Kids belong in classrooms, not cages,” said Senator and Democratic Presidential Candidate Michael Bennet.

“The opposite of Donald Trump is an Asian man who likes math,” said Democratic Presidential Candidate Andrew Yang, as those in the back of the pack tried to make memorable moments that may boost their poll numbers and keep their campaigns afloat.

Those lesser known candidates have a higher threshold to meet if they want to be on the debate stage again.

For entry into the next round of debates in Houston in September, each candidate will need to be polling in at least two percent in four national or early state polls that are approved by the Democratic National Convention. They must also have at least 130,000 unique donors in 20 different states.

Queens Priest Uses Weight Loss Experience To Inspire Youth

By Emily Drooby

Father Henry Torres has been helping to motivate the youth of Saint Sebastian’s Church in Woodside, Queens to get in shape.

As the church’s Parochial Vicar, he has teamed up with their Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry, Christina Penaloza, to help their teens stay in shape with a summer fit club.

Father Torres knows just how important personal health is. After receiving a warning from his doctor about his weight and words from a friend who also had health issues, he decided to turn his life around.

“What really woke me up was the conversation I had with my doctor. I was almost 200 pounds,” said Father Torres. “[He told me,] ‘I’m doing my part as a doctor in the medical field to keep the kidney going, now you have to do your part for the longevity of it.’ It was a wakeup call.”

Before starting this new health journey, Father Torres had a record of medical complications: He had two kidney transplants, was on anti-rejection drugs and his blood pressure was starting to get high. Adding to that list, the priest who was born and raised in East New York also had a high-risk of diabetes.

It was time for a wakeup call. Father Torres got a personal trainer, and in the past year has lost almost 50 pounds.

“My doctor called me last week, excited, and he told me, ‘Your blood work is excellent, just lose five to ten more pounds and continue to do what you’re doing,’” Father Torres said. “I’m excited [and] I feel good.”

Now he is sharing his healthy lifestyle with the youth by motivating them to get outside during the summer months.

When asked what they would be doing if fit club didn’t exist, member Logan Ruiz said, “Eating junk food, hanging out with my friends, watching Netflix.”

The club exercises their physical muscles, but also their spiritual muscles. The group dedicates the last half hour of the club to discussions about their faith and how that connects to fitness.

For example, Father Torres said, “Discipline and consistency is important to develop your spiritual life and your physical life.”

This group proves just how God can move you in many different ways.

Cardinal Tobin, New Jersey Bishops Denounce Assisted Suicide Act

By Tamara Laine and The Tablet Staff

As of August 1, a New Jersey law has gone into effect allowing residents over 18 to request medical assistance in dying by receiving a prescription for lethal medication, if they have a terminal diagnosis of six months or less to live.

According to CNN, in April of 2018 Catholic New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed the Medical Aid in Dying for the Terminally Ill Act, which requires for patients to speak with a psychiatrist or psychologist to determine their mental capacity to self-administer the pill at home.

“After careful consideration, internal reflection and prayer, I have concluded that, while my faith may lead me to a particular decision for myself, as a public official I cannot deny this alternative to those who may reach a different conclusion,” Murphy said upon signing the law earlier this year.

New Jersey has now become the eight state that allows medically assisted suicide, something that all of the state’s Catholic bishops are denouncing.

“We must be clear. What legislatures now refer to as ‘death with dignity’ is legal permission for one to end their own life with a lethal overdose of prescription drugs. This new state law has become an answer to addressing one’s fear of affliction or suffering,” said Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, Archbishop of Newark in a written statement on August 1.

Cardinal Tobin also noted that the law now puts immense pressure on Catholics in health care ministries to follow their conscience, instead of being coerced into providing assistance that is immoral.

According to NBC, under the new law two doctors must sign off on the patient’s request for medically assisted suicide. Patients must request the lethal medication twice, with one of the requests being written and signed by two witnesses. The patient will then also be given an opportunity to rescind their decision.

Cardinal Tobin called for remembrance of the sanctity of life from conception to natural death. “Our Holy Father reminds us that we must never take a human life—even, or especially, our own, since ‘this is a sin against God, the creator,’” he wrote, turning to the words of Pope Francis.

In a July 29 Pastoral Letter, Bishop James Checchio of Metuchen, New Jersey noted how the new legislation will also pressure on older state residents.

“With this new law, the elderly could feel undue pressure to view this as an option to prevent being a burden to others, and young people will begin to think that people can and should be disposable,” Bishop Checchio wrote.

Cardinal Tobin’s letter acknowledged that concern, stating that “dying patients who request euthanasia should receive loving care, psychological and spiritual support, and appropriate remedies for pain and other symptoms so they can live with dignity until the time of natural death.”

Currents News for Wednesday, July 31, 2019

On the newscast: Who won the first Democratic debate in Detroit and what are Christians thinking of the candidates?; Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: the age old mantra is taking on a new look in Vatican City. Big plans there to clean up Mother Earth; What is it like to get married in the middle of a hurricane? Meet a Catholic couple that tied the knot; And Pope Francis makes a surprise visit to an old friend at her bedside.

Watch weeknights at 7:00 pm EST on NET-TV in the New York City area on Spectrum, Optimum, and Fios. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to receive notifications about new content.

Democratic Debate – Second Round Continues Tonight

Currents News Staff

Right off the bat, the big showdown on the debate stage wasn’t between Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.

It was Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren defending their progressive positions on issues like border security and health care, against more moderate candidates on the stage.

“I’m the only one on this stage who has experience in the healthcare business and with all due respect, I don’t think my colleagues understand the business,” said John Delaney.

To which Sen. Bernie Sanders retorted, “It’s not a business.”

With two top-tier progressives taking center stage, moderate candidates further back in the polls tried to make a case for democrats taking a different direction.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar said, “That is incorrect I just have a better way to do this.”

John Hickenlooper said, “This notion that you are going to take away private insurance away from 180 million Americans. You might as well Fedex the election to Donald Trump.”

Gov. Steve Bullock said, “This is an example of wish-list economics. It used to be Republicans that wanted to repeal and replace, now many Democrats do as well.”

Sen. Elizabeth Warren said, “Let’s be clear about this. We are the democrats. We are not about trying to take away health care from anyone.”

With a much steeper bar for the next round of debate entry, some candidates are taking one more chance to get voters’ attention on the national stage.

Marianne Williamson said, “Everything that we are talking about here tonight is what’s wrong with American politics.”

Candidates also touched on gun control.

Mayor Pete Buttigieg said, “High school is hard enough without having to worry about whether you’re going to get shot.”

And the best ways for democrats to defeat President Trump come next year.

Beto O’Rourke said, “There’s a new battleground state. Texas.”