SUFFOLK CLOSEUP: County Legislature Looks To Restrict Exotic Animals In Traveling Performances

SUFFOLK CLOSEUP

By Karl Grossman

It’s a bipartisan initiative on the Suffolk County Legislature to deal with an unusual issue for the county’s governing body—“A Local Law to Restrict the Use of Exotic Animals in Traveling Performances,” it’s titled. The measure has been on the legislative table for seven months. One of its co-sponsors, Jason Richberg, said last week that his hope is that it will pass “by the end of the summer.”

Richberg, a West Babylon Democrat and former chief of staff and also clerk of the legislature, says “we’re working on the right language—making sure that all the i’s are dotted and t’s are crossed.”

The Republican co-sponsor of the bill is Trish Bergin of East Islip, a reporter and anchor for News 12 Long Island, elected to the Islip Town Board on which she served for 12 years and then elected to the Suffolk Legislature. She says she is especially concerned about such animals brought to birthday parties. “It is important that children attending birthday parties are kept out of harm’s way,” she said. “These encounters with exotic animals that have large claws and large teeth, and may also carry diseases, pose a hazard to small children.”

The measure begins by declaring that “this legislature hereby finds and determines that for profit traveling performances, shows or zoos that involve exotic, wild and/or non-domesticated animals are detrimental to animal welfare due to the adverse effect of severe confinement, lack of free exercise, physical coercion and the restriction of natural behaviors.”

It adds “this legislature further finds and determines that exotic, wild and/or non-domesticated animals pose an additional risk to public safety because such animals have wild instincts and needs and have demonstrated unpredictability.” 

Further, these “traveling performances increase the possibility of escaping exotic, wild and/or non-domesticated animals which can wreak havoc, seriously harm workers and the public.” And, to justify the Suffolk Legislature approving the measure, it says that “county government has broad powers to enact legislation relating to the health, safety and welfare of citizens.”

At one of the public hearings on the bill, John DiLeonardo, president of Humane Long Island, a wildlife rehabilitator and a Riverhead resident, testified: “My organization has long opposed the abuse of wild and exotic animals and traveling acts” and has been involved in “convincing Suffolk County venues to stop allowing exhibitors to”—as an example—strapping “toothless monkeys to the backs of dogs.”

Moreover, said DiLeonardo, with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus now moving to shows “without animals, and more than 150 cities and counties across 37 states having restricted or banned the use of wild animals in circuses and traveling shows, it has never been clearer that the public has turned its back on cruel and dangerous animal acts.”

Also testifiying, Joann Cave of Nesconset, representing the Humane Society of the United States, told the Suffolk Legislature that the society is “thoroughly in support of this resolution. There has definitely been a growing public awareness about the miserable lives that are endured by animals that are used in traveling shows. The animals spend most of their time in extreme confinement, and they are deprived of everything natural to them.

Spurring the introduction of the measure has been Sloth Encounters, a business in Hauppauge that has people hold, feed and pet sloths—slow-moving tree-dwelling tropical animals—and, according to an article in Newsday, offers “home visits.” 

On its website, Sloth Encounters declares: “We are an animal loving company. We love all of our furry to scaly friends. From regular household pets to exotic animals.” It goes on: “We are New York’s Premier location for Sloth Education as well as all animals at our location. The only place anywhere on Long Island that literally puts you in direct contact with our sloths.”

It adds: “Many states have laws that specifically prohibit individuals from keeping certain exotic animals—including sloths—as pets in their households. New York is not one of those states. In New York….you’re only prohibited from owning wild animals. Specifically, it’s a crime to own, possess, or harbor ‘a wild animal or reptile capable of inflicting bodily harm upon a human being.’ A sloth is NOT a wild animal.”

Bonnie Klapper of Sag Harbor, a former assistant U.S. attorney and legal counsel and a board member of Humane Long Island, said in an interview last week: “The proposed law seeks to protect both humans and animals from zoonotic diseases and injury such as bites. Currently, these wild animal acts are both under-regulated and under-inspected. They move from place to place making inspection almost impossible. The last thing the world needs now is another pandemic resulting from the interaction between humans and wild animals.”

Karl Grossman is a veteran investigative reporter and columnist, the winner of numerous awards for his work and a member of the L.I. Journalism Hall of Fame. He is a professor of journalism at SUNY/College at Old Westbury and the author of six books. 

SUFFOLK CLOSEUP: Legislators Vote To Hire Attorney To Block Migrants

SUFFOLK CLOSEUP

By Karl Grossman

 The Suffolk County Legislature at a special meeting last week passed a measure authorizing the county to hire an attorney to explore what can be done to block migrants bussed to New York City, mainly from Texas and predominantly Latino, from being placed in Suffolk. 

The vote Thursday was 11 to 6.

“Every day we receive hundreds of additional asylum seekers and we are out of space,” the city said in a statement last month. “New York City has done and will continue to do its part, but we need counties, cities, and towns across the state to do their part as well, especially when New York City is willing to pay for shelter, food, and more,” it said. “In most cases, we’re not even asking localities to help manage a quarter of one percent of the asylum seekers that have arrived in New York City.”

There are communities in the state accepting migrants from New York City. More, however, are not.

“Which counties are closing their doors to asylum seekers?” was the headline last month on the website City & State NY. The subhead: “More than 30 counties around the state have taken steps to block New York City from sending migrants to local hotels and shelters.” 

In Suffolk last month, the Town of Riverhead declared a state of emergency ordering that “all hotels, motels, bed and breakfast facilities, inns, cottages, campgrounds or any other transient lodging units and/or facilities allowing short term rentals do not accept said migrants and/or asylum seekers for housing.” As Newsday reported, “Riverhead Supervisor Yvette Agular contends an ‘influx’ of asylum-seekers would overwhelm schools and stretch town resources.” 

The difference between Suffolk and other areas in the state that are not accepting migrants from the city is that Suffolk has a very long anti-immigrant history—and in recent decades antagonism toward Latinos.   

Professor Christopher Verga who teaches Long Island history at Suffolk County Community College comments the situation today “is reminiscent of a not too-distance past” also involving “thousands of people escaping government instability, crippling poverty and pleading for asylum.” He speaks of “one historical group of migrants” blamed for, among other things, “taking jobs from U.S.-born locals,” and of “conspiracy theories that this migration influx was a plot to overthrow, to colonize the U.S.” 

In the 1920s, “Hate groups such as the Ku Klux Klan enrolled membership of one out of seven Long Islanders,” said Verga. In addition to the KKK’s virulent racism, “the biggest issue on Long Island was immigration.” A major foe of the KKK here was the Catholic Church, and he notes an anti-KKK demonstration a century ago, in 1923 in Bay Shore, organized by the Holy Name Society of the Catholic Church bringing together 40,000 people.

“Who,” asks Verga, “was this despised group of migrants? Answer: the Italians, and one of those many feared migrants was my great-grandfather Frank Verga.”

“Italian heritage takes pride in family history, but these humbling experiences always seem omitted or left out of day-to-day discourse,” says Verga. “The same biases and anti-immigration sentiment of a century ago are playing out again for this next generation of migrants. Knowing your history is having a sense of awareness and empathy for others with similar historical and contemporary struggles. Building on this forgotten past should develop solidarity among Italians with the busloads of new asylum seekers.”

Indeed, except for its original Native American inhabitants, this is a country based on immigrants. All should feel empathy. 

When Latinos came in any numbers to Suffolk in the 1980s, there was controversy over the demands by members of the Suffolk Legislature that all county publications be in “English language only.” In the 1990s, migrants from Mexico came to Farmingville for work in the landscaping, construction and restaurant industries and faced great hostility. A nationally-aired documentary, titled “Farmingville,” was made about the conflict. A Suffolk legislator, the late Michael D’Andre, said at a legislative hearing that if his town of Smithtown was similarly “attacked” by Latino laborers “we’d be out with baseball bats.”

In 2008 Ecuadorian immigrant Marcelo Lucero was attacked in Patchogue by seven teens led by a 19-year-old sporting a Swastika tattoo who stabbed him to death. The group, it was revealed, had for some time, as The New York Times reported, prowled the streets of Suffolk “engaged in a regular and violent pastime hunting for Hispanics to attack.” 

In 2015 a lawsuit was brought by the organization LatinoJustice accusing the Suffolk County Police Department of widespread discrimination against Latinos. It included shakedowns of Latino motorists by a Suffolk Police sergeant, later jailed for it. The suit was settled and a variety of reforms instituted.  

 
Karl Grossman is a veteran investigative reporter and columnist, the winner of numerous awards for his work and a member of the L.I. Journalism Hall of Fame. He is a professor of journalism at SUNY/College at Old Westbury and the author of six books. 

Affordable Housing Units Receiving County Funds Required To Have Units Available For Disabled And Veterans

 Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone signed legislation requiring affordable housing developments that receive County funding to set aside units for both veterans and individuals with intellectual, developmental and physical disabilities.   

 “Suffolk County has the largest population of veterans in New York State so it’s important that we support them in any way we can,” said Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone. “I am proud that these two pieces of legislation will not only ensure accessible and secure housing for our esteemed veterans, but also to individuals living with disabilities here on Long Island. Today, we take a significant step forward in our commitment to fostering an inclusive community where every resident has a place to call home.”

 “With the Legislature’s unanimous support and the County Executive’s signing of these two pieces of Legislation we are not only providing increased opportunities for those within our veterans and special needs communities, we are also paving the way for the rest of New York State and the Country to follow our lead when it comes to addressing the housing needs for these individuals that have been overlooked for far too long. Today Suffolk County recognizes and has taken a tremendous step forward in addressing the vital needs of housing by providing such opportunities to our veteran and special needs community members who are ready, willing and able to begin a life with the dignity and independence they all deserve.” stated Legislator Caricappa

The first piece of legislation requires any property receiving County funding to set aside at least 5 units for veterans, but no more than 10% of units in the development. Suffolk County has the largest population of veterans in New York State   

 Similar to the units required to be set aside for veterans, the second piece of legislation requires any property receiving County funding to set aside at least 5 units of non-certified housing for individuals with developmental disabilities as defined by OPWDD at 60% or below AMI and at least 5 ground-floor or elevator accessible units for individuals with disabilities. No more than 10% of units in the development would be required to be set aside. These units will be set aside in perpetuity and they must be spread throughout the development.   

 In 2021, County Executive Bellone committed $10 million in funding to develop new inclusive housing opportunities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The inclusive housing program provides wastewater infrastructure funding for community-based integrated projects that permanently restrict units within the project to individuals eligible to receive services through the New York State Office of People with Developmental Disabilities.   

 There are more than 14,000 individuals on Long Island with disabilities and the majority of them are living at home with aging caregivers. This new legislation will help the County meet the regional need to develop housing for people with intellectual, developmental, and physical disabilities.  

 Additionally, in an effort to promote veteran housing options, the Suffolk County Planning Commission will add a member to represent and advocate on behalf of the veteran community. Last summer, the Planning Commission appointed Stephanie Baldwin, Esq., to serve as a member of the Commission representing and advocating on behalf of individuals with disabilities.   

SUFFOLK CLOSEUP: Check Out SUNY Empire's LI Campus In Selden

SUFFOLK CLOSEUP

By Karl Grossman

In the middle of Suffolk County, in Selden, is the Long Island Campus of an extraordinary educational institution: Empire State University. Originally called Empire State College, it was elevated to being Empire State University in March.

As its website declares: “Founded in 1971 as the innovative campus of the State University of New York, Empire State University empowers learners from diverse backgrounds to achieve their educational goals. We have decades of experience providing educational access through online teaching and learning, individualized instruction, mentoring, and prior learning assessment.”

It is “a national leader,” it continues, “for high-quality, flexible, and affordable education. We stand alone among public institutions nationwide in our ability to provide impactful academic experiences to learners of all ages.”

The opening of the Long Island Campus happened in 2019. Dr. Merryl Tisch, chair of the SUNY Board of Trustees, and herself a former teacher, said then: “SUNY Empire’s new state-of-the-art campus will ensure that non-traditional learners…have access to the best and most affordable educational opportunities available that can advance their lives and careers.”

The new $14 million SUNY Empire Long Island Campus is on 6.6 acres at 407 College Road. 

I know SUNY Empire well having graduated from it as indeed a “non-traditional” learner compared to most young college and university students.

I first went to Antioch College in Ohio, and in the second year, in 1961, inspired by an Antioch internship at the Cleveland Press, especially the investigative reporting I saw done at the Press, I decided to get into journalism—immediately.

So, I jumped on my motorcycle, my girlfriend (now my wife of 62 years whom I met in our first weeks at Antioch) on the back, and we headed to where we were from: New York (she grew up in Huntington, I in the city) with my aiming to become a journalist. 

Soon, in 1962, I was a reporter at the Babylon Town Leader with my first big story investigating the scheme of Robert Moses to build a four-lane highway the length of Fire Island and pointing instead to an alternative, a Fire Island National Seashore, which became a reality in 1964.

I started at the daily Long Island Press in 1964, to focus, after seasoning by covering cops-and-courts, on doing investigative reporting and also was given a weekly column in 1969—the forerunner of this column. In the mid-1970s there was concern at the newspaper—of reporters who had been on newspapers that had gone down—that it might be in trouble, too. And I thought, I’d better get a degree.

I enrolled in SUNY Empire, graduating in 1976. The Long Island Press suddenly did cease publication in 1977, in its 157^th year. In 1978, I shifted to being a SUNY Old Westbury journalism professor and also began studying for a graduate degree in media at the New School.

At SUNY Empire I studied mainly with writer Gary Goss which included finishing a book reflecting on my experiences in journalism, titled “Front Row At The Circus.” My wife also went to SUNY Empire eventually leading her to become a teacher of English-for-Speakers-of-Other-Languages in the Sag Harbor school system.

SUNY Empire was a marvelous learning experience—a huge contrast from what would have been the conventional alternative: in my 30s with 18-to-22 year-olds in a classroom.

SUNY Empire was the vision of Dr. Ernest Boyer when he was SUNY chancellor from 1970 to 1975. It now serves nearly 15,000 students at 18 campuses all over New York State with 67 undergraduate degree programs, 22 graduate programs and a doctoral program. It also serves students overseas—including in the Czech Republic, Greece, Lebanon, Turkey, Albania and the Dominican Republic—seeking a U.S. college degree.

Last week, at a commencement ceremony for SUNY Empire in Albany, its sixth president, Dr. Lisa Vollendorf, declared: “Students, you are the first class to graduate from Empire State University. Thanks to the policy changes in the State of New York and the robust academic offerings we have at SUNY Empire, we made the change to university just a few short months ago….I believe that no other institution in the country offers the same high-quality, flexible, affordable educational experience that we offer at Empire State University. We are champions of equity and inclusion, and our faculty, staff, and leadership show up every day to find new ways to deliver on our commitment to access and excellence.”

She noted that “our youngest graduate this year is 19 and the oldest is 79, nearly 16% of this year’s graduates are over age 50, and approximately 15% are under 25, you live in 58 different counties throughout New York State, in 24 U.S. states and territories and in 17 countries around the world.”

“And most of all, please know that you are part of an alumni network that is more than 95,000 people strong.”

Check out SUNY Empire’s Long Island Campus in Selden. 

Michael Pepa And Raymond Hubbs Receive Top Honors In MGA Senior Net Four-Ball

Pepa, Hubbs Capture 30th MGA Senior Net Four-Ball

CORTLANDT MANOR, N.Y. (May 9, 2023) —

Michael Pepa of Smithtown Landing Men’s Club and Raymond Hubbs of Kings Park Golf Association earned top honors Tuesday at Hollow Brook Golf Club, posting a net 7-under 64 to win the 30th MGA Senior Net Four-Ball by two shots.

Pepa and Hubbs bested a trio of tandems that tallied net rounds of 5-under 66. Past winners Ralph Lombardi and Richard Koshar of Neshanic Valley earned second place by way of the team age tiebreaker, while Ralph Scocozza of Somers National and David Vermilyea of the Links at Union Vale took third.

The Long Island duo played consistently, carding four net birdies on the opening nine before adding three more on the way in for their 7-under 64. They had no net bogeys on the card for the day. Their best stretch came between Nos. 9-14, as natural birdies - one for each player - on Nos. 9 and 14 bookended the span that also included net birdies - again,