717 Shares
By Sharon Aron Baron
During Black History Month, the City of Coral Springs is recognizing Black individuals, businesses, or business owners who have positively contributed to the community with outstanding service and/or achievement records.
In January, residents were invited to nominate an individual or business. Categories included educator, public safety personnel, artist, youth under 18 involved in community service, adult contributing to the success of youth, or any Black community member, or business.
Here are those who were nominated.
Educator
Dr. Precious Skinner-Osei
Dr. Skinner–Osei, a Coral Springs resident of 10 years, has worked in partnership with the Coral Springs Police Department since 2017.
1/29/2021, 6 a.m. . Courtesy Photo
From tear gassing peaceful Black and Brown protesters vs. opening gates to White rioters, to countless fatal arrests of unarmed Black men vs. polite requests to put down the Congressional gavel, American history is clear: the color of your skin CAN determine your fate when faced with armed and unarmed law enforcers. And racist laws and discriminatory bans can protect the badge and not the Black and Brown victims.
Itâs not just the over-aggressive actions of police officers that resulted in the untimely deaths of Rayshad Brooks, Eric Gardner and George Floyd, but also the system of unjust and discriminatory laws that emboldened the officersâ actions.
State Representative Jose Batista (pictured) is one of the panelists for Thursday s forum. Photo: Reynaldo Almonte/Latino Public Radio
The Greater Providence Chapter of The Links, Incorporated (GPRI Links) is hosting a virtual community forum, Blue in Black and Brown Communities: Policing and People of Color, on Thursday, January 28 at 6 p.m.
The goals of the program are to explore the history and trends in policing communities of color and to identify strategies that can bridge the gap between police departments and communities of color in order to create the types of changes that lead to safer and thriving communities.
It is still unclear whether they broke the law or whether they participated in the insurrection.
Still, alarm bells are going off for some people in the city.
âWhat more can we do to help understand how deep the iceberg really is here?â asked Douglas Wagoner, a member of the Community Police Commission, a citizen advisory group which discussed the matter in a Zoom meeting.
âI can t think of anything that s more problematic for trust,â he said, âespecially at this already tenuous moment, than to find out that there are potential officers potentially involved in this attempted coup.â
Another member of the group, a Black officer named Mark Mullens, talked about colleagues who ve worn MAGA hats to the precinct.
Oswego Police to participate in CALEA accreditation nny360.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from nny360.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.