2020 has been a remarkable year, but 2021 promises to be a consequential year for Albany Common Council President Corey Ellis, too. Ellis spoke with WAMC's Capital Region Bureau Chief Dave Lucas about racism, policing, the pandemic and politics.
We've all been tested by the coronavirus pandemic in one way or another. Many of us have endured the technical difficulties associated with working remotely. That extended to the Albany Common Council meeting Monday, as frustrations boiled over.
Weeks before the city became the site of sometimes violent protests between demonstrators and police, the Center For Law And Justice in Albany released a report calling attention to systemic racism. Now it plans a community/government symposium this fall.
As Albany city hall was sending out a news release about the mayor and police chief hosting weekly conversations with residents, protesters swarmed a Common Council press conference this afternoon just steps from the mayor’s office.
An Albany civil rights leader says the peaceful protest of Saturday afternoon and the violence of Saturday night come from fears among African Americans that a loved one could be killed by law enforcement.
For more than two years, a Florida-based company has been trying to establish a blood plasma collection center in Albany at the Hannaford Plaza on Central and Colvin Avenues. The mayor and common council remain at odds over the proposal.
Earlier this month, the Center for Law and Justice in Albany published a report on structural racism and public safety in the city. Among other things, the report calls upon four city leaders to acknowledge the existence of structural racism in the police department.
A national Child Opportunity Score ranks Albany in its "Top Ten." But it also finds access to opportunities for children of color in Albany rank second from last on a list of 100 metro areas in the U.S.
Some new faces have been changing city politics in Albany, once famous for machine rule. One example is Common Councilor Dorcey Applyrs, who was a political newcomer when she ran for the council in 2013. She recently sat down with WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief Dave Lucas.
Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan took the wraps off her proposed 2019 budget Monday morning. Now, the Common Council and city residents are taking a closer look.