Civil Rights

A judge has upheld Iowa’s voter identification law, rejecting claims by an open borders group that the measure is unconstitutional because it makes it harder for minorities to cast ballots. When the group, League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), filed the

BY NORBERT RUG I am for the implementation of the Facial and Object Recognition System (FORS) in the Lockport schools. There I said it. I know this might be an unpopular stance but it is the way I feel. I

Erie County Sheriff Tim Howard attended what is being widely described as a “Klan-style rally” in Niagara Square yesterday, and it’s raising the concerns of African American elected officials and Black Lives Matter activists. The presence of three oversized Confederate Flags is drawing

BY BETTY JEAN GRANT On Monday, May 9th, 2016, the Contract Compliance Review Committee, chaired by BUILD President Charlie Fisher and County Legislator Betty Jean Grant, will hold a protest rally outside of the headquarters of LP Ciminelli Construction, at

BY A.J. BELL In the aftermath of a murder at the Erie County Holding Center that killed a healthy 27 year old woman named India Cummings on February 17, activists are calling for Erie County Sheriff Timothy Howard to resign. Howard

BY CHRIS STEVENSON Early last week Edward Berezowski , 54, was reported as found hanging in his cell by his jail-issued pants. According to the Buffalo News he died on Friday, August 17. He was said to have told deputies he was going

BY CAROLETTE MEADOWS As a parent of a Buffalo Public School student, I have filed a breech of contract law suit on behalf of my child in U.S. District Court regarding the Board of Education’s failure to comply with the Office

Cowardice asks the question, is it safe? Expediency asks the question, is it politic? Vanity asks the question, is it popular? But, conscience asks the question, is it right? And there comes a time when we must take a position

Charlie Fisher, the widely respected President of BUILD and longtime community activist hosted The Advocator with Nikita Williams to discuss ongoing efforts to force LP Ciminelli and other government contractors to meet minority hiring and contracting goals. LP Ciminelli has been unwilling

By Alberto O. Cappas As promised, on Tuesday, December 1, 2015 I did speak at the City’s Common Council hearing on the subject of “Contract Compliance Community Review,” regarding jobs in the construction trade as well as business and economic

The respected Eastside activist Charlie Fisher and County Legislator Betty Jean Grant — the black community’s most trusted and respected civic leader in more than a generation — are rallying the city. They are calling for a more equitable allocation of construction