New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Department of City Planning (DCP) Director and City Planning Commission (CPC) Chair Dan Garodnick today celebrated a major milestone for “City of Yes for Carbon Neutrality.” The first of Mayor Adams’ “City of Yes” proposals. City of Yes for Carbon Neutrality is a citywide zoning…
“Blacks must boycott New York courts now,” attorney Alton Maddox, Jr. said in the Amsterdam News seven years ago. “It makes no sense for us to go into these racist courts and expect justice.” That same year, he repeated that demand during his testimony before the New York Commission on Statewide Attorney Discipline. Such a declaration was typical of a man who was known as the “Attorney at War,” and the “People’s Lawyer” who joined the ancestors on Sunday, April 23, 2023. He was 77.
Sources close to the family told the Amsterdam News that Maddox had been staying in the Bronx for over a year, and died in a nursing home on Saturday night/Sunday morning April 23, 2023.
In exclusive quotes to the Amsterdam News, both Mayor Eric Adams and Rev. Al Sharpton spoke about the passing of the man known as the “People’s Attorney.”
Mayor Adams said, “He was a legal genius who used his legal knowledge as a shield, and swiped to fight on behalf of marginalized people of color.”
Rev. Sharpton declared, “I’ve spoken to Charles Maddox to give the condolences of NAN [the National Action Network] and myself. I had not spoken or seen Alton in 20 years (2003) and we had our tactical and ideological differences (that he chose to make public), [but] now is the time to give our prayers and thoughts to his son and grandchildren.”
For several decades, Maddox was a hot topic for news agencies, mainly because of his take-no-prisoners legal practice and the controversial cases he litigated without compromise or concession. “I am the only attorney in the state of New York who has brought two special prosecutors to a case—Tawana Brawley and Howard Beach,” he often exclaimed. It was the former that got him suspended from practicing law in 1990 after he refused to respond to a grievance committee hearing complaints about his conduct in the Brawley case.
Maddox, Sharpton, and attorney C. Vernon Mason were a trio of lawyers who brought public attention to cases, especially in regard to racist attacks and police abuse. It was in 2000 that a jury found Maddox, Sharpton, and Mason liable in a defamation case during the Brawley case. Maddox vehemently defied the verdict and refused to pay “one red cent” of the damage award.
“My parents would never let me work for white people as I was growing up because they didn’t want me exposed to that way of instilling the racial superiority of whites,” Maddox told the New York Times in 1987. That early training and attitude characterized his courtroom demeanor and his activism, which were inseparably linked.
Born on July 21, 1945 in Inkster, Michigan, an all-Black town on the outskirts of Detroit, Maddox grew up in Newnan, Georgia. He attended Howard University, where he earned his bachelor of arts degree in 1967 and then a juris doctorate from Boston College in 1971.
Before gaining notoriety in the Tawana Brawley case, in which she stated she was abducted and raped, Maddox represented Michael Stewart, an emerging artist, who died in police custody in 1983. Later, he was the attorney for Cedric Sandiford and the family of Michael Griffith, who was killed on the Belt freeway while fleeing a white mob. Maddox accused the NYPD and Black Commissioner Benjamin Ward of a cover-up.
Each case enhanced Maddox’s expanding reputation, and in rapid succession, his clients included the family of Yusuf Hawkins; Michael Briscoe, who was arrested along with others accused in the Central Park jogger case in which he was found innocent; he even represented Sharpton, who faced a 67-count indictment alleging fraud and theft. Sharpton was acquitted.
All this occurred while Maddox was enduring charges about his professional behavior in and out of court. He continued to host weekly meetings of his United African Movement at several locations in Brooklyn, including the Slave Theater and subsequently in Harlem at the Cotton Club. These were popular gatherings where Maddox had a bully pulpit to expound on current issues as well as Black history, particularly from a legal and political perspective. Indispensable to these lively sessions was his wife, Leola, who died in 2017.
Over the last several years, Maddox was less visible and there were reports he had moved back to Georgia, although now and then, word would come about his ongoing fight for civil and human rights in various speaking engagements. But there was very little account of any fresh courtroom battles.
“They don’t want me back in the courtroom,” he often said, “because they don’t want any more butt whippings.” He would say this with a smile on his face and the brash refusal to bite his tongue or to curtail his desire to speak truth to power. “No justice, no peace” was his mantra and war cry.
John Walker, long-time moderator of Maddox’s United African forum, told the AmNews, “There’s not a professional, legal person who did not benefit from the influence of attorney Alton Maddox, with his professionalism and master ability.
His skills traversed the international arena. He was a dedicated asset to our community. He will be missed, but students and activists will forever be able to study his devastatingly effective court decorum. His delivery was a masterclass.”
“Attorney Alton Maddox united the Black world, he wanted us to understand human rights. He worked with all the grassroots community leaders and groups,” said long-time activist Veronica Phillips-Nickey. “He was Dr. John Henrik Clarke’s attorney. He invited local, national, and international speakers to his United African Forum at Harlem’s Oberia Dempsey Center and the Slave Theater in Harlem.”
Reminiscing fondly, the original UAM member added, “Attorney Maddox brought us to the courtroom in cases, and taught about the double meanings of legalese.There are many students who went to law school because of Alton Maddox. He loved his people so much that he gave free classes to students.”
Nickey concluded, “After the Central Park Five case, his dear wife Leola sent up the summer camp at Peg Leg Bates Freedom Retreat in Kerhonkson, New York. There he taught our children how to defend themselves in court, and life skills with healthy food and fresh air. He was a magnificent man who left us a great blueprint for freedom to follow.”
Maddox associates told the AmNews that his son Charles Maddox will be taking the body of Alton Maddox back to Georgia. The AmNews learnt just before press time that there will be a viewing on Monday, May 1, at Harlem’s Abyssinian Baptist Church (132 W 138th Street) with viewing at 10 a.m., and service at 11 a.m.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams today released New York City’s $106.7 billion Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) Executive Budget. Mayor Adams unveiled the largest Executive Budget in city history to protect critical programs that support working New Yorkers, while simultaneously preparing for economic headwinds by continuing his strong track record of fiscal responsibility. The budget also…
An FHA mortgage is something that private lenders offer to people who have trouble getting a mortgage from banks and other lenders. An FHA mortgage is insured by the government, so lenders don’t mind taking a risk on buyers with a poor credit rating or lots of debt. AN FHA loan also requires a lower…
Thursday-Saturday, May 4th, 5th, 6th, 7:30PM, Nia Love Undercurrents at Harlem Stage
150 Convent Avenue by 135th Street, Tickets $25. Bessie and Herb Alpert Award-winning dancer, choreographer, and Harlem Stage WaterWorks Established Artist, nia love, and her collaborators present UNDERcurrents..This multi-media performance and research platform invites audiences to probe the seam between catastrophic history and quotidian memory and tend the textures of generational care. Seats are still available so get them while you can at the Harlem Stage site: LINK
Harlem Bespoke: Harry Belafonte is a true son of Harlem who celebrated his 96th birthday on March 1st but an announcement has been made this week that the Hollywood legend has passed away. While most of the notable uptown icons from the Renaissance years came from elsewhere, Belafonte was actually born in Harlem during the 1920s and would eventually become one of the first African American male superstars by the 1950s. The world would quickly take notice of the leading man’s dashing looks from his Caribbean heritage which also included Scottish and Jewish grandparents. These natural attributes along with being a recording artist that introduced audiences to Calypso music would catapult the young performer into the film industry with leading ladies such as Dorothy Dandridge and Joan Fontaine. The icon would eventually become a vocal activist for civil rights and still has not slowed down later in life. In honor of the entertainer’s achievements, New York City has named the 115th Street library after the icon this past month: LINK
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and legislative leaders were looking at ways to crack down on illicit pot shops threatening the state’s fledgling legal market for recreational marijuana as part of negotiations on the overdue budget.
Hochul, a Democrat, told reporters at the state Capitol on Tuesday that she expected the budget negotiations to wrap up soon. It was due April 1.
“Its been a long process,” she said. “I do see a path to ramp up the state budget, perhaps as early as the end of this week.”
Hundreds of unauthorized pot shops have opened in New York City — competing with legal dispensaries whose products are heavily taxed. The illicit stores and trucks have been multiplying even as New York slowly works to get its legal market established.
Hochul said she wants to give state tax officials and the Office of Cannabis Management enforcement tools to shut down or fine illegal pot shops, a proposal outlined in a bill she unveiled last month.
“We are trying so hard to stand up to the illegal industry. This is not easy to do. But when you set up these businesses to fail already because of illegal competition, we have to take some dramatic steps now,” Hochul said.
Legislators missed the deadline for adopting a state budget in part because of disagreements over the governor’s proposals to change bail rules and her ambitious plan to spur the creation of 800,000 new homes statewide over the next ten years. It’s common in New York for policy issues to be included in state budgets.
Hochul’s housing plan was ejected from the budget amid opposition from suburban lawmakers concerned about local zoning mandates. Hochul said she will push some of her plan’s elements this legislative session after the budget is passed.
Hochul’s proposed budget includes a change to the current bail law to give judges greater discretion by removing the “least restrictive means” standard to ensure a defendant returns to court. Hochul describes it as a clarification of guidelines, but liberal lawmakers have resisted further changes to the state’s bail law.
Hochul declined to comment on whether an agreement had been reached on bail, but said she is “satisfied with where we are today.”
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Michael Hill in Albany, New York contributed to this report.
Maysoon Khan is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Maysoon Khan on Twitter.
Sunday, May 7th from 1:00PM-3:00PM, Tour Inside Highbridge Tower, West 174th Street and Amsterdam Avenue. Join the Urban Park Rangers on a tour inside the iconic Highbridge Water Tower to learn about the history of New York City’s water supply and enjoy the panoramic views from the top of the 200 foot tower.Free and open to the public with no registration required! Arrive between 1:00PM and 2:45PM, to gain admittance. Get more details and also register in advance on the NYC Parks site: LINK
Harlem Bespoke: Number 345 West 121st Street arrived on the market for $3.885 million and is on a beautiful, architecturally intact brownstone block (shown above) by Morningside Park. The two-family townhouse with a garden rental unit has been nicely renovated with quite a few original details fully restored. This prime address is close to the lower FDB corridor, Morningside Park and express trains make the location desirable. More details, photos and contact information can be found on Streeteasy: LINK
Earth Day has been going strong since 1970. This Saturday New York City unveiled another long-term climate plan to protect the environment and promote a green economy.
Mayor Eric Adams has started a few green initiatives, including planting trees in heat vulnerable areas as well as investing in 300 miles of nature trails in parks, solar panels on schools, energy efficient buildings for Local Law 97 compliance, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and more electric vehicles and weatherized bike storage. There’s also a big push for new training programs to grow green jobs, like tree climbers and pruners.
“I say over and over again, we have two mothers. One gave birth to us, the other sustained us. The same love and nurturing that we show the mom that gave birth to us, let’s show it to the one that sustains us,” said Adams at a series of Earth Day events this past weekend. “Mother Earth is here, is going to continue to be a part of who we are and we have to ensure that we give it the treatment that she deserves.”
PlaNYC is the Mayor’s sustainability plan. It aims to connect residents with nature and to show how investing in open spaces will improve equity, social resilience, and health. PlaNYC builds off of former Mayor Bill de Blasio’s climate plan from 2007 that included congestion pricing.
The city said this is the fifth in a series of climate plans set to be released every four years by local law, and was developed with input from a coalition of city agencies in the New York City Climate Cabinet and the Sustainability Advisory Board.
Comptroller Brad Lander, at a separate press conference, said that 89% of the electricity that the city uses comes from burning fossil fuels. He said it’s necessary to convert resources entirely to clean and renewable energy in the future, not just for public spaces but for homeowners too. “We have seen in Superstorm Sandy and Hurricane Ida what it looks like to lose New Yorkers’ lives to the climate crisis. And those events have cost us already billions of dollars,” said Lander.
Various city agencies, including Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS), Department of Transportation (DOT), and Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), have already announced their contributions to combatting the climate crisis.
The city received $10.1 million in federal grants to help electrify its vehicle fleet and has taken steps to reduce carbon emissions from food production and consumption. About 61,000 people are employed in energy efficiency industries across the five boroughs, and the city will spend about $20 to $30 billion in retrofitting buildings by 2030, according to Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi.
Just recently, the Department of City Planning (DCP) began reviewing the first of 17 policy proposals the city made to modernize zoning regulations to support climate goals under the City of Yes for Carbon Neutrality amendment. The rest of the proposals aim to remove barriers to building more greener energy buildings, transit, water, and waste systems.
“New Yorkers have been witnesses to the rising sea levels and more intense storms that climate change is bringing to the five boroughs, and the City of Yes for Carbon Neutrality will help them do their part to slow this trend,” said DEP Commissioner and Chief Climate Officer Rohit T. Aggarwala in a statement. “By removing outdated regulations, we will help to expand the use of solar energy, electric vehicles, building electrification, and a circular economy for organic waste, all of which will help to slow climate change.”
For the most part, environmental community justice groups are hopeful about the strategy as looming state climate goals that need to be zero emissions by 2030, draw closer.
“As an organization rooted in the South Bronx, an epicenter of pollution and environmental justice, we are hopeful about PlaNYC and the benefits it would bring to frontline communities in the form of cleaner air, more open green space, and accessible green workforce trainings, among other things,” said South Bronx Unite Executive Director Arif Ullah.
Sonal Jessel, director of policy at WE ACT for Environmental Justice, said in a statement that she was excited about the plan, but also pointed out the city still has “dismal ratings for ozone levels in the air.”
“This results from the fact that most sources of pollution, like industrial facilities and bus depots, have been placed in communities of color, turning them into sacrifice zones,” said Jessel.
She advocated that the state pass the Cumulative Impacts law, which cuts down on issuing permits for projects that would potentially pollute communities of color. Jessel said it was unsurprising that Black and brown neighborhoods got hit hard by COVID-19 since many of the same communities have suffered “adverse health impacts of air pollution.”
State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins also doubled down on her support for passing the Cumulative Impacts law to advance environmental justice, and recently advanced bills that will protect the state’s waterways from pollution and help support local efforts to remove lead pipes from New York’s water supply.
“New York is continuing to lead the nation on climate action and sustainable practices, with this package of legislation being the latest example of our commitment to the fight,” said Stewart-Cousins in a statement. “The investments we make in our communities today won’t matter if there isn’t a habitable planet tomorrow. That’s why we will continue moving the needle on environmental protection and preservation, so that generations from now, New Yorkers can still live safely in the places they call home.”
Joshi additionally advocated for the passage of the Waste Reduction Act. The state needs to make manufacturers responsible for reducing waste and increasing the recyclability of packaging so that costs don’t fall back onto taxpayers in the city, she said.
Ariama C. Long is a Report for America corps member and writes about politics for the Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visitinghttps://bit.ly/amnews1.
