Latest news with #CurtisLee
The Journal
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Journal
Ballymena to host first ever Pride Parade weeks after headline grabbing riots
THE ORGANISER OF the first ever Pride Parade in Ballymena has said he never considered cancelling the event, despite wide-scale rioting in the Co Antrim town earlier this month. Ballymena made headlines around the world after three nights of rioting earlier this month in which over 40 PSNI officers were injured. PSNI said the rioting erupted after a vigil to protest the alleged sexual assault in the town was 'hijacked' by 'racist thuggery'. Curtis Lee, the organiser of the first ever Pride Parade in Ballymena which will take place tomorrow, told The Journal: 'The committee's opinion was that, no matter what, we're going ahead with this because to cancel would be to give into fear. 'The theme of our event is 'love over fear' so to give into fear would have went against everything that Pride stands for.' He added that it 'didn't make any sense to us to cancel it because of the actions of a few individuals' and said that 'a lot of the people that caused damage were actually bused in to Ballymena'. During a visit to Ballymena by The Journal in the aftermath of the rioting, a member of a 'local regeneration group' remarked that there were 'definitely elements of the protest on Monday night that weren't local'. Lee told The Journal that while 'there is definitely racism in the town, to tarnish the whole town with the same brush is unfair'. He added that 'Pride will exist here to present an alternative vision of Ballymena'. Advertisement There will, however, be protests tomorrow from four evangelical Christian groups and Lee said this was something they expected would happen. 'Ballymena is the birthplace of Ian Paisley so it was always to be expected that there was going to be counter protests.' One of the four groups protesting is United Christian Witness, and the other three are local church groups. Lee said he is 'disappointed but not surprised' by the planned protests. Meanwhile, in one social media thread on the upcoming parade, someone commented that as a gay person, they 'couldn't wait to leave Ballymena'. 'I never thought I'd see the day there would be a Pride event there,' they added. Lee said that messages like these are 'the entire reason of why we're doing this'. 'Just that one day of visibility in the town can be life saving,' said Lee. 'I've had messages from parents of young people fearful for child's safety and who struggle with their mental health and they're excluded. 'To give a platform to make them feel welcome and to be seen is so important.' Lee added that he has spoke to many older people who said they never could have imagined that a Pride Parade could take place in Ballymena. Related Reads 'Bricks instead of beer': Stark images from NI photographer tell story of the Ballymena riots I went to talk to people in Ballymena, and was told to make myself 'scarce' or there'd be trouble 'Racist thuggery': How a peaceful vigil in Ballymena turned into anti-immigration violence 'As much as Pride has taken off around the world,' said Lee, 'I think there was always the expectation of, 'oh, that'll never happen here'.' But while there have been many messages of support, Lee acknowledged that some of the responses have taken him by 'surprise' and have been 'incredibly toxic'. Lee said he has been informed of an individual who is 'putting leaflets into local shops and businesses, asking them not to support Pride'. 'He's telling them that if they support pride, he will encourage local Christians to boycott their business.' Lee said many local business owners 'have been fearful of publicly supporting what we're doing'. 'We would never judge any business, because there is some uncertainty of what the response will be and things could escalate, especially after the riots,' said Lee. 'I would never expect any business to put themselves at risk. 'As much as I would like every business in the town to have rainbow flags, I can't expect everyone to scream from the rooftops about it. 'I hope we can get to that place down the line, but with this being our first parade, we expected this.' Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
CBS News
19-05-2025
- Climate
- CBS News
Evacuation drill, seminar prepare El Dorado Hills community for peak fire season
EL DORADO HILLS - In El Dorado Hills, an evacuation drill was conducted to get everyone up to speed as red flag conditions were at the top of everyone's minds. The wind this past week and the heat picking up bring this high on the priority list. El Dorado County first responders went door to door for an evacuation drill. People who live here are preparing for the real thing. "I think in general these last few years we've had in California, that's jolted me," said homeowner Curtis Lee. Lee was one of several homeowners who came out to an evacuation town hall, including a seminar on safety to get people prepared for the worst. "I moved into the area a couple of years ago from Folsom, so I'm aware of the fire hazards here," he said. "My property has a lot of acreage to it, so it's nice to know what they're providing for us in terms of literature and help." "In a real evacuation, we would be doing that. Going door to door, making sure that people are aware," said Sgt. Kyle Parker with the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office. He said drills and seminars like these are necessary. "It's very important that people understand and know how we're going to contact them so we can contact them as soon as possible," Parker said. Lee said it's helped him already. "I have a good plan now, and go back and take care of the property and have a defensible space," he said. "One of them being pets. We have pets, and although we have a grab bag for them, they said to have a picture of your pets, that helped strengthen our grab bag for them." "It's a matter of when. We will have numerous fires this fire season, along with all the counties," Parker said. Officials want to remind you that if you're ever in an evacuation warning area, get things in order. Medication, important papers, and pets, because if it turns into an order, you never know how long until you come back home.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ukrainians who fled war and the US communities that welcomed them fear they may be uprooted under Trump
Sasha had only heard a little about South Carolina, and even less about the town of Hartsville, when he and his family moved there in September 2022. They were forced to suddenly leave behind their life in Kyiv because of the war with Russia. They are not the only Ukrainians in the 'small, rural community' where they have been welcomed and begun to rebuild their lives. 'For me, the United States, it was like a fortress of democracy, of freedom, of opportunities, and I thought, finally, finally, I'm in the place where I can begin my life all over again,' Sasha, who is not using his last name for fear of reprisal, told CNN. Sasha, his wife and his young daughter are among the approximately 280,000 Ukrainians who have relocated to the United States through 'Uniting for Ukraine' (U4U), a US government humanitarian parole program that allowed private US citizens to sponsor and help support Ukrainian refugees. Now, Sasha's family and scores of others who came to the US under the U4U program fear their lives may once again be uprooted, as decisions on parole extensions, temporary protected status, and work authorizations have been paused amid the Trump administration's sweeping changes to the immigration system. 'This really could be catastrophic, not just for the Ukrainian families, but for our community,' said Curtis Lee, Sasha's sponsor and a member of 'Carolinas for Ukraine.' A spokesperson for the US Citizenship and Immigration Services said there is 'an administrative hold on all pending USCIS Benefit Requests filed by Parolees Under the Uniting for Ukraine (U4U) Process.' 'This is pending the completion of additional vetting to identify any fraud, public safety, or national security concerns,' they said in a statement to CNN. 'USCIS is committed to safeguarding the integrity of our nation's immigration system and carrying out President Trump and Secretary Noem's mandate to make America safe again.' For Liana Avetisian and Alina Mirzoian, Ukrainian cousins who settled with their family in DeWitt, Iowa, that 'administrative hold' could spell the end to their American dream. They paid thousands in application fees through the immigration system but have not yet received temporary protected status (TPS) and the administration suspended processing humanitarian parole extensions before theirs were granted, their sponsor Angela Boelens explained. The lack of action threatens to leave them in limbo. Avetisian said she feels betrayed. Boelens, who is also the president of Iowa Newcomer Community & Exchange (IA NICE), said the community feels betrayed too. 'This community feels absolutely devastated. We don't know what we're going to do with all the home mortgages here in town, the people who are losing their valuable employees, their friends in school are crying. They had to hire a counselor at the school locally to help the children understand some of what's going on,' she told CNN. Boelens explained that the community 'had raised half a million dollars to buy transitional houses' for newcomers to stay in. Some have since been able to buy houses of their own. 'This entire community feels really hurt, and this is a very, very red community, they're in disbelief,' she said. 'So, they'll never step up again and help people like they did, because they also feel like they've been betrayed.' Sam Heer, who employs four Ukrainian workers including Avetisian and Mirzoian, told CNN 'it would hurt' if they had to leave. Heer said the community is committed to helping them with their bills. He applied for work visas for the four of them, but he doesn't 'have a good feel' for the status of those permits, he said. 'They're great assets to our community, they're hard working. They want to learn. They want to provide for their families,' he said. The town of Hartsville is also bracing for the potential impact if their Ukrainian neighbors cannot stay. 'They have become such an integral part of our community,' Lee told CNN, noting at least one company that relies on skilled labor from resettled Ukrainians. 'People just embraced it. And it's going to tear us apart if that happens.' Lee warned that the US government 'doing nothing will actually force many of them to leave.' 'They should at least give them some certainty,' he said, 'even if they just kicked the can down the road and gave them all a blanket parole and work authorization until after the midterms.' Lee, who said he is a registered Republican, believes the U4U program aligns with the Trump administration's priorities. Because of the sponsorship aspect, it has a relatively low cost for the US government. Boelens described the program as 'the right kind of refugee program, handled perfectly.' 'The US is not on the hook for tickets,' Lee noted. 'We are basically taking on the burden of resettlement,' he noted. 'Little towns like mine, we need to have people coming in, just from a pure population standpoint, and especially ones that are going to bring additional talent and diversity,' he said. The Ukrainians who came to the US through U4U 'followed the legal process.' 'They went through the background checks. They've done everything that they're supposed to do. They follow the laws. They're paying their taxes,' Lee said. 'For all this talk of, well, you know, we're going to get rid of the immigrants that supposedly aren't good for the US – that's not this group.' For the Ukrainians who may be affected, the specter of uprooting their lives again has already been traumatizing. 'I feel really bad about the situation,' said Mirzoian, telling CNN she feels 'nervous all the time.' Avetisian who came with her husband as well as her now 14-year-old daughter, and Mirzoian came to DeWitt in May 2023 from near Kyiv. They had returned to Ukraine after relocating for two months to Bulgaria at the start of Russia's war, but then in autumn 2022 found that life there was 'harder and more dangerous' amid Moscow's relentless attacks on critical infrastructure. 'No light, electricity, and it was cold, and we were sitting in our houses with candles,' she explained. When they came to DeWitt, they were welcomed into the community, where a couple of other Ukrainian families had also settled. 'People here are all so good. They really helped us,' Avetisian told CNN. Now, if they are made to leave, they don't feel that they can return to Ukraine. 'I don't want to take my 14-year-old daughter and go to another country and start there and learn a new language and make new friends and look for a new house. It's very hard,' she said. Sasha said he feels like he's back in the 'worst period' of his life during the war, where he felt like he was not in control of his life. His family fled Kyiv with just minutes to pack their suitcases after explosions near their home and separated for several months – his wife and daughter went to Italy while he remained helping build shelters in Ukraine. He heard about the U4U program through a friend, and the family quickly made the decision to apply so they could be together. They were 'a little bit confused and scared because we don't know where we're going, we didn't know what to expect,' said Sasha. Speaking over video chat with Lee and his wife, Barbara, who were their sponsors, helped assuage some of those fears, he said. Their concerns were further eased when they arrived. Now, Sasha has restarted his construction business in Hartsville, building affordable tiny houses out of shipping containers. 'He's invested a lot, not just in time and effort, but he has a rental contract for the place he's using to build stuff, he's purchased a lot of equipment,' Lee explained. 'I'm trying to not think about' possibly having to leave the US, Sasha said. He recalled that his daughter had just begun to talk when they relocated to the US after having to move several times. 'She had the same question all the time, 'Daddy, where is our home?' When you can't answer this question, I can't even explain how it feels,' he told CNN. 'A couple months ago, she started to call this place where we live in, she started to call it home.'
CNN
10-05-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Ukrainians who fled war and the US communities that welcomed them fear they may be uprooted under Trump
Sasha had only heard a little about South Carolina, and even less about the town of Hartsville, when he and his family moved there in September 2022. They were forced to suddenly leave behind their life in Kyiv because of the war with Russia. They are not the only Ukrainians in the 'small, rural community' where they have been welcomed and begun to rebuild their lives. 'For me, the United States, it was like a fortress of democracy, of freedom, of opportunities, and I thought, finally, finally, I'm in the place where I can begin my life all over again,' Sasha, who is not using his last name for fear of reprisal, told CNN. Sasha, his wife and his young daughter are among the approximately 280,000 Ukrainians who have relocated to the United States through 'Uniting for Ukraine' (U4U), a US government humanitarian parole program that allowed private US citizens to sponsor and help support Ukrainian refugees. Now, Sasha's family and scores of others who came to the US under the U4U program fear their lives may once again be uprooted, as decisions on parole extensions, temporary protected status, and work authorizations have been paused amid the Trump administration's sweeping changes to the immigration system. 'This really could be catastrophic, not just for the Ukrainian families, but for our community,' said Curtis Lee, Sasha's sponsor and a member of 'Carolinas for Ukraine.' A spokesperson for the US Citizenship and Immigration Services said there is 'an administrative hold on all pending USCIS Benefit Requests filed by Parolees Under the Uniting for Ukraine (U4U) Process.' 'This is pending the completion of additional vetting to identify any fraud, public safety, or national security concerns,' they said in a statement to CNN. 'USCIS is committed to safeguarding the integrity of our nation's immigration system and carrying out President Trump and Secretary Noem's mandate to make America safe again.' For Liana Avetisian and Alina Mirzoian, Ukrainian cousins who settled with their family in DeWitt, Iowa, that 'administrative hold' could spell the end to their American dream. They paid thousands in application fees through the immigration system but have not yet received temporary protected status (TPS) and the administration suspended processing humanitarian parole extensions before theirs were granted, their sponsor Angela Boelens explained. The lack of action threatens to leave them in limbo. Avetisian said she feels betrayed. Boelens, who is also the president of Iowa Newcomer Community & Exchange (IA NICE), said the community feels betrayed too. 'This community feels absolutely devastated. We don't know what we're going to do with all the home mortgages here in town, the people who are losing their valuable employees, their friends in school are crying. They had to hire a counselor at the school locally to help the children understand some of what's going on,' she told CNN. Boelens explained that the community 'had raised half a million dollars to buy transitional houses' for newcomers to stay in. Some have since been able to buy houses of their own. 'This entire community feels really hurt, and this is a very, very red community, they're in disbelief,' she said. 'So, they'll never step up again and help people like they did, because they also feel like they've been betrayed.' Sam Heer, who employs four Ukrainian workers including Avetisian and Mirzoian, told CNN 'it would hurt' if they had to leave. Heer said the community is committed to helping them with their bills. He applied for work visas for the four of them, but he doesn't 'have a good feel' for the status of those permits, he said. 'They're great assets to our community, they're hard working. They want to learn. They want to provide for their families,' he said. The town of Hartsville is also bracing for the potential impact if their Ukrainian neighbors cannot stay. 'They have become such an integral part of our community,' Lee told CNN, noting at least one company that relies on skilled labor from resettled Ukrainians. 'People just embraced it. And it's going to tear us apart if that happens.' Lee warned that the US government 'doing nothing will actually force many of them to leave.' 'They should at least give them some certainty,' he said, 'even if they just kicked the can down the road and gave them all a blanket parole and work authorization until after the midterms.' Lee, who said he is a registered Republican, believes the U4U program aligns with the Trump administration's priorities. Because of the sponsorship aspect, it has a relatively low cost for the US government. Boelens described the program as 'the right kind of refugee program, handled perfectly.' 'The US is not on the hook for tickets,' Lee noted. 'We are basically taking on the burden of resettlement,' he noted. 'Little towns like mine, we need to have people coming in, just from a pure population standpoint, and especially ones that are going to bring additional talent and diversity,' he said. The Ukrainians who came to the US through U4U 'followed the legal process.' 'They went through the background checks. They've done everything that they're supposed to do. They follow the laws. They're paying their taxes,' Lee said. 'For all this talk of, well, you know, we're going to get rid of the immigrants that supposedly aren't good for the US – that's not this group.' For the Ukrainians who may be affected, the specter of uprooting their lives again has already been traumatizing. 'I feel really bad about the situation,' said Mirzoian, telling CNN she feels 'nervous all the time.' Avetisian who came with her husband as well as her now 14-year-old daughter, and Mirzoian came to DeWitt in May 2023 from near Kyiv. They had returned to Ukraine after relocating for two months to Bulgaria at the start of Russia's war, but then in autumn 2022 found that life there was 'harder and more dangerous' amid Moscow's relentless attacks on critical infrastructure. 'No light, electricity, and it was cold, and we were sitting in our houses with candles,' she explained. When they came to DeWitt, they were welcomed into the community, where a couple of other Ukrainian families had also settled. 'People here are all so good. They really helped us,' Avetisian told CNN. Now, if they are made to leave, they don't feel that they can return to Ukraine. 'I don't want to take my 14-year-old daughter and go to another country and start there and learn a new language and make new friends and look for a new house. It's very hard,' she said. Sasha said he feels like he's back in the 'worst period' of his life during the war, where he felt like he was not in control of his life. His family fled Kyiv with just minutes to pack their suitcases after explosions near their home and separated for several months – his wife and daughter went to Italy while he remained helping build shelters in Ukraine. He heard about the U4U program through a friend, and the family quickly made the decision to apply so they could be together. They were 'a little bit confused and scared because we don't know where we're going, we didn't know what to expect,' said Sasha. Speaking over video chat with Lee and his wife, Barbara, who were their sponsors, helped assuage some of those fears, he said. Their concerns were further eased when they arrived. Now, Sasha has restarted his construction business in Hartsville, building affordable tiny houses out of shipping containers. 'He's invested a lot, not just in time and effort, but he has a rental contract for the place he's using to build stuff, he's purchased a lot of equipment,' Lee explained. 'I'm trying to not think about' possibly having to leave the US, Sasha said. He recalled that his daughter had just begun to talk when they relocated to the US after having to move several times. 'She had the same question all the time, 'Daddy, where is our home?' When you can't answer this question, I can't even explain how it feels,' he told CNN. 'A couple months ago, she started to call this place where we live in, she started to call it home.'
