Latest news with #Platz
Boston Globe
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
After 60 years, Lewiston's place in boxing lore will be cast in bronze
At a time when boxing was the sport of kings and championship fights of this caliber were global events, Ali knocked out Liston less than two minutes into what is perhaps the most unusual championship boxing match in history. 'I saw the punch,' Platz said. 'I saw him swing.' Others didn't, and still others wondered if Liston, a heavy favorite, threw the fight, for whatever reason. Advertisement But that was for the pundits to argue over. For Lewiston natives such as Platz and Hewitt, what happened that Tuesday night in May of 1965 was nothing short of a phenomenon, when people all around the world heard of Lewiston for the first time. The nostalgia wrapped in civic pride on the 50th anniversary convinced Platz, an architect and developer, and Hewitt, an artist, and eventually many others, that Lewiston's moment in history needed to be preserved, forever, in bronze. They turned to Zenos Frudakis, the Philadelphia-based sculptor known as the Monument Man, to create Zenos Frudakis stood next to his Muhammad Ali statue in clay. Frudakis Studio, Inc. That effort will culminate on Saturday, May 31, six days after the 60th anniversary of the fight, when the Ali statue is unveiled at the entrance to Bates Mill No. 5. Advertisement The symbolism is rich. It was mills such as No. 5 that put Lewiston on the map more than a century ago, attracting thousands of French Canadians to move south and work in the textile and shoe factories along the Androscoggin River. But those mills started closing in the 1950s, and by the time Muhammad Ali showed up, the decline of the city's industrial base was at full steam. Platz was heavily involved in efforts to redevelop the old factories, such as those in the Bates Mill Complex that house the Baxter brewing company, one of Lewiston's newest, burgeoning businesses. 'This was always a very diverse community, built by immigrants,' Platz said. 'When the factories started closing, Lewiston had to re-invent itself.' The Baxter Brewing Co. building on Thursday, March 6 in Lewiston, Maine. Brett Phelps for The Boston Globe No one represented reinvention more than Ali, the brash fighter from Louisville who shocked mainstream America by converting to Islam and changing his name from Cassius Clay after becoming heavyweight champion in 1964 by defeating Liston in Miami in their first fight. Ali later shocked even more in 1967 by refusing to fight in the Vietnam War, saying, 'I ain't got no quarrel with those Vietcong.' The rematch was supposed to take place in Boston, at Boston Garden. But Massachusetts officials were wary. Just a few months earlier, Malcolm X, the Black nationalist leader, had been assassinated as part of an internecine feud in the Nation of Islam. Heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali arrived at his training camp in Chicopee, Mass. to launch final preparations for his May 25 title rematch with Sonny Liston in Boston. The match was moved to Lewiston seven days before the event. AP Ali had broken with Malcolm X prior to the assassination, and Massachusetts law enforcement and boxing officials feared retaliation at a high-profile bout. Racial tension was high in many cities. Advertisement Just 17 days before the scheduled bout, the fight was moved to Lewiston. All over the world, boxing fans asked, 'Where is Lewiston?' But in Lewiston, even as a boy, Platz could sense the energy and optimism the heavyweight title fight brought. 'The excitement was palpable,' he said. Hewitt remembers thinking of Ali and Liston, stars in the ring who were not embraced by most Americans because they were Black, as symbolizing something else in Lewiston's past. Heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali (Cassius Clay) whispers an aside to Angelo Dundee, his trainer, during a poolside press conference at his quarter in Lewiston nearby Auburn, Maine on May 24, 1965. Harry Harris/Associated Press 'Ali and Liston, having survived that racial trauma, were a lot closer to the French Canadians, who faced a lot of discrimination when they showed up here in such large numbers,' Hewitt said. 'The KKK was intimidating French Canadians who were coming down to work in the factories. When I was a young man, the narrative I learned was the people of Lewiston didn't like the KKK, that they supported the American spirit, which was that people came to work, and good luck to them.' St. Dominic's Arena, also known as the Central Maine Youth Center, and now as just the Colisse, held only 4,000, the smallest venue for a championship fight in the modern era. But whatever it lacked in size, it made up for in gritty character. The Ali and his wife Sonji gestured at a press conference after his successful title defense in Lewiston, Me., May 25, 1965. ASSOCIATED PRESS Robert Goulet sang the national anthem, mangling a couple of words. Prior to the opening bell, boxing royalty mingled inside the ring: Joe Louis, Rocky Marciano, Floyd Patterson, James Braddock. The fight was, in the end, anticlimactic. At 1:44 into the first round, Ali landed that phantom right, and Liston went down in a heap. Advertisement Ali stood over the fallen Liston, yelling, 'Get up and fight, sucker!' Liston did get up, but had already been counted out. That image, of Ali standing over Liston, Zenos Frudakis with the molds for the Ali statue. Frudakis Studio, Inc. The statue of Ali created by Frudakis is more subtle than that angry image of Ali, Frudakis was commissioned to make the statue before the 'Lewiston has this inner strength,' Frudakis said. 'They can take a punch. They can get knocked down. But they always get up.' Hewitt believes it's a message that resonates in old mill cities across New England. 'Lewiston represents Fall River, Waterbury, Holyoke, all these towns that have tried to remake themselves,' Hewitt said. 'The thing about Muhammad Ali and these towns, he didn't win every round, but he fought every round. That's like Lewiston.' Another irony not lost on Hewitt and Platz is that Ali might have been the only one named Muhammad in Lewiston that night 60 years ago. Now, two decades after Sub-Saharan Africans became the latest wave of immigrants to re-invent Lewiston, Muhammad is a common name in Lewiston. Advertisement 'What happened to the French?' Hewitt says. 'They're Somalis now. We get up and keep moving forward.' Charlie Hewitt's "Hopeful" sign on the side of Bates Mill No. 5 in 2024 where the Ali statue will be unveiled. Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff Kevin Cullen is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at
Yahoo
13-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Siblings' charity plan after Pride flag vandalism
A brother and sister in York have said they plan to start a charity in response to alleged homophobic vandalism at their shop. Xander and Claire Platz opened "This Shop is So Gay" on Parliament Street in March, and have plans to convert their old premises on Low Petergate into a cafe. They said a Pride flag was removed from outside of the new store twice within three weeks. North Yorkshire Police has appealed for information as part of an investigation into "hate-related criminal damage". The siblings bought their first souvenir shop nine months ago, and soon wrote the word "gay" in large letters on the window. Whilst that sparked some educational conversations among customers and families, Mr Platz said others walked past "shouting at the shop, aggressively". "We've always said we're going to turn hate to great, so every time somebody is hateful we make something great out of it," he said. "When they were hateful about the little gay shop, it got more successful for us, because people kept coming in and telling us their stories." Many of the siblings' online supporters offered to help buy a new flag, Mr Platz said. They set up a fundraiser with a target of £100. "Overnight, it raised nearly a thousand pounds, and it's a lot of small donations. "The money's great because we can do the repairs, we can sort the flag out, but more than that, it's people all around the world saying, 'no we won't run and hide, put this flag back up, keep going and keep visibility,' " he said. The donations inspired the siblings to set up a charity, to which they'll donate 10% of their profits from the shop and cafe. The plans also include an LGBTQ+ themed museum in the basement of their new premises. The museum would cover the history of LGBTQ+ people "from day zero", Mr Platz said, enabling people to "see themselves represented as normal". He said there was a particular focus on creating a "safe space" for transgender people. He explained: "Growing up in the 80s and 90s, the whole world was like, 'you are horrendous if you are gay,' and I think that's transitioned now to being 'you are horrendous if you are trans.' " The charity would be focused on "having a great time", Mr Platz said, so patrons could forget about "trying to stand in a certain way and trying to say the right things". "It's all about - for me and Claire - having fun before we die and laughing as much as possible." North Yorkshire Police previously said it was investigating criminal damage between 6pm on 22 March and 10am the following day. The Pride flag was ripped from its flagpole, which caused damage to the brickwork of the building. Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North. Untold stories to be collected and preserved 'I needed years of therapy over the battle to change my sexuality' 'We couldn't get jobs in sexist garages - so we set up our own'
BBC News
13-04-2025
- Business
- BBC News
York LGBT+ shop owners say vandalism has made them stronger
A brother and sister in York have said they plan to start a charity in response to alleged homophobic vandalism at their and Claire Platz opened "This Shop is So Gay" on Parliament Street in March, and have plans to convert their old premises on Low Petergate into a said a Pride flag was removed from outside of the new store twice within three Yorkshire Police has appealed for information as part of an investigation into "hate-related criminal damage". The siblings bought their first souvenir shop nine months ago, and soon wrote the word "gay" in large letters on the that sparked some educational conversations among customers and families, Mr Platz said others walked past "shouting at the shop, aggressively"."We've always said we're going to turn hate to great, so every time somebody is hateful we make something great out of it," he said."When they were hateful about the little gay shop, it got more successful for us, because people kept coming in and telling us their stories." Many of the siblings' online supporters offered to help buy a new flag, Mr Platz set up a fundraiser with a target of £100."Overnight, it raised nearly a thousand pounds, and it's a lot of small donations."The money's great because we can do the repairs, we can sort the flag out, but more than that, it's people all around the world saying, 'no we won't run and hide, put this flag back up, keep going and keep visibility,' " he donations inspired the siblings to set up a charity, to which they'll donate 10% of their profits from the shop and plans also include an LGBTQ+ themed museum in the basement of their new premises. The museum would cover the history of LGBTQ+ people "from day zero", Mr Platz said, enabling people to "see themselves represented as normal".He said there was a particular focus on creating a "safe space" for transgender explained: "Growing up in the 80s and 90s, the whole world was like, 'you are horrendous if you are gay,' and I think that's transitioned now to being 'you are horrendous if you are trans.' "The charity would be focused on "having a great time", Mr Platz said, so patrons could forget about "trying to stand in a certain way and trying to say the right things"."It's all about - for me and Claire - having fun before we die and laughing as much as possible."North Yorkshire Police previously said it was investigating criminal damage between 6pm on 22 March and 10am the following Pride flag was ripped from its flagpole, which caused damage to the brickwork of the building. Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Yahoo
Driver says brakes failed before T-bone crash: Sheriff's Office
The Brief A crash on Feb. 4 involving two vehicles in Albany Township occurred when one driver said the brakes on their vehicle failed to work, resulting in a T-bone style crash in the middle of an intersection. According to the Stearns County Sheriff's Office, the victim's vehicle was struck on the driver's side rear door, causing the vehicle to, "launch into a field a few hundred yards northeast of the intersection." Authorities have not yet indicated whether alcohol is believed to be a factor, or the speed the driver was potentially traveling at in the moments before the crash. ALBANY TWP., Minn. (FOX 9) - A driver involved in a crash on Feb. 4 in Albany Township says the brakes in his vehicle failed to work in the moments leading up to the collision that launched another vehicle several hundred yards. What we know Around 6:09 p.m. on Feb. 4, the Stearns County Emergency Communications Center says it received a report of a crash with injuries near the intersection of County Road 10 and 360th Street in Albany Township. Upon arrival at the scene, Stearns County Sheriff's Office Deputies learned a blue 2007 Ford Fusion driven by Hunter Johnson, 19, of Cold Spring, was traveling eastbound on 360th Street, when he ran the stop sign at 360th Street and County Road 10. Johnson told authorities that his brakes failed, and he could not stop, when he struck a 2022 Jeep Cherokee driven by Leann Platz, 54, of Holdingford, as she was traveling northbound on County Road 10 – resulting in a T-bone style collision. Platz's vehicle was struck on the driver's side rear door, causing the vehicle to, "launch into a field a few hundred yards northeast of the intersection," authorities said. Platz was transported to the Melrose Hospital for treatment of her injuries, while Johnson was treated at the scene. The crash remains under investigation. What we don't know Authorities have not yet indicated whether alcohol is believed to be a factor, or the speed the driver was potentially traveling at in the moments before the crash. The Source Information provided by the Stearns County Sheriff's Office.
