Latest news with #Rivera
Newsweek
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Newsweek
Stonewall Uprising: A Look at Transgender Activists Who Led the Movement
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The Stonewall Uprising, a pivotal moment in the LGBTQ+ rights fight, occurred 56 years ago and sparked a movement led in part by two transgender activists: Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera. The Context The Stonewall uprising began after police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York City, sparking protests and pushback from the local LGBTQ+ community. Johnson and Rivera emerged as two community leaders from the movement, though there is debate about their exact involvement during the protests. Earlier this year, the Trump administration sparked backlash after removing references to transgender people from the Stonewall National Monument website. Meanwhile, the Pride Month display at the Stonewall National Monument excluded transgender pride flags this year, according to ABC News. LGBTQ+ activists have raised concerns about attempts to erase the history of transgender activists this year. What To Know The exact history of Stonewall is complicated, and accounts from participants have varied over the years. Who exactly threw the first brick at Stonewall, for instance, has been debated, and there remains no clear consensus on the question. Still, Johnson and Rivera emerged from Stonewall as two of the most prominent leaders in New York's LGBTQ+ community who would shape the movement for decades to come. The uprising began early on June 28, 1969, when patrons at the bar fought back against police harassment during a raid. The riots continued for about six days and drew national attention to the LGBTQ+ rights cause. Photo-illustration by Newsweek/Getty Johnson had said she was not at Stonewall when the uprising began and showed up a bit later. But she was among the most prominent participants in the days-long riots, resisting police after they raided the bar. In one well-reported account of the riots, Johnson climbed up a lamppost to drop a heavy object onto a police car. Rivera, who was 17 years old at the time of the riots, had also said that she was in attendance, although some historians have questioned whether she was present at Stonewall on the first night of the riot. Historian David Carter wrote in 2019 for The Gay City News that activist Bob Kohler, who was present at the riots, told him Rivera was not at Stonewall. But the debate about who was at Stonewall when is "pointless and silly," Michael Bronski, author of A Queer History of the United States, told Newsweek. He said it's important to look at the activists' work after Stonewall, such as the founding of Street Transvestite Activists Revolutionaries (STAR) and the first halfway house for young gender non-conforming individuals. STAR was an organization founded in 1970 by Johnson and Rivera to support transgender people. It was an early activist group for trans rights that went on to inspire others in the movement. At the time, notably, the term "transgender" was not in use, so the term "drag queen" was used to describe Johnson and Rivera, though they are considered to be transgender. They had also used the term "transvestite," which is now considered outdated or offensive by many, despite its historical use. Héctor Carrillo, a professor of sociology and sexuality & gender studies, told Newsweek it is "not automatic" that all drag queens at Stonewall would think of themselves as transgender, as the trans movement "didn't crystallize until the 1990s." While activists like Johnson and Rivera are now recognized as pioneers of the LGBTQ+ rights movement, at the time, the transgender community was not "idolized" by many gay and lesbian people, Bronski said. "Back then, often the queer community, the more mainstream queer community, was not particularly open to trans people, and for some reasons—if trans people went into a bar, police might be likely to raid the bar. Trans people were more hassled on the streets by police," he said. Vincent Stephens, an associate dean of diversity and inclusion at Boston University's College of Arts & Sciences, told Newsweek activists like Johnson and Rivera were "integral to really being at the forefront of liberation." After Stonewall, groups like the Gay Liberation Front (GLF) were founded to advance the acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community, he said. But those groups had many "internal fissures" that caused women and people of color to break off. This led to the creation of STAR. "In many ways, they were integral to articulate the needs and concerns of gender nonconforming people," Stephens said. "They also exposed in many ways a tension within the queer community, which is that some people who were very focused on concerns of gay men and the concerns of lesbians but weren't necessary addressing concerns of gender-nonconforming people. STAR is an early example of gender non-conforming people organizing and saying, 'We are integral to this.'" The two continued working on causes including AIDS and homelessness throughout their lives, as well as remaining active in the battle for LGBTQ+ rights. Stonewall Anniversary Comes as Many View New Attacks on LGBTQ+ Community This year's anniversary of the riots comes as many in the LGBTQ+ community see setbacks in a legal sense, as well as a shift in public opinion against gay and trans rights. The Trump administration's removal of mentions of the transgender community from the Stonewall National Monument website is among those concerns. Bronski said the erasure of the transgender community cannot be viewed "in isolation." Those who oppose gay rights have realized they cannot push for the eradication of the gay community from public life, but could still "focus on the most vulnerable of those people, which is trans community," he said. "I think it's really telling that they didn't get rid of all of LGBT, but just the T. I think they knew that getting rid of LGB would cause complete outrage, but you can get away with getting rid of the T because there's enough ambivalence and lack of understanding about transgender people," he said. A key part of the legacy of Stonewall is remembering that 1969 wasn't all that long ago, Stephens said. "Many of the fights that LGBTQ+ people have been fighting are relatively recent fights, and the fight is not over," he said. "We have to think about the long-term vision for how we want to exist as human beings and as contributors to society. Stonewall reminds us that we have to sometimes get up, take risks and advocate for ourselves." Every movement "needs a moment," and Stonewall is that for the LGBTQ+ rights movement, Bronski said. While LGBTQ+ Pride Month has become "very commercialized," it's still important to remember the deeper meaning behind the role of power in society and how that can harm people. "There is a great lesson to be learned that what happens to the most vulnerable people can happen to anyone," he said. What People Are Saying Héctor Carrillo, a professor of sociology and sexuality & gender studies, told Newsweek: "The Stonewall Uprising acquired enormous cultural symbolism. It came to be seen as marking the beginning of the LGBTQ movement, even when there had been other instances of gay and lesbian protest before. Those include the Mattachine Society's picketing and the Compton Cafeteria riot in San Francisco in 1966. GLAAD criticized the Trump administration's move to remove references to the trans community from the Stonewall National Monument website in February: "The Stonewall Uprising – a monumental moment in the fight for LGBTQ rights – would not have happened without the leadership of transgender and gender non-conforming people. The tireless work of Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, and countless other trans women of color paved the way and continue to inspire us. You can try to erase our history, but we will never forget those who came before us and we will continue to fight for all those who will come after us."
CBS News
18 hours ago
- CBS News
Addison teen charged with leading police on high-speed chase, possessing gun in Wood Dale, Illinois
A teen was ordered held after being charged with leading police on a high-speed chase while possessing a handgun in Wood Dale, Illinois, earlier this week, the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office announced on Friday. Emmanuel Rivera, 18, of Addison, Illinois, was charged with two counts of aggravated fleeing and eluding, one count of aggravated unlawful possession of a weapon, and multiple misdemeanor and petty traffic offenses, including leaving the scene of an accident involving damage and speeding over 35 miles per hour over the limit. Rivera appeared in court Thursday afternoon, where the judge granted the state's motion to deny his pre-trial release. On Tuesday, Wood Dale officers responded to a disturbance involving a white Nissan sedan in the 500 block of North Maple Avenue, just after 9 p.m. Shortly after, officers saw the Nissan heading northbound on Maple Avenue as it turned east onto Elmhurst Street. Officers in two separate squad cars activated their emergency lights and attempted to perform a traffic stop. The Nissan driver, later identified as Rivera, allegedly did not pull over, ignored a stop sign, and fled eastbound on Elmhurst Street, leading to a pursuit. It is further alleged that Rivera reached speeds of at least 60 miles per hour in a 20-mile-per-hour zone, the office said. After turning southbound on Route 83 from Elmhurst Street, he crashed into a median and disabled the Nissan. At that time, Rivera and multiple occupants allegedly exited the vehicle and fled on foot. During a search of the Nissan, officers found a Glock 27, sub-compact, .40 caliber firearm with one bullet in the chamber. Later that evening, officers identified Rivera as the driver. He turned himself in to the Wood Dale Police Department. He is due back in court on July 21.
Miami Herald
3 days ago
- Miami Herald
Music promoter pleads guilty in two pharmaceutical drug cases in Miami
A music promoter charged with distributing millions of dollars worth of 'adulterated' psychiatric, cancer and HIV medications and laundering the profits pleaded guilty in two Miami federal cases on Tuesday. Boris Arencibia, 51, who has been detained as a flight-risk to Cuba since his arrest last year, was convicted in one case of conspiring to traffic in medical products with false documentation between 2022 and 2023. In another case, Arencibia was also convicted of conspiring to commit money laundering stemming from a pharmaceutical drug-diversion scheme dating back a decade. His partner in the first case, Jose Armando Rivera, 44, who has been free on bond, also pleaded guilty on Tuesday to the same false documentation charge. Both Miami-Dade men face between three and five years at their sentencing in September before U.S. District Judge Darrin Gayles. Their plea agreements in the first scheme require them to pay $21 million to the federal government for its losses, Gayles said in court. Separately, Arencibia must pay a forfeiture judgment of $7 million in the money laundering case. According to a charging document, Arencibia and Rivera owned part of a Texas wholesale distributor, Eclipse Meds, LLC. They bought pharmaceutical drugs from people in Puerto Rico and the United States and used Eclipse Meds to distribute them to pharmacies in Miami-Dade and other parts of the country. The pharmacies, in turn, sold them to patients with private or government insurance plans, such as Medicare for senior citizens. To make the wholesale network look legitimate, they forged documents saying the adulterated pharmaceutical drugs came from licensed suppliers, according to federal prosecutors. Arencibia and Rivera, represented by defense attorneys Frank Quintero and Michael Band, agreed to the plea agreements with prosecutors Frank Tamen and Jacqueline Zee DerOvanesian, to avoid potentially higher prison sentences. 'Based on the facts that Mr. Arencibia has been held without bond since January 2024 and that he is not cooperating, we felt that it was in his best interest to resolve both cases if we could negotiate favorable agreements in both cases,' Quintero said in a statement. 'We accomplished that. However, the ultimate sentence in both cases will be up to the Judge.' Of the two defendants, Arencibia stands out for his controversial history as a music promoter. Until his arrest at his Kendall home in January of last year, Arencibia worked as the owner and president of South Florida-based Caribe Promotions. He represented musicians and boxers, including Cuban professional boxer Guillermo Rigondeaux. The promoter caught the ire of Miami's Cuban community after acknowledging that he was an organizer of the Santa María Music Fest in August 2023, which was deemed controversial by some due to its financial links to the Cuban military. A social media influencer from Kentucky got into a fight with Arencibia over the concert, but no one was charged.. In February of last year, a magistrate judge rejected Arencibia's bid for a bond and ordered that he be held at a federal lock-after finding he might flee to his native Cuba because of his contacts from the Santa María festival. The latest criminal case wasn't the first time Arencibia caught the attention of federal prosecutors. In 2000, Arencibia was accused of possessing equipment that could create fraudulent credit cards, according to Miami federal court records. He took a plea deal and was sentenced to six months in federal prison followed by three years of probation. Arencibia's permanent residency status in the United States was subsequently revoked.
Chicago Tribune
3 days ago
- Chicago Tribune
Mourners arrive for funeral of Chicago police Officer Krystal Rivera
Mourners, including police officials from across the state, started to arrive before noon at Living Word Christian Center in Forest Park for the funeral of Chicago police Officer Krystal Rivera, the first such ceremony in 2025 for a CPD officer killed in the line of duty. By 11:30 a.m., hundreds of Chicago patrol officers lined the driveway of the Forest Park shopping center where the center is located. They walked single-file around a large parking lot as piano music merged from inside the church. An American flag fluttered from a crane parked at the mouth of the driveway. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson were in attendance along with department leaders. Rivera, 36, a CPD officer for four years, was assigned to a tactical team in the Gresham District (6th) when she was mistakenly killed by her partner which chasing a suspect. She is survived by her adolescent daughter. On June 5, Rivera and her team attempted to detain a weapons suspect in the 8200 block of South Drexel. That person ran into a nearby apartment, and Rivera and her team gave chase, police previously said. The officers were met inside by two other people, one of whom allegedly pointed a gun at Rivera. Rivera's partner, apparently standing behind her, fired a single shot, striking her in the back. With no time to wait for an ambulance, other officers placed Rivera in a CPD squad car to take her to University of Chicago Medical Center. During the drive, though, the police vehicle somehow caught fire and Rivera was transferred to another squad car. She was pronounced dead soon after arriving at the hospital. The Cook County medical examiner's office said she was shot once in the back. Her death was ruled a homicide, though her autopsy report hasn't been finalized. A CPD incident report stated Rivera was shot in her left flank, presumably near an opening in her bulletproof vest. In the chaos following the gunfire, the three people in the apartment were able to, briefly, evade police. Two were soon taken into custody, and one man, Adrian Rucker, was charged two days later. Rucker, 25, had six warrants at the time of his arrest, according to prosecutors. He was charged with armed violence, use of a firearm without a firearm owner's identification card, possession of a fake ID and drug possession. He was ordered held pending trial. Last weekend, authorities announced charges against the man who, police say, was the subject of the initial street stop that sparked the shooting. Jaylin Arnold, 27, was charged with armed violence, being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession of a controlled substance. Like Rucker, he was ordered held pending trial. Less than a year ago, another officer in the Gresham District, Enrique Martinez, was fatally shot while on-duty less than a half-mile from where Rivera was shot. ' ]
New York Post
19-06-2025
- Health
- New York Post
NY pols probe controversial $9B taxpayer-funded program for home-health-care aides: 'Significant concerns'
State lawmakers are launching a public hearing to probe New York's controversial $9 billion taxpayer-funded program that connects residents with home-health-care aides. State Senate Health Committee Chair Gustavo Rivera (D-Bronx) and state Sen. James Skoufis (D-Hudson Valley) said they will be calling on people to testify about the troubled Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program, or CDPAP. 4 State Senator James Skoufis announces that the Department of Motor Vehicles will remain in West Haverstraw. Tania Savayan/The Journal News via Imagn Content Services, LLC Advertisement 4 New York State Senator Gustavo Rivera speaking at a podium. Kevin C Downs forThe New York Post The program initially came fire for its alleged rampant abuse and waste involving the under-regulated middlemen companies that were connecting residents with aides as part of the state-funded Medicare initiative. Gov. Kathy Hochul's administration then did away with the private go-betweens — but its awarding of the massive job to one firm in a no-bid contract only created more questions and outcry. Advertisement 'We are going to lay out in clear terms how the transition worked, what didn't work, how it happened and what are the things to learn to make sure that individuals being served by the program continue to be served,' Rivera said. 4 Gov. Kathy Hochul's administration then did away with the private go-betweens Luiz C. Ribeiro for New York Post Rivera said 'fallout is still being felt' from the governor's consolidation move – noting that some workers have not been paid or have left the program, while patients have not been getting the care they need and others have ended back in nursing homes 'or worse.' The program has already come under scrutiny from the feds, who The Post reported earlier this month are probing the governor's selection of Public Partnerships, LLC, as the sole 'fiscal intermediary' for CDPAP. Advertisement Skoufis said how that contact was awarded will be part of the state hearing's scope. 'We do have questions. We do have concerns,' he said. 'I have significant concerns about just how this company was awarded the contract and were they awarded the contract fairly.' 4 Rivera said 'fallout is still being felt' from the governor's consolidation move – noting that some workers have not been paid or have left the program. zinkevych – Hochul administration rep Sam Spokony said in a statement, 'New York State protected home care and prevented a fiscal crisis by putting an end to the waste, fraud and abuse of an old system. Advertisement 'The vast majority of consumers and workers have reported a positive experience with the new statewide fiscal intermediary.' The state lawmakers' hearing on the issue will be held July 9.
