There has been a raging dispute in the Trayvon Martin case over whether who is incident, and who is guilty.
Some feel that Martin was a target because of his appearance of wearing a hooded sweatshirt, and because of his race.
On Friday afternoon students at Hamilton College raised awareness by wearing hooded sweatshirts.
Martin was shot and killed in February by George Zimmerman.
Zimmerman says he killed Trayvon Martin in self-defense because of his suspicious appearance.
Students at Hamilton College wanted to make it known that there is nothing wrong with wearing a hoodie.
"No matter your color, your race, your sex, and your clothes, we don't
think those are factors that should be involved in calling the police
and reporting somebody as suspicious," said Vice President of the Black
and Latino Union at Hamilton College, Christopher Delacruz.
The students made their way through the campus in hopes of catching the
attention of people in the community to ask the question, "What's with
all the hoodies?"
"People start questioning, and asking what is this for, what is this all
about? They realize someone was killed in Miami just for walking at
night and wearing a hoody and for being black. I think they'll realize
how unfair that is," said Hamilton College student, Kevin Rovelli.
But Christopher Delacruz says they also want to leave people with a deeper question.
"I want people to look at me and think to themselves, does he look suspicious?" said Delacruz.
And for Hamilton College Student, Kevin Rovelli, he says it's not just
about marching in a hooded sweatshirt, but more on continuing the
awareness.
"If people continue wearing their hoodies like this, it will only remind
us of the fact that this incident occurred and we need to pay
attention. From now on, and in the future whenever I see somebody
wearing a hoodie, I will never think that person is up to something,"
said Rovelli.
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Family and community members are mourning the loss of 23-month-old baby girl Ashi Kah of Utica. New Hartford Police responded to reports of the child drowning at Washington Mills Athletic Park Saturday night. She reportedly wandered away from her parents and was found down the river about 1,000 feet.
Community members are still in shock. Both residents and even officials declined to comment in such a tough time. But New Hartford Police say they're still investigating this tragedy, and right now, they're calling it an "accidental drowning."
The Washington Mills Athletic Park is nearly 20 acres, with 3 multi-use fields, a picnic area, and a toddler playground which is entirely fenced in with a 10 foot opening facing the parking lot - all of these attractions are just feet away from the Sauquoit Creek.
Eyewitness News spoke with the New Hartford Parks and Recreation Director, Michael Jeffrey. He did not feel comfortable going on camera in such a difficult time but he says, quote "This is a tragedy beyond any tragedy; a toddler lost her life. We do everything we can to make our parks safe for our children to play in, but there's no full-proof method anywhere."
The Sauquoit Creek is just behind the toddler playground. While its still unclear how the child got to the creek, parks officials say it would take a few minutes for a toddler to walk around the gated area to the water. New Hartford Police believe the tragedy began with a large family gathering at the park. While they have not spoken with the child's family yet, they say it appears the young toddler wandered away from her family into the creek. American Red Cross says sadly, these cases are far too common.
"Drowning is the second leading cause of injury related death for ages 1 to 14 years of age. When water accidents happen in our community, they are tragedies but unfortunately, they happen quite often and every spring and summer, we hear of some sort of incidents so to really cut down on these, we suggest to know your area, be safe, and be prepared," says Jennifer Balog, American Red Cross of the Mohawk Valley.
After being closed this weekend, the park reopened at 11 this morning. The Onondaga Medical Examiner's office is calling it an "accidental drowning," unless the investigation proves otherwise. New Hartford Police say they plan to release more information later this week.
Do you want to reduce your energy bills without breaking the bank? Some Utica residents say they learned just that at a free Energy Reduction Workshop this afternoon.
EmPower New York and NYSERDA employees told residents about programs that provide free energy improvements and in-home education to help home-owners and renters lower energy usage, and lower their bills.
"There's individuals everyday that I run into that don't apply for HEAP and they're eligible for HEAP, but they're not even aware of it. Do you want to save $50 dollars a month in your pocket? If so, apply for the program. If not, just educate yourself. Why freeze if you don't have to freeze in the winter?" says Michelle Evanson, EmPower New York coordinator.
EmPower New York employees had applications on-hand for residents interested in applying. For more information call 1-800-263-0960 or visit nyserda.ny.gov/empower