NYC NOW - April 21, 2023: Midday News

Episode Date: April 21, 2023

Police shot a scissor wielding Bronx man in the shoulder this morning, the Mayor of Sayreville, New Jersey Victoria Kilpatrick says she won’t run for re-election due to concerns for her safety, and in some sports news, the New York Islanders make their playoff home game debut tonight at brand-new UBS Arena in Elmont, while the Rangers beat the Devils again 5-to-1, And finally, a week ago the Schomburg Center hosted its 11th Annual Black Comic Book Festival, marking its first in-person return since the pandemic. WNYC’s culture and arts reporter Precious Fondren reports on the long lasting influence of the event.

Welcome to NYC Now. Your source for local news in and around New York City from WNYC. It's Friday, April 21st. Here's your midday news from Michael Hill. Police said they shot a man in the Melrose neighborhood of the Bronx around 9 this morning. The NYPD says officers responded to a call about an emotionally disturbed man at 962 Washington Avenue who had a pair of scissors in his hands. They say when they arrive, they repeatedly asked the man to drop. the scissors, but the man lunged at them. Police say they then shot the man once in the shoulder.

He's in a hospital and is expected to survive. The mayor of Sayerville, New Jersey, says she will not seek re-election. Mayor Victoria Kilpatrick cites safety concerns after someone murdered a council member, Eunice June 4 in February. Mayor Kilpatrick says she's gotten violent threats in office. She fought back tears at a council meeting after announcing her decision. For 10 years, I couldn't believe. believe it was a decade since I served as a councilperson. I put my heart and soul into every decision that I had to make. The council members discussed increasing safety for elected officials. June 4's murder remains unsolved with no reported arrest. The New York Islanders looked to

bounce back tonight after dropping their first two games against the Carolina Hurricanes, game three tonight at seven. It will be the first playoff game ever at the brand. new UBS Arena in Elmont. Last night in Newark, the Rangers beat the Devils again, five to one, game three tomorrow night at the Garden. Your forecast now, 57 and sunny, mostly sunny and 70, and then tomorrow, slim chance of early afternoon showers, mostly cloudy and 70, and then on Sunday a chance of sprinkles,

partly sunny and 68. It's WNIC. Last weekend, the Schaumburg Center hosted its 11th annual Black Comic Book Festival, held in person for the first time since the onset of the pandemic. Our precious Fondren reports the yearly event is having an impact that extends well beyond the two-day affair. Being black and into comic books can come with the set of problems most outsiders aren't aware of. At some conventions, black cosplayers are sometimes berated about the race of the characters they're dressed up as. Black fans are also ridiculed for acting white just for having this interest. That's why the Black Comic Book Festival plays such a vital role in the lives of attendees like this guy, who calls himself Black Rob.

Speaking from a personal perspective of being a comic book kid growing up in the Bronx, this is super cool because it's like this is an event for us. It's like a mecca. I come every year. He's not the only one who finds a sense of community at the festival. Authors, cartoonists, and exhibitors turn up to sell comic books, color. books and other merchandise. But from the very beginning, the event was about more than sales. The only reason why I'm here is so I can see the people I haven't seen since I'm like all the other black cartoonists that I haven't seen. That's cartoonist and historian Joel Christian Gill. He mostly creates comics centered around some aspect of black history. Gil says coming to the

Black comic book festival is one of the few times he doesn't feel like an outsider in the industry. I keep telling people over and over like coming to a black focused event, means you no longer have to be a black cartoonist. That's a sentiment I heard again and again. Shauna J. Grant is the cartoonist behind the graphic novel, Mimi and the Cutie Catastrophe. She's been attending the festival since 2017. Grant says she's made numerous personal and professional connections here. I feel like, you know, as a black artist, it's just such a recharge to connect with people

in my community that are also into comics and art. and writing. Grant says it's great for kids to see themselves reflected in both the comics and their creators. I just love seeing like the kids here, their eyes just lighting up like, wow, and just want them to know, like, yeah, you can make art and comics too. It's not just for like white people. Festival organizer Kadyatu Tubman says kids were front and center in the minds of the event's founders, particularly the idea of allowing kids to see themselves and what they are reading. Founders really thought that was an opportunity to expose young people to literacy through comics because it comes such like a gateway to reading other types of texts and just really enjoying reading in general.

Tubman says she's proud of how the festival has redefined the industry for black comic book creators and fans. It's been incredibly powerful to see not only the least, you know, access to this world, these these amazing artists, these writers, these creatives, but also just how, you know, being, nerdy and black has become really cool. It's become even more normalized because we've always existed. The Black Comic Book Festival happens only once a year, but attendees hoping to build community are also looking elsewhere. Attendee Alia Farrell says social media can help. If you look up tags, like cosplay, black cosplayers, black cosplayers on Instagram is a really big tag and you can find people who are into the same stuff as you do and you can find people who

live in your area and then maybe like meet up with them. Some attendees say they made friends over the years and planned gatherings that have nothing to do with comic books or cosplay. But Shauna Grant says people looking for connections shouldn't be afraid of being their full self when they do attend comic-related events. Definitely just start going to like all sorts of anime and comic conventions, make friends with other artists on social media, cartoon people, comic people. We're really friendly, though. As for where you might encounter this community next in New York City, Black Rob recommends Brooklyn Comic Con 2033. That event is slated to happen in June. Precious Fondering WNYC News.

Thanks for listening. This is NYC now from WNYC. Be sure to catch us every weekday, three times a day, for your top news headlines and occasional deep dives. And subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Thank you.